Met Bethesda

I have to say I love the location of the Met. Located in Montgomery Mall, makes it very easy to have a full date night in one place with dinner and a movie.
Met’s menu gives you so many different options! I decided to go for the burger, Met fries, and the brussel sprouts. The burger was good, but not great, but I absolutely loved the fries (but I’m a sucker for a fried potato) and the sprouts.
I also liked that their drink menu provided a nice variety. I’m definitely going back.

OUTSTANDING.
My 1^st time here & Gideon, the Host was nothing less than awesome. He is in his niche of interacting with the guests & making them feel at home… wow, such an engaging person.
We got a booth by the window where you can people watch, mostly traffic to & from the movie theater.
Our Server was Dan & he took very good care of us from beginning to end. He knew the menu, was able to offer & discuss suggestions to the T, & we basically followed his lead.
Since my dinner Companion only eats fried seafood, I told him he was going to expand his palate tonight as I ordered the Tuna & Salmon Tartare. The delectable duo came with Taro Chips, geesh it so very good. The tuna was marinated to perfection.
For our entrees, we both decided on the Met Large Salads.
Me: Green Guru, with Kale, Avocado, Broccoli, Shaved Carrots, (86’d Spiced Pumpkin Seeds), Cilantro, Mint & substituted the Greed Goddess Dressing for the Lemon Vinaigrette. I added Blackened Salmon.
Him: Back Bay Chopped, with Cheese, Egg, Red Onion, Tomatoes, Beets, Broccoli, Corn, Avocado, Bacon & added Grilled Chicken, with an Italian Vinaigrette.
The salads were true to fit of the name, being large in portions. The only thing I would suggest is tossing the salads in the dressings or providing more dressing initially. Aside from my personal point, everything was filling & delicious.
Him: Delighted in desert choosing the Apple Pie that came with Caramel Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream. I appreciate the two spoons that accompany the sweet treat, although I did not partake… very thoughtful.
Dan’s teammate Hunter, who was our food runner was just as great, especially in providing additional requests & insight.
The General Manager Susan is a hoot! There is a reason why she is the GM, her guest & staff managing skills enhanced our dinning experience 10 fold!
& since I represent Boston indirectly, to the Boston Restaurateur Kathy Sidell for being her MET chain to Bethesda.
Ambience
Interior
Food
Price point
Service
I will be back often.

This restaurant is a must if you are in mall. I stopped in before seeing a movie. Jason the bartender was very knowledgeable about the menu and he was very craft behind the bar. All of his suggestions were wonderful and complemented each other. If he is on duty ask him to make you a Bryce Harper, which is his take on a Blood & Sand.

First timer. Sunday lunch. The place was almost empty. Service was good but the food took a while. I had steak frites, Brussels sprouts and a salad. The steak was delicious, tender and cooked just how I liked it. The Brussels sprouts were amazing with carmelized onions. Yum! I’ve had truffle fries before and these were disappointing. Seemed like regular fries with a cheesy sprinkled topping. I will definitely come back. Dan was our server and all 4 of us have special requests due to dietary restrictions and he was so patient and accommodating.

I’ve been here twice for Taco Tuesday. Three quality tacos, for $ 6, can’t beat it. I would suggest the steak tacos. The chicken tacos are waaaay too spicy for me. If you come before 7 you can catch happy hour as well. I love the location and the décor, it’s a shame they don’t seem to get that much business. That could be because I choose to come on Tuesday but it always seems to be kind of empty, which isn’t too bad because at least you don’t have to wait too long for food. They have a lot of cool martini/​mojitio flavors too. Alex has been my bartender both times and he is nice. I’ll probably be back every Tuesday for the tacos, I really recommend giving this place a shot.

I asked what could be made with the Blood Orange flavor. The bartender said he can make a killer Blood Orange martini. Well, he’s right! It’s delicious and refreshing. I’m not going to order a big dinner because I am going out later, but the Meze plate is a great appetizer with enough food for two! I am a fan of the hummus with pesto!

