Great people and part of the History of Vienna. Greate customs omlettes and more. Pierogi as well.

Our visit was specifically for the creme fraiche wings and the eggs w/ kimchi. We also tried the pork belly lettuce tomato (PBLT). The PBLT was a super messy sandwich with the sunny side up egg running all over. The pork belly might need to be cooked a little bit longer, otherwise, it's an ok sandwich. It was really overshadowed by the delicious wings and the eggs w/ kimchi dishes. The wings were made well and had a decent amount of chili paste and some red Korean sauce that is similar to sriracha. It was very spicy and could have used some more green onions, but these wings were very good. The eggs with kimchi is such a great comfort food item. There was a good amount of Chinese sausage (my favorite), and the kimchi was more savory than sweet. It all went together so well and I could eat it on a daily basis - I only wished they provided a bit more spam to eat with the rest of the eggs and rice! The chocolate dumplings are tasty too and not heavy at all. It's the perfect light dessert to a great meal here. The dumplings aren't necessarily like steamed dumplings in consistency, think more like a small chocolate filled empanada a la mode. Very good! This restaurant is really small and reservations are a must. If you want to have a nice, private meal, this is not the place. You sit very close to your neighbors, so it's easy to hear any conversation being had in the dining room. read more

You can add my voice to the five-star chorus singing the praises of Maple Ave Restaurant... ...of course you probably won't be able to hear me, because my mouth will be so full of creamy macaroni and cheese, yummy venison sausage and tasty tuna tartare. In fact, let's just skip the recital and head straight into covering me with the delicious peppery sauce from the shrimp and grits. While you're at it, slather me in whatever they dressed the apple and walnut salad with. On a serious note, I'm incredibly happy that my ladyfriend suggested this place and, as usual, I'm incredibly happy that I listened to her. The food was great, the atmosphere was relaxed and the service was excellent. Eight cheers to the chef, whose talent made for exciting and complex flavour combinations. read more

29 Jul 12 I was excited to try this restaurant because of all the rave reviews. TIP #1: The building is very small so look for the Merchant Tires sign (white/blue) then take the next turn into the small parking lot. I didn't like the building a sort of dilapidated building disguised as a restaurant. It even has a bench sitting on top of the roof. Inside it is very small and it is very noisy. TIP#2: Sit close to your dining partner so you can have a conversation. We sat in the corner literally looking outward. Sitting so close to the windows you can't help but notice that the windows needed a bit of cleaning. Now the food choices - I was surprised at the menu because it was so limited. At first I thought we were provided with the lunch menu. Our waiter explained the (3) specials so that added to the limited menu. We ordered the mac and cheese, the special order of scallops with a chili sauce on top of pea shoots, and the braised beef cheek sandwich on a brioche bun with french fries. If you are looking for a wine list it is very limited too but I managed to find an Italian white that was pretty good. The mac and cheese was divine but not the best I've ever had. The amount of cheese to the fusilli pasta was superb and the Gruyere cheese is very decadent! The special scallop was cooked to perfection but it did not have the caramelizing on the outside. It was sitting on a bed of sauteed pea shoots. I believe that sauteing the pea shoot did not do it justice. The pea shoot stems were rough to eat. I would have rather have the pea shoot in its raw state with this dish. My hubby had the braised beef cheek sandwich which was a well put together sandwich but could have used more beef cheek in the sandwich. The beef cheek was nice and tender full of flavor but there wasn't enough in the sandwich for dinner. The french fries were nicely fried golden on the outside and sprinkled with some herbs. We decided to throw in the towel and leave because the atmosphere was not quite right and decided that the price point was high for what you don't receive. The service was mediocre our waiter was OK took our order and disappeared never to be seen until our food arrived. But remarkably I was able to flag our waiter down for a second glass of wine. TIP#3: this restaurant is better for lunch but the prices are high. BTW: Who wants sandwiches for dinner, not me. We ended our night at another restaurant. read more

I recently had brunch here and haven't stopped thinking about the delicious food since! Service and food were both great. You can tell there is a lot of thought put into each menu item and there really is something for everyone offered for each course. The brunch menu is a great deal, I left feeling full and happy! Overall great experience, I will certainly going back and I look forward to trying their next round of menu options! read more

i've been sitting on this review for months becauase i cou;dn't wrap my head around how negative of an experiece i had. I went to Maple Ave with my wife for some special occastion. it was terrible. TERRIBLE. Which is too bad because i went once before and it was amazingly good. I had a korean style pork belly in lettuce cups. it was disgusting. the pork belly was hard and was so salty that it actaully burned my mouth. Inedible. Also, how the EFF are you gonna try to do Korean food and screw it up when you are a stones throw away from a billion killer korean joint is Annandale??? That'd be like opening a crappy Chilidog place downthe street from Ben's. I can;t rememeber what my wife had, but she was unenthused. The rolls had been microwaved. the music was some god-awful DJ mix of machael jackson and mom jams that what playing on a 20 minute loop. so bad. $65+ for a horrible meal never going again. read more

