Food

The Best Restaurants for Brunch in Bethesda

Head to the neighborhood for delicious dim sum, a raw bar buffet, or wallet-friendly mimosas.

A dim sum sampler at Q by Peter Chang. Photograph by Scott Suchman

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Black’s Bar & Kitchen
 7750 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
Big appetites can head to restaurateur Jeff Black’s American restaurant, which rolls out a generous buffet for Sunday brunch. The spread includes a raw bar, prime rib, homemade biscuits and gravy, an omelet station, waffles, and more. Tack on bottomless Champagne cocktails, including bellinis and Aperol spritzes, and call it a day ($60 all-y0u-can-eat-and-drink; $45 buffet only; $15 kids under 12).

Gringos & Mariachis
4928 Cordell Ave., Bethesda
“Pancake tacos” and poblano Benedicts are among the brunch specials at this mod-Mexican spot, which also serves its regular all-day menu (we’re fans of the duck nachos spiked with orange and jalapeños and the honey-habanero shrimp tacos). Don’t miss out on stellar tequila and mezcal cocktails.

Brickside Food & Drink
4866 Cordell Ave., Bethesda
Six kinds of Benedicts, from fried chicken to crabcake, set the tone at this lowkey bar’s hearty brunch. Other tasty, nap-inducing indulgences include creamy buffalo dip and Old Bay-sprinkled fries.

The best restaurants for brunch in Bethesda
Tacos at Gringos & Mariachis. Photo by Scott Suchman

Duck Duck Goose
7929 Norfolk Ave, Bethesda
Chef Ashish Alfred’s pretty Parisian-inspired bistro is the kind of place you can linger over a Champagne cocktail and Nutella-stuffed French toast or bavette steak and eggs. Bottomless mimosas go for $15.

Jaleo
7271 Woodmont Ave.

José Andrés’s color-splashed tapas house serves a special brunch menu of Spanish egg dishes like fried eggs on toasted brioche with jamón ibérico de bellota and ibérico hollandaise, plus fun brunch cocktails like spiked bloody gazpacho.

Medium Rare
4909 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda
Carnivores can indulge at the Bethesda location of this steak-frites restaurant, which serves unlimited drinks (including screwdrivers and mimosas) and entrees like steak and eggs or a steak Benedict for $27.99.

Passionfish
7187 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
The menu has what feels like a thousand different influences (Po’ boys! Thai curry! Sushi!) but what underpins everything is good quality seafood. At brunch patrons can pick any two items from a long list of appetizers and entrees for $19, then add bottomless bloodys or mimosas for only $11.

The best restaurants for brunch in Bethesda
Go healthy at True Food Kitchen with dishes like egg-avocado tartines. Photograph courtesy of True Food Kitchen

Q by Peter Chang 
4500 East-West Hwy., Bethesda
Some of the best dim sum in the area can be found at Peter Chang’s upscale Chinese restaurant. There are no carts—customers order from a menu of dumplings, wontons, rice rolls, bao buns, barbecue, and noodles. 

Silver
7150 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
Brunch isn’t just a weekend affair here—it’s served all day, every day. We’re partial to the huevos rancheros with chorizo, organic bison hash (or roasted veggie version), juicy burgers, and buttermilk pancakes. Diners are known for their something-for-everyone menus, but Silver goes above and beyond with plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options (all helpfully marked).

True Food Kitchen
7100 Wisconsin Ave.
This health-minded chain, founded by alternative medicine guru Dr. Andrew Weil, is a place where vegetarians, gluten-free, and dairy-free diners can go wild. Also nice: the cocktails are fashioned from fresh fruits and herbs.

Woodmont Grill
7715 Woodmont Ave.
At night, the low-lit dining room here is mobbed. Weekend lunch is also busy, so go early (or make a reservation). The menu of crowd-pleasers includes addictive creamy spinach dip, excellent veggie burgers and kale salads, and some of the best chicken tenders in town.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.