I’m glad to see that Met Bethesda has gotten into its groove and is turning out some really good dishes, following in the footsteps of its sister restaurant on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay. Our first couple of experiences here were just okay, but today’s experience was definitely a good one.
I decided to skip the burger today (sorry, Don C.!) and opted instead for the Met Club Sandwich, a nice take on the classic club. This one features a nice chicken breast, bacon, brie, avocado, tomato, and some greens, all served on a sunflower whole-​grain bread that was lightly grilled and buttery, a nice extra touch that came through bite after bite of what was a delicious sandwich. Being a restaurant with New England roots, the sandwich was served with — what else? — Cape Cod chips.
My buddy the Caesar salad expert loves the Caesar here. I’ve had it on previous occasions myself, and I’m really struggling to think if there’s a better Caesar in MoCo. The dressing is light and well-​seasoned, the parmesan shavings are generous, and the garlic croutons are flavorful, with just the right amount of crunch. Even though it’s an entrée-​sized salad, it’s a bit on the pricey side once you add the chicken, with the overall price point of the restaurant being a bit on the high side for this part of town.
The bartender took good care of us, making sure menus were in hand seconds after we were seated and that we had everything we needed throughout our meal. All in all, a nice full-​service dining experience at Montgomery Mall today.

Met Bethesda is my favorite place to eat while at Montgomery Mall.
The place is so versatile! I use to come here after work for happy hour with friends. We would get Martini’s for $ 5 and order their truffle fries, with spicy sauce and the avocado dish! What’s so great about the Met is that whenever you order food from here you’re ordering a taste experience. All the flavors are unique to the restaurant and so well done. Other times I would come here with friends for dinner and it would be a more elegant affair.
The food here is great, the prices are reasonable for a sit down at Montgomery Mall, and the atmosphere is fun! I highly recommend coming here for a bite or drink!

Great for happy hour or for a quick bite before a movie at the Arc Light Theater. My experience has been the bartenders are attentive in taking orders and bringing out the food but on more than one occasion missing when you need the check. The Korean wings were fried and seasoned perfectly. The tator tots were crispy (I did ask to make them extra crispy). I was not disappointed. My go to drink here is probably the red sangria.

Enjoyed my experience at the Met this evening. Service was polite and fast. The Paris burger was excellent. We also liked the brown sugar beef appetizer. Tuna was meh.
I liked that they served us keeping in mind that we have a movie to go to! Will be back to try their martini bar for sure!

Ok we love this place and the staff. The food is really good. The chicken Parmesan is not like anything I have had before.
The food is really good here. The burger and the chicken sandwich rock. You can’t go wrong with the grill meats either. Great stop before or after the movie. Ask for Ronan he is great and will take care of your needs. Don’t miss out on their Lobster Wednesday! Best deal in town!

This place has good food and very nice natural lighting if you sit by the window. It is the perfect choice if your across the way from Arclight and you have about an hour until your movie starts. Not sure what to classify this food under, seems they had a little bit of everything-​which I like.
Met’s featured cocktails come in these huge dispensers and while my cocktail wasn’t bad – whatever it was similar to an orange mimosa in a cocktail glass, I personally just like to see my drink being made. Hey! There’s more chances I’ll get topped off for good measure :0)
The chicken Met bowl was good and it was healthy: tender teriyaki chicken, a little kale, egg protein, rice, and other chopped veggies. The staff is really cool and very talkative in a good way. The bill wasn’t enormous considering I covered my sister for her birthday. However, they do have happy hour specials available Monday through Friday from 3 to 7pm. They’ll see me again!

Met Bethesda you are marvelous. This is my second time visiting the Westfield Mall location. On my first visit, I loved your pork belly appetizer. It was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. The bun was soft, crumbly and tasted sweet like cornbread. I inhaled the sandwich and have been craving more. I also was delighted with the special Beltway drink which was refreshing and on the sweeter side.
Last night, I thoroughly enjoyed the steak tacos. There was plenty of meat with vegetables, cilantro, and a special sauce. They were cooked perfectly. The chicken tacos were tasty as well, but the beef was my favorite.
I also really liked my mojito. It was sweet and sour with plenty of flavor. I would say that $ 12.00 was a bit on the high side for a drink, but it was good.

I have always had the best bartenders who were personable and nice. They made sure we were out of there for our 7:00 pm movie showing.
So great food, excellent service, and a beautiful view. Met Bethesda you didn’t just meet my expectations, you surpassed them!

After coming here for a Unilocal Elite event I was instantly addicted to the pork belly sandwich on the homemade biscuit bun. While birthday dress shopping I decided to grab one! I was seated at the bar as I requested and noticed it was happy hour. Awesome happy hour menu by the way. For my drinks I got $ 6 Met Punch which was really good. I ordered the calamari with the fire cracker sauce, 2 pieces of sashimi and 2 pieces of their roasted pumpkin. I also ordered another martini called the Arnold Palmer which was also $ 6! Very strong but so darn delish! For a solo happy hour I had a really good time. I saw a couple enjoying some beef skewers. I’m gonna have to go back and get those next time!

