TO DIE FOR! The escargot and mussels are the bomb, the restaurant is like stepping into a New York style one- quaint, out of the way and awesome! read more

Love the mussels! Been here several times, I have a different style of mussel every time and haven't been disappointed yet. Mussels are so tender, broth is so flavorful. Perfection! read more

We had dinner wed night. The atmosphere is nice, service is good. The mussels are not as fresh as we like

I've been here many times and always love it. The Flemish stew and the amish chicken breast are my favorites (yummmm!), and the steak is good, too. I don't always order appetizers and desserts, but when I have, they were always delicious. (I don't eat seafood, hence I haven't tried the mussels, but everyone else seems to enjoy them.) The beers are pricey, and most of them are available in specialty beer stores - my husband and I usually share one at dinner, then head home and have one or two more from our Belgian beer stash to round out the evening. Lately, I always have a groupon, since they offer so many of them, but for an upscale dinner, the prices are not unreasonable. Dinner, drinks, maybe a soup or a dessert, and tip would run you about $100 for two. It costs a lot less if you bring a groupon and order frugally - and you still get plenty to eat. I highly recommend it! read more

I can't believe it took us two years living in this neighborhood to find this gem of a bistro. Great mussels. Great Belgian beer, great blood sausage. Just the right size- cozy but not too small. Andy did a terrific job of taking care of us. We'll be back. We'll be back a lot. read more

My wife and I went to Mannequin Pis last evening and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Let me say off the bat that I loved the vibe. I have eaten in many restaurants in Europe and for me if I didn't know better, I would have thought I was in Paris (aside from everyone speaking English of course). I know it's Belgian, but it felt like a little Parisian restaurant. It's very small, but intimate. I liked that. I ordered the bacon wrapped pork loin which I thought was very good and my wife ordered the bacon wrapped trout which she enjoyed as well. I loved the bread! Definitely worth going to and we will most definitely be back. read more

Arrived on a recent weeknight. Seated and told us they were running low on beers. This place specializes in Belgian beer. Wait staff looked uninterested to be there. Escargot appetizer was very salty and unedible. Asked to take it back and they said maybe.Forgot to bring our endive appetizer and was still charged for it. Place looked rundown and nothing was any good. Bucket of mussles just ok.This place is very overrated. Go next door to the sushi place if u want good food.desert selection poor. i don't see this in the future of a growing Olney restaurant culture. Too bad!!! read more

I really liked the food. The mussels were delicious and they have some pretty good beers available. I would have given this place 5 stars but I saw cockroaches climbing on the wall and it totally ruined our experience. We told the waiter about this and they didn't even comp our food. They grabbed the cockroach and just apologized. If I didn't feel like this place was dirty I would give this a 5 star rating and probably go back. read more

Overrated IMO - lovely staff but collective food, ambience, and timing is severely lacking across multiple visits particularly given price points. Mussels are the standout here, but unless you think a cramped, behind a strip mall location just to have some decent mussels is worth your time, I would skip it. Everything outside of the mussels is disappointing mediocrity. read more

years ago, this place was amazing. I loved it! Not sure what has happened since but... mussels are still fine but a lot of them had that wet dog taste--far too many for a nice restaurant. and the waiter was just not nice at all. when I asked for a recommendation without meat, he told me the one with sausage. When I asked again and explained, he rudely said, I told you X. I thought he was kidding (because he was so mean) so I laughed and said, yes but that has sausage in it... I should have just stopped. so I did and said we needed a few minutes. he came back and when I ordered some sort of basic one, he told me I shouldn't get that one. What? all of the menu items should be good. it was just bizarro because he kept on, saying that it was not good and i should go wtih the sausage or smoked salmon one. sometimes, being adventurous, i would just say ok but i didn't want those things and he was so rude that i was not going to go with what he said. when he walked away the three of us at the table just started laughing because it was so surreal! also, they originally seated us in front of the kitchen. it was really hot and cramped so we asked for a different table (i actually was in the restroom during this part so only heard) but evidently, though not crowded AND we had a rez, the guy gave my friends grief. the entire time there, I felt like the staff was doing us a favor by even paying us any mind, never mind being nice or even polite or professional! i do not see myself going back anytime soon. the 20$+ mussels just were not worth it in and of themselves, but coupled with the rude service, no thank you! read more