I had been wanting to try Maple Avenue for some time and finally got my chance with friends this past Saturday night. We made reservations about three weeks in advance and I would recommend you do if you plan to dine here. The restaurant is small with probably 12 tables in the main dining area. There is another small dining area in the back of the restaurant but it appeared to be even more casual and screened in rather than enclosed. Driving past, Maple Avenue does not look like much more than a divey diner. There is nothing attractive about this building and if not for Yelp, we would probably never have stopped in. The building looks like it once was a Krispy Kreme, but we were told by our server that this was the original location of Anita's. Inside there are small granite top tables and chairs - no fussy tablecloths - just simple and clean. The food is what stands out here. The menu is interesting and changes frequently - check the website as they keep menus updated there. We started with some small plates, shrimp and grits, mussels and Thai okra. They were all good, but I was surprised the Thai okra was my favorite. I've never had okra before and to be honest it never really appealed to me so much so that I resisted trying this dish. I am so glad I did - tender caramelized okra in a garlic lime chili sauce with scallions was delicious! The mussels were also quite tasty - the crostini were delicious dipped into the broth which had just a hint of spice from the Thai chili. Of the appetizers, shrimp and grits was probably my least favorite. Three tiger shrimp atop tender grits were just not quite as flavorful as I would have liked. For our entrees we chose the seared scallops, Moroccan chicken and soft shell crab. I am not a fan of soft shell crab so I declined tasting that dish. My friend enjoyed it quite a bit - just not for me. My husband's Moroccan chicken was so good - my favorite entrée of the night. Crispy, well flavored skin on a boneless chicken leg with a saffron sauce, roasted vegetables and couscous. I would order this dish next time. My dish featured four decent sized seared scallops on top of coconut risotto with a scoop of basil ice cream. The basil ice cream melted into the risotto resulting in a super creamy tasty dish. Scallops were fresh and had a lot of flavor as well - nothing like the Moroccan chicken, but delicious nonetheless. For dessert, we chose the chocolate dumplings. How can anyone say no to chocolate dumplings. They were fried just right - crispy on the outside with chocolate oozing out in every bite. I ordered coffee and Baileys to end my meal and was pleasantly surprised when they brought me a French press. Maple Avenue Restaurant is a wonderful gem in Vienna. I hear the brunch is quite good as well and am looking forward to giving that a try too. My experience here proves you just can't judge a book by its cover. Service was spot on all night and I thought prices were reasonable considering all the food we ordered. I will caution if you are a big eater, you definitely will find the entrees small. I almost finished my dish and that never happens when I am eating out. Love that they try to source most of their foods from local farms! read more

Great! This brand new restaurant offers gourmet food that is cooked by an experienced chef that was trained at the French Culinary Institute in NYC. You'll find the same dishes here that you would at posh restaurants in downtown DC - the quality is fantastic and we're lucky to have this right in the middle of Vienna. The menu ranges from basics like the Maple Ave Burger to a Bulgogi Lettuce Wrap and various French dishes - that said, prices are very affordable. The environment was comfortable - large windows let you look right out onto Maple Avenue (the street) to people watch -- and hip music plays in the background while you eat - there are about seven tables, capable of seating four people to each table -- so it is quite intimate. They also have an extensive wine list, and offer several craft beers. Bottled soda available as well. read more

The GM of the cafe is amazing. Ragy had the best customer service. The team is amazing. The only thing bothers me is parking. Other than that great service read more

Yes 5 stars. Even though I'm on a non-dairy diet (temporarily) this place blew me away. DH and I stopped in for Sunday brunch with my 3 month old daughter in tow. First off I definitely do not recommend bringing your child here for dinner and possibly only for brunch if the are slow. It's a super tiny restaurant (I counted 12 tables) and has the potential to get really noisy. Luckily it wasn't too busy when we went so it left plently of room for baby. Anyways back to the food.... There were only two items on their menu that I could eat (bummer!) but they were both amazing! The thai okra appetizer and steamed PEI mussels. Wow both were super tasty. DH enjoyed his pork belly quite a lot. I can't wait to come back here for dinner once I'm off my non-dairy diet! read more

To All: My wife and I were searching for places to eat at the 1PM hour of New Years day. We drove to many places knowing that most places would be busy, but not crazy busy. However we were wrong. After exhausting all of our efforts we contacted The Maple Avenue Restaurant and made a reservation with Jacqui. She told us the kitchen was closing at 2PM. We were only 2 minutes away, which was not a problem. We walked in and were sat down as soon as we walked in the door by Jacqui. We were handed menus and they had small starter plates and breakfast and lunch items. My wife and I both had the venison omelete with sweet peppers and cheddar and home fries and mesculun salad. I ordered an Iced tea and my wife had pressed coffee. The food arrived in 15 minutes or so after ordering and let me tell you the food was extremely good. You have to be very careful when you cook Venison as it can be gamey if not cooked properly. It was very good and the home fries were crispy and in small cubes, the way they should be. My wife also commented that the pressed coffee was one of the best she has had. Overall our experience was wonderful and the service was very good. We plan on going back and trying some of their dinner options in the not to distant future. If you are in the neighborhood, try this restaurant, but do not forget to call ahead to make reservations. They have only 10 seats in the restaurant. read more

