L'Ardente_lasagna_credit Mike Fuentes Photography - Washingtonian

L’Ardente lasagna with beef sugo and truffles. Photograph by Mike Fuentes Photography.

Year in Review: A Look Back at DC’s Food Scene

Our readers’ favorite restaurants, local eateries that shut down, and more.

Written by Ann Limpert , Jessica Sidman and Ike Allen | Published on December 11, 2023

Contents

Washingtonian Readers’ Favorite Restaurants Around DC in 2023
How Much Does It Cost to Eat Out Now?
29 Places in the DC-Area That Shut Their Doors This Year
4 Weird Things That Showed Up in Our Cocktails This Year
9 Food Trends That Defined the DC Dining Scene in 2023
The Top 10 Dishes Our Food Editors Ate This Year

Washingtonian Readers’ Favorite Restaurants Around DC in 2023

The votes are in for our 46th annual restaurant survey: Here’s where you most loved to eat this year.

Rey Lopez El Presidente Theatre Room - Washingtonian — El Presidente’s theatrical dining room. Photograph by Rey Lopez.

How Much Does It Cost to Eat Out Now?

Price checking local dish and drink costs between 2019 and 2023

Le-Diplomate-Americain-Burger-by-Danny-Kim-min-square-crop - Washingtonian — Photograph by Danny Kim.

29 Places in the DC-Area That Shut Their Doors This Year

Saying goodbye to these local eateries

CAH Street - Washingtonian — Photograph by Abdul Rahman Majeedi.

4 Weird Things That Showed Up in Our Cocktails This Year

Say cheers with … cyanide?

IMG_9793 - Washingtonian — Bresca’s Passion for the Run. Photograph by Rey Lopez.

9 Food Trends That Defined the DC Dining Scene in 2023

Lab-grown chicken is here, so are rampant service fees

The Top 10 Dishes Our Food Editors Ate This Year

Highlights from a very delicious year

PERRYS102623_0015-scaled-down - Washingtonian — Photograph by Scott Suchman .

This article appears in the December 2023 issue of Washingtonian.

More: Features Washingtonian Wrapped 2023

Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.

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.

Assistant Editor