Been going to MP for over 10 years. Food quality is always excellent and service is normally decent. It's a small place (~10 tables, so be sure and get reservations if you want to try it). Unfortunately Saturday nights meal was ruined by the absolute worst service ever. Our server (some dude that spoke French with short dark hair) spent 90% of his time in the corner texting, totally ignoring all his tables. It was so bad the 2 other tables actually verbally complained to him. He refused to call over a manager. He also added stuff on our bill that we didn't receive. Hopefully they will fire him, because otherwise it is a decent place. read more

This restaurant was really unique, mainly because I had never tried Belgian food before. The food was good, the ambiance was cozy and pleasant, and the service was great. A nice choice for seafood lovers. What caught me off guard was that the fries were surprisingly delicious. It was expensive though. read more

I think the management should remove the names of the former chefs that haven't been working since January from their website. People should know that if the food isn't as how it was before, it's because of new management. read more

Everything was fantastic tonight, from the soft but crispy-crusted bread to the homemade caramel on the ice cream (complimentary for my husband's birthday). We started with the escargot - fantastic, and even my 6 year old loved it. Then we had the "Pop Eye" mussel pot - amazing, with fresh thyme, spinach, bacon, and cheese. My husband got the roasted duck, and I got the whole roasted Bronzino. The duck was fantastic and the fish was perfectly crisp with a flavorful tomato caper sauce. Their Belgian beer selection is great, too! Oh, and did I mention the pomme frites? Oh my, the pomme frites...they look like regular French fries, but when you pop one in your mouth with a generous dollop of aioli...potato heaven. I can't figure out how they do it. The chef at Mannequin Pis knows what they are doing for sure. The atmosphere is "cozy" and yeah, the service is...Belgian. But in my mind, it's authentic. I think what a lot of Americans don't realize is that Belgians, as a culture, are just stoic. It's not bad service, it's just a cultural difference. Our server was not joking and laughing, but he was attentive, polite, and professional. We'll definitely be back! read more

Mannequin Pis is a tiny and cramped space located in a small strip mall. The lighting is a bit dim so it is a bit challenging to read the menu. First of all a small basket of sliced bread with curls of sweet butter is placed on the table. The bread is perfectly balanced. Crisp on the outside and soft with a slight chew on the inside. The saffron mussel soup was divine. Very rich, creamy and delicately spiced. The lobster bisque was equally as satisfying though the lobster was slightly overcooked. But hey, they do put a good size chunk of lobster in the soup. We split a mussell special. They come out in a round metal steaming hot pot and bring you a bowl for shells. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the broth reminded me of homemade soup. We ordered a side of fries that were accompanied by a garlicky mayo. I felt that the fries were boring as they were standard shoestrings. Desserts are very simple but, beautifully garnished. Service was on point. Beer prices are very high. I had a Chimaya that was $14/bottle. Meal for 2: 2 soups, double mussell dish, fries, 2 desserts, 2 beers was just under $100 read more

The mussels are fine, but my $30 steak - ordered medium rare - was very well done with not a hint of pink. Espresso is always lukewarm and watery. No help from the staff in resolving either issue on our latest visit. We've been many times in the past and have forgiven lots of missteps but we've decided we won't go back. read more

I came on a Saturday night, walked in and waited several minutes to be seated. The ambiance was great. It is a small restaurant though. The waiter was nice and attentive. I ordered a half portion of the special of mussels and my boyfriend ordered a salad for appetizers. The mussels were delicious! My boyfriend who does not eat mussels tried them and even had a few! For entrees I ordered the steak and pommes frites and my boyfriend ordered the pork loin. The pork loin was delicious! It was wrapped in bacon (who doesn't like bacon?!) and cooked perfectly. Sadly, I can't say the same about my steak. I ordered it medium rare and it came medium well. It was too dry for me so I sent it back and our waiter was more than happy to replace it. It came back and it was rare!!! It looked like it was still alive!!! So, my boyfriend and I laughed it off called our waiter over and asked him what he thought about my steak. He agreed and said it was not medium rare. Again, he took the steak and when it came back I was disappointed even more... They gave me the steak I had returned, it was burnt on the outside and it did not have the bernaise sauce on it. I couldn't eat it. It smelled burnt and it just did not look appetizing. I told our waiter to just take the plate. In the end our waiter took the steak off the bill and I would come back just not order a steak lol. read more

The bisque and mussels were delicious. I would go back just to have that. Everything else on the menu is not worth the price.

