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While the D.C. food scene definitely had its ego bruised after not receiving a new Michelin Star this year for the first time since Michelin came to the District, some recent news is giving us all the confidence we need to know that D.C.’s cuisine still reigns supreme!
The New York Times released its annual list of the best dishes that they ate all year around the entire country, featuring 23 of the best restaurant recipes in the nation, and the District managed to show up on the list, not once, but twice – featuring the same two spots that the Times ranked among the 50 restaurants best in the nation just a few months ago!
Here are the two dishes of the District that ranked among the best in America this year:
Falafel Jibneh at La’ Shukran 
Credit: Hawkeye Johnson / La’ Shukran
Run by one of the most acclaimed chefs in the nation, Chef Michael Rafidi (who also runs Albi and Yellow), La’ Shukran is a bar-bistro type spot located in the Union Market district that serves up modern dishes that fuse the chef’s background in Middle Eastern cuisine with French-style and western ingredients to create unique dishes that don’t fit easily into any one label!
According to the New York Times, the ultimate dish to try is the Falafel Jibneh: A classic crispy chickpea fritter stuffed with a mild Middle Eastern cheese (jibneh), which is topped with a dollop of dill yogurt and then garnished with a healthy serving of trout caviar.
Blending the creamy, crunchy textures of the falafel and a mouthful of flavors that somehow equal something even greater than the sum of its already impressive parts, this dish made the New York Times “wonder why someone hadn’t come up with the idea sooner.”
Ben’s Bowl at Dōgon 
Via Dōgon
Dōgon is an elevated Afro-Caribbean fusion restaurant located inside the Salamander Washington DC hotel near the Southwest Waterfront.
The restaurant by Chef Kwame Onwuachi first opened back in 2024 and quickly rose to critical acclaim, even being named “Best New Restaurant in America in 2024” by Esquire.
The particular dish highlighted by the New York Times was the “Ben’s Bowl”, a tribute of sorts to the iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl, a local institution that even the high-end chefs of the District pay tribute to.
The “small shar” dish features crispy curried lamb with a tamarind glaze served atop a puree of well-seasoned chickpeas.
While on the higher end of the spectrum of the Washington, D.C. food scene, this place is regarded as one of the best places in the capital to eat.
Dining and Cooking