So haven't been to this restaurant in like 3 years and I found out that they modernize and got a bigger space. The new location is lovely! And the food is still the same ! Excellent!!! My family and I had a wonderful lunch here today! If you haven't been to Vasili's kitchen you are definitely missing out! They where my little neighborhood restaurant while in college! When I wanted my foodie cravings fulfilled! So happy your still around ! Amazing job on the new restaurant and food! Service was excellent too! read more

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Vasili's has amazing food and service. Everything is absolutely delicious. We love the lamb chops, beet salad, and most of the mezze. The shrimp dish is the only thing I've ever gotten from there that was sub par. The shrimp were brutally over cooked and tiny. The octopus mezze is super tasty!! read more

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So one restaurant's loss is another restaurant's gain. It was pretty cold last night and we drove out to Kentlands with the intent of dining at a restaurant we have enjoyed previously. Well, turns out we showed up 5 minutes early and despite the fact that the doors were open we were told that they were closed and invited to wait outside for 5 minutes until they opened! No offer for us to take a seat (or even stand) inside to wait a few minutes, which we would absolutely have done. As we made our way outside we noticed Vasili's Kitchen appeared to be open, warm, and welcoming..... well, you can guess the rest. Have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by the interior. I still recall when this building was a diner just a few years back and I have to say the inside is nothing like it used to be. Kudos to whoever designed the place, it really is a lovely restaurant and very inviting on a cold night. We are kind of used to CAVA-esque style Greek eats so ordered from the appetizer menu expecting small plates. All of the apps we ordered were over-sized, very shareable, and beautifully presented. Much more up-scale than we anticipated with well thought-out flavor profiles. A couple of the dishes shouldn't have worked, but somehow they really did. Chef clearly likes bitter-sweet orange flavors and that's fine by me! Service was attentive, but not intrusive, and they have a nice wine list. Hubby ordered a Rioja and it went really nicely with the food we ordered. We will definitely be back for more, everything really was very good. I would like to try some of their cocktails which look amazing. BTW, their bar area is lovely and certainly a place I would hang out in. Not too young a crowd, lovely space, friendly patrons from what I could tell, and a nice wine/cocktail menu. They also had a jazz duo start to perform just as we were leaving, so we would come back a little later in the evening to avail ourselves of that entertainment - they sounded amazing, but we only caught a couple of songs. The "boom" moment of the evening was that hubby insisted he doesn't want to go back to the other restaurant any more - he prefers Vasili's Kitchen! Ouch! That was an costly 5 minutes for the other place. read more

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Went here last week a little pricey But was well worth it large wine selection and good service the calamari was very good and the eggplant dish was excellent. Would recommend read more

WONDERFUL! Simply wonderful! Service, atmosphere, and food. LOVED the light and airy taramosalata, with its creamy and dreamy texture and beautiful basil oil contrast. My favorite! The octopus, unfortunately not a hit. But I am painfully aware of how hard it is to cook octopus. The acid balance and the crunchy fennel in their ceviche, won me over as I sipped my lovely bubbles - a dry and well structured french for the senses. "fried cheese"? Talagani Saganaki is KILLER! Shared some fish for dinner, in delicate broth and vegetables lit in colour and texture - orange and purple carrots al dente, baby radishes, pearl onions, delicately sauced. LOVELY. And leave room for their sweets! All in all, fresh breads, lovely wine list, passionate service. Would return in a heartbeat when in town. read more

Vasili's Kitchen - Mediterranean Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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We ordered a variety of foods today. For starters, the olives were good and the spanakopita was delicious and made with fresh ingredients. The scrambled egg breakfast was tasty; the shrimp penne and moussaka just were ok. The French toast with banana, walnut, and chocolate sauce was yummy. Overall sort of pricey. We had the most friendly, attentive, and pleasant server Daniella. She really made the dining experience enjoyable. The staff filling water was also very nice. The managers or floor overseers on the other hand seemed to have some bias. My daughters noticed the floor managers visiting all of the surrounding tables to check on them and asking if everything was ok. Tapping off their beverage or water and greeting patrons. Not one of the managers came over to our table and again they visited every other table on the floor. We just happen to women and people of color. The manager did not acknowledge us on the way out of the door so I decided to walk over and thank him. Not until then did he say thank you have a nice day. I did not feel welcome enough to return. read more