Are you ready to start appreciating what you eat instead of stuffing your gizzard with the same chain restaurant garbage? I like: Intimate atmosphere, excellent service, non-descript frontage, affordable choices, a memorable experience. I'm talking food, not the Little Bankok Asian Massage Parlour. Menu is a hodgepodge variety of familiars with a few unusuals. Not as unusual as Osso Buco or Vichyssoise (educate yourself Burger King boy). You can eat full meal style or tapas. Great wine to pair and warm atmosphere. What we ordered: Baked mac and cheese: (This is grown up kind made with gruyere not Velveeta ...yes it can be made that way. Sigh.) Awesome Mussels (steamers): great broth, not over cooked. Perfect. Okra: I hate Okra. I ate all of it. Whole bronzini. This would be a whole Sea Bass -bone in. ...yes like a chicken wing. Again educate yourself. Perfectly cooked. Best I've had. Pan seared scallops. Fresh (not pre frozen), tender, melt in your mouth. Risotto compliment. Moroccan chicken. I've never been to Morocco but now I want to go. Desserts were refined and delicate...not like the triple chocolate fudge brownie explosion you are probably used to at Crapplebees. My nit picks: Don't drive the "Wagon queen family truckster" it wont fit in the parking lot. No vestibule, don't sit near the door on a chilly evening. Low light. Make sure your cell phone has the flashlight feature so you can read the menu. There are 9 tables . Get a reservation early in the week. Looking at the menu, there are funky kind of no rules (not like Outback, numb nut) monthly sittings where chef Tim cooks "whatever he feels like". Very cool. Last recommendation, sit next to the kitchen door. Fun to watch the crew at work and every time the door opens you get to sample the entire menu with your nose. Bottom line: When your Jerry Springer Show date asks if the "Beef Cheeks" menu selection comes from the cows ass...give up your table and take her to Chilis. read more

Second time here... And again I am simply blown away. Ladies and gentlemen... This food is top chef style. It truly is art meets food, and is consistently amazing. Both times I had the wings (these were written up in some magazine) and just tried the duck leg. I have also had the scallops. These dishes are (this is not an exaggeration mind you) perfect. If you are a foodie, and you are reading this, you will (I am Mind willing you) come here. This place is all about the food. Wow. Now, as for you goofs giving 4 star reviews because the place is small, crappy parking, and has strange hours, please stick to the chain restaurants. Yes these are all true statements. But this is a restaurant, and a chef's dream, and last I checked I will happily sacrifice the crappy (it truly is bad parking FYI) parking for epic food. Oh, and it is not any more expensive then any other place. Yeah... Foodies... Come. NOW. Update! I have now been here 8 times. Yeah... I know wtf. But guess what? Epic food EVERY TIME! read more

I had a bad meal at this restaurant this week. The food was creative but did not taste good at all. I think they are reading their clippings too much. On a Monday evening we were greeted with a snooty "Do you have a reservation" . Vienna has many nice places that do not include that treatment. It was also cold and uncomfortable and there was some peeling paint on the ceiling. This is not a cheap restaurant and should have the surroundings in order. read more

This building is not the place for a guaranteed success. I can't even count the number of restaurants that closed here before Maple Ave came along. I don't know if it's the size, the location, the obnoxiously small parking lot, or what...but this building has seen a lot of places come and go. I'm hoping Maple Ave sticks around, because I just got back from my first visit and it was really good. The bread with pumpkin butter was...oh lord. Can I have their ENTIRE stock of pumpkin butter please? God that was fabulous. I was not thrilled by the vegetarian potstickers, but that's not their fault...I just hate mushrooms. What really wowed me was the baked mac and cheese. I'm a vegetarian so it was the most appealing thing on the menu (the only vegetarian main plate, actually) and it turned out to be REALLY excellent. It was just excellent, I could have easily eaten another order! ($9 was a bit much for the small serving though.) It was so delicious. My wife got the gnocchi from the small plate menu, and she enjoyed them, but said that frying them really made them tough, not like regular gnocchi. The desserts...well let me say off the bat that I was torn between four of them. Funnel cake, can you believe it? Funnel cake! And ice cream mochi! I haven't had that since Bubbies in Honolulu! But those were the ones I passed up...I got the chocolate dumpling and my wife got the flourless chocolate cake ("oh em gee delish"). They were both phenomenal...I almost think there was too much of the cake, because it was so rich I couldn't eat any more! I'd say one order of cake is enough for two people. The liquid chocolate in the dumplings though, YUM. (Don't put it over your ice cream, it turns into gel, which is fun if you haven't had Magic Shell for a while but it isn't the best way to enjoy them.) The prices were fairly high for the amount of food served, but the food was very good. The parking lot is ridiculous though - I'll be parking in the Magruder's shopping center from now on. (I'm going to say it's "good for kids" because we saw two families there with kids, but I would suggest that it's good for refined kids, not wild ones with picky palates - take them to Foster's Grill across the street instead. NOT good for groups because it's too small.) read more

Really nice upscale place hidden in a small discreet restaurant! Felt like I was eating gourmet foods in a small and quaint space. Highly recommend the food! I went there for brunch with a friend and it was great! read more

