According to a list released accidentally Monday, Taqueria Habanero and Federalist Pig will both receive this year’s Bib Gourmand, an award which recognizes mid-priced restaurants.
To qualify for the award, Michelin’s famously secretive reviewers must have been able to get two orders and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less.
Located at the Campus Village Shoppes at 8145 Baltimore Ave. across from the Varsity student housing, Taqueria Habanero is a popular D.C. restaurant that focuses on house-made ingredients such as the corn tortillas made on site daily.
“The handmade tortillas and mole give you a sense of the kitchen’s talent at this Puebla-focused Mexican restaurant, where everything is executed with the finest care,” Michelin wrote.
Federalist Pig is a much-loved restaurant in Adams Morgan that is opening a 2,500-square-foot space to expand its barbecue operations in the building that once housed The Tire Place at 5504 Baltimore Ave.
“Pitmaster Rob Sonderman and his passionate crew deliver a tempting menu of barbecue delights, from tender pork ribs to smoky-crispy chicken wings to springy sausage from Logan Sausage Co.,” Michelin wrote.
The fact that two award-winning restaurants would have locations along the Route 1 corridor speaks a lot to the area’s growing reputation as a foodie haven. Not too long ago, some wondered if Busboys and Poets would do well here.
But the fact that both restaurants received an award for reasonably priced meals is a key reason for the area’s success.
Lower rents make Route 1 dining an order of magnitude cheaper than downtown D.C., while locations are available that can attract everyone from Maryland exurbanites on date night, to college students looking for something fun, to D.C. foodies willing to travel a little.
And if you’re willing to drive a little further south into D.C., French-inspired wine bar Primrose in Brookland also made the cut for its “sharp wine list, gracious hospitality and seasonal cooking.”
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