Barrel & Crow

We were here for New Year's Eve. It was very good. Our table started with the wings, which were very good, fried green tomatoes, good. We then had salmon, mussel special, beat salad, burger, and ravioli. All were very good. The mussels special was just good. The flavoring was ok. Honestly, if I wanted mussels, I probably would have gone across the street to mussel bar, so my mistake. Service was on point. I mean. It's New Year's Eve. It's busy. That's hard to do and they did it. All in all. It's a great place to go for upscale American bar food with a twist.

Crab beignetsFirst off having been to Naw'lins this is no where near a beignets. They need to change the name to fried crab balls since that's all it was. The grease was too hot since the outside got cooked and the inside was still raw. Lots of fillers and not much crab...in Maryland terms these balls were running light. Just an okay item. Pork chop The last time I visited the pork chop was a thick cut. Shrinkflation: this time they used a thinner cut and didn't adjust the cook time, even when ordered medium it arrived over well, leaving the chop tough. This was for both orders that we had at the table. Pickled cabbage it was topped with and the right amount of acid and good seasoning. The grits were on point! Thick, and with a buttery cream finish. They definitely didn't skimp on the cream or milk fat and it was delicious. ServiceExtremely slow, waiter seemed like he didn't want to be there. Pleasant enough. The busser did a way better job and we saw him 10xs more often than our waiter. Clearing our plates diligently and providing more water bountifully. Outside of the busser, the overall service was as lackluster as the first time I visited this place. Nice to see they have blocked off the restaurant door and only allow enterance on the bar side, since last time I was there. The opening of the door made it really cold back then. All in all, mediocre food, at a medium high price point with portion sizes that after I left and had to eat somewhere else.

I recently had brunch at Barrel & Crow, a restaurant that takes a "contemporary approach to regional cuisine", because we wanted to try something new. Looking at the brunch menu, I quickly assumed that many of the dishes were Louisiana- or Southern-based, which was something that I was looking for. I really enjoyed the cozy down-home vibe and atmosphere of Barrel & Crow. For folks with kids, the restaurant appears to be very kid-friendly because I saw a lot of families dining with young children. For my meal, I tried the Crab Beignets and Pulled Beef Brisket-Potato Hash. Oh, the restaurant provides a round of regular Beignets to warm your tastebuds. While the food was fine, I have to admit that it was a bit underwhelming. Since the restaurant is Southern-/Louisiana-based, I assumed that the dishes would have bold and dynamic flavors full of spices and richness. However, my two dishes kind of fell flat in regards to seasoning. Let's say that I used a LOT of Crystal Hot Sauce on the hash dish to give it a bit of flavor. I'll give kudos to the restaurant for having Crystal Hot Sauce, a NOLA-based hot sauce, on deck. That said, there were some redeeming aspects to my visit. Our waiter, Peter, was absolutely wonderful with his friendly and attentive nature. He did a great job answering our questions about the menu and bringing refills for our AYCD mimosas. Although the the food did not quite hit the mark for me, I thought the overall experience was pleasant. If I'm in the Bethesda area, I could see myself giving them another try to explore other menu options (especially the happy hour menu).

Service was decent. The food left much to be desired. I was surprised at the small steak portion. The meal as a whole had very little flavor. It's a cute restaurant in a great location. Maybe we will try it again one day.

Great food, bad service, and decent ambiance! I was in town for a business trip and a small group of us decided to dine at Barrel & Crow. We shared an order of fries as an appetizer. Two of us got the smoked duck breast, one person got the shrimp & grits, and the other person ordered the salmon. We all loved our food but the service left much to be desired. We arrived astound 645 with no reservation and were told we could be seated outside in 5 minutes. It was a nice October evening so outside was perfect. We waited about 10 minutes which wasn't bad. Our server then took a while to come take our orders. When he finally took our orders, it took almost 45 minutes to receive our meals but we saw people around us receiving their food and a few had items we ordered as well. Additionally, our fries were our appetizer but arrived with our meals. When it came time to receive our check, we waited forever for our server to finally acknowledge us which sucks. We got the check and then he went to talk to the table next to us. After about 10 minutes we requested that he take the check and he said, he'd be there in a bit. He proceeded to talk with the other table and it wasn't that he was placing their orders. Instead, they were just chatting it up. We ended up asking another server to help us check out and our server never came back to check in. It felt like we were an afterthought for most of the night which isn't a good feeling.