Yum! I'm so happy to see little restaurants like this cropping up in Vienna. I love Vienna! As much as I love the Vienna Inn & the new Church Street Pizza & Bazin's, I'm loving some options that aren't chains! I hate chain restaurants! So Cheers to you Maple Ave Restaurant, you've brought some more awesomeness to my little hometown. As for the food, it was great & I think it's important that you get dessert, specifically the Lime Pie/Tart. Perfect. read more

After being on my bookmark for several months, my girlfriends took me here for my birthday. They have their own parking lot, which is a plus for downtown Vienna. The restaurant itself was really small. I definitely recommend making reservations. The service was friendly, but our server was kind of forgetful. - The mussels were a good portion size and tasted ok, but nothing really special. The bread that came for dipping was too hard. - The duck leg confit was a very large portion. It was too salty for me, but the brussel sprouts helped tone it down. For being the most expensive item on the menu, I would not recommend ordering it. - The beef braised beef cheek tasted exactly like a Vietnamese dish called bo kho. Having grown up on this dish, it is not something I would order here. However, if you've never had this dish, I thought it was good and would recommend it. The beef was very tender. - The scallops were reasonably priced and came with 4 BIG scallops. They were very fresh and you could taste the natural sweetness. I liked my small sample from my friend's dish but I don't know how much coconut risotto I could eat without feeling overwhelmed. - The chocolate dumplings were delicious! Crispy wrappers filled with hot dark chocolate and cool ice cream. What a cute an perfect combination! Easily my favorite item that night. Overall I think this restaurant has fair prices with good food. It's cute and intimate so it works well for a special occasion or just casual dining. I would come back to try the rest of their small dishes. read more

Last night makes the third time I've been here. The first time I didn't realize you had to have a reservation because it's so small but after that I was hell bent on getting in! The second time we made a reservation so we were in!! Everything was amazing! Love the wings!! The menu changes slightly but they pretty much have some of the same dishes from last year, why change perfection? I want to check them out for brunch and lunch just to see how the menu varies. My new favorite drink is the Jack & Rose read more

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This tiny gem in the heart of Vienna is well worth your time and dining-out budget. Chef Tim Ma has created an oasis for food lovers. The menu changes seasonally, although the Chef keeps a few perennial favorites, like Thai-style okra (try it even if you think you do not like okra) and creme fraiche wings. You may find yourself trying foods you've never tried before -- and really enjoying them! As an example, the roasted bone marrow small plate (which is easily shared b/c of its size and richness) is fantastic and perhaps new for some diners. The food is fairly balanced for both carnivores/omnivores and vegetarians. Either way, it's all delicious. Weekend brunch is another pleasure. Sure, there are some standard brunch dishes, and a few surprises as well. Scrambled eggs with kimchi - don't shy away. Or go with an appetite, some time on your hands, and a friend to enjoy the 6-course brunch for two. It's fantastic. A lot of food, but not overwhelming. Because of its size, you will want to make a reservation, and do not expect to bring more than 4 (maybe 6) people in your party. If you are a larger person, you may find the chairs uncomfortable (they need to be small to accommodate the space limitations). If you haven't tried Maple Ave., you are missing out. read more

The experience I had here was amazing. They provided us with an amazing anniversary dinner. They even went out of their way to write "Happy Anniversary" in chocolate for our bread pudding dessert. What other place does something as awesome as that? The service is very warm and welcoming, especially the hostess. The waitress was very funny when helping us make selections on the menu. We both ordered the braised beef cheek with crostinis on the side. It was all excellent, including the combination of the sweet potato puree and beef. They were genius in the design for that one. The price in terms of what we received was definitely reasonable. This place is not inexpensive, but if you are willing to shell out more, it is definitely worth it. One last piece of advice: you will definitely want to make a reservation for this place because of the limited seating. Usually a day in advance is alright, but if it's for a Friday night or Saturday night (typically busy nights), you may want to look almost a week in advance. Plan well my friends! read more

The only word I can use to describe my dinner at Maple Ave Restaurant is "meh". I ordered the wings and barsotto. The wings had the most amazing sauce, but the chicken wings were tiny and had barely any meat on them. The barsotto just tasted like heavy cream and were ridiculously bland. The rest of my party ordered the mussels and pork confit. There were about two unopened mussels, signifying that they were not cooked enough. This kind of seemed like a ripoff to me. The broth of the mussels was very good but some of the mussels themselves tasted a bit off. I did not try the pork confit, but the rest of my party wasn't huge fans. Overall, I think this restaurant is cute and has an interesting concept, but it is overpriced and the food just doesn't deliver. read more

During my last trip to Virginia, I got to try this place. I love these small and classy unique restaurants. The downside of these type of places is that usually their food is subpar, but Maple Ave had great food. Their diversity of menu made me happy. No more picking the same dish at every restaurant. The seared scallops were delicious. Yummmmm. It came on top of risotto that was cooked to perfection. Yay to unique small restaurants that serve a intriguing diverse menu! read more