Staff 5 star Food 3 star Went here in response to such glowing reviews. Interior beautiful and customer service/wait staff on-point. Thank you. Greek salad w very little lettuce (iceberg) -mostly tomato and cucumber which Antonio said is traditional. Calamari over cooked and hard. Food disappointing considering other such positive reviews. read more

We have been to the old location (in the Kentlands) and lvoed the place. we decided to go again this time to their new location. They replaced the Star Diner in the Kentlands with their new location. We had the Hummus and Olives to start. They were amazing! The new place is so much more open. The old place you were literally crammed into a table. The server was great. The food was great. The only mistake we made, on a cold night, was not asking to sit by the fireplace! read more

The food has always been fantastic - we've never been disappointed by it and it's why we keep coming back. Service is friendly, efficient, etc., with one very notable exception: the bar is abominably slow, and we frequently have to wait 30-45 minutes for our drinks (and this does not seem to be a function of how busy the restaurant is at any given moment). It's not uncommon for our appetizers and even entrees to arrive before our drinks - even though the drinks are the first things we order. I don't know why this is the case (but we know it's not the waitstaff's fault) and it's always been like this for some reason. Like I said, the food is good so we keep coming back and we've just grown to accept that this is the way it is at Vassili's. There are worse quirks for a restaurant to have but that's also what keeps it from getting five stars. read more

Wait staff were attentive and friendly. The ambiance was warm, but the food was bland. The brussel sprouts were steamed, not roasted, and not seasoned. The fish had no seasoning; it relied fully on a sauce that couldn't carry the meal. read more

Visited from out of town and heard good things. I thought we could get a table by walk-in but the staff at the front aggressively turned us down and said "Were too busy for the night!" Without being prompted the guy continues on saying, "Its raining! were not sitting anyone in the back of the patio!" Whats funny is that we ended up eating at the thai place next door and we saw that staff fill up the tables in the back of the patio with customers. Whats even more interesting is that we went online to see what they had available..So. Many. Openings. Friends and Family will be steering clear of this place. read more

The reviews here are mixed. I remember I was in the area and considered eating here to kill some time. But, since reviews were mixed, I decided against it. A friend of mine loves this place and suggested we meet for lunch. She is a big fan of Mediterranean cuisine. The venue is really nicely decorated. It is pretty trendy for a spot in the Kentlands. We shared the GRILLED OCTOPUS and the GREEK MEATBALLS. The food was definitely different from any cuisine I have had. I have Mediterranean cuisine before...including grilled octopus. But, I never had grilled octopus over a chickpea salad and drizzled with lemon. Surprisingly I liked the flavors, although, the grilled octopus was a little slimy for my taste. I think Cava Mezze makes a better grilled octopus. I really really loved, loved, loved the Greek meatballs. Yummmy! At first glance, I was skeptical because they do not look like meatballs that I have ever seen...and I am not quite sure how to describe the look of them...but I thought "oh no, this is going to be gross". It turns out they were oh so good! They are served atop spicy pepper and tomato sauce and Greek yogurt. I could have done without the burnt pita that came with it. If my memory serves me correctly, my friend ordered the SALMON PITA BOWL as her entree and I ordered the CHICKEN PITA BOWL. Each contains the meat atop quinoa salad and are topped with a slaw. The meat was full of flavor. Yum, yum, yum. This is a great example of how food needs to not only needs layer of flavor, but, also needs layers of texture. This bowl is a huge helping - particularly the slaw and quinoa. I would either request less of the sides and or more chicken. Expect to spend here. The prices are very high for what you get. I feel like the restaurant, decor and all is a bit pretentious compared to the food. Take out "ish" food disguised as four-star gourmet. I would return here if I got more bang for my buck.... Or maybe I just feel that way since I came for lunch. At least, they need to re-evaluate the lunch prices. read more