All in all, I liked the Met. This visit, I tried the pork belly slider and Beltway martini as part of the Unilocal Elite Westfield Mall Taste event.
The slider was amazing, served on a cornbread bun and with a slightly tangy sauce. Lucky for you, they’re going to put it on the menu soon. It came with the Beltway martini, which is another new creation of the Met Bethesda. It’s a wonderful but not overly sweet concoction of elderberry liquor, El Corazon, green apple purée, and pineapple juice. It’s one of those drinks that’s fun to have, but you wouldn’t want more than one.
The manager here, Susan, is really passionate about this place. It’s great to meet someone who believes in their business and wants to meet demand to make it a success.
The way the Westfield Mall is set up, some stores get a LOT of sunlight on the west side in the evening. I like that this place has lots of windows, but it does get a bit bright on summer evenings. Also, the bar is huge, so great for happy hour, which is 3 – 7, Monday through Friday.

Met is such a classy happy hour spot. It’s a large restaurant located right above the food court. It’s hard to miss!
Once you enter the restaurant there is a larger bar. The bar is breathtaking. They have a juice display for the purposes of their martinis. They have juice flavors ranging from caramelized pineapple to guava. I have to tell you that their martinis are a must. A big must. The martinis a sweet and unforgettable. You have to try their blood orange martinis. It has a thick consistency almost like the consistency of freshly squeezed juice.
The service is efficient. The bartenders and servers are super friendly and super hard working. Because it is busy, it can be difficult to get a server’s attention. However, I do see that as a good thing. If a restaurant is busy, you know their food and service is good.

I just had the clam chowder and I think I walked out of the MET Bethesda with a stroke. I was a little hungry so we decided to go to MET to grab a quick meal/​snack before watching Furious 7 at Arclight. The clam chowder was a little on the salty side. Actually, it wasn’t just a little salty, it was a lot salty. I don’t know if it was because we came in 15 mins before the kitchen was about to close, but who messes up clam chowder?
If my first experience here wasn’t great, I would have probably given MET two stars. My first experience here was on point. The burgers were cooked perfectly and the dessert, the OMG dessert, it was delicious. During my first visit the place was packed but everything still came out if not perfect, almost perfect. The coconut calamari (I think that’s what it’s called) is really delicious — try it, it’s an appetizer. The seasoning/​breading and the coconut mix worked well. Gives your pallet a pleasant surprise. The burgers — cooked medium well — came out on point and they were delicious as well. The second visit just threw everything off.
For the second visit the service was meh and the food was MEH. We asked for teas but it took a good 7 – 8 min to get the teabags out. We were the given cups with hot water and a slice of lemon immediately, BUT no teabags. When we ordered the clam chowder we also asked for the check right away — our movie was at 11:05 and it was already 10:45. The server kept forgetting our check so we kept reminding her. My second experience was a complete 360 from my first. It seems like the service is better with more traffic in the place.
Everyone like a restaurant with consistency. I want my food to come out great whether I come in when they just opened or whether I come in when they are about to close. You have to keep the quality there even though the kitchen is about to close in 15.

I’d say Met Bethesda is a little better than 3 stars but not quite a 4 star. Met Bethesda is located in Montgomery Mall across from Arclight Cinemas, overlooking the food court. In the far back right hand side of the restaurant, there’s a space to hold private events (e.g., intimate dinners) to celebrate a special occasion. My mom and I had a late lunch at Met today. They sat us at a booth in direct sunlight, which wasn’t very pleasant. Our server Jesus was friendly, polite, and chill. The service was good during the meal but it was hard to find our server when we wanted to pay our bill. For non alcoholic beverages, they have Pepsi products. For drinks, we got iced water and an Arnold Palmer (which was a combination of unsweetened iced tea and lemonade). I wasn’t a big fan of the Arnold Palmer. We shared the following:
(1) Met French Onion Soup
(2) Duo of Tuna & Salmon Tartare
(3) Sweet Kabocha Pumpkin
(4) Brown Sugar Beef
(5) Green Guru salad
The Met French Onion Soup was served in a white cauldron soup bowl. The bowl was filled with a sweet and salty beef broth, sweet onions, and topped with a cheese covered croûton. We enjoyed this soup. My favorite part was the crunchy «cheez-​it flavored» cheese around the bowl.
The Duo of Tuna & Salmon Tartare was served with thin taro chips. Each of the fishes were mashed with lemon juice, onions and chive but the tuna was very spicy (due to the spicy mayo). The funny thing is we requested the dish to be not spicy but it turned out to be spicy. It was kind of disappointed as the Taro Chips was neither durable nor crunchy as I expected homemade chips to be as good as Terra Taro Chips.
The Sweet Kaboucha Pumpkin consisted of three slices of pumpkin with skin cooked and served in a sweet, dukkah (an Egyptian mix of herbs, nuts, and spices) and brown sugar syrup. This was one of my favorite dishes!
The Brown Sugar Beef consisted brown sugar-​spices-​soy sauce marinated beef cooked with scallions and cilantro, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This beef reminded me of the Coca Cola marinated beef I had at Hot Spot in VA. We loved how the beef has a sweet smokey flavor.
According to our server, the top two salads were the most popular ones so we went with the Green Guru Salad, which consisted of kale, avocado, broccoli, shaved carrot, spiced pumpkin seeds, cilantro, and mint tossed in a green goddess dressing. It was a healthy choice!

