Ben at the Bethesda location provided great service and was very personable. The pizza was great!

Server named Benjamin very kind and attentive!! Keep up the good work. Kindness is truly appreciated these days!

Our server Benjamin K was amazing. He made sure we had everything we needed through out our dinner. The food was amazing as always. Thank You. read more

I had a dinner date with my wife. Our server Vanessa was excellent ! She was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Service was great ! Really happy. Will be coming back in the future. read more

Love coming here for last minute dates. The pizza is always my go to! Vanessa has been my server/waitress on many occasions and she's always tentative, helpful, & super nice! She's definitely made my experiences at matchbox super easy going and stress free. read more

Our food was pretty good, and our server ben was great - checked in often and always made sure we had our drinks and everything we needed.

Overpriced meh food. Nice servers! And the service is prompt But just can't get past the fact that the food is pretty bad and you pay a lot for it. Avoiding in the future (have been 3 times). read more

Amazing experience from start to finish. A lot of great food options and specialty drinks to choose from. I definitely recommend the tuna taco appetizer. Our server Ben was attentive, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to. His recommendations helped guide us through the menu. They also do a great job of spacing out seating and keeping the restaurant clean during the Covid crisis. Great food and even greater service! read more

Decided to finally leave the house today to grab a drink and something to eat! Initially nervous but Matchbox proved worth it! Delicious food with wonderfully crafted drinks! All in a spacious patio! I also can't say enough about the wonderful service we had! Overall wonderful expei and I will be coming back! read more

I'm a fan of Matchbox, and this location is lives up to the restaurant's reputation. Great location, food and service! I will definitely visit again, and recommend it as a solid spot for a date. read more

It is very delicious Ben was great waiter quick service and good food. The outdoor atmosphere was awesome too! Thank you for opening up post COVID. read more

I had great customer service with Ben at Bethesha MD Match Box. Thanks

genuinely disappointed. service was eh, took quite some time to be seated even though the restaurant was empty. our table did not even have roll ups on it. our waiter was pretty rude from the start did not seem to care about good service or us as customers. when our pizza came the crust was black. black i tell you. our entree also came out before our appetizer and came out without anyone else's food at the table. finally when our sliders came out i asked for them to be well but not burned. they tasted like charcoal on bread. there was charcoal coming off on my pickles. i'm most disappointed to say they took away my once favorite restaurant American Tap Room. bad move bethesda....bad move. read more

matchbox - my black pizza crust. - New American Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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To echo what has already been said, this is a really great addition to the neighborhood. Love their pizzas and recently tried the arancini which was fantastic. Lonell the bartender is an absolute pro and I love the layout/feel of the space. Just as good for a date night as it is for watching a Ravens game. Not-so-slowly becoming a regular... read more

So, the food here is as you'd expect any Matchbox. Not too bad, same as you get at the location in Rockville, and the one on 14th Street NW (the only other two I've been to). However, at those locations the service in infinitely better. One would think a new location would, at the very least, be operating at 110% for the first several months of their opening, but we did not experience that at all. Our small party of 3, went to Matchbox on a cold Sunday afternoon, arriving towards the middle/end of the brunch rush. The first issue was the seating. We were parked next to the windows, which would normally provide a nice view of the outside, but because it was so cold outside, and because the glass did not keep the heat in well, we were buffeted with a constant cold stream. We did not partake in the endless brunch option, we instead opted for pizza, pasta, and salad, all of which were good. The wings appetizer was very subpar, however. The restaurant was out of the sauce we wanted, and we were offered the wings with a rub, which wasn't good. The most egregious issue was our server - a young man who was very rude to us. Drinks took too long to come out, he didn't really check on us, and the bill situation was the worst I've experienced in this area. We asked for the check, he came back with his mobile POS system. We said, "We want to look at the bill and pay cash," he responded with, "I can't show you the bill, and I would rather you pay with a credit card." I don't know of any server that would refuse cash to begin with for a tip, nor have I ever experienced someone telling us that we can't use cash (short of a card-only place, or some place with no change, which this was not). He would not give us a paper bill, and just told us our total. When I gathered the cash up, I still included a 15% tip because I'm not rude and understand this is how they make their living, but I felt I was justified in leaving no tip, had I been that rude. When the money was gathered on the table, he came back, presumably to get the money and clear the table, but we told him to come back when we're ready to leave. When we did decide to leave (no more than 5 min after this interaction), he stood at the end of the table (so we couldn't really get out), and counted the money right in front of us. The rudeness and disrespect was unbelievable. I went to speak to the managers after that, Hans and Kate, but neither of them were available. Apparently, they were changing shifts, so there were no managers until they were done doing so, no general manager, no shift manager, not even a bar manager would come. After waiting 15 minutes for someone to talk to with authority, I decided to leave. I tried to contact their corporate office but received no response to my email, and I would have rather not leave a long, bad review, but that's just how bad the service was. Usually you want to leave somewhere happy, and excited to go back. But the whole experience left such a terrible taste in my mouth, I don't think I'll be back to this location. I've eaten at every restaurant in downtown Bethesda, and this service was bar far the worst. Again, the food wasn't bad, it's a corporate chain and will taste the same here as it does in Rockville, so save yourself a terrible experience and drive 10 min to the Rockville location. If you want better service, I've always found Mon Ami Gabi across the street to have excellent service on all of my visits there, and they have better food, though they don't have pizza. I didn't want to write such a poor review, but since I couldn't speak to someone in person, and since the corporate office never responded to me, here we are. Merry Christmas to anyone who reads this, my gift to you is to warn you to avoid this place. Cheers. read more

