Firebirds Wood Fired Grill — Restaurant in Gaithersburg

This is the most spectacular restaurant I have ever been to, very aesthetically pleasing.

Before getting into details about the restaurant itself and the staff that serves it, I want to provide feedback on the food. From the shareables to entrees, soups, greens and handhelds, a beverage list and dessert menu that will cater to anyone's Sweet Tooth. The wine list is extensive and takes up one full page in the menu.

The seared ahi tuna "Shareable" was spectacular and I get this almost everywhere I go that offers it. "Shareables" is the restaurant's appetizers and each will feed 2-4 people. The filet mignon was tender, like cutting butter. I know that sounds cliche but it is the truth! The wood flamed salmon with key lime butter was cooked to perfection, which can have an iffy outcome in most restaurants, but this was juicy and flaked with a fork easily. The different flavors absolutely popped. From the perfectly cooked vegetable, the fresh fruit, to the quinoa brussel sprout salad, each was the opposite of bland. Forget the salt and pepper shakers at your table; do a taste test first, you might be surprised.

There is a beautiful wine wall facing the main dining room and the warm and cozy fireplace in the bar area. During warm weather they have a large patio that has a permanent roof, so if it rains you can still enjoy being outside. The restaurant is accommodating to handicap persons, as well as children, providing both booster seats and high chairs.

The signature drink for the restaurant is called the Double Black Diamond Martini; a masterful infusion of fresh pineapple and New Amsterdam pineapple vodka. The Mission Statement of the restaurant is simple, "to cook only with the highest quality ingredients that are locally sourced when possible, sustainable, and prepared from scratch.

Each server that was encountered was friendly, courteous, professional, and very attentive. The restaurant manager came over to check and see how our meal was going, providing his business card when asked, to inquire about booking a private party in the future.

The restaurant supports groups both small and large, not private but in a very nice location by the wine wall. Seats approximately 40-50 people for the larger group with a variety of seating arrangements. With free WiFi and accessible outlets, the restaurant could potentially be a good source for a middle of the day meeting or later in the evening dinner for...

Let me start by saying that I have liked Firebirds for the two previous times I have been for dinner and that is why I am giving 2 stars, not one. So when we decided to celebrate Mother’s Day and go there for brunch, we assumed that it would be a nice experience. Sadly it wasn’t. First of all, the front of the house staff gave us regular menus and one brunch menu for the whole table. Therefore we assumed they were serving both menus, otherwise why giving us the other menus? Our waiter informed us annoyed that they were only serving items from the brunch menu, which we had one brunch menu and had to share between three of us. The waiter acted like we should know. Then I asked (I am 8.5 months pregnant with gestational diabetes), if I could have one change in one of the dishes - an over-hard egg instead of the poached egg because raw eggs are a risk when you are pregnant. The waiter cut me off while I was explaining why I was making this request and said that the kitchen was only serving what they offered absolutely no changes or substitutions and he was a little aggressive and annoyed with me. The restaurant was far from being full, which I could understand could be an issue for an overwhelmed kitchen staff, but that didn’t seemed to be the case. I was left with only one option is to order a breakfast burger and not eat the bun. There are only 7 food items on the brunch menu. I get that my situation was unique but I was surprised that they couldn’t fry an egg when it was part of another brunch menu item… Our poor experience didn’t stop there… my husband’s napkin had a hair on it…. He opened it and there it was. It happens. We are human. But when he asked the waiter for a new napkin/silverware set and explained why, the waiter grabbed a set from another table, said “here” and didn’t apologize or anything. The food was just ok. My husband didn’t like his at all. My burger was ok (which was the item that had a fried egg). My husband and his mum’s coffee were not good - which the described as free hotel coffee… after being very poorly served and ate just ok food and having to pay around a $100 with tip, that was really disappointing. So my advice, don’t go there for brunch. Dinners, sure, but honestly this was the worst breakfast/brunch experience the three of us had ever experienced. It really sucked. I hope management look closely at their staff training and rethinking their brunch...

I’ve been a longtime customer of this restaurant and have spent a lot of my hard-earned money here over the years because it was always one of my favorites. I always ordered the lobster salmon fondue with mashed potatoes and extra fondue — and I never minded paying extra for that fondue.

This time around, my server suggested something different, and I appreciated that suggestion, but he made sure I never got the extra fondue I asked for and was willing to pay for.

I recently joined the rewards program because I was excited — the restaurant had expanded its menu, and it had been a year since I’d been there after moving back to the area. I was ready to return as a regular again, spend my good hard-earned money here, and recommend this place to others. I even brought two other restaurant reviewers with me because I wanted to share the experience — and instead, I was embarrassed.

When I arrived, I had a reservation. But I was told there would still be a 30-minute wait because they were going to seat another woman who had been complaining about waiting 45 minutes — despite the fact that she did not have a reservation. She was white, carrying a Louis Vuitton bag, while I stood there in my African dress, likely appearing “less important” in their eyes.

The hostess told me I could sit at the bar to wait. I explained that I am disabled and had two other people joining me. Instead of being accommodated, I was left feeling dismissed — so I chose to leave with the dignity I had left.

This wasn’t the first unsettling experience. On a previous visit, I asked to speak with the manager to compliment the chef and my server. Instead of bringing the manager, they sent another server and pretended he was the manager. When I expressed interest in their catering services, they handed me an outdated menu that didn’t match their online menu and tried to get me to pay upfront. I later saw the real manager walk by, which left me questioning why they felt the need to deceive me in the first place.

I’m deeply disappointed. I work hard for my money, and like anyone else, I deserve to be treated with respect — not like a second-class citizen. In 2025, it’s shocking that this level of bias and discrimination is still happening.

I won’t be returning, and I strongly urge other people of color to think twice before spending their money here if they wish to avoid...