While I would rarely, in fact it's as improbably as Heisenberg was uncertain, would I ever use a single word to describe, well, anything. If a gun was pointed at my head, as Heisenberg as that maybe, the one word I would give to Maple Ave Restaurant is "Unassuming". The reason I hate such minimalistic attempts at classification and categorization is that while "unassuming" is poignant and apt, it falls wildly short of capturing the experience. Suffice to say, this is a place where looks are deceiving, but you're beyond satisfied upon leaving. The parking is severely limited, but surprisingly there are actually more spots than tables which I could count on one hand. Doesn't matter, unless there just isn't the chance to get in when you arrive. But do come back, it's worth it. The food is absolutely amazing. For breakfast, I enjoyed a nice crisp fresh french pressed Columbian coffee with cane sugar. If I had been so inclined, all you can drink mamosa's were on the menu, but during my time I wasn't quite up for it. This was followed by the best sweet potato hash I have ever had the pleasure to consume. And oh did I consume. I only wish I could go back sooner rather than later. read more

I've been wanting to try Maple Ave Restaurant for a while so I thought Restaurant Week was the perfect time. There is parking to the side of the restaurant. The restaurant is very tiny and cute so definitely make a reservation. We loved our appetizers and entrees. Dessert was fine but I probably wouldn't order it again. The crispy broccoli appetizer was so delicious and filling. I have a pretty big appetite and I was so full I could barely eat the pork entree which was very tender. My partner had the octopus and pork belly appetizer and loved it as well. We will be back. read more

The dining room is decorated like Minimalist...Not much on the walls and windows around the front and sides of dining room. It's an old ice cream shop so it's a very small room (3 x 4 tops and 7-8 x 2 top). I think it seats a max of 30 and while reservations aren't necessary, it's tough for more than 2 people to get a table so we got a reservation. The menu here is Seasonal/monthly mainly American with Asian influences. The spicy Burmese salad had a nice delicate kick to it but wasn't overly spicy. It was a nice mix of sliced / pulled white meat chicken and cucumber slices to offset the cilantro chili sauce. I'd go back for The shrimp and grits with venison blueberry sausage was INCREDIBLE read more

A wanna-be fancy joint that just doesn't deliver. The menu looks promising, with a tapas/small plate menu, and an entree menu ranging from baked macaroni and cheese to Dr Pepper Ribs. I was also excited to see that they carry Clipper City beer, which I am a fan of, and I appreciate the support of a somewhat local business. The place itself is a little too small and cramped, and the art on the wall for sale came off as kinda cheesy. The waitress was nice and welcoming, but little too much on the bubbly side. It would have been okay except that she couldn't pronounce any of the items on the menu to save her life, and didn't seem to have any knowledge about the items on the menu: "the dry aged steak is like our regular steak on the menu, but better". I would have ordered the dry aged steak, but I was feeling a little too skeptical about this place already, so I went with something safe - a hamburger. I ordered a burger with truffle oil mayo, with Roquefort cheese cooked medium. When my order came, the patty resembled something looking like a charred baby's fist. It was even more dwarfed by the giant bun that it sat on. When I took my first bite, it was clearly well done. The bun also started falling apart after about 2 bites (now about 1/2 way through it). Everything was a mess by the time I was done, bread pieces, meat, cheese crumbles, etc. I only finished it, because it was the only meal I had eaten that day, and I was starving. Shoestring fries on the side were okay, but they were cold, and not very filling as a side. The BBQ salmon my friend got didn't look appetizing, and he wasn't thrilled with it either. My other friend went the tapas route. The foie gras looked like pate from a can, and his spanish dumplings were way too salty. It honestly felt like a wanna-be fancy restaurant, without any of the perks of a truly great place. The place as a whole really needs to pay attention to some details. The wait staff needs to become more familiarized with the menu, and the menu needs to be tweaked a little bit to be more realistic to something that they can deliver well. Personally, I enjoyed the Salvadorian place that was here beforehand a lot better. read more

I stopped by for lunch, unaware of reviews or fare background. The place feels like a diner, but my dad taught me to never judge a book by its cover. Once again, dad knows best. The room is small and down to earth, allowing for fast service. The waitress seemed more interested in telling us that the whole table would have to order the prix fixe menu, if one ordered it, than explaining the menu options. The menu is eclectic. It's hard to choose between a reinvented comfort food or an out-of-the-box dish. Luckily, the prix fixe option allowed my guest and I to sample a small dish and a main dish each. She opted for the shrimp and grits. I felt the shrimp was a bit small and just past the wrong side of done, appearing a bit rubbery. The grits were delicious and definitely stole the show, among the simple ingredients of this dish. I opened with the smoked beet soup: a definite hit with my tastebuds. Just smoky enough to be surprising, without overpowering the sweetness of the beets. The bacon was a welcome texture and the presentation interesting. Our main dishes were the scallops and risotto, and the mac with gruyere. The scallops were superb, but the risotto with ice cream was what made this trip memorable. Fresh and delicate, with a hint of dare. My guest tried the gruyere mac: I found it a bit bland, with a promising bite at first but a disappointing finish. One word of caution to the owners: while tap water is customary, I would suggest against offering your clients the heavily chlorinated liquid that Vienna offers: it's a violent assault on an otherwise exquisite culinary experience. All in all, I walked out planning what I'll order when I come back for an almost-certain second visit, and thanking my dad for indirectly suggesting I try this eatery. read more