This is my favorite place in town. Mussels are delicious. Everytime that I come here, the stake is been cook perfetcly. Me and my family we will come back soon.10/10 read more

The atmosphere is cozy and quaint. Mussels are delicious and they have many options. We also got steak and it was good. They have a good beer selection as well. We like coming here often! read more

I have never been treated so rudely at a restaurant in my LIFE! I walked in at 5.15pm on a Tuesday night, there were 8 empty tables. I stood there for 10 minutes before the host saw me, and when he did, he scoffed! I was shocked, I'm a pleasant person, waited patiently, was dressed professionaly...He then walked over said "yes?"..and I asked for a table ...he looked at his reservation book for over a minute, and I asked do you want to know how many are in my party?? He said, "hmm, ok". I said 2 please. He then spent another 2 minutes feigning looking at the book only to tell me NO, he had nothing, try another night. IF YOU WANT TO BE TREATED RUDELY, go to Mannequin Pis. the foods not worth the treatment. read more

This restaurant has unfortunately gone down hill again. The food is mediocre and the service is far from friendly. We decided to give it another try and I'm sorry to say that we were very disappointed. Try Taste which is right around the corner. read more

I have been here several times over the years since it first opened back in '99 The original owners were great always in the dining room and very attentive to all the diners needs. The food was always interesting and very good. Well worth the extra money. This Christmas Eve we decided to dine here again as we usually saved the MP for special occasions. This was my second visit since the place had been sold to new owners a few years ago. we were so disappointed. We had a reservation for 4 at 6pm and yet when we arrived the place was half empty and no one greeted us. We stood at the door for quite awhile until we were seated. The waiter was very indifferent and did not have knowledge of the special holiday menu. He took our beer order and did not return for a long time although we could see him waiting on others. We opt for the special fix priced offering of four courses appitizers, mussels, main course and dessert with complimentary glass or Kir Royale for $54 each. The onion soup was terrible. it was a small bowl of pureed onions and was way too sweet. No broth. The crab salad was tasteless and made with Indoneasion crab bits not the lump crab advertised. So appitizers not so good. Next here comes the main course. We asked where are the mussels, No one knew and one waiter said you don't get mussels. We said we did because we had checked with our waiter when we ordered. After arguing with us and concurring with who ever was in the back room he then said we did. BUT they were served with the main course and that was not good. We had a choice of a shrimp and rice dish or pork chop. The shrimp risotto was good but the pork was dry and over cooked, Very disappointing. The table had a bumpy top and two glasses of beer and wine tipped over because of it. Dessert was okay bread pudding and crème brulee. In summary, the service was terrible. food poor to average. No sign of any owner to greet or appreciate our patronage. IF I ever go here again I will stick to the mussels fries and beer. Then it won't matter if the service is poor. read more

a total pain in the butt to find. sign is not lighted, directions are to"park behind Popeyes. Mussels were TINY, not worth my time. Lighting was DARK. brown menus with brown type. When I asked for some light, they sent me a camping lantern. NOT GIONG BACK! read more

As a native from Belgium, I love this place because it offers authentic Belgian food in an unpretentious brasserie style setting. The staff is knowledgeable about the beers too. That helps. read more

Still a great out of the way destination in Olney. Despite its unpreppossing exterior you feel like you've walked into an authentic Belgian cafe once you pass through the door. The mussel pots are the signature show piece and they don't disappoint, full 1 lb. pots chock full of meaty bivalves served in one of 17 flavorful styles. The other options are equally fine. My party dined on Steak Frites, Carbonnade Flamende (Belgian beef stew) and pheasant sausage and all were good. The beer and wine lists showcase a fine number of brews and vintages. Our server was knowledgeable and attentive and we were graciously tended to throughout our dinner. If there is a more authentic and delicious Belgian restaurant in the DC area, I haven't found it. Somehow this place no longer makes the 100 best restaurants list, but the full house on Saturday night shows that it hasn't been forgotten. read more

This is a special place and one of my all time favorites. I've tried lots and lots of items on the menu and end up right back with my old standbys. Why? Because they are awesome. Not just good or great...awesome. First, the escargot. It's pure heavenly perfection but do ask for extra bread. It's not given freely and you'll need plenty to sop up the garlicky butter and cheese! Next, the frisee salad. I would pay a lot of money for the recipe for the dressing. Bacon, shallots, vinegar...something else...maybe magic! And, finally the mussels marinier. If you love mussels and you eat these, you won't want them anywhere else on the planet outside of Belgium. Enjoy all of the above with a great bottle of wine and you're all set. We never have room for dessert but we've shared the pot of chocolate. It's over the top great. If you're a chocolate lover, it's for you! This place is simple, not fancy and is often too dim, too loud, and too warm but it's still WELL worth a trip. Just wear something skimpy! I'm a fan! read more

