I have to give Parthenon four stars. It's like taking a step back in time to the family owned and run restaurants of my childhood. This is not a chic or trendy place! But service is so lovely, wine pours are generous, and our food was great. Started with the Greek sausage, then the Greek salad with shrimp, so light and tasty, and the gyro platter. Everything was great. And probably the only place left in town that serves complimentary bread. read more

Stopped by here for dinner last weekend and had a really great experience. The place has a nice, relaxed atmosphere and the staff were friendly from the moment we walked in. Our server was attentive without being pushy and made some good menu recommendations. The food came out fresh and well presented. Everything we ordered had great flavor, and you could tell the ingredients were high quality. Portions were also pretty generous for the price, which was a nice surprise. Overall it was a really enjoyable meal and the service made it even better. I'll definitely be coming back to try a few more things on the menu. read more

We came by to hike at Rock Creek without doing any research on where to eat after. That was a mistake, as we were hungry and needed good options fast. It was either this Greek place or the Thai place across the road. We eat Thai all the time, so the unanimous decision was this Greek! The waiter and all the staff were very friendly. The place and decoration themselves are a little odd. However, it was clean. The highlight is the taste of the food. All the dishes we ordered were spot on. I cannot remember their names, but there was nothing bad I could recall. If I'm ever in the area, I'd come again. read more

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Parthenon is a new found favorite. The restaurant is a low- key gorgeous lounge with murals of Ancient Greece and soft relaxing earth tones. This restaurant makes just about every classic Greek dish well known and lesser known. I had the lamb with orzo pasta, reminded me of spaghetti. It was rich and hearty definitely enough to take home. The customer service here is very good. I highly recommend if you want to catch up with an old friend, a nice family dinner, or to sit with your planner and catch up with yourself. The menu is quite extensive and I will be back to see what else they do well. read more

Parthenon Restaurant - Lamb with Orzo in tomato sauce - Greek Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Chevy Chase Lounge is a fantastic dive bar in the Chevy Chase neighborhood in DC. It's everything you want in a neighborhood joint, great bar food, classic cocktail and the friendliest bartender around that acts like they're a childhood friend (ball-busting included). Michael is the best so go have a drink with him. Apparently this is a big hangout for locals to watch the Capitals hockey games. It's a family-owned business connected to their Greek restaurant called the Parthenon. I ordered a Rusty Nail (photo #2 - blended scotch and Drambuie) because it's an old school recipe that fit the vibe. They served it in a snifter which was a fun touch. I love a snifter glass but never thought to serve a cocktail on ice in one since it's designed for sipping neat (without ice) spirits and liqueurs. It was a nice touch. Drambuie has a boozy, sweet flavor with honey notes. It's a whiskey liqueur dating back to Scotland in the 18th century. It's a blend of aged Scotch, rare Scottish heather honey and herbs and spices. @drambuie We also tried something new. You can see a large, old bottle of Metaxa in photo #3. We asked what it was and Michael told us it's a Greek brandy. The bottle was his Grandfather's and over 70 years old. Well, once we heard that we had to try it. It was delicious and created an even more memorable experience for us. We liked it so much, we actually went straight to the liquor store and bought a bottle. If you enjoy neighborhood dive bars and are ever in DC, go check out Michael and his family at Chevy Chase Lounge. Salute @thejohnnycocktail Rusty Nail 2 oz. Blended Scotch 1 oz. Drambuie read more

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The food is solid great burger on a black sesame brioche bun, and the wings are fire. But honestly? The cocktails stole the show. I don't think I've ever enjoyed drinks at a diner more. Cool vibe, great bar program. Service is great read more

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Keep giving our neighbor another try. Too expensive. Service depends on who you get. $200 for outdoor small plate dinner for two is ridiculous. Especially when you are waiting for the waitress. read more

This place may have been deserving of 3 stars once, just not now. Went with my daughter and wife and not a single thing that we tasted was recommendable. Time for the chef to retire!! Whoever gave it 5 stars recently must be related. Sorry, I went with good intentions, I never go out to eat not to enjoy my food, it wasn't worth my hard earned dollars. read more

Pretty cool experience with an extensive menu of both Greek and traditional foods. The flaming cheese is awesome!