Maple Ave Restaurant - Smoked beet soup with bacon - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

5 stars if you are looking for inventive and delicious food for a great value. I had a 3 course lunch for $23 which includes tax. A great new addition for the Tysons Corner lunch crowd. Whenever I try new restaurants, I want to taste as many dishes as possible to get a better idea of what they offer. I had a small plate, main plate, and a sweet plate. I had tried one of their "small plate" specials, stuffed fig with foie gras, micro green salad, duck proscuitto with some sort of mushroom sauce. The ingredients were of high quality and you can just tell there was love put into the dish. It was beautiful. The taste combinations were spot on. Sweet with the fig balanced with luxurious taste of foie gras mixed with the salty duck proscuitto and lightened up with the micro green and mushroom puree/sauce. That would've cost more than the 9 bucks at any other restaurant, but what a great deal. I think the lower prices of their dishes will be a competitve advantage to the sucess of this restaurant. I'm assuming that their less than glamorous location will do three things: 1. lessens overhead 2. passes the savings on to their customers 3. more people will have the opportunity to taste fancy food at really reasonable prices. The second dish I learned was inspired by the chef's love of the Chik-fil-A chicken sandwich. I had the fried chicken sandwich with fries. Compared to Chik's, this sandwich was a bit more substantial with higher quality ingredients. It was a simple looking dish with complex flavors. The sandwich's bright spot was the truffle mayo. I loved, loved, loved it! What a simple, yet smart idea to differentiate the dish and make it memorable. The chicken was nice and moist and the breading was crispy but not greasy. The pickles were hardier than what you would've received at Chik-fil-A and I should've asked for more pickles like I normally do at Chik-fil-A. There was a small amount of crispy lettuce, but it was good to see my plate not being showered with parts of my sandwich. The bun was toasted and it appeared to have been lightly oiled. The fries were nice and crisp and sprinkled with a little bit of kosher salt. They were good but not special and that's ok. I was done with lunch until I became curious about the dessert menu. The waitress, who was super friendly and helpful, took the time to explain the menu and answered all of my questions. You could tell she loved food, too. When I learned that their mochi ice cream dessert was made fresh to order by the famous Bubbies (which has been featured by Oprah Magazine), I figured I could make room in my tummy for the small dessert. I ordered the guava flavored one. I thought I was only going to get one piece, but it came with two. I was only able to finish one. It was unique for me - and acutally my first time trying mochi. It is covered with a sweet-rice dough which lends to a chewy texture and filled with premium ice cream. I thought it was ok, but next time I'll try another dessert. I think it needed a little crunch factor and maybe a sauce to really complete the dish. The plating was a little plain - mochi cut in half with one resting on top of another on a square piece of banana leaf covering a square white plate. Nonetheless, it is a unique dessert item. I'm curious to try their chocolate dumpling next time. Overall, a great restaurant. The decor is eclectic with black granite tables and local art on the wall. You are served a meal on a real plate with a linen napkin. Even though the location is a bit underwhelming but I think that is what gives it its charm. Considering that this is the chef-owner's first venture and its existence is based on a leap of faith, I sincerely congratulate him for following his dream. Being a big foodie with a similar dream, I can tell this restaurant is truly a labor of love. read more

Maple Ave Restaurant - One of their specials. . .hopefully it becomes a permanent. Fig stuffed with foie gras, micro greens salad, duck proscuitto - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

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This place is a hidden gem in Vienna! Amazing food, hand down best Mac n cheese I've ever tried! Everyone at my table was raving about the mussels too (I couldn't try them though since I can't eat pork) but this place seems to have lots of good food options! Only down side is that it's tiny! I came here with a group of six once and we practically took up the whole restaurant. All in all great place though! read more

This place is tiny! It doesn't fit a lot of guests and offers limited parking. Traffic here is pretty hectic and it can be a little dangerous/inconvenient to enter the lot. I had their eggs and kimchee dish for my main entree and their mochi flight for dessert. I wasn't too happy with the eggs and kimchee (because it's literally what I eat at home when I am too lazy to cook: spam, eggs, and kimchee), but their mochi flight was pretty good... I didn't expect their eggs and kimchee dish to be so simple, but I guess I should have yelped a picture before ordering.. It's not a fancy restaurant but it's cute for a quiet date, and because there's not a lot of seating I would highly recommend calling in advance to make reservations read more

A best kept secret in Old Town Vienna. What this tiny 10 table restaurant lacks in size it makes up in extreme taste! The decor is not fancy I'm thinking that the saved all the excitement for your mouth. I recommend the lunch special or Monday night specisl. You will not go wrong with the muscles and seafood. Best I've had! Must have a reservation since this place is always packed. read more

Maple Ave Restaurant - Coconut risotto with basil ice cream and yummy scallops on top. - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

