BETH'S — Restaurant in Bethesda

First, the good - the happy hour menu. Very reasonable for Bethesda, and the deals are all-day 5 days a week if you sit at the bar. This place serves complimentary bar snacks, which for us consisted of toasted corn kernels and pickles. Love to see that practice making a comeback. We ordered the Purple Rain, a simple gin and lavender drink that was tasty and well-balanced. We also ordered the Bavarian pretzel sticks, which were served warm and fluffy and came with a creamy, spicy mustard sauce that was absolutely delicious. A must-order if you visit.

They clearly spent the bank on decor - this place looks great, love the lit indoor bar and the inviting outdoor patio space. Lots of potential to be a fun Saturday night spot.

The meh: The cocktail list was oddly limited for a place that seems to be going for the cocktail bar crowd. I’m not sure whose idea it was for every cocktail to be restricted to three ingredients, but it seems a bizarre choice. It also appears to be driven by the extremely limited/basic spirits selection. I was shocked by how much empty space there was on the shelves and how few brands represented each category. And nothing high-end at all. I’d highly recommend a more interesting and varied selection, and more interesting and varied cocktails, if you want to pique more interest here. And especially if you want to justify the non-happy hour prices.

I was also very excited to see that this restaurant makes its own focaccia, and a bit dismayed to see it served under a mountain of toppings. If you’re going to the trouble of making your own bread, let us see your work! Would love the toppings to be on the side, the ricotta and candied fig and duck prosciutto were very nice, but the mound of dressed salad and pickled onions were completely unnecessary and detracted from both the taste and the presentation. Also - not sure why there was a folded napkin on the plate under the bread/salad, strange plating choice if intentional.

The fried ravioli was fine, although not terribly interesting. Felt like it wandered off of an Olive Garden menu.

The beer and wine lists were also very tight, but this isn’t a problem if you’re really leaning into the cocktail list. I just wish I’d seen more interesting cocktails and spirit selections to pick up the slack.

Overall, the place is decent-to-good, the service was reasonably attentive and there are things to like here. It just feels like a work in progress that hasn’t quite decided what it wants to be yet. I’ve seen a lack of clear identity scuttle other restaurants in this (extremely competitive, extremely high-rent) area, and I hope that doesn’t happen here. I’d love a truly great cocktail bar with good food and more approachable prices to take off in this...

As I walked up, I was like "omg, this is so cute." It's totally a photographer's fun space!

My friend and I sat at the bar to take advantage of happy hour! I loved my purple rain!! It was delicious and was nicely balanced. My friend had wine.

She enjoyed a few appetizers from the happy hour menu. The parmesan fries were lovely with the garlic aïoli, which is homemade. She also enjoyed the spring rolls-- they come in four. I ordered the brussels sprouts and they were delicious. Even my friend tried them and she doesn't even like brussels sprouts and said they were good.

I took advantage of the restaurant week menu which was one appetizer, one entrée and one dessert for $40. I ordered the Brussels sprouts, the steak frites and the fudge brownie. The steak frites was very nicely cooked. Nice taste.

Did not enjoy the brownie at all, it was incredibly dry. Just for reference, I prefer my brownies to be soft and gooey, something to sink your teeth into.. Our bartender was super sweet and took it back and had us try the pastel de Nata! Now, that is totally worth getting. Light and flaky and delicious!

We had a lovely experience here! Hope they add more main dishes...

When you come by, walk through the frosted glass door right inside. We were a party of five and were seated right away. Drinks are delicious, we tried pretty much half of the menu and every dish was amazing! The restaurant rotates their menu but if you get there while they make barley risotto with short rib, take that leap. It's insanely flavorful and the meat is just melting in your mouth! We tried charred octopus served with picked fennel - to die for! Juicy chicken burgers and a succulent steak frites! Baked brie is served with a fig jam - yum! And the surprising guest is the baloon tostada with harissa and juicy steak bits. You have to leave place for desert though because pastel de natas are made to order and are server with the perfect scoop of ice cream that will make your heart melt. Will be coming back...