Took a stroll on downtown bethesda last night just my wife and I a decided to stop into Matchbox. It's been about 6 years since I last ate at a Matchbox location. A lot has changed. Food was excellent. Service was spot on. My server Melanie, who is new first night working on the floor as she explained to us. Very kind attentive and had lots of knowledge about the menu. Will definitely be back for dessert next visit. read more

Surroundings were pleasant with a nice street view at our table. Likewise, waiter and staff were friendly. Soup and appetizer were very good. However, Caesar salad consisted of lettuce that had started to turn and 4 croutons - no cheese and Caesar dressing was nonexistent. When asked about our meal while at the table, we passed this on, but never heard another word, just that they would mention this to the kitchen. As we were about to leave, I went to the men's room and as I was about to leave, a member of the kitchen staff left the stall without washing his hands, a la Seinfeld. All was disappointing. read more

Matchbox is a really nice location. My bartender Javi was very nice here. They would recommend me items such as the mini burgers which were delicious. They were very nice. The manager Hans was very friendly and made me and my group feel welcomed. He would make sure us and all of our food were good. The location was beautiful and the staff were very friendly and i recommend all to go try the location out. I will be returning :) read more

The newest location of Matchbox in Bethesda has been open for just over a week. The same great food in a friendly and lively atmosphere. Our server Blake was extremely friendly and efficient. We'll definitely be back for the all you can eat small- plates brunch. read more

My husband and I ate at the new Matchbox restaurant in Bethesda a few days ago on one of their preview evenings. We ordered a matchbox meats pizza, which came with tons of toppings (including lots of excellent pepperoni) and was cooked perfectly - can't wait to return soon to have more great pizza! We also splurged and tried the filet mignon, which tasted delicious and came cooked a perfect medium rare as we had ordered -- and the crispy red-skinned potatoes on the side were also a treat. The service really exceeded our expectations, given that the place was packed and everything was so brand new. We were waited on right away, food came out at a good pace, and being able to pay by credit card at the table was great. read more

My best friends and I came in today to celebrate a birthday and were pleasantly greeted with a smile. The service we received was absolutely excellent, our food came out fast and was delicious. I absolutely recommend coming out to Matchbox thanks to our waiter Taylor. read more

Been to another Matchbox location before, but this one had exceptional food and Lonell was a kind, engaging bartender. Highly recommend the giant meatball! read more

I went here over the weekend and had an awesome experience. I sat at the bar and the bartender, Ben, was very friendly, provided great service, and made exceptional drinks. Will definitely be coming back! read more

I came here for my birthday dinner and my friend discreetly asked the manager on duty (Hans) if she could order me a birthday shot. Once hearing the conversation continue Hans asked me what kind of shot I wanted and I responded with a lemon drop. He said that's too boring and he'll bring us 6 (# of people in our reservation) shots. We were thankful for the generous offer and a few moments later Hans came to our table with 6 fancy shots, strawberries and sugar on the rim and all. After taking the shots - a server who was not our own (can not remember the name of our server but he was great) brought us over a check for $75 (mind you this is after we paid our dinner bills and had checked out). After explaining to Hans that we were under the impression that the restaurant was covering the shots and him acknowledging that it was a miscommunication, he refused to cover the shots. After having 6 women in our early-20s start to cause a scene in the restaurant - he agreed to cover 3 of the shots and if we wanted the other 3 covered he will have our server cover it. All said with a smirk on his face. This situation is ridiculous and it is a shame that he would rather have poor YELP reviews (which we told him we were going to leave if he did not cover the rest of our shots) than eat the $35. In conclusion, Matchbox Bethesda should look into hiring new management.. and we will not be returning. read more

