El Patio Restaurant — Restaurant in North Bethesda

This weekend I was in Bethesda for SPX. A group of friends and I ended up at this restaurant after our initial plans fell through. I have to say that I have never had a more all around terrible food based experience as what I had at your restaurant.I ordered gnocchi in bolognese sauce, what came was wet hunks of dough in something that smelled and (I'm guessing) tasted like dog food. My friend ordered crepes and what he got were soggy greasy crepes hidden in a mountain of microwave melted cheese. The two ladies with us barely touched their food despite having been starving when we got there. And that's just the beginning. Our salads were just hunks of lettuce served without so much as an offer of dressing and when they were served to us the waitress brought us three bowls of salad and just placed them on the corner of the table. So it was left to us to try and figure out which of the three of us had ordered something that came with salad. My friend and I each ordered appetizers, which were brought on the same saucer and placed in the corner opposite us without even telling us which was which. When we tried to ask the waitress, she just took them away and we didn't see them for another five minutes. Despite the fact that most of our party didn't even finish half of their food nobody on the wait staff bothered to ask how the food was or if there was anything wrong. The experience was so bad that I paid for my entire party as an apology for bringing them there. I wish I had had the time and presence of mind to refuse to pay, because this was the worst meal I have ever had at a restaurant. I have never felt the need to write bad reviews for an establishment before, but I will be doing so...

I’ve been going to this restaurant for over 4 years and I’ve seen a noticeable decline on service. Last night my father and i went to the restaurant and and wanted to order what is supposed to be the best BBQ at the place, the “Buenos Aires parrillada”. Not only it doesn’t include the same things it used to a couple years ago, but also they didn’t have half of the things that were listed on the menu for that plate. When the waiter informed us the issue, i asked him to replace the 3 things that they didn’t have at the moment for some extra steak ( flank steak the cheapest one they have, it was 3 things for some extra steak) After talking to a manager that was there, the waiter comes back and concluded that they wouldn’t do it. Instead, he gave us some other options that are listed under the cheapest BBQ such as chicken or things we didn’t want. I stood up from the table and talked to the manager, and explained her the Issue. Told her that we’ve been customers for years and that i know that the value of those 3 things that they didn’t have on the plate was more expensive than the fix i was aking for. She didn’t even apologize for the issue, and insisted on not doing it. We stood up from the table and left before placing the order. That’s just like saying someone “No, I don’t have what you want to order, i still want you to pay the same price, and i will give you whatever i want in exchange for the things I don’t have”. It’s really a pitty, the food is very good at the place. The customer service, that’s a different story. Won’t be back...

The House Salad, which is described on the menu as including a boiled egg, arrived without one. When we asked about it, the waiter replied, “We only bring it if you ask for it.” If an ingredient is listed in the dish description, it should automatically be included.

All grilled meat options are advertised as coming with chimichurri sauce. Four of us ordered meals with grilled meat, yet none of us received the sauce. When we requested it, the waiter brought only two small cups for the entire table, forcing us to ask for refills multiple times.

I ordered hot tea, but it was served in a cup sitting on a plate that was completely filled with spilled tea. This caused the cup to drip every time I tried to take a sip, leaving me with tea on my hands and clothes.

For age verification to order drinks, our Canadian driver’s licenses were not accepted. The restaurant appears to reject all foreign IDs. When we asked if an Argentinian ID would be accepted, the waiter simply smiled, leaving us unsure of their policy.

The food itself was tasty, but we all requested medium-well meat, and it wasn’t cooked consistently. My steak was closer to medium, while my wife’s was overcooked to the point of being tough and rubbery.

When the bill arrived, a 20% tip had already been added without any prior notice or consent. I’ve never experienced that with a group of just four people.

While many other reviewers seem to have had positive experiences here, ours was unfortunately disappointing. It left me wondering if there might be some bias against...