On a cold Friday night, I was able to finally try out Maple Ave Restaurant with some delightful company, after reading about it for what seems like ever. The restaurant itself is even smaller than I had imagined, with only about 8-10 tables dispersed inside a very straightforward box shape. There were quaint touches to it though, such as the scrapbook found on every table, which served as the drinks menu. As a starter, my date and I shared the mussels, steamed and served in a saffron and coconut broth with bits of chinese sausage. A very warm and comforting bite, but also read a little one note. I was satisfied, but wasn't blown away. Because I am in the season of Lent as a Catholic, I had to stick with only seafood options, which is why I opted for the seared scallops as my entree of choice. Served on top of a generous portion of a coconut risotto and a small scoop of basil ice cream, the 4 scallops were perfectly seared with a nice crust on both sides. All of the flavors melded extremely well together, with my only complaints being the risotto may have been a tad salty, and the basil ice cream may have taken too long to freeze up as evident by the chunky texture from the large ice crystals (a smooth ice cream has small ice crystals, which comes from faster freezing and churning times, which is why liquid nitrogen ice cream has such a luscious mouth-feel, but I digress). A pop of acid would've done the plate some good. My date ordered a chicken dish which I sadly could not taste, but the bed of vegetables they were on were delicious and well seasoned. Overall, my experience at Maple Ave was okay. Don't get me wrong, the service was great, the ambiance was nice, and the food wasn't bad. I just think maybe the hype got to me, which resulted in too high of expectations. Or maybe it was because the Executive Chef/Owner Tim Ma recently stepped away from his restaurant. I still give it 4 stars though because I think if I hadn't read about it before and just stumbled upon the restaurant, I would've liked it a lot more. Be sure to make reservations though because the place is extremely small! If you don't feel like grabbing dessert here, there's a few bakeries and coffee shops that are within walking distance which made for a very nice end to my night, ^_^. read more

Heard great things about this place from friends, so the GF and I made a reservation for Sunday night. The restaurant was small and consequently kind of cramped, especially since we were given a table in the corner. However, the service was excellent and the food was delectable. We decided to share only one main course and order more small plates so we can try more things. The menu had pages in the back so customers can write notes to future diners, which was cute, but I'm not sure if this was something they just started doing since there were only 2 messages in ours. For the food: Roasted bone marrow 3.5/5 If you've ever had roasted bone marrow, you know how rich and decadent it is. I personally love roasted marrow, but my GF thought it was a bit too rich. For one order, we got 3 half-pieces of bone and 3 crostinis. I think more crostinis would have helped since you can spread the richness out a bit more. One of the bones also had very little morrow because of the way it was cut, which was disappointing. Shrimp and grits 4/5 Grits were cooked just right, shrimp was juicy and flavorful, the little bits of okra and sausage in the grits added a nice variety of flavor and texture. Steamed PEI mussels 4.5/5 Can't really go wrong with steamed mussels. This was also served with crostinis, although we used some of it for the bone marrow instead. The chinese sausage in the sauce was something I've never had for steamed mussels, but they were delicious and added a good flavor. Seared scallops 5/5 This was the best dish of the night for both of us, by far. The scallops were seared to perfection, and the coconut risotto and the basil ice cream added a great contrast in both temperature and texture to the dish. This is a dish that I will be dreaming about for years to come. Chocolate dumplings 4/5 Warm chocolate ganache in a fried pastry shell, served with vanilla ice cream. There is no part of that sentence that I do not like. Only downside is that it was much better with a glass of milk, but a glass of milk is $3. Overall, the meal came out to about $80 with tax, so it's certainly not somewhere most people would go on a regular basis, but for special occasions, you will find few places in the area for a better meal. I would rate the meal a 4.5/5, but I rounded up because the seared scallops were just so good. read more

Happened across this place while in Vienna and really enjoyed it. John D's review was a bit harsh. The server tells you up front how their menu works. If you aren't up for it, leave. If you don't want small plates, they have entree-sized meals that are reasonably priced. I got the pulled pork sandwich and it was great. The place is small, but that's kind of nice. Pretty relaxing atmosphere. The only gripe I have is about the design of the plates themselves...they slide all over the table. Careful! read more

Wow, a tiny restaurant with great service and delicious delicious foods. What more can you ask for? My co-worker took me here for dinner and man, am I glad he did. Though everything on the menu sounded scrumptious, we decided to get fried green tomatoes, the apple salad, and shrimp & grits to start. I had the scallops and he had the beef cheeks for entrees. The fried green tomatoes were awesome. I actually don't really know what green tomatoes taste like, but the perfectly crunchy panko coating and chili garlic aioli made this thing a hit! Just a touch of spice in the aioli to wake your mouth up. The apple salad was also very good. Nothing too fancy, but I thought the dressing on this was fabulous - roasted garlic had a nice background flavor and wasn't too overpowering. Overall a very light appetizer that I would definitely go for again. Honestly, it seemed to be a large enough portion that if I were to come back, I'd be willing to get it as my main entree! The shrimp & grits were also very good. The shrimp was nice and plump with just the right amount of shrimpy bite/texture to it. I didn't realize the dish came with okra so i was a little concerned at first when I was spooning some of it onto my plate because of the texture. Then I just realized it was okra "juice." My scallops. O.M.G. I love scallops and these are probably on my top 3 list. 5 delightful, well-seasoned scallops on top of a coconut risotto. The risotto was rich and creamy but not heavy. Perhaps the surprise of the evening was the scoop of basil ice cream in the middle of the dish. Again, I hadn't read the menu carefully so I was surprised, but it worked so well! Soft notes of basil mixed with my favorite coconut and was a great just slightly sweet contrast to the scallops. Amazing. Service was great - very friendly and attentive but not overly so. 3 small plates, 1 sangria, 2 entrees, and an order of crostini only set us back $120 including tax and tip. Belly full o' great foods, I would definitely come back again! read more

