Melina — Restaurant in North Bethesda

The only great experience we had from this place on December 22 ,2022 was from the professionalism of the hostess. We arrived to Melina's after typical time of a typical dinner rush hours. The hostess opened the door for us with the warmest greeting. We notified her that we just flew in town, googled nearby restaurants, and asked if there was available seating for two. She told us that they were booked (preserving the empty tables for reservations) but invited us to the two available seats she found at the bar. We happily sat at the bar with good expectations because of the mood set forth by the hostess.

Here's where it goes down hill with the blonde female bartender:

There's two batender's and maybe even a bar back. The bar wasn't too busy and most of the patrons seemed content in imitate conversations when we seated. We waited to be acknowledged as the bartender made her rounds of servicing her side of the bar (where we sat). She does this 2-3 times as we wait patiently to be acknowledged. She moved at a steady ease of pace and was not weeded but we still gave her the benefit of the doubt. We even watched in excitement as she gave a Flair-tending performance to the couple closest to us. Shortly after small take with them, she makes a SHARP opposite turn away from speaking to us to ask another set of patrons if they wanted to order anything else.

Disregarding our entire existence and with multiple opportunities she chose not to say: "Hi" "Hello, give me 5 minutes" "Hi, be with you in 30 minutes" "Welcome, here's a menu" "Hi, here's water. I'll be with you shortly"

At this point we quietly got up from the bar to leave and thats when she glanced nostalgically at us, pretending she doesnt see us. As we walked away, I turned back around and grabbed her attention to let her know how ill-mannered she was for disregarding us. I had to confront her to get her to speak to me. She began to give a half sincere apology, found herself inconvenience doing it, and started to become combative (switching her dialect to what she presume all black woman sound like, profiling me).I asked to hostess for the manager who seemed pretty clueless on what to do. He offered us a seat back to the same place we sat and at this point I asked from the GM/corporate info because this could not be real. This is Rockville/N.Bethesda mimicking the style of a DC restaurant (Roses Luxury, Seven Reasons, a Jose Andres establishment) but without seasoned/professional staff like the hundreds that attended Zinzi Ball they can learn a thing or two from.

She genuinely did not want to serve us as she surveyed the bar during our time there and made it known that this isn't her first rodeo of providing SELECTIVE SERVICE. It was disgusting behavior that reflects poorly on the owners and management of this...

I visited Melina for brunch and really liked the food. I liked it enough to invite a couple of friends for dinner just the following weekend. My experience during brunch was good but the dinner experience compelled this review. Our reservation was for 7:15pm and we were admittedly late. We were there at 7:35. I apologized for our lateness when I got to the host to check in. His response was to snarkily remark that next time, we should call if we’re running late. It was an odd comment in an odd tone but I took it in stride because we were late. We were seated and wanted to start with our drink order. After we made our selections, the waiter asked for our IDs. 2 out of 3 of us presented ours and my other friend realized she had left her wallet at home as we rushed out. She quickly pulled out her phone to show a scanned image of her ID, to which the waiter responded that it wasn’t acceptable. We were surprised by this at which point he went to get the manager. The manger came and told us again that a scanned copy of her ID was not acceptable. She told us that serving my friend one cocktail would cost them their liquor license. She asked us to choose mocktails instead. Here’s the thing: I would have been fine with the decision not to serve us alcohol if I was certain that EVERY single diner at Melina that night was carded. We were a group of 30 something year olds and though we look great, we clearly weren’t under 21. 2 people had already shown our ID and established that we are the same age. So I was taken aback by the dramatic handling of this, as though we were children who came to pull wool over their eyes and order drinks illegally. What was most irritating was the manager dropping by again to ask us how the mocktails were. Like we’re supposed to be excited about the overpriced juice that costs almost as much as a drink with alcohol in it, especially after the weird treatment. It was patronizing and we didn’t enjoy it. We left feeling like our presence was perceived as troublesome and unwelcome. And so we will not return.

Update: to the whoever wrote below, thank you for your response. We will not...

Melina is so close to where I live that I can practically walk to it. I love Greek cuisine, and I been pining to try Melina for some time. The restaurant decor is warm and inviting, with clean modern lines, and a wonderful bar that is half inside, half outside the space. There are also outdoor tables with big umbrellas, and little strings of lights to impart a glow to the evenings that remind me of the al fresco tables in many Greek islands' "tavernas." I sat at one of the corners of the bar that gave me the best of both sides, while a gentle afternoon breeze cooled off the summer heat. I was immediately given a glass of water, which was such a nice touch. I wanted to have a "meze" (small bite or tapa) so I ordered the grilled octopus and a glass of white wine made from the Assyrtiko grape, typically made in the island of Thyra (Santorini). The wine was fruity, not overly sweet, but also mineral, and delicious. The octupus arrived and it was perfectly grilled, with small dollop of Fava bean puree, a bright green sauce of parsley and mint, and little pools of balsamic vinegar réduction, with capers and currant grapes. To finish my meze treat, I also ordered their yogurt ice cream, which is served with a topping of preserved strawberries and grapes, and underneath, a olive oil and polenta cake. My exquisite meal was finished, but I "gilded the lily" with a uniquely Greek after-dinner drink, mastika liquor on the rocks. This really transported me to my visits to Greece, where mastik liquor, ice cream, chewing gum and candy can be had everywhere. Mastik is a resin with a slightly pine or cedar-like flavor that is gathered from the mastic tree, a small evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region. The service was relaxed and friendly but attentive. I will soon return to...