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Came here on a chill Tuesday for drinks and calamari after work-- The best calamari I've ever had. Server was great, social distanced, heated patio. Drinks are flavorful, nice wine selection. I will definitely be back for entrees.. and that CALAMARI. Seriously. If you try it and don't like it. Tell me. I'll give you your money back read more

The restaurant is nice inside and they have opened the patio area. Our server was very nice and responsive, great services. We are happy to celebrate a birthday in their restaurant. They arrange us to sit inside and no body around us. We have 7 people in a table. I have checked many other restaurant, they only allow 6 or less people in one table. Our first time to this restaurant, some food are good and some are salty. The lamb chop is really yummy. We all love this dish. Recommend to try lamb chop. The cocktail is in unique taste and creative. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by the aesthetics of the restaurant; it was adorned with huge panels of glass which is not normally seen compared to the more homely shops of Kentlands. Anyways, we ordered the grilled octopus, grilled saganaki, grilled bronzino, and also the loukamades. I would say these were relatively safe choices but I feel they all were executed well and also plated very thoughtfully. The octopus was tender, the bronzino flesh was moist and succulent while the skin was slightly charred and crispy. The saganaki had almost a tofu-like consistently and it was paired very well with the fruit compote and nuts. The loukamades were fried well and had accompanying sauces with it as well. What I found a little strange was that the proteins were served with chilled garnishes which kind of threw off the temperature dynamic of that respective dish. It was also a bit annoying was the fact that the vent above my side of the table would drip from time to time on my arm, but alas we were already seated so I acquiesced since we were well into our meal. However, for these type of prices and this type of Mediterranean cuisine, I would probably opt for Cava Mezze around the corner. I think the aesthetics of the restaurant tried to justify the prices in some respects. read more

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Party of 9 was rudely asked to not be at the bar because there was only 4 seats and was told a server will come take our order. The server never came. Party of 9 decided to leave and take our money elsewhere. Don't recommend coming to this establishment. read more

staff needs more training on making reservations. The private room should have been reserved for our party when we arrived the management on duty mentioned it would cost $2,000.00 to reserved?? so we stay and was seated in a close patio area. The waiter and food was excellent. But I never been to any restaurant that would not let you have separate checks between your parties?! Did not leave with a good feeling being African American read more

Excellent choice for dining. Very safe during these unsafe times on their lovely patio, part of which is covered. Started with the grilled octopus appetizer which I shared with hubby. The texture and flavors were tops. It was served with hummus which tasted house made. Our companions had the baked cheese appetizer which was quite tasty. For my entree I had the biftex, a combination of beef and lamb in a generous burger. I liked it but I think it must've been quite salty because I was guzzling water for the rest of the dinner and throughout the evening. Service was very attentive without being intrusive. Highly recommended for relaxing, enjoyable dining. read more

I had a bronsino with kale and couscous. Portion was too big for me because I shared a small plate of roasted cauliflower and a small plate of octopus with my husband.. He had seared salmon. It was delicious. P.S. Reheat factor is on point for the 2nd half of my leftover dinner. Drinks were great as well. read more

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I was a bit disappointed the last few times I had been there UNTIL THE MOST RECENT! They re-did the menu and it's wonderful! We just went for happy hour and they had great specials and a lot more options. The meatballs are amazing! read more

My husband and I love this place. We always sit at the bar and the bartenders are friendly, provide great recommendations and also great service! They make amazing craft drinks for you and I've never had one that I did not like. The food has been fresh, prepared delicious and we have never felt like we waited too long for anything. We like to order a few appetizers to share and we each get an entree for ourselves. There have been items I would not order again, but nothing I was unhappy with. In fact, my husband loves calamari, but I typically am not a fan and Vasili's has about the only calamari that I gobble up. We really enjoy our date nights at Vasili's Kitchen. Highly recommend! read more

