The best restaurants in D.C., according to the James Beard Awards

The James Beard Awards have long been considered the Oscars of the culinary world, celebrating America’s best chefs and restaurants. Winning an award, or just being a finalist for a top honor, can extend a nominee’s reputation far beyond their hometown. The D.C. area had just three finalists in major categories in 2023, a year after the area boasted eight finalists without bringing home a major trophy. (The awards weren’t held in 2021, and no winners were announced in 2020, due to the pandemic and then a reckoning about racism and unacceptable behavior within the restaurant industry.)

However, Washington had a major win this year, thanks to Rob Rubba of Oyster Oyster, who was named “outstanding chef” in the national competition.

To celebrate the area’s latest nominations, which include Causa for best new restaurant and Michael Rafidi of Albi for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic, we decided to look back at local Beard winners and nominees from recent years. This isn’t a comprehensive list — D.C.’s previous two winners, both in 2019, were Kwame Onwuachi, named rising star chef for his work at Kith and Kin, and Tom Cunanan for Bad Saint, who won best chef for the Mid-Atlantic. Both those restaurants are closed, but if you’re wondering where to eat now, or planning a trip and deciding where to eat a month from now, the restaurants below are a great place to start.

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