3 People - Saturday 7:00 p.m. 1. Ambiance: I dislike the small setting along with the sounds that can be amplified throughout the room, because that's exactly what happened when another group that sat at the middle table were drunkards who kept scream talking to each other. Not somewhere you would take a date, but definitely a place for those who want to try delicious food. 2. Chicken wings Review: Crispy with a sweet orange sauce on top. Bone Marrow & Bread Review: Restaurants usually skimp out on bone marrows but there was so much of it! I was in heaven! Their slice of bread is crispy and very aromatic due to an oil spread. Mussels w/ Curry Sauce Review: These mussels were marinated in curry sauce and it was so soft that it melts in your mouth. It had chinese sausages added on top, which gave it a sweet flavor. Seared Scallops with Ice Cream on Risotto Review: The ice cream adds a nice creamy touch to the risotto. The scallops were good, but i wish it was a little bigger. To me, the scallops were baby size. The risotto filled me up, but I was a little disappointed in the scallops. Overall, the flavoring was good. Moroccan Chicken Review: I thought the name was boring - chicken. There was nothing boring about this dish! I love that the meat was tender underneath the crispiness of the skin. Very well marinated. Duck Slice Review: I am not too crazy about ducks and this dish didn't impress me much nor changed my mind. It was chewy and bland. 3. Service: Our waitress was so entertaining and nice. She was very attentive and apologized for the other table's lack of manner. She was knowledgeable of the menu and gave us an overview of most of the items. 4. Costs: For the lack of a nice/relaxing ambiance, I thought the price was a little steep; however, I'm a fan of their fusion style food and my stomach was so happy that it justified the price. 5. Overall Experience: When we could discern the food, we knew it would be a good dinner. Despite the voluble throng across from us, our dinner wasn't a fiasco and our food was laudable. Side Notes: We didn't get to try the soft shell crabs. I know that the menu changes so do call ahead or go to their website to review the menu prior to stopping by. read more

First off, I will say the parking is okay. When I walked in the first thing that the hostess asked is if we had a reservation, we didn't. It took about 15 minutes to find a seat for us. I have read reviews and read on their facebook before and it never said you HAD to have a reservation but i am glad we got seated because i think i've wanted to come here for almost 3-4 years! i got the Seared scallops with basil ice cream & risotto. I am a very picky eater so when i hear ice cream with my hot food i was a bit turned off. I asked the waiter for no ice cream and he informed me that the ice cream was the sauce. I then took his advice and asked for it on the side. i dipped into it and put a little bit on to try and it was AMAZING. i ended up tossing the whole thing in and ate every single bite/drop that was on my plate. The service was a bit slow for me because it was quite empty the date that we came but i didn't care. the food that we had was well worth it. I can't wait to come back! read more

Had a great meal last minute here with friends! Would highly recommend! Our appetizer was unique and we were excited to try the new items like con fit and their own pickled veggies. Our entrees were amazing and we were so pleased with the service and the wine selection was also a big bonus! read more

Mommy's scrambled eggs. Yes that is what I thought of after dining at Maple Ave Restaurant. This is a small crisp restaurant in a busy part of Vienna. The parking lot is pure rubbish, it is just super small. The building has equal dining space in front and behind the kitchen. The back is reserved for private parties. The front dining area has a half dozen tables and is excellently decorated. To be honest, I just briefly browsed one or two Yelp reviews before driving here to eat alone in what I thought would be a better than decent diner. Expecting a Silver Diner +, I was happily surprised at MAR. I ordered the chicken and waffles for dinner. The bread was served with some tasty pumpkin and spice butter. Good start. My dinner arrived and looked great. Really great! The chicken had a wonderfully crunchy coating, the waffles were chewy, and the maple syrup was naturally potent. The chicken meat itself could have more flavor. Overall it was very purposefully made food. Yes, OK about Mommy's scrambled eggs. For me there is something magical about my Mommy's scrambled eggs. I have watched her make eggs for me for several years. She uses a little butter and puts the eggs in, cooks for bit, and done. Good eggs. Still no matter how I try, my eggs just don't taste the same. Still good though. So while my Mommy's scrambled eggs are not super duper and awesome, they have a special something to them. MAR's food has a special something that makes it special if not ultimately awesome tasting. The care put into the fried chicken and waffles is noticeable on a conscious and subtle level. My meal was memorable. Now that I have visited once I will return with friends to eat as many different things off the menu as we can. read more