Falafel sandwich looked and tasted like crummy fast food, not anywhere near worth the $18 they charged. Roasted potatoes tasted like they were cooked in ancient grease, not Ancient Greece. Not reminiscent of Mediterranean food in any way. I didn't eat much of mine but felt sick all night. The pickled vegetables looked old and unappealing; we didn't even try them. My mom said her "Greek coleslaw" tasted bitter. Overall it was bad fast food and we felt like we'd been fleeced. read more

We tried this place for the first time tonight and I couldn't be happier! The restaurant is beautiful and the outdoor patio is the perfect place to enjoy a meal on a warm evening. The service was wonderful and food was everything I wanted it to be. We ordered small plates only: hummus, spanakopita, falafel, broiled shrimp, and cauliflower. Everything was delicious and so fresh. I only wish we'd come here sooner! read more

Staff is excellent, food is a big letdown. Just go to Ela Mesa Taste of Greece 10 minutes away. This is one of those places that you'd expect to kill it in every way. Staff is great, venue is great, location is great, and they have a full service bar. However, every dish felt like a cheap imitation of the real thing. Meatballs - Probably our favorite dish, but the bar is low. The sauce was fine, but it felt like something I could make. The meatballs themselves were good: not dry, had a good spice to them. The pita bread that it came with was not charred enough and felt floppy and bland. Grilled octopus ($27!) - This was a huge letdown. First, the price is insane for the portion size. 10 minutes away you are able to get the same amount of octopus, grilled properly, for $17. The sauce that the octopus sits on was decent on its own but did not complement the octopus in any way. Mushroom Farfalle - This was OK. There was a nice texture in the mushroom sauce, and everything seemed in order. I don't fault the restaurant here, just not my thing, I think the dish is a little 'one note'. Staff - Very attentive and food came out quick, despite us sitting in the bar area. read more

Came here for Father's Day and the food was good. I ordered the ground lamb kebab pita which was okay. I thought it was a little bland flavor-wise, but it was cooked perfectly and tasted pretty fresh. The rustic decor was pretty nice and the server was cool. The prices are slightly high for the quality but that's expected cause of the location. read more

Vasili's Kitchen - Mediterranean Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Let's start with interior- when I first entered to Vasili's kitchen, the first word came to my s mind was "wow". We went there for lunch and it was expected that this place must be busy. It took less then five minute for us to get seated. They have nicely decorated setting area with bar. We warmly welcomed by the staff and guests can big one page menu. I was told by my friend to prefer chicken so without taking any time I ordered chicken with pasta (see image). The price is little high and I feel good quality and test is not to the point as what I was expecting from this place but overall good experience. Will definitely try other items in near future read more

Vasili's Kitchen - Mediterranean Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Visited here for the first time on the suggestion of friends -- this is a very nice place, beautiful inside, and the food we had was very good. My wife and I had pasta, and I had braised beef and both were excellent. I see that a few reviewers have mentioned issues with service. We had no difficulties, though at one point we had to wait for one of our starters and it appeared that it had been forgotten. Our server was quite attentive, even overdoing things a bit, but we would prefer that than have to constantly wave people down for service. On prices -- some reviewers have mentioned that portions size is a bit small for the price paid, and I think I would agree with that on some of the main dishes. read more

First time here and was not impressed. I will give the spinach appetizer props but was disapointed with the entrees. I got the mushroom farfelle which sounded delicious but had a terrible cloying sauce which made the dish inedible. Left 3/4 on my plate. The branzino was nice but have had better and the brussel sprounts served with it were hard and they appeared to be steamed with no flavor and were hard. Three people got that and all were meh about it. read more

