A Michelin Bib Gourmand in Washington, DC

The Red Hen holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, the MICHELIN Guide’s award for good quality cooking at good value. We are an Italian-American restaurant in Washington, DC’s Bloomingdale neighborhood, serving housemade pasta, wood-fired cooking, and a mostly Italian wine list seven nights a week.

What is a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and how is it different from a star?

They are separate distinctions. Michelin Stars recognise cooking at the very highest level. A Bib Gourmand, named after Bibendum the Michelin Man, recognises restaurants serving good quality cooking at a moderate price, and inspectors award it to places they would happily send a friend for dinner without a special occasion. The Red Hen is a Bib Gourmand restaurant. We do not hold a Michelin Star, and you will find us in the MICHELIN Guide’s Washington DC selection under that Bib Gourmand distinction rather than on the starred list.

The Red Hen’s awards and press

Washingtonian ranked The Red Hen #18 on its 100 Very Best Restaurants list for 2026, praising the robust Italian plates and calling out the rigatoni with sausage, the gnocchetti, and the pork Milanese. Eater DC’s February 2026 dining report called the pastas impeccable, from the rigatoni with fennel sausage to a seasonal campanelle. Chef Michael Friedman is a multi-year James Beard Award semifinalist. The full list is on our press page.

What to order at a Bib Gourmand in Bloomingdale

Pasta is the heart of the menu. Every shape is made in house, and the list changes with the seasons around one constant: the mezzi rigatoni with fennel sausage ragu, on the menu since day one and the dish guests cross town for. Alongside it you will find the squid ink linguini with littleneck clams, the seasonal gnocchetti, and a rotating spaghetti built on whatever the Mid-Atlantic farms we buy from are picking. Most pastas can be made with Jovial gluten-free pasta, and many dishes can be adjusted vegetarian or vegan. The current lineup is on the dinner menu, and the mostly Italian wine list runs from Barolo and Nebbiolo to orange wines and Virginia bottles to pour beside it.

Where is The Red Hen, and how do I get a table?

We are at 1822 First Street NW in Bloomingdale, a residential neighborhood about two miles north of the Capitol. Dinner is served seven nights a week from 5:30pm on weeknights and 5:00pm on weekends. Reservations open on Resy 30 days ahead at 8am and go quickly, but we always hold tables for walk-ins, and the bar seats walk-ins with the full menu. Walking in before 7:00pm or after 9:00pm usually means the shortest wait. There is also a bar happy hour Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30pm. Anything else, from parking to dietary accommodations, is covered on the FAQ.