Have you noticed? The foodscape is changing for the better around the Westfield Montgomery Shopping Mall and… Met Bethesda — Metropolitan Kitchen and Bar is definitely one of the good additions.
This review is long overdue. I have been to Met Besthesda on several occasions and I really like this place. The food is good and the service has been very consistent. I can say thus far that not once have I had an bad meal or experience. Met Bethesda, Westfield Montgomery’s first true venture into contemporary restaurant dining and is located across from the mall’s new movie theater, ArcLight Cinemas. The food is simple, American and the bar drinks are decent. It is a great place for a quick bite before taking in a movie, happy hour, or hanging out and eating in groups. The restaurant is a very large space and the ambiance is really cool.
So now on to the food. This place puts a big emphasis on its burgers! The rest of the menu comes secondary to me… other than the Mac n’ Cheese! LOL!
I have tried the:
* «Avocado-​Crab Burger w/​Thick-​Cut Bacon» — SLAMMIN’! Medium, juicy ¹⁄₃ lb USDA Choice Beef… Fresh Avocado, Cheese, Bacon, Jumbo Lump Crab Meat and Standard Toppings… NEED I SAY MORE… Delicious! I’m drooling just writing about it!
* «DC Burger» — Medium, juicy ¹⁄₃ lb burger, Aged Cheddar, Bacon, Standard Toppings… THUMBS UP! No Ketchup or A1 needed!
* «Paris Burger» — Medium rare, ¹⁄₃ lb burger with a Fried Egg, Truffle Oil and Brie… AMAZINGLY GOOD!
I found all the burger I had to be finger-​licking scrumptious. On both occasions the burgers were juicy, flavorful and cooked to perfection as I had asked for them.
Other dishes… I liked included the: Brown Sugar Beef, Chicken Skewers, Fried Calamari, and of course… Mac n’ Cheese! All plates were delicious and the service once again, were both excellent and outstanding. The servers seem to go out of there way to make sure you are satisfied and accommodated.
My only gripe with this place and most restaurants in DC… Can a Brother get Crinkle Fries in these type of restaurants joints? I love them things… and it seems that all restaurants in the DMV never have them… only hand-​cut potato/​steak fries??? This is where the neighborhood ‘carry-​outs’ definitely come in handy! Ooops… Sorry…I digress. LOL
Overall, I would say 4 stars! The food is really good. The menu main-​dishes rotate and changes which is always great. And, most of all… the burgers are on point! Being a carnivorous kind of guy, I tend to skip over the fancy stuff… food choices. The Mac n’ Cheese, Crab Casserole and the Burgers alone, make this place worth a visit!
HONORABLE MENTION:
Located center stage, within the restaurant, is a huge full bar and something you don’t see often… a MARTINI BAR… On-​Tap! Yes, you heard correctly. The Martini’s are on tap, like beer, with a mix of over 20+ flavors to from! Lychee Ginger, White Peach, Coconut, Caramelized Pineapple and Prickly Pear… to name a few.

For a place that emphasizes their burgers, the burgers should be tasty and well executed — especially at the price points they are charging. For $ 19, the Met Bethesda burger was very disappointing. First, it was pretty small and a medium-​rare burger turned out medium-​well. The pretzel bun was toasted way too long so it was really hard to eat that. The saving grace was the toppings which were good. My server disappeared for a long time — over 15 minutes so I ate the burger. That’s one expensive burger — you have to make sure it’s perfect since there are many burger places at the mall– BBP is still the best one in the mall. I also don’t understand their prices, because you can get a similar burger for $ 5 at the bar during happy hour.
Will I come back? Yes for Happy Hour.