Restaurant health inspection grades in the District of Columbia
GradeLocal lists 2,916 DC restaurants. Their average score is 85.1, a B. This guide explains who inspects them, what the results mean and how the grades break down.
Who inspects restaurants in DC
DC Health food establishment inspections. Violation counts.
Coverage: Citywide. All sources
What DC publishes
The agencies behind our DC listings publish violation counts. None of them publish a score out of 100, so every DC score on GradeLocal is a GradeLocal score, worked out from the official result.
How GradeLocal grades DC restaurants
For violation counts, we count every violation in the latest inspection. None is an A, 1 or 2 is a B, 3 to 5 is a C, and 6 or more is a D. An emergency closure order is also a D.
Results with no score of their own get a set score for each letter: A is 95, B is 85, C is 72 and D is 50.
There are four letters, A to D, with no F. The same rule applies in every state, and the cutoffs are never adjusted for a state, county or city. We always use the latest inspection.
How grades work has the full rules.
| Official result | Letter | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 0 violations | A | 1,301 |
| 1 violation | B | 614 |
| 2 violations | B | 383 |
| 3 violations | C | 215 |
| 4 violations | C | 120 |
| 6 violations | D | 75 |
| 5 violations | C | 75 |
| 7 violations | D | 40 |
How DC restaurants grade
The latest grade for each of the 2,916 listings.
Inspection dates in our DC data run from Jan 2, 2024 to Oct 10, 2026. 1,990 of the 2,916 listings (68.2%) were inspected in the 12 months before Oct 16, 2026. A restaurant may have been inspected again since.
Top-rated places in DC
Every A-grade place in our DC data gets the same GradeLocal score (95), so this list shows the ten most recently inspected A-grade places, one per name.
- AItalian BarWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 10, 2026
- ATHIP KHAO (n)WashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 10, 2026
- AEl ReyWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 9, 2026
- AExtra FancyWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 9, 2026
- AFlavioWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 9, 2026
- AGood Eats DCWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 9, 2026
- ASpringbone KitchenWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 9, 2026
- ASUZIE Q'sWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 9, 2026
- ASweetgreen IncWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 9, 2026
- ABuffalo & BergenWashingtonGradeLocal score 95, inspected Oct 8, 2026
A grade shows one inspection on one day. Check the official record linked on each page.
Area in DC
The District is listed as one area with at least one listing. Pick one to see its restaurants.
| Area | Restaurants | Average |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 2,916 | 85.1 · B |
Questions about DC grades
Who inspects restaurants in DC?
DC Health food establishment inspections. Violation counts.
What does DC publish: a score, a letter or something else?
The agencies behind our DC listings publish violation counts. None of them publish a score out of 100, so every DC score on GradeLocal is a GradeLocal score, worked out from the official result.
How does GradeLocal grade restaurants in DC?
For violation counts, we count every violation in the latest inspection. None is an A, 1 or 2 is a B, 3 to 5 is a C, and 6 or more is a D. An emergency closure order is also a D. Results with no score of their own get a set score for each letter: A is 95, B is 85, C is 72 and D is 50. We always use the latest inspection.
How many DC restaurants are on GradeLocal?
2,916 restaurants in 1 area. The average score is 85.1, a B. 44.6% have an A.
How current are the DC grades?
Inspection dates in our DC data run from Jan 2, 2024 to Oct 10, 2026. We update each state’s records regularly, but there is always a delay, and a restaurant may have been inspected again since. For the latest official report, follow the agency link on each restaurant’s page.