My 5 best friends and I were together for the holidays and decided on matchbox to celebrate our one friend's birthday. After we paid for our meals and drinks, I whispered to the manager Hans at the bar asking if they do anything special for birthdays such as a slice of cake or a birthday shot. He said they do not do birthdays (first red flag) but that he would be happy to try and do something. I thought that was great, and decided on a birthday shot. My friend overheard the conversation at this point and chimes in that she would like a lemon drop shot. Hans insisted that we choose something "more fun" and asked us would we like something sweet. We said sure, and he said "awesome, I'll bring 6." I was so impressed by the generosity. It wasn't 5 minutes after the shot before a waitress that was not our own came to us with a check for $75. We kindly explained that we were under the impression these were on the house. When Hans came over, he barely allowed us to explain ourselves, which escalated the issue further. He bluntly told us there is nothing he can do, all through an immature and unprofessional demeanor. We asked his name, which we later found out was a fake name after asking another manager what his name was while pointing him out before leaving. Very disappointing to feel scammed during a night of fun. Will not be returning. read more

I've eaten at this place a few times since it opened and have been pleased with it -- until today. Today I went in for brunch (it's a Saturday) and had really awful service. I sat at the bar and ordered two eggs with bacon and coffee. The coffee came and so did some biscuits I ordered, but there then was a VERY long delay. I noticed plates being brought to people, both at tables and at the bar, who had come in long after me. I asked the bartender who had taken my order where my food was and was assured that it was on its way. There was another lengthy pause and then a small plate with two eggs but no bacon appeared. I ate the eggs and was thinking about leaving when the bartender brought another plate, with two lonesome, twisted, and skimpy looking strips of bacon. I ate those and was about to ask for the check when the bartender brought another little plate with three more pieces of bacon. I declined those because by then I had had it and wanted to pay and leave. There was no apology or expression of regret. On the way out I told the two hostesses who seated people that I was upset with the service, but they looked from side to side and said nothing. My guess is that despite its having been open for six weeks or so, the kitchen is not ready for prime time. read more

Came here for dinner tonight. We got here early, around 5:30 and already the place was packed. We were lucky enough to get a table for 4 without a reservation in the bar area. This ended up being perfect for us, since we primarily ended up ordering off the happy hour menu (and I don't know if they serve that throughout the entire dining room) but I could see it being a little loud for some people. The noise didn't bother us. Our server, Nehemiah, was great. He was attentive without being overbearing. We never wanted for anything, despite it being very busy. His service was prompt, professional, and friendly. We didn't feel rushed, either, even though there was a line of people waiting when we left. Food came out with great timing, and there were never empty, dirty plates on our table for longer than a few minutes. We were also visited by two people who appeared to be managers, to ask how our meal was going and if there was anything they could do for us. All in all, it was a great experience, and we will definitely be back! read more

Is Matchbox Bethesda turning into a private event space?!?! The last two times I went there to sit in the bar area (or even sit at a table), the ENTIRE restaurant was closed for a private event. The restaurant HAS A SPACIOUS PRIVATE ROOM, but in these two cases, the private room was empty, the table area was empty, and the bar was being used for what looked like a corporate event. Now, it's the restaurants prerogative to close, but it certainly doesn't send a positive message to people who like to pop in for an impromptu dinner, drink at the bar, etc. Plus it's incredibly aggravating to have fought the Bethesda parking battle, arrive at the restaurant, and find it closed. Use your private room for these events and keep the rest of the restaurant open to the public. I'm a big fan of the food and the vibe, but I'm at the point with two consecutive closings that I'll go elsewhere for my pizza/bar experience. read more

So I'll start by saying the food was really good. It came out quick and the presentation was decent. I thought the menu was not THAT creative but; for a casual pizza place it had some good options. With that being said, the front of the restaurant needs to get it together. I went to Matchbox at a not so crowded Friday night and the bar staff was obviously over their heads. Not sure if this was their first bar tending job but they had two bar tenders working and the poor manager was running her butt off. Just not very attentive to customers needs and didn't really seem to concerned about it. When you could get their attention they were very nice. That's a plus I guess. The decor was enviting. Kind of a casual, library meets bar-ish. Idk what they were going for to be honest. But it was clean and bright. Not a lot of space in the waiting area. If you have a family waiting on a table it kind of forces a you to mill about. Here's the kicker, I know Bethesda is a pricy place but not sure Matchbox commands these high prices. They missed a golden opportunity to provide good food at a lower price then others in the area. The Matchbox in Rockville has a better atmosphere, worth the drive. Over all I believe the novelty will ware off quickly and another small chain place will take Matchbox's place on the list of failed restaurants on the corner of Woodmont & Elm. read more