La Ferme

Have you ever loved a restaurant so much you went back twice in the same day? That was me here…read more This Pike & Rose gem in North Bethesda is everything you hope for in a neighborhood spot -- fresh, imaginative Mediterranean-inspired food, a vibrant yet cozy atmosphere, and the kind of place you immediately start planning to revisit. Everything I tried was fantastic, from the perfectly prepared chicken kebabs to the cod with farro. The blackberry vodka cocktail was beautiful and delicious, and the saffron steamed milk with ginger for dessert was absolute perfection. The entire concept feels current, welcoming, and effortlessly cool without trying too hard. Can't wait to return the next time I'm back in town for meetings!

I've had this booked marked for over two years and my cutie pie always says, "what is in this book…read moremark of yours", lol. Although he will lead most times, I pick one place every weekend so we can check it off together. This Friday (5/16) I picked Julii! He's a regular so although super packed they made it work and sat us immediately without a reservation. This place is popular and a reservation is needed. While I thought the menu was limited, it does the job. I wanted Branzino and had that in my mind the whole day but was disappointed that it wasn't on the menu. Welp, y'all know I love a burger. Service was fantastic! Ambiance feels like stepping into a French‑Mediterranean boutique café that someone elevated into a luxury dining room. It's warm, intimate, and softly glamorous without trying too hard. Let's get into it! Chicken Kabob - Seasoned perfectly over rice! Really good! Burger - Added bacon and mushrooms- Absolutely delicious! Drinks were delicious! No apps because I wasn't that hungry! I will definitely be back to try more of the menu!

Greek Yogurt

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Igloo seating outside

Mon Ami Gabi

3.8(1.5k reviews)

1.3 mi

A delightful French bistro right in the heart of Bethesda! I went here for brunch with my mom and…read moremy in-laws and it was a wonderful experience. Our server was attentive and efficient. The dining room decor is straight out of Paris and provides a pleasing environment for conversation and people-watching. The food was good. Everything came out on time and at the correct temperature even though the place was completely packed. Kudos to the kitchen staff and the food runners for keeping everything on schedule! The brunch menu has something for everyone. I had the Caesar Salad and the Steak Frites. Both were solid. Were they the best I ever had? No, but certainly more than satisfying. My dining companions got a variety of entrees: eggs benedict, quiche Lorraine, and entree salads. They enjoyed them all. Looking forward to trying their happy hour!!

You know, every once in a while, a lady has to re-do her makeup. So it is with restaurants and, in…read morethis particular case, Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda MD has put on new makeup. Boy, does she look beautiful now!!! Last time I reviewed this restaurant, I was underwhelmed by the dining room. It was generic, dated and - my main memory - the floor was greasy and slippery. Now, the renovations show a beautiful new restaurant with high end finishes and fancy decor. Whoever redecorated this place did a fabulous job! So, I take back my old review and state very clearly that Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda is stunning, first rate and very high end looking. The food was very good. We started with escargot and mussels. The mussels were a bit bland in my opinion. Yes, there was garlic, yes, there was onion, yes there was wine but the overall flavor was just sort of mediocre. The escargot, on the other hand, were beautifully cooked, prepared and seasoned. The garlic and other seasonings turned what is really just a garden pest into delightful little bite of intense flavor. I loved them! For our main courses, 3 of us got beef. Of course, it was well prepared. The French fries were crisp, hot and lightly salted. I did not want to share them. My zero-proof drink was lovely! I had the grapefruit cooler and it was a perfect balance of tart, sweet and bubbly. This place paid a lot of attention to a non-alcoholic beverage. That says a lot to me!!! The service was not up to the beautiful appearance of the dining room. We had spotty attention and a lack of focus from our waiter. At the end of the evening, they really rushed us out. But, overall, I am impressed with what has happened at Mon Ami Gabi. Will I be back? Oh yes! Do I recommend it? Definitely!