After calling to make reservations on several different dates, I finally got through and was able to make one. My party of 3 people showed up about 5 minutes early for our reservation and was told they'd be ready for us shortly and we could wait. They pointed us to what was essentially a narrow hallway with three chairs, coat racks above them and the doors to the bathroom surrounding us. We waited for 30 minutes, during which no one came to check on us or update us on a time even though the hostess station was right outside the small hallway, before being seated. The food was good, although the mussels were on the small size, but it still did not make up for the poor service we experienced at the beginning of the evening. read more

Been here several times and typically the food is outstanding and the service is average at best. We went last night (on a Wednesday) and there were only 6 other couples there. We had to wait 10 minutes to even be seated at our table (for which we had a reservation) and then waited another 10 minutes before either of the waiters even looked our way. I've never walked out of a restaurant before, but we did last night. The service was absolutely atrocious and we won't be going back. read more

The four take-aways from this are: 1. The food, and especially the beer, is expensive 2. The service is average, but not great 3. The server refused to honor the "specials" sign on the front window 4. The Pommes Frites are not Belgian Pommes Frites - just plain old American shoestring french fries. Now, in detail. We went there because we really like Belgian food, mussels and good Belgian pommes frites. The restaurant came well recommended by some Belgian friends. So. The food was relatively expensive - $24 for a bowl of mussels and fries, or $22 for the Carbonnade Flamande, the traditional Belgian beef stew. The beef stew was excellent, but slightly chewier than anticipated. Still, a "spot on" rendition of the Carbonnade. The mussels were slightly small, as others have observed, but that may not be something that the chef can control. The amount of mussels and vegetables in each pot was generous - onion slices, celery, and other traditional pot vegetables with the mussels. The price of beer was exorbitant. Very expensive. Too expensive. Yet, a Belgian beer is perfect with the mussels and carbonnade. And they know that. Still, we were appalled that they would charge $14 for a single 350 or 355 ml beer. Bad vibes there! The sign on the front window said "3 course meal $34.95 Everyday". Yet, the server said, "Our menu has changed. We just haven't gotten around to changing the sign." Maybe so, but it really is a bait and switch and false advertising and may actually be illegal. And, no, the "menu" had not changed. They just changed the meaning to (Tuesday, wednesday and Thursday". The rest of the service was okay, but mediocre. Nothing bad, but nothing noteworthy either. A few miscues on table management - placing or removing silverware, bottles, etc. but, again, nothing egregious. The decor was modest - some dark stained wood panels , and post-impressionist unframed paintings, although why post-impressionism instead of pictures of Brussels or Antwerp or Brugges to lend authority and gravitas to the restaurant, I don't know. Now, for the pommes frites. They were well-cooked and served in the traditional V-shaped paper "funnels" and wire frames. But the fries could have come from MacDonalds or Burger King - they were NOT traditional Belgian Pommes Frites, those pommes that the Belgians are so spectacularly proud of. They were not prepared in the Belgian fashion - just fried once in the regular deep dryer. C'est tous! Now, in their defense, Mannequin Pis never said they were "Belgian" Pommes Frites, but there is a certain unspoken expectation that, in a Belgian restaurant, serving Belgian specialties, that anything "Pommes Frites" would be BELGIAN (style) Pommes Frites. As you can see, I was clearly, clearly disappointed. Again, the fries were good. They just weren't authentic. Quel dommage! So, overall the entrees were excellently prepared, authentic and very tasty, but expensive. The service was okay, but not faultless. The beer was excellent, but severely overpriced. and the french fries, well, they were just french fries. Would we go back? Probably, for some special occasion, but also probably not soon. read more

I had a cockroach run across my table and they made me pay for my meal. Disgusting. Apparently they are infested because the exterminator comes every Sunday. Stay away. read more

