A dining room at the Inn at Little Washington. Photograph by Scott Suchman..
Michelin is set to announce which DC restaurants will earn its coveted stars at a ceremony in Philadelphia on Tuesday, November 18. But the dining guide made the unusual move of announcing in advance that the Inn at Little Washington will only earn two stars, a downgrade from the three it has held since 2019. Alinea in Chicago and Masa in New York, which also previously had the highest possible rating of three stars, have also lost a star.
“The chefs and teams at these restaurants have been informed ahead of the ceremony,” Michelin said in a statement. “The Michelin Guide maintains its role of providing fair and qualitative recommendations to consumers, with its team of expert Inspectors, following its global methodology. It fully acknowledges the impact of its decisions on the establishments it honors. The Guide’s recommendations are far from fixed and are reassessed each year following anonymous and independent visits conducted by its Inspectors. These evaluations are based on the Guide’s methodology and five criteria, which ensure absolute consistency and uncompromising standards applied uniformly across the globe for the past 125 years.”
The Inn at Little Washington was the only three-star restaurant in the DC region. Minibar and Jont also have two stars.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Food Editor
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
