Northern dim sum is the specialty at this hard-to-find spot in the Woodmont Station shopping center. Warm-colored walls surround the crowd digging into thousand-layer pancakes and fresh tofu.

American cuisine with a focus on New England specialties. Look for clams, oysters and lobster, plus crabcakes, and beef and vegetarian options. Voted “Best Restaurant in Silver Spring” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2021.

Pan Asian restaurant with a first location in Washington D.C.’s Penn Quarter offers dishes from Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Japan. Specialties include grilled lamb chops served with mango-soy coulis and miso honey duck breast drizzled with a sake butter sauce.

Cooking from a wood hearth and selecting vegetables, herbs and edible flowers from its aeroponic (grown in air/mist but without soil) organic garden, Barking Mad Café has a corner spot in Watkins Mill Town Center. Look for made-from-scratch brunch, lunch and dinner sweets and savories, such as breakfast pizza, watermelon salad and farro salad.

Pizzas made in a wood-burning oven and more than two dozen Italian entrées star on the menu at this 100-seat strip-mall restaurant. Trivia nights and kids pizza-making classes are offered.

Contemporary regional and southern cuisine served in a comfortable setting with charcoal gray banquettes and elements of wood and brick. Menu highlights include Maryland crab beignets, shrimp and grits and roasted trout

Sublime American bistro fare served in a restored Victorian building next to railroad tracks; the building once served as a general store and still houses a post office. Entrees range from swordfish to a burger and pizza, including several vegetable options. Voted “Best Restaurant in Garrett Park/Kensington” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2021.

Bethesda Magazine readers voted Black’s “Best Happy Hour” in 2016. Customers count on the impeccable use of fresh and local ingredients and enjoy dining on the expansive patio.

The menu features classic American favorites infused with the flavors of Italy and France, including ratatouille, pork schnitzel and bouillabaisse.

Dim sum and rice and noodle dishes are the specialties at this popular eatery offering Taiwanese, Shanghai and Sichuan cuisine. It’s also one of the area’s top destinations for soup dumplings, where you can even watch the chefs making them in a glass-enclosed booth.

While fresh fish cooked over a wood fire is the centerpiece of this upscale Florida chain, the steaks, crab cakes and specialty martinis make it a fun option for happy hour and those with hearty appetites.

Prohibition-era drinks meet Italian bar bites and entrées. Dishes range from fried pork and waffles to short ribs.Try one of the colorfully named punches, which include Pink Murder Punch and Snow Cone Punch.

Twentysomethings gather at this golf-themed spot to enjoy beer and wings specials in a casual, rowdy atmosphere that frequently spills onto the large patio.

The dark and elegant CAVA Mezze offers small plates of everything from fried Greek cheese, octopus and orzo in cinnamon tomato sauce to crispy pork belly and macaroni and cheese. There are martini specials, too. Voted “Best Middle Eastern Restaurant” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2020, and “Best Small Plates” by readers in 2021.

Located above the entrance to the iPic Theaters at Pike & Rose, City Perch offers creative, seasonal American cuisine in a rustic, inviting space. The menu includes raw-bar selections, small plates, shareable salads and entrée options such as such as grilled shrimp and Long Island duck.

The popular restaurant features a frequently changing menu of American favorites and a collection of vintage airplanes and cars, as well as a model train running on a track around the ceiling.

Here is Clyde’s version of a lodge in the mountains. Well-prepared food runs the gamut of American desires, from burgers to fish, plus a raw bar. Check out the twig sculpture spanning the ceiling of The Saranac Room. Voted “Best Restaurant Décor” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2020.

First Maryland locale for Great American Restaurants, a Fairfax-based chain. Seaside-inspired decor extends to the menu, which offers lobster and shrimp rolls, fried grouper and Key lime pie. Steaks, pasta and burgers also served. Voted “Best Restaurant in Gaithersburg/North Potomac” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2021.

Landmark fun spot where you can play ping-pong or admire local art while you wait for your wood-fired pizza. Choose from more than 30 toppings to design your own pie.

The owner of two Bollywood Bistro restaurants in Virginia opened this fine-dining spot that serves traditional Indian favorites such as curry chicken and butter chicken, along with fresh-baked bread and Indian salad. The bar has Indian-inspired cocktails and Indian beers and wines.