Washington area’s sole Michelin 3-star restaurant downgraded

The Washington area’s only three-star restaurant as rated by the Michelin Guide is being downgraded to two stars in the latest edition of the guide.

The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia, first received a three-star rating from Michelin for the 2019 edition of its guide.

Now it will join the District’s Minibar and Jont, both in Northwest, as a two-star restaurant, according to Washingtonian.

“The chefs and teams at these restaurants have been informed. … The Michelin Guide maintains its role of providing fair and qualitative recommendations. … 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,” Michelin said, according to Washingtonian.

Michelin is set to announce which restaurants will receive stars for the 2025 Michelin Guide Northeast Cities edition at a ceremony in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

“We have the greatest respect for the Michelin Guide and have been honored to hold its highest distinction for the past seven years. … Our mission has always been to create a restorative, magical experience for every one of our guests — that, above all, remains our guiding star,” The Inn at Little Washington said in response, according to dining website Eater DC.

Michelin said it will send inspectors back to The Inn at Little Washington, along with two other restaurants downgraded from three stars, in the future to reevaluate their quality for future guides, according to Robb Report.