4TH time coming here. Noticed that the menu was reduced, but still have ample choices. Took my parents with me. My father has trouble deciding which beer, but the waiter was very patient and helpful. We had 1 order of escargot which had 6 large snails with lots of cheese and fresh herbs. Yummy. the complimentary bread has a crisp crust and soft warm middle. We ordered the wild mushroom & provencal pots of mussels for the 3 of us. The mussels were a very good size and cooked perfect. There where 2 men & 1 woman working there who sat the customers, took orders, brought the food and checked on things. They rotated around the room making sure everyone was enjoying the food. read more

I love mussels, and this is where I go to get the best (IMHO) mussels around. There are many different varieties (15?). My top 4 are Red Devil, Snob, Provencal, & Jamaican. They're all delicious. I haven't had an entree because...the mussels. My daughter and I get a pot each. We're big eaters, and we barely have room for dessert. I would give it 5 stars, but the place is super small, and the tables are about 12" apart. If you and your neighbor both throw your hands up in a shoulder shrug, your hands will touch. Because of this, I wouldn't consider it a good romantic date location. read more

This place was great. Excellent service. Excellent food. Mussels pot was fantastic. Escargot everything was fabulous.

The mussels are a must have when you dine here and make sure whomever you bring along enjoys mussels or else it's pointless. I dragged my sis along with me who doesn't eat mussels and I had to eat the whole pot of mussels myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the Snob flavored mussels. My sis ordered the Steak -Frites which she thought was ok, but nothing to rave about. Although I didn't order soup, The French Onion and Lobster Bisque looked delicious. I gave a rating of three stars because I did not care for the wait staff and it was freezing inside the restaurant. We arrived on a Friday evening before it got busy which is why I don't understand why service was so bad. It took forever to bring our check after our table was cleared and we thought we'd ask for it before walking out. This was our first time dining here and the wait staff didn't make a good impression. We started off with one waiter and then 5 min later we had a different waiter. Neither bothered to explain why. They didn't explain or elaborate on the menu without us asking, they didn't bother asking if it was our first time visiting and they seemed very inpatient. They are on the expensive side, but I think the mussels are worth it. I wanted to try a Belgian beer, but the waiter was not much help with that. They seemed quite expensive anyhow, I'd probably fare better going to Belby Discount Beer and Wine in Rockville. I will go back the next time I have a craving for mussels and see if the service has improved. By the way, it seems they are only open during the evening. read more

Nice place. The food is delicious but do not come here hungry, the portions are small. We walked in and were seated immediately due to our reservation. The service was borderline good. My server Angel, was awful, but the rest of the servers were very kind. It was as if they were trying to make up for his poor service. Angel was pretty rude and it seems as if he just didn't want to serve my boyfriend and I. At one point, he almost burned me by taking the lid of the steaming pot of mussels put in front of me while I was looking down at my dish. He just came over and whipped the lid off and walked off, steam came flooding out of the pot and if I had not of moved so quickly, they would have been facing a lawsuit. The waitress that was helping him even apologized when she saw what he had done. Now, as far as the food quality...it was delicious. I had the snob mussels and my boyfriend had the boar sausage all the dishes were seasoned to perfection. In summary, Mannequin Pis is a pretty decent place to go on a Saturday evening. If you are on a budget, I would not recommend it because it was fairly pricey and the portions are small. I had a Groupon and even with the Groupon, the bill was pretty high. It is a great place to go if you enjoy mussels because their mussels selection is mouth watering. I would give it a higher rating, but to this day, I still cannot get over being almost burned by Angel. read more

A delightful place. We had a party of 4 and everyone had good food. I'm not a mussel fan, but my wife is and she loved the mussel pot. A couple of the appetizers were superb. We'll maker a real effort to get back there. read more

I have lived in the Olney area for years but never dined before at the Mannequin Pis. The mussels were absolutely delicious. A suggestion is to share a salad and an appetizer and only have one order of mussels per two people. The portion with the frites and plenty of bread to enjoy the sauce is more than sufficient. The wild mushroom ragout appetizer was outstanding. The restaurant is very small and some of the tables, especially the tables for two, are close together. read more

good mussels if you don't want to head in closer to the city

Just ate at this wonderful Belgian Bistro! The service was great, especially our waiter Christophe :-) He had some wonderful suggestions for entrees and beers. We had the sausage special with lentils and the escargot appetizer, with the lobster bisque mussels. Absolutely delicious! For dessert, we got the chocolate terrine. Everything that came out of the kitchen was delicious. Make sure you get a reservation because they were turning people away at the door on a Friday night. A votre santé Christophe! read more