New front bar after renovations

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The bar

Bistro Provence

3.2(266 reviews)

1.5 mi

Had a beautiful wedding today at this restaurant! It is slightly hidden across the street from…read moreDogtopia and Ala but a great gem in Bethesda! They have a bar in the Bistro when you first come into the restaurant with some tables, and you walk past the elevator that takes you up to the further reception area. They have a stunning outdoor garden space that they filled with chairs and tables and accommodated a wedding ceremony (approximately 50 guests). The reception was upstairs on the second floor and it was a bit of a cluster having 50 people trying to get up to the second half of the event. The food was absolutely something to write home about! We had a menu to pick for two choices of first course, main course and 4 dessert options. I got the Maryland Crab Flan, Beef Tenderloin with crispy Brussel sprouts and fried risotto ball, and the Lemon Torte and I can honestly say, I thoroughly enjoyed every, single, bite. Perfectly seasoned, large portion of tenderloin, and mouth watering lemon torte that had a perfect balance of tart and sweet. The seafood flan was something I will be going back for with a glass of white wine. All in all the afternoon was beautiful and the wedding was great.

I've eaten at Bistro Provence multiple times over the past five years, mostly for work events in…read moreone of their upstairs rooms, but also once for a smaller dinner. I've read many of the reviews, and many of the negative reviews, in my mind, are unfair because it seems the reviewer didn't know what they were getting when they went. It is expensive, it is French, and the chef makes every dish himself. So yes, the service can be slow and the dishes (particularly the specials) are very expensive. But everything I have had there -- the Branzino, the lobster purses, the bread, the steak -- have all been outstanding except the apple tart which I frankly don't like that much (but that's just a personal taste thing -- I prefer more crust and a sweeter dessert). The staff there is great -- many have been there for years -- BUT the service IS slow (see above, chef making every dish himself) and can be epically slow, hence my deduction of a star. If you're looking for a long, leisurely, special, French dinner -- this is the place for you. If you're looking for a different experience, don't go and don't complain when you get the experience you were looking for.

Outdoor garden area for ceremony

Maryland Crab Flan

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The Garden in the back

Nova Europa Restaurant

4.2(134 reviews)

4.7 mi

This was my second visit to this restaurant. My companion and i ordered from the happy hour menu…read morewhich is on the back of the full menu. It is a $24.95 flat price offering an appetizer, entree and dessert for that price. (Only available Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 5-6:30 pm). There were about 6 choices each for appetizers and entrees and 3 for dessert. My companion had a mussel appetizer and I had French Onion soup. My soup was a great example of the classic preparation. Bubbly and browned cheese over a deeply flavorful broth of onions and a slice of French bread. My companion loved the mussels. As to the entree I had what was called Beef Diane, a twist on the classic Steak Diane. It consisted of tips of filet in a delicious gravy flavored with cognac. My companion had Rainbow Trout and was very happy with it. For dessert we both had cheesecake with strawberry sauce. A good example of a New York style cheesecake. Both entrees were served with well cooked mixed vegetables. The portions were not a scaled down size but normal size. The meal comes with fresh baked toasted bread served warm. Delicious. The service was attentive which was to be expected because there were only 3 tables occupied. A complimentary shot of a what I think was kahlua was served at the end of the meal. The atmosphere is lots of dark wood and a classic bar. Great food and a great experience. Don't pass up this great value!!

I cannot believe that I have lived within walking distance to this restaurant for the past three…read moreyears and never have visited. Hey, better late than never. Because of an unexpected change of plans, we decided to have a weekend dinner here, and it turned out to be a great decision - based on the food and service. What really worked for us was that the restaurant has a few outdoor tables, and the outdoor seating is dog-friendly. First, the restaurant has a pretty extensive menu with diverse options. I will admit that I was a bit overwhelmed when the waitress mentioned all of the specials for the evening. It seemed as the list kept going, going and going. Also, the restaurant has a dinner special for about 35 bucks that includes either a 3 course meal or a 2 course meal + a glass of wine. For my dining pleasure, I went with the baked (or maybe it was broiled) flounder that was served with potatoes and green beans. Overall, I thought my meal was absolutely delicious. I do wish the portions were slightly larger. Overall, I thought the service was absolutely wonderful. Our waitress was very friendly and constantly checked in with us to make sure everything was going well. Although we visited around 5:30 pm on a Saturday, I was a bit surpised with how crowed the restaurant became around 6:30 pm. If you are planning to visit around this time, I highly recommend making reservations even though this section of Wheaton can be relatively quiet. Also, the restaurant seems to be very popular with the eldery community. During our visit, I'd say the average age of diners was somewhere in the 60s.