I recently had a delightful experience at Barrel and Crow. The restaurant, while fairly small and a bit crowded during peak times, offers a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Navigating through the tables might require a bit of maneuvering, but it's well worth it once you're seated.Upon arrival, we were promptly given water and treated to complimentary beignets. These sweet bread treats were a lovely gesture, though the sugar granules can get a bit messy if you're not careful.I ordered the buttermilk pancakes with a side of cheese eggs, and both were cooked to perfection. The pancakes were delicious, though I personally prefer them without blackberries, which were easy to remove.Overall, my experience was great, and I will definitely be back for another visit. Barrel and Crow offers a charming dining experience with attentive service and tasty food.

Found out about this spot while staying at the Bethesda Marriott Downtown. It is relatively close by. Had dinner with friends on a Saturday night. A word to the wise... make a reservation. This place stays packed. I imagine they get business on the strength of being close to a major hotel and good reviews, but they also service the local residents of Bethesda. You can tell some of the patrons were regulars. At any rate, despite having a reservation, there was still about a 20 minute wait after the reservation time. I won't complain because with just the initial visual, I didn't think we were going to be seated. I had already started looking at other places.We did get seated. As for ambience, the place was extremely lively. I could see you hanging with friends or swinging by on a fun date, definitely not a romantic one.The food was generally fine. They even allow substitutions. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. In providing you with a balanced review, I will say the cocktails are questionable. If you are seeking adult beverages, stick to beer and wine. The bathrooms are filthy on a Saturday night. Going back to the food... to support the pics I've posted, I note the following:Duck Tostadas: dry, lacked seasoningFried Green Tomatoes: again, could have been seasoned better, but overall, a nice biteCalamari: good. would have been better if it was served with the spicy salsa verde, as advertised. Looks like they may have run out of the sauce.Beet & Arugula salad: Sooo good. Would order again. Manhattan: worse Manhattan ever. Tasted like cough syrup. Advice: only order the drinks listed on the menu. I think they perhaps memorize them, as one would a food dish. They aren't bartenders for real.Long Island Iced Tea: I knew as soon as it hit the table, it was going to be terrible. The drink arrived looking like a cross between sweet tea and diet coke. Too dark. Dead giveaway. Lamb Bolognese: Fine Salmon w/braised collards: Really good dish. It is actually served with brussel sprouts. The collards was a substitution. I think that was a better choice. The mushrooms, onions, and that Dijon sauce still came through well. Sweet Beignets: fineRicotta & Lemon cake: mehStrawberry-Rhubarb Crisp: OMG! The best dessert on the menu, hands down. All in all, this is a good restaurant. You will notice most of the criticism I had was for lack of seasoning. They have a great menu. If the dishes are served as advertised and seasoned properly, I'm sure they will be phenomenal. They are just passable now. Definitely worth the visit, but I would expect more for a $300 dinner.

While we didn't have a rezzy, Barrel and Crow was able to sit our party of 6 fairly easily on a Sunday evening. I went for their apple tequila cocktail (I forget the name), but it was so good that I got TWO. Duck fat fries were good-- I just mixed the mayo and ketchup together. I did not order my own main, but did have a taste of the children's chicken tenders and the steak-- I prefer the steak. The chicken tenders were a little dry.Altogether though, cute vibe. Family friendly. Solid drinks!

The food, service and ambiance was great. Good city vibes, crafty drinks, large table for a groups. The only minor thing was some of the apps are super small.

We have had brunch on a Sunday morning and it was amazing!Just keep in mind to have reservation. They were very busy, and we were lucky we stepped in without reservation exactly at 11AM when they have opened. It was just two of us and they could accommodate us quickly. A few minutes later and we would have probably have had to wait. The place got packed within a few minutes after opening time.The service was beyond great! The food was heavenly. I didn't think I would have find a burrata dish in this area. It was impressive! The photos speak for themselves.Very calm decor but a bit too dark for me.Very well priced! Surprisingly good prices for Bethesda. Loudoun County VA should follow the same pricing model!