Mussel Bar & Grille Bethesda — Restaurant in Bethesda

This was a relatively good experience, with the exception of one thing. But it was one thing for me that's hard to overlook. However lets start on what went right.

I need to travel into Bethesda late in the afternoon on a Friday for other business. As i had a bit of time to kill i figure i grab a drink or two and maybe a bite to eat. Now there are plenty of places in Bethesda to choose from and they run the gambit of tastes. However after doing some searching this place caught my eye. The Mussel Bar has a decidedly Belgian themed menu. Intriguing i though. When i went, being that it was just after 4pm and they had just reopened for dinner service (this is something to think about when i mention stuff later), so it was decidedly quiet. I pulled up a seat at the bar and was greeted in quick order. As beer selections go, this is one of the few places that i have seen that takes to the theme the way they do. The majority of beer in the case is Belgian or of a Belgian Style. And all of the taps are Belgian or Belgian Style. Which is pretty impressive. Tapped items are served in corresponding glassware of the brewer (DC Brau is in the shape and design of their cans, which makes me wish that i took it with me). I didn't have anything to eat, but the menu is small. Besides the Mussels they have cold and hot appetizers, brick oven pizza, Chartreuse, and some entrées. Price wise, well it's the high, but no different from any other similar DC establishment.

Yes the service was fantastic, the drink was good, seems like i nice place. But one problem. I generally don't have an issue with bugs. For the most part bug happen, even when your indoors. However i do have an issue with one bug in particular, Drosophila otherwise known as Fruit Fly. After i ordered my drink, i turned my head to look at the taps (i should mention that the bar has an odd shape, like that of an eye) and what do i see but a mass of Fruit Flies hovering around the taps. I find them to be a horrible annoyance and it would not put me off, but it makes me concerned about the sanitation practices at the bar. Considering they were open for lunch, that a mass of flies like this collected that quickly, is well concerning. I know bartenders, my sister is one, and i happened to mention this to her. She said that in the summer fighting the flies is a constant struggle, but even she said that seeing them like this isn't really a good sign, and is very off-putting to customers. She said it shows a lack of initiative from management in fighting the flies, as there are easy ways to keep the number down.

Would i go back, i don't know. Maybe...

The service at Mussel Bar and Grille was off to a decent start— but somewhere in between ordering and being waited on that all got lost. I received a French onion soup with the bread & cheese already sunken—which made me feel like it was taken from someone else’s table and just place on mine. Still, I did not complain; my water glass sat empty & was never filled after its initial fill at the service of the hostess & then I received my Steak Frites ala Fresh, no seasoning whatsoever on them or the fries, still no complaint— but I thank you for being concerned with whether I suffer from hypertension but when paying a Bethesda prices for a meal in Bethesda somethings need to be taken into consideration—like the food should have flavor and not appear played over before you receive it. The fact that your servers are more attentive to the surface of a counter than customers is disconcerting what is management doing? She needs coaching and direction on priorities we could have had our water refilled or had the bread over to the table that we were waiting five minutes for to come out of the oven...BTW, we’re still waiting. I am beginning to believe my boyfriend when he says Bethesda is overrated—this wouldn’t have happened in D.C. and I think I’m going to stick to an area that is accustomed to seeing biracial couples and aren’t so frightened at the notion that they can get the...

My dad and I go here all the time and we LOVE it! I don't understand the complaints about service at all because we've had great service since we first set foot in the place. That being said, it is probably a good idea to avoid this place on Saturday nights if you don't like crowds because it can be crowded (but that's because this place is awesome!) I'm not a beer drinker but my dad is a beer connoisseur and he is a huge fan of Antigoon (the bar's specialty beer). All y'all who are coming in and complaining about the price of PBR need to get out and drink that shitty beer elsewhere. If you want to learn more about beer ask at the bar for Jason because he can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about different types of beer and how it's made. On to the food. I really don't understand people's complaints here either! The mussels are good, the pizzas are great, the burger is heavenly, and the sweet potato fries are TO DIE FOR. I'm not even joking. I LOVE sweet potato fries and order them everywhere I go and I have yet to find better sweet potato fries than the ones here. I once took a friend here and we ordered the sweet potato fries and when she tasted them she asked me if they were made of crack. They are THAT addicting!

TL;DR The beer selection is great, the service is wonderful and informative, the food is good, and the sweet potato fries are god's gift...