Indoor

Escargot

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Frutos Do Mar

Q By Peter Chang

3.5(468 reviews)

1.1 mi

Tried the AYCE dim sum brunch. The price has went up to $32 for adults and $16 for kids 5-12. There…read moreis no parking lot so you can park at the Waverly Parking Lot. There's only free parking on Sundays. Most of the dim sum we selected were delicious such as the triple layer doupi, Beijing duck bao, mini Lion's head, pork soup dumpling, and beef wide noodle, for entrees and lava walnut bao, baked egg yolk lava bun, and mini rice ball in wine broth for dessert. The pork soup dumplings were full of soup. The desserts, roast pork pastry, and pork shu mai were hot and freshly cooked. For soup, I liked the pork ribs and lotus soup better than the fish ball soup which was bland. I've had better cucumber salads, stir fried green beans, steamed pork ribs, and sesame noodles. The honey riblets are good if you like very sweet ribs. There were a lot of servers coming constantly asking if you want to order more. There is a forced 18% gratuity for tip if you choose to have the AYCE. I liked how the portion sizes were small so you can try a variety of dishes.

I've been to a bunch of Peter Chang offshoots lately in wildly different locations, but this may be…read morethe last one for a while because it didn't really hit for me. The location here is near the metro, but seems out of place in a building without other restaurants kind of hidden below the street level. They seemed to acknowledge everyone other than me who was there for takeout, but I finally got mine. I tried a fried rice and was irritated that there was a no egg option but not a no broccoli option (not a Chinese vegetable mind you), which left me with little more than a colored rice to pick through. The tofu with hot peppers hit a nice heat but not the best rendition of this dish I've had in terms of flavor complexity. The best thing I got was a dan dan noodle dish with some vicious sauce and little tofu bites. Overall though, scant portions for the money, and not quite the experience I was hoping for.

Wuhan Sesame Noodle

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Beef Stir-Fried Wide Noodle

Mussel Bar & Grille Bethesda

3.6(758 reviews)

1.6 mi

The Mussle Bar in Bethesda is a fantastic spot, especially for mussel lovers. I took my mom there…read morefor a date night, and we were lucky to have a reservation since the weather was perfect, and the outdoor seating was bustling. Service: The team was attentive and worked seamlessly, enhancing our dining experience. Drinks: I kicked off with a cinnamon Old Fashioned that was deliciously crafted and we ordered sparkling bottled water. Starters: French Onion Soup: Rich and flavorful. Charbroiled Oysters: (6) Smoky, hot and flavorful. Tuna Tartare: Fresh and beautifully presented. Entrées: We enjoyed both the Mediterranean and Bolognese mussels, served with crispy French fries along with several sauces: Harissa Aioli, Curry Aioli, and Malt Vinegar. The mussels were cooked to perfection, and the toast points were a great addition for dipping. We left satisfied and opted to skip dessert, but the entire meal was perfect.

Legit place for having good mussel and oyster options if you're a seafood lover. Their aioli and…read moresweet potato fries are also really good options. My favorite is their white wine mussels. I also appreciate the fact they have deals pretty much everyday of the week. Service is just ok though, I think they can improve on seating people more attentively. Nice casual restaurant option. Went here recently for my birthday with my sister and her husband.

Bolognese Mussels Dinner

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Black's Bar & Kitchen

3.7(697 reviews)

1.4 mi

We dined Saturday for lunch in the bar area; the dining room was empty. We had fish tacos, the…read moreReuben and calamari. The calamari was excellent and well fried and the fish tacos were very good. The pastrami on the Reuben was tasteless but the bread was really well done. The service was a bit slow. My main complaint is a 4% credit card charge that hides in mouse print. First 4% is really high and seems like they are making money on it. Second the total includes 4% even if paying cash; you have to look for a size 8 font to find the charge. I left with a feeling that I was being taken advantage of for the hidden/high charges.

A celebration dinner found us at Black's, sipping on drinks and sucking down raw oysters. Black's…read moreis known for their oysters, and for good reason - these babies are really good! Followed by Addie's mussels, the best in town. Make sure you have enough toast to soak up all the sauce from the mussels! For the main course, I got the Mediterranean Branzino Filet with Grilled Artichoke, Garlic Confit Broccoli Rabe, Falafel, and an Olive Citrus Vinaigrette. Perfectly cooked fish with an interesting assortment of "toppings" and two felafels to the side. But it worked, and I ate every crumb. Finished off with a cup of coffee and a Pear & Blueberry Crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, my belly was full and happy. If you're interested in a fancy, delicious dinner, Blacks fits the bill!

