From a modern Greek restaurant in North Bethesda to a Silver Spring Latin eatery with a menu described as an “art show,” four Montgomery County restaurants made the grade for The Washington Post’s annual fall dining guide.
For his guide, Post food critic Tom Sietsema compiled a list of his 40 favorite restaurants in and around Washington D.C. His local selections highlight the county’s rich diversity and colorful food culture with flavors from Mexico, El Salvador, Greece and southern India.
Here are the local restaurants:
Lime & Cilantro
Sietsema described Salvadoran chef Danny Chavez’s menu at this Latin restaurant as an “art show” serving classics such as tacos, tortas and tamales with a modern twist.
“The trio of colored rings around his handsome chicken empanada delight the tongue as much as the eye; his creamy hummus pops with the inclusion of fresh corn, and how fun to tackle the spread with housemade potato chips,” Sietsema wrote.
Bethesda Magazine’s food critic David Hagedorn also reviewed the new restaurant, which opened in May, for the September/October issue. Hagedorn raved about the restaurant’s fried sea bass tacos and “luxuriant and rib-sticking” short ribs.
The restaurant also has a menu for dogs, inspired by the veterinarian’s office next door.
1909 Seminary Road, Silver Spring, limecilantro.com
Taqueria Sabor Mixteco
Nearly 2.5 miles away from Lime & Cilantro in Silver Spring is Taqueria Sabor Mixteco, a restaurant with colorful and flavorful influences from the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca. The restaurant opened in March.
Located near the Wheaton Metro station, the eatery offers diners Mexican classics such as tacos, burritos and tortas. The menu also includes more traditional Mexican fare such as tlayudas, which are crispy tortillas topped with refried beans, lettuce, meat and cheese, and alambres, a dish of chopped meats and vegetables, melted cheese and tortillas.
In a July review of the restaurant, Sietsema said chef Juan Solano invites diners to make dishes “more Oaxacan” with the addition of fried grasshoppers on top. He also praised Sabor Mixteco’s chiles rellenos, flan and tortas.
2462 Ennalls Ave., Silver Spring, sabormixteco.com
Melina
The founders of CAVA – Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ted Xenohristos – are behind this modern Greek restaurant in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose neighborhood. Melina, named after Moshovitis’ daughter, opened in November 2021.
Sietsema raved about Melina’s housemade sourdough bread that is served with a red pepper dip and olives and how the restaurant’s atmosphere transports diners to the coasts of Greece.
“The rest of the menu tastes like you’re eating closer to the Aegean than the Atlantic, too, foremost with soft roasted eggplant splayed over a walnut dip and ringed with tahini-miso cream and a charred lamb kebab garnished with pickled onions and paired with a dollop of yogurt,” Sietsema wrote. “The food proves as attractive as it is delicious.”
Hagedorn also reviewed Melina for Bethesda Magazine’s March/April 2021 issue and praised the fine dining establishment’s intricate cocktails and “beautifully presented” mezze dishes such as cured Hamachi and grilled octopus.
905 Rose Ave., North Bethesda, melinagreek.com
Chennai Hoppers
Sietsema also highlighted this modern Indian restaurant in Gaithersburg’s Spectrum Town Center. He recommends the “family dosa” for a photo-worthy dish stuffed with fermented rice and lentils and bound to break the ice among diners.
The restaurant opened in November 2020 and pays homage to chef and owner John Rajoo’s southern Indian roots. Hagedorn highlighted the restaurant as one of the top 10 Bethesda-area restaurants that opened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hagedorn wrote in a May 2021 review that Chennai Hopper’s dishes “sing with flavor”. He described the eatery’s fired okra as “mini [missiles] of crunchy sublimity.”
136 Paramount Park Drive, Gaithersburg, chennaihoppers.com