Loving Kentlands more and more because restaurants like this are solid. We did the happy hour and did the $5 apps for dinner. It was solid and we were full and the flavors were all delicious. The only thing is that the dips are served so small, in these little bowls. I would serve them on a plate to make an illusion you're getting more (even tho you're not), but who could really complain, we order the grilled octopus from the main menu at the end. A bit pricey at $16 for only a tiny bit of octopus, but we ordered this at the end and it was a nice amount and good ending to our appetizer style dinner. Good food! read more

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Food is good but overpriced. Sadly their happy hour has been reduced to a minor discount of wine and drinks. Nothing special. I genuinely don't understand how it is often so busy. read more

I was very pleased with my seared Salmon dish that I ate tonight! The restaurant is quite vibrant, people were seated outside enjoying the evening while eating their food and drinks. The staff was pleasant and I was treated wonderfully by everyone. I plan to go back and try some of their other dishes. read more

What an incredible place for lunch! Right in the heart of Kentlands is this phenomenal Greek/ Mediterranean restaurant. You can sit inside or outside but the outside was just perfect today! Our server Maddie was terrific and couldn't have been any more perfect. Give that girl a raise! Loved the food and the prices are ridiculously reasonable with huge portions. My chicken souvlakia and Cole slaw were delicious but those potatoes were to die for!!! My daughters soup and Greek salad are among her favorites as she has been here before. Bravo to the staff for a wonderful meal and the cleanest and well planned out restrooms to boot! My new favorite place when we're up here visiting for sure!!! read more

A nice alternative in The Kentlands, however the lunch menu is very limiting. It seems like they have a few different proteins and then you pick either a salad, wrap, or platter to have it with. Not a bad concept but just not a lot of choice. So I went with the chicken skewer platter. Overall it was pretty good. The salad was tasty and the quinoa was a nice touch. The chicken was well cooked. BUT what made the dish was the sauce!! It was lemony goodness with just the right texture. Mmmm... I wish they had put more on the plate.. Yum! Then the dessert options were limited. But never fear- go with the chocolate tarte with mango sorbet and passion fruit sauce. It was delicious... Now if they just had the mango sorbet on the menu... I was just order that too- it was that good... I'll come back one day... And maybe try out their dinner menu... read more

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I really like this place It is a great location in Kentlands and I enjoy the ambiance. Here's my feedback. Roasted beets salad tasted like boiled beets or maybe precooked beets. Chicken skewers seemed oven baked not grilled. Happy hour food is half the price and half the portion size of the regular menu. Other than that this is the best outdoor seating in KLands read more

We stopped in for brunch on a busy Sunday around noon. Upon arriving, we were quickly greeted and seated. The hostess was semi-friendly, but could have appeared a little happier to be there. (BTW - That's the worse of our trip there, and this really wasn't an issue, but we thought we'd mention it). Upon being seated, the server was amazing! He greeted us and explained the restaurant, their menu and the chef. We asked many questions about the food and since we had previously check out this place online and saw the menu, we thought we already knew what we wanted. But when we read the menu and were able to ask him questions, we ordered nearly everything we saw! He did an amazing job explaining all the food and we ordered several dishes and shared them all. We totally loved the way the chef works and these amazing dishes he's prepared! From the amazing chicken soup (with egg white to thicken it slightly) to the amazing meatballs and huge lima beans... all flavors were unique to themselves (versus dishes all tasting the same) and plated perfectly! The favorite dish was the Mediterranean salad with various style of heirloom tomatoes - OMG - AMAZING! If you get it, ask for some spinach greens to be tossed in with it. Such a created use of olives too! It was an amazing dish! The venue is beautifully decorated... loved every bit of it, including the clean restrooms. We can't wait to return, this was truly a pleasure and an amazing visit! read more

