Parthenon Greek Restaurant & Chevy Chase Lounge- WASHINGTON D.C

I am blissfully full right now. We just finished a freakin fantastic meal at the Parthenon on upper Connecticut Avenue. This place has been around for a LONG LONG time but we had never eaten there before. I guess there were enough other Greek restaurants to go to that we just skipped over this "grande dame" of Greek restaurants.Boy, am I glad that we finally got there!Let me start out by saying that the Parthenon is an old-fashioned restaurant. It opened in 1989 and there is a reason that it has stayed open for such a long time.We got there around 8:30 pm and the place was packed inside and out.We started our meal with a Greek village salad (horiatiki) and it was great. The large salad was plenty for both of us. The veggies were fresh and crispy. The dressing was perfect - sweet enough but tart too. I used the bread to soak up the leftover dressing. I only wish there had been more feta but - of course - I always wish there was more feta!For our main courses, I had the filet with oregano and my spouse had the chicken souvlaki. Both plates were HUGE and filled with food. To say that the servings were generous is a vast understatement.We split our main courses - I had half of the chicken souvlaki and he had half of the filet. The meat was perfectly cooked. The rice was big and fluffy and a great addition - as were the other sides: zucchini cooked in tomato sauce and Greek lemon potatoes. Delicious! I ate everything; cleared my plate!Okay, so the interior decoration is a bit dated. Okay, so the floor is a bit greasy. But, you know what, those negatives do not change my 5-star review. Do I wish they would update the interior? Maybe but maybe not. I choose to think that the owner simply puts all his focus on the food, the food and nothing but the food. The interior decoration is old fashioned Greek style - pictures of the Parthenon, clay plates with Greek designs, you know the drill.The wait staff was a little slow and spotty HOWEVER I have no regrets concerning our waiter Dimitris. He was professional and good at his job. A great server!We will be back. Probably often. And I suggest you go to the Parthenon as quickly as you can! When you go, you will say OPA and thank me!!!

The Parthenon Restaurant used to be one of our go-to places for dining before or after catching a movie at the Avalon. For many reasons, we have not been back for years until a few days ago when we decided to go for dinner. We were fortunate to get a table outdoors because it was one of those perfect nights when tour le monde was outside!The staff was very helpful with moving tables to accommodate our party.While waiting for the rest of our party, we were served with bread, butter and oil. Our friends, the " Parthenon regulars" suggested we order the eggplant with raisins appetizer. It was a definite winner--melt in your mouth eggplant, baked with tomatoes, onions and raisins.The Greek salad was good but nothing extraordinary.Hubby had the lamb with pasta which looked like it could have easily served 3, but it was so good that he ate 2/3 of it! It was so good that he was still raving about it on the way home. The perfectly seasoned and tender branzino was accompanied by to-die-for potato wedges and wilted spinach.The rest of the group went for the "never-disappoints" items-- spinach and feta pie, octopus and moussaka.Although we were all so full, we had to have their creamy rice pudding which, next time, I may have to start with! It had just the right amount of cinnamon sprinkled on top, not too sweet!We definitely will put The Parthenon back in our radar screen, not movie require!

I got the soft shell crab, which was very good and almost even worth the over-$40 price. I also like that the dolmas are just rice and olive oil on the inside, and not sullied with currants or strong spices that overpower everything else, like at many places. The service was quite terrible however, both from the brusque and inattentive waiter and the host, who let the front door swing closed on my 90-year-old aunt's face right after ignoring our request for seating location.

Still very competent at preparing the tried-and-true Greek dishes. I purposely come at lunch time in the warmer months and enjoy myself. It's quiet then; I can sit inside or out, have a leisurely meal and stay as long as I like. Yes, it's a throwback to another time--but that's what I'm seeking.Last visit, I savored a superb, broiled trout with lightly sautéed potatoes and broccoli. I love to indulge in their fried calamari appetizer. I like a bottle of Mythos Greek beer, which is hard to find. It's a little pleasure for me.

After eating here, some years back, a friend suggested we try this neighborhood spot. Big mistake - I have been suffering from some kind of food poisoning for the last 24 hours - beware the Moussaka!Unfortunately, this restaurant disappoints. It's surprising to me that, on a recent Friday evening, the outdoor seating was as full as it is. The food is so mediocre that anyone who has been to Greece or a proper Greek restaurant will cringe biting into the moussaka, a classic comfort food. I'm not sure if it's that the eggplant has not been seasoned, or if there is not enough salt or flavor in the meat, or perhaps the becbamel sauce isn't done right, but it makes for a passable, edible, but not particularly good meal. It comes with some 'meh' string beans in tomato sauce. All this for $21 (and a very upset stomach that has ruined my weekend).It could be that the restaurant is catering to a very well defined demographic. Most of the patrons appear to be on the (much) older side, so perhaps, spicy, zesty, tasty food is less in demand.On this particular Friday, the waiter and service was charmless. Sitting outdoors on the sidewalk is wonderful on a cool evening, but other than that, the ambience is not much to speak of.I don't like or tend to leave such low star reviews, especially for an establishment that is in my own neighborhood. But there was clearly a hygiene issue with the food that needs to be examined. I also wish the owner or chef would reach deep into grandmother's cookbook and bring out some real Greek flavor and charm. Efharisto!

This is a solid three star place. Not as a dig or detraction, it hits a balance of good Greek basics without being a particularly noteworthy or remarkable experience. I had a Greek salad and gyro, both of which were good - the exact style and quality most people would expect from a place called "Parthenon". I was in a bit of a rush and was able to have a nice dinner with wine, and on my way in plenty of time. Others were clearly settling in for a long sit. The servers are all very nice and ever-present, you're never left wondering if you've been forgotten. Overall it has the informal air of a neighborhood place where the well-heeled NW locals come to down several glasses of wine on a regular basis. It's nice enough to serve as a special night, particularly if you have kids, but not stuffy. The large patio can accommodate pretty much anything, and the inside is quaint.Prominent signs against bike lanes are posted on the doors, which may alienate some clientele.

We were a party of 10. Went for a birthday party. The service was great. The staff accommodated us very well and they were really nice. Appetizers were okay. However, the entree I had wasn't great. I had baked lamb with orzo. It was soggy. The fat wasn't trimmed at all and it was a wet mess and not the best combination for either the spaghetti or the orzo.

Lunch at this neighborhood favorite was good: my friend and I both ordered omelets. The restaurant was very busy, and yet it took an inordinately long time to get our meal. The omelets were large, and were accompanied by fresh bread as well as mixed vegetables and rice. It was a hearty meal for $13.95. The place is not stuffy, and casual. It was a pleasant place to have lunch with a friend. I hope the next time the service will be faster.

The food was cold. They substituted vegetables for one of the main parts of a Greek platter without checking in. After delivering food, our server never checked in for a refill or to check on whether we needed anything while the group of servers all sat visibly chatting together inside. Other tables around us were waiting for their missing entrees. Overall, it was a disappointing experience. There's some room for significant improvement. A positive was a kind server who did check in after a significant period of time and complaints from other tables and provided a refill for our drinks and promptly removed our plates from our table.

Delicious meal. Good view. Nice and quick service, lovely .I'm not really much of a restaurant person but Parthenon changed that for me and my son today. We had a really great and delicious time.Nice one Parthenon, surely going to swing by sometime again.