Food was good. I think the price was a bit high for the amount of food I received. With taxes and everything it's over $25. for the Gyro Platter and I don't think you get $25. worth of food. But the food was good. The gyro, sauce and pita were good. The extra bread, fries and salad were ok. I'd rather get just the pita, meat and sauce for $15 and skip the bread and salad and fries. I have no interest in fries when craving a gyro. It's an odd combination. read more

Came here with family as it was recommended by my cousin and it definitely satisfied my cravings for Greek! We did family style and shared a bunch of dishes. We of course had to get saganaki flambeed tableside. It was super crispy and delicious! Other standouts were the octopus, braised lamb with orzo, and super creamy hummus in the mezze plate. A little pricey for the vibes as it seemed more casual but service was good. read more

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. read more

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I have been to the Parthenon before this last time, but I won't be going back. Ordered the chicken kebab, and it was dried out, tasteless, and the vegetables were completely overcooked. I rarely say anything bad about the service staff, because these folks have to make a living, but the service was very poor. Waiter was inattentive, we had to hunt him down. I would've returned my dinner and asked for something else,but for the fact that we were going to a movie and there wasn't enough time. read more

This is a great neighborhood restaurant. Whenever we come to see a movie at the Avalon, my wife and I come to the Parthenon for dinner. It is a comfortable neighborhood restaurant with great Greek food, friendly staff and reasonable prices. There are other restaurants in this part of Connecticut Ave, but we always return to the Parthenon as our favorite. I love their lamb with orzo or other sides and may wife loves their pastitsio. This is not haute cuisine, but is good, tasty food in a friendly atmosphere,. read more

Born raised on Northampton Street since 1977 As a native of the Chevy chase neighborhood This has been a neighborhood staple for Greek cuisine in Chevy chase , I've been coming here since early 1990s I love the pork souvlaki And the lamb Gyro platter I wish they had lamb kapama And lamb souvlaki available I've lived in Crete & Athens , , so I'm a connoisseur of Greek tarvana & Mediterranean cuisine , there's a little outdated customer profiling But at least the drinks are great at their Chevy Chase Lounge read more

Amazing food and service is excellent! Everyone is friendly and shows their appreciation for your dining there! Our "go to" dining when in the Chevy Chase area! read more

Wonderful home-style Greek cooking. A variety of items on the menu. Very pleasant ambiance. Good service. read more

Parthenon Restaurant - Greek Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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! read more

The gigande beans are amazing! I've also had the salad, bread, omelet, and spanakopita and all were great! I also appreciated that there were fans for outdoor seating on a hot day. read more

I ordered plain shrimp, no salt or pepper, due to food senstivities.The shrimp tasted incredibly salty. There were black specks on the shrimp, which I showed the server. He insisted it was just from the grill, promising that he informed the kitchen staff about the seriousness of the sensitivities. I had a severe reaction and have spent the day in bed. The bathroom was also gross, with an overflowing trash can. Hard to maintain an appetite after using it. read more

My plan for the day changed and I needed lunch where I was and picked Parthenon. They serve very good Greek food--a combination of the old standbys and some less common dishes. The service was friendly, warm, and efficient and even the bread--something a lot of places skimp on--was excellent. It was a sudden lunch, so I had only the spanakopita--listed as a "small plate" but plenty for lunch, and the rizogalo (rice pudding) and both were outstanding. read more

Filthy, and rude... these people cater to the seniors who live in this neighborhood, and do not care about you and I!

We live close to the Parthenon and have been going there for at least a decade. We did takeout from there last week and WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! Their gyro salad was a favorite, but now there is no lettuce at all in the salad. Just peppers, tomatoes, feta, onions. It doesn't taste good without the lettuce! The lemon soup also was not as good as before. I would really like the owner to hear this! They should put the lettuce back in the salad! read more