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Dining out on a day like Valentine's Day can be a crap-shoot at most restaurants. Either the quality of the food suffers or the service does. With that said, Vasili's Kitchen handled both areas with ease and left us satisfied and a wonderful conclusion (or beginning) of our night. Having dined here prior, opting for new dishes were our goals for the night. Without going too crazy though, we did go with a stapled starter, the Trio Spread, to temper our adventurousness. The dishes that we ordered did not disappoint. The winners of the night were the Salmon and roasted cauliflower and the slow braised beef. Both were seasoned well and cooked wonderfully. If I had to nitpick at something, I would have preferred the mashed potatoes to be a little bit more creamier. As it was, it was a bit lumpy, but that's really down to just personal preference. As for the Trio Spread, out of the three selected (Beet & Yogurt, Spicy Feta, and Roasted Eggplant), the Roasted Eggplant was the one that stood out the most. The robust flavor from the roasting gave it that uniqueness and made it a memorable dip to pair with the fresh pita breads. The one Meze dish that we ordered, Meatballs Matbucha, was larger than anticipated. Again, this might be personal preference, but I would have preferred the meatballs to be a little bit fattier and have more of that melt in your mouth texture when bitten into. This rendition was more "springy" when bitten into and had I realized it sooner, the sauce was the same as the slow braised beef. If I had known that, I would have opted to forego this Meze dish and ordered something to bring variety to the table. Overall, the food was delicious and the service was great! Shout-out to the waitress named after the City of Love and Romance! Timing of food was well done, pro-active refills, and pre-bussing! Bottom Line: I would recommend this restaurant as this is one of the Neighborhood Gems in the City of Gaithersburg! read more

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I came here with a group of 7 of my girlfriends. The atmosphere is great! Friendly staff and pretty open spaces. I ordered the beet and yogurt salad with salmon. This was actually a 4/5 if I had to grade just this food. The salmon was cooked perfectly and beet salad tasted fresh with the apples that were in the salad. Without the salmon, this dish may have been a little too yogurt-y, but putting a protein on it evens out the yogurt. We also shared the dips with the pita bread. The warm pita was delicious but once it got to room temp, the taste wasn't as impressive. The dips were ok - we got the eggplant the hummus and the tomato. Eggplant all the way but that's only because I like eggplants. A solid 3 really. So why 3 instead of 4? Our server was extremely slow. Very nice but so extremely slow. Maybe he was just having an off day but nevertheless, I had to grade the whole experience right? Friends also weren't too impressed with their meat options. Anyway, worth a try. Their bar looks pretty impressive from where I was sitting. Perhaps you'll fare better there? read more

Vasili's Kitchen - Beet and yogurt salad with salmon - Mediterranean Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Amazing starters and drinks! Angel - the bartender is a whizard. He mad the yummiest and most sophisticated gin and tonic I have ever seen in my life. If you are in Gburg area, this is an institution that you shouldn't miss. Full love and power to Vasilis!!!! read more

Vasili's Kitchen - Angel - the amazing artisan of gourmet cocktails at work!!! - Mediterranean Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Okay, BUCKLE UP. Consider this a rave review because I've really only got good things to say about Vasili's. I've now been here twice. The first time I went, I ordered and shared the octopus, arugula salad, sourdough bread, crispy potatoes with feta, and a fried dough dessert (I cannot remember the name). It was AMAZING. First off, the flavors are dynamic and deliciously balanced. If you're a foodie, you'll really appreciate the successful mixes of flavor, texture, and ingredients. Also, for 5 dishes ordered, the quality of the food, and the quantity served, this place is very reasonably priced! I loved it so much I went back for the octopus with chermoula, feta dip, meatballs with potato crisps, and grilled cheese with cherry sauce. I've included photos because, aside from being delicious, it all looked amazing!! Simply put, eat here if your tastebuds like amazing flavors. read more

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2.5 stars Sat down for lunch and the restaurant was roughly 30% full. Sat for over 15 minutes with waiters walking by, then decided to tell the hostess that nobody had seen us yet. In that 15 minutes, the table next to us had paid and their waiter left their paid check on another table. Service was terrible. Food was fine, ordered the tzatziki and eggplant spread, olives, and greek salad for 2. Not likely to return. read more

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