100 Very Best Restaurant 2016: Momofuku CCDC

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Photograph by Scott Suchman

About Momofuku CCDC

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No restaurant opening of 2015 was more anticipated than this spinoff of David Chang’s Momofuku brand. It would be hard for any restaurant to live up to such immense expectations, particularly an outpost of empire with an absentee chef/owner. And while there are dishes that will have you marveling at Chang’s ability to make fast food feel like fine dining, you’ll also encounter the rough edges endemic to high-volume operations where the boss isn’t always looking—a dish that needs more fine-tuning, a presentation that comes across as more tossed off than labored upon. But Chang, a Northern Virginia native, is often maniacal in his quest for perfection. So keep an eye on the place over the coming year as he introduces new dishes and phases out some of the sure things associated with his other spots. In other words, as in 2015, no restaurant will be more talked about.

Don’t miss: Pork, brisket, and shiitake steamed buns; rockfish crudo; ham and biscuits; beef noodle soup; ramen; rotisserie chicken; “Crack Pie”; Chocolate Chocolate cookie; Blueberry & Cream cookie.

See what other restaurants made our 100 Very Best Restaurants list. This article appears in our February 2016 issue of Washingtonian.


Ann Limpert
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

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.