Update after being on Gordan Ramsy show- I decided to give this one last try. And, the inside is very nice. It looks more updated and modern good job. They cleaned the kitchens! They have new things. Great! The presentation of food improved too. Nice. But, guess what? The food quality and options pretty much stayed the same! I got the American Gyro and only 2 piece of the meat were soft and tender while the rest were hard. It was like way before closing time too, so the meat should have been soft and tasted fresh. I tasted other people's food I was with and everything was just okay. People want to go to a restaurant to have a meal that is amazing not just okay. People want to see so many enticing things on the menu that its hard to pick! They slimmed down the menu and took off stuff. Maybe they added in some newer few things I think. But, you know what they didn't do by the looks of it? Add more interesting things to the menu! Overall they still have the same boring old menu. On the show the owner said his restaurant was failing? Shocker? No. It caters to an older clientele. Instead what they should do it add more fun and modern Greek/Mediterranean dishes to the menu. Keep like 30% of traditional classics everyone knows and then add in more modern stuff. All they have to do as well to get ideas is look up the top Greek restaurants in LA and NYC that have huge success. Look at their menu's. Heck, maybe you can hire some kind of chef to be a consultant about your menu. Lastly, if it was a failing restaurant before Gordon Ramsy( if they weren't doing that well ?) I will be surprised if they can last then another 2 years then. If they actually care to keep this place running what they should do is go to NYC and LA(for example) and visit the most popular Greek Restaurants that have lots of customers and have been open decades.. Do the research. Consider it a work field trip. See what food do they serve and the quality. Take the owners and the chefs. If they want this place to actually last and be successful they need to revamp the menu and cater to a younger clientele's taste. It's pretty simple. If they don't and keep everything as it is then yeah of course the restaurant will close down. read more

Had a great meal, really enjoyed the octopus! I could tell it was grilled fresh. I'll definitely be back

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!!! read more

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. read more

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Rude! Unfortunately. It's not what a community restaurant could be. I liked it until I had an unpleasant online experience. But, neighbor's were also expressing disappointment with food and service. I'd love to support you, but you are rude. read more

The Parthenon has been reborn, and the neighborhood is better for it. What a joy to see an established restaurant embrace a new and improved (and much smaller) menu. We visited here before Gordan Ramsay's visit, and the food was frankly bland and uninspiring. We returned afterward, and the improvement was significant. My wife and I shared the Pappou's Mix Grill (for two version). It is comprised of lamb chops, chicken souvlaki, loukaniko sausage, and french fries. This is one of those large dishes that, if you ate it by yourself, you deserve to have your photo on a wall. I enjoyed every bite. Our only regret was not ordering a vegetable beforehand. The overall review score here is misleading, more indicative of the past than present. Many people seem to enjoy dining here now. Most, however, are older than your average Yelp reviewer, so it could be a gradual climb until the Parthenon is slotted where its newfound direction deserves. read more

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. read more

I've been going to the Parthenon for years, and headed there looking forward to the big menu and white table-cloth vibe. Sigh, it got Gordon Ramsayed. The now-plastic menu is severely cut back and my go-tos are gone. No more pasta (except a tomato-y orzo side dish). The new paint and wall decor is quite nice. The new cloth-less tables and dinnerware are kind of ho-hum - not much character . I had the swordfish, which was good as ever. The bread came with frozen solid butter pats. Asked for olive oil which came promptly but sadly was tasteless. I doubt it was even EVOE. You'd expect good Greek olive oil at a Greek restaurant. Overall, not an improvement. read more

I used to enjoy going here with a late friend who lived two blocks away, and I have terrific memories. So when I heard that it was undergoing a makeover, I was skeptical and nervous. But it's great! It's a bit too crowded now, so you'll need to call ahead, but if anyplace deserved the fix-up, this place did. Great work, everyone. read more

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. read more

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! read more

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Good service, good food. Pretty authentic greek menu with some good appetizers and large plates. The service is very good too.

Best neighborhood restaurant in DC!!!!! Food, ambience, and service are all excellent.

Amazing food, I would highly recommend this place. Service was also excellent. Definitely coming back here

A tremendous asset to the local community but also a destination. Wonderful servers, great ambiance, and for those in take out mode, excellent Gyro to go! read more

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. read more

this was the restaurant on the first episode of Gordon ramsays secret service and you should watch it the restaurant used to have rats and stuff but now it's good like they are doing really well now read more