Latest Reviews
-
Can you say delicious? Local friends brought us here while we were visiting and it definitely is a must visit. The mussels and pizza were amazing. Als…
-
Good for Mussel. The wine/beer is very good, but a little bit expensive. The mussels are food, but I expect a larger portion.…
Wtatchan
Mussel Bar & Grille – Bethesda
-
WOW DIsappointing! I love.... WOW DIsappointing! I love this place with the beer selection but the ability to count (11 oysters) and the lack of servi…
TravelingConsultant
Mussel Bar & Grille – Bethesda
About
Mussel Bar & Grille - Bethesda is open for Casual Dining and Bar. Mussel Bar & Grille - Bethesda serves Belgian dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
Feature List
outdoor seatingwifisports barReviews
Leave a Review
You must be logged in to post a comment.
10 Reviews on “Mussel Bar & Grille – Bethesda”
A’s all the way …. We had such a wonderful dinner at Mussel Bar. It was kinda loud at 9-10 pm on a Friday, but what do you expect? It was packed and the place was hopping! Our server did a great job, I know he had many tables besides ours. He was friendly, got us everything we needed quickly and made a few suggestions for us.It is hard to decide what to order off the food menu, so we start off w/ beers. That is also hard to decide, because of their extensive non-standard Belgium list. In no particular order: Stella, Affligem Bland, Ommegang Saison, Delirium Tremens, Rochefort 6, Orval, Ayinger Celebrator and who knows what else!For starters we had Calamari, pork belly and a cheese plate. Very good way to start out a two plus hour dinner :)I had to talk my guests into the mussels. I guess they had never had a good experience, so I ordered them plain with the White Wine (I like Farmhouse Ale). My guests were surprised they were not rubbery or squishy. They were also surprised to enjoy the frites w/ the different mayonnaise.The Braised Ribs were tender and nearly fell off the bone. I usually like dry ribs, but there were delightful detour. The ribs were everyones favorite entre. We couldn’t eat all that was served, but we left FAT and HAPPY!Food: ADrinks: A+Service: AAtmosphere: A
The service was great. We received the wrong dish mistakenly, but the correct one was brought out immediately and then they comped us both dishes.
Disappointing, disappointment and more. Despite numerous bad reviews, my friends and I decided we’d give it a try last evening (3-8-11). Having been pre-warned of the nosiy environment we chose a week night for our dining experience hoping to eliminate some of the racket. Think twice. Did not make one iota of a difference in the noise level. Cannot imagine what a Friday or Saturday night might sound like, but can bet your bottom dollar you wouldn’t be able to hear yourself, let alone a companion. Why so noisy? This does not add to the ambiance or at least it didn’t for us.We began with two neat scotch drinks and one bloody mary made with premium vodka as we waited on a table. Expensive drinks. Not long after a table became available and the host led us to what looked like the back of the restaurant but lo and behold there were two other separate dining parties already seated and eating. We squeezed in to our allotted space and began with a pork and mussel tart which my friends liked a lot. Once done we moved on to order three distinctly different mussel dishes hoping to savor each other’s selection. The table right beside us had asked for bread continuously and we asked our wait staff to honor their request before we placed our order. The mussel dishes came out simultaneously and very hot, which is a plus in my book. We had to ask for bread again as our wait staff had forgotten to bring ours. We shared our mussels with one another and it was hard to tell one dish from the next. They were flavorless. My choice had been a hot spicy mussel dish and the only heat came from the stove the mussels had been cooked on. Truly could not distinguish any particular spices among three different dishes. Sad.When leaving I turned to my friends and asked how they would rank their dining experience? One gave it a possible four, the other a six and my ranking is yet to be configured because it is difficult to separate my personal disappointment from downright outrage after spending as much as we did for our tasteless mussel dishes. Robert W. please tend to the Bethesda kitchen and help them live up to the reputation you’ve built at your other establishments. Bethesda deserves better.
Oysters….. The west coast oysters were amazing. The staff, fantastic! The selection of good beer, formidable.
NEW & IMPROVED. Mussel Bar has grown up since it’s inception this past July. I’ve noticed several chef/management changes, and it’s been for the better every time. The staff is now beer knowledgeable (and if stuck on geuze, they know to get a very knowledgeable manager), the food has improved greatly with Chef Engle formerly of Brasserie Beck and Marcel’s (the oysters are normal again!). The managers are charming and patrol the dining room. The servers make all offerings and service has greatly improved. Mussel Bar has become a gastro pub/bar with better table service and food than a regular restaurant. The only part I hate is the long waits on Friday and Saturday nights… 7:15pm and you haven’t got there yet? = stay home.
Stick to the mussels. If you stick to the mussels and go off-peak, then this is a decent meal. The Thai mussels are our favorite. Absolutely avoid the oysters – they have been processed in some abnormal way and are horrid.
Too Loud to hear my Companions`. Went with high hopes to check out the Mussel Bar. Showed up at 8:30 on a Sat. night; was told an hour wait. Wait was an hour and fifteen minutes. There was nowhere to stand comfortably to wait (bar and standing bar tables (without chairs) were full. Food was excellent once we were seated. But it was so loud you had to scream to talk to your companions. Don”t know why when the restaurant was full they had to have blaring rock music. If they put in outside heaters, the outdoor space would be perfect for waiting. Service acceptable/not great. For instance, we ordered spinach salad (great), flatbread (spectacular), and two orders of mussels – classic and shroom. They basically had the same cream sauce. The server could have told us this in advance and recommended we try another variety.