Grilled Blackened Chicken Sandwich (with guacamole and bacon)

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Up & Cumber w/ Hendricks Gin

Seasons 52

3.8(857 reviews)

4.7 mi

We always like eating at a Seasons 52 after discovering their sumptuous dishes in 2022. The…read morechanging seasonal menus give a nice periodic refresh. We stopped by for the happy hour and enjoyed the specials like the artichoke flatbread with a glass of wine. On a Monday night this location wasn't too crowded so we were seated right away. Parking in the nearby garage is free for two hours. Our server was attentive and kept our water glasses full and helped us with recommendations for the evening. The host or manager stopped by at one point to introduce himself and ask how everything was going. That was a nice touch.

The food was tasty. The house wine was great! The service was unremarkable, with our waitress…read moredisappearing for extended periods of time more than once. This was an important birthday dinner, my mother-in-law's 89th. We informed them when we made the reservation and again on site, yet the server and the manager did not show much interest. So demerits for that. My mother-in-law and I had the scallops. My wife had Alaskan butterfish. The scallops tasted great and I liked the broccolini that came with it. My mother-in-law found the broccolini to be too tough. The butterfish was very good, tender and light. We all shared a plate of the Brussel sprouts with bacon on top. It was decadent and tasty. They brought a cool dessert tower (see pic) that allowed us to have mini-desserts served in little parfait glasses, which I really appreciate. I am never in the mood for a large dessert, but will always enjoy something small. My mini-dessert was pecan pie and as a pecan pie aficionado I thought it was quite good! My wife had the chocolate cake, which she complained as being tasteless. My mother-in-law had the Key Lime pie and said it was great. All in all, it was an ok experience, but I would not head back.

Caramelized Grilled Sea Scallops served with broccolini and mascarpone risotto.

Cedar Plank-roasted Salmon with seasonal vegetables, marble potatoes and dill-mustard sauce

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Seasons 52 has a wide selection of varietals on our wine menu

IPIC North Bethesda

3.3(1k reviews)

5.3 mi

Going to try to crank out one review today as I monitor work emails. Continuing my alphabet series…read moreonto the letter I representing prior to 2018 is I is for iPic theater and also the 2014 movie, Interstellar! I've been here twice in November 2014 & November 2023. Funny both times were in the month of November, but 9 years apart. November 2014: I was living in northern VA, and I received free tickets to see Interstellar as this theater had recently opened. My impression in 2014 and still holds true today is that this is the nicest theater I had ever been to. Some theaters have reclining seats, but these are large and you get a blanket if you want. There were some good food options, granted overpriced for what you got, were tasty. I brought a date for those movie showing and paid for our food. I got a burger, and she got a flatbread pizza. Burger was good as I recall. 2017 to coming back here in November 2023: I moved to Maryland in 2017, Wheaton 2017-2020, so wasn't too far from Pike & Rose and did go there sometimes. However, in 2018 I became an AMC A-Lister, so I just go there unless there's a free advanced screening or specific movie I really want to see at Egyptian Cinemark or a Regal that isn't at AMC. In November 2023, iPic held an advanced screening of the Netflix movie, Leave the World Behind. I had 4 tickets, invited several friends. There was a woman I liked who had agreed to go initially, but had an issue with someone else who had promptly responded she would go. Incidentally, the woman who I liked became my girlfriend in February 2024, so it worked out well. Shortly after that she buried the hatchet with that mutual friend. As for the movie screening, while not as great as Interstellar, it was still the same positive experience I remembered from 9 years earlier. Things were chaotic as we were trying to get the food & drink, which was included, but we had to check on the food during the middle of the movie, and I missed the very beginning of the movie as a lot of people did. There was quite a bit of time beforehand, but even with the delays occurring, they should've started the movie late unless there was some late movie showing in that particular theater at 10 PM or something. In summary, this is a very nice theater in spite of a couple of flaws.

I saw a movie at IPIC in North Bethesda this past weekend when I was at Pike & Rose. IPIC is…read moredefinitely not for those on a budget. This isn't a discount theater (do those even exist anymore?). IPIC is definitely a luxury movie theater chain. The leather recliner chairs are comfortable, each with a blanket waiting for you. They have a full menu of food and drinks that you can order by pressing the button on the table between pairs of recliner chairs. I enjoyed my movie - I enjoyed it even more because I was in a recliner chair, under a blanket, sipping on sparkling rosé wine, and eating some Skittles (skittles and rosé is such a great movie theater pairing). It's a great place to see a movie if you're in the area and want a truly relaxing experience.