Community Restaurant & Lounge
| Address: | 7776 Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA |
| Phone: | +1 301-272-9050 |
| Site: | communitybethesda.com |
| Rating: | 3.3 |
| Working: | 8AM–10PM 8AM–10PM 8AM–10PM 8AM–10PM 8AM–1AM 9AM–1AM 9AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 52
Reviews 5
EN
envy me
Today, 4/09, was my second visit to the community diner. The first visit was like 2 months ago in Feb. I always wait for a second visit to review or judge any restaurant. My first visit was poor service but the food was absolutely delicious and the portion sizes jusitifed the price. Because the food was so good I ignored the poor service and chalked it up to them being totaling slammed and a newer restaurant going through growing pains. I went with two others. I got the chicken and waffles, a salad was ordered, the tot-chos, and some pancakes. Everything ordered was great. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. The waffles were warm and paired well. Todays visit was good service and horrible food. Tot-cho was good. My mother ordered a hamburger. She wanted it well done. She got a medium-well burger that was charred/burnt all around. I ordered the chicken and waffles again. It was over cooked, dry, and flavorless. The waffles were stone cold. It was as if they cooked them and then cooked everything else. Here is what really gets me... The "chicken potpie".... Im all for putting a twist on classics but if youre going to put a twist on something like chicken potpie than you HAVE to pull it off. The bowl of soup had a few potatoes and carrots. It was a very small bowl and was filled less than half way. There was a fried chicken leg in the bowl and a baked dough laid on top. Dark meat in chicken potpie? Fried chicken in a potpie? Such a little amount of chicken in a potpie? The cost of the plate could not have been more than $1.50 yet I was charged $15. The serving of soup was so small that less than half the dough could actually be used in it. The plate was not worth more than $6. I paid $76 for my meal. I tipped the waiter $10. That was a ridiculous amount of money to pay for a horrible meal. Ive seen the owners response to quite a few of these bad reviews. That attitude combined with horrible food and subpar service means hell only be in business as long as he can afford to pay his bills out of pocket. After the first visit I was excited and looking forward to a good diner option other than silver diner (great place, humble owner) but I guess Ill just have to keep waiting. Unless this owner changes something quick, Bethesda will reject him/her. After the reviews Ive read, maybe theyll have better luck as a stay at home fashionista.
GR
Grace Hinkley
We decided to try Community last night, Saturday June 3, and arrived about 8:30pm, when the restaurant was a little less than half-full. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated immediately, but that was the end of any positive experience. Four out of the first six things we tried to order were not available despite being on the menu (2 different white wines, an appetizer, and the entree my husband chose). Service was spotty throughout. Our server Nicole was kind but inattentive and uninformed. The mai tai I ordered was terrible and had to be sent back, with no follow-up from the bartender. The server or runner who dropped our food literally flung our entrees at us and bolted, without so much as asking if we had everything we needed -- clearly our presence was an inconvenience to her. My husbands pork chops were undercooked to the point of being inedible, with absolutely no seasoning and a mediocre sauce poured artlessly on top; the brussels sprouts they were served with were literally steamed and dumped on the plate with no seasoning, sauce, etc. -- they tasted like old dishwater. We sent the whole plate back and decided to share my salmon and quinoa bowl instead -- it was alright but nothing special, with so much sauce poured on top that it was difficult to taste the actual food. We both waited tables for several years and understand both the growing pains of a new restaurant (though that excuse would seem to be a reach at this point) and having an "off" night. We agreed that we were a "disaster table" -- one that you a manager should make an effort to stop by, apologize for the myriad things that went wrong, and try to salvage a positive experience for the customer. None of that happened at Community -- it was as if they did not care one bit what kind of experience we had or what kind of impression they made. Our $60 check felt like a huge waste of money, and we will definitely NOT be going back. We made the mistake of not reading the reviews before we chose to eat here, but after a quick read of these reviews and the owners responses, predict Community wont last long.
KA
Kara Peters
My husband and I had one of the weirdest and shortest restaurant experiences ever at Community. It was...bizarre. Multiple employees gave off vibes of being under the influence. On a Saturday night, there were only six or seven tables occupied, and probably at least that many that needed bussing. The bar was cluttered with dirty dishes, and one of the central tables appeared to have employment applications piled on it (with exposed personal information). We walked in and were ignored for several minutes. Someone eventually sat us and brought us menus. A few minutes later a server came up the table and stared at us for an uncomfortably long time as if we were supposed to speak first. My husband asked a simple question about which beer they had on draft, and he seemed to be caught way off guard. Eventually we suggested he go ask the bartender. The interactions with all the staff were so uncomfortable that the last thing we wanted was to put in a food order for what appeared to be expensive diner fare, so we left. And I just saw the response from the owner - more bizareness. I never commented on the food or the price- we didnt even get to look at the restaurant week menu because we left as it was being put down. We walked next door and spent $80 at that establishment. We are neither cheap nor pretentious - I left an honest review based upon a subpar experience. I cant believe managements response was to disparage me personally. Not a good look for your business. Ill be following up.
NO
Norman King
This was the worst restaurant experience Ive ever had in my entire life. First off, the service here is a sham! My family and I wait for seating. We understood it was crowded but we were next up. A booth is open, clearly cleaned and prepared. The hostess says "I have to confirm with the kitchen to let you sit down". What exactly does the kitchen have to do with seating arrangements? So we finally go sit down and we order. Drinks come out but we end up waiting an hour and 45 minutes for the food! Rediculous. Our waiter kept saying that its only their second day for serving brunch and all but other people got food before we did and we showed up before they arrived. Doesnt make sense. The service here is just horrible. No organization whatsoever! We didnt even get to talk to the manager. They kept saying "were sorry" but sorry doesnt feed hungry people! It doesnt take 1 hour 45 minutes to make simple omlet and French toast! Wouldnt advise anyone to come for good service. I cant say whether the food was good or not we never got to try any...
SC
Scott Tomaszewski
I ordered the chicken sandwich that was supposed to come with a donut as a bun. It came out on a squished potato roll and when I asked the waiter she gave an uneasy response claiming they dont do the donut for lunch. To be clear, the chicken cutlet was lightly breaded in flour, fried, and placed on the bun with 8 bread and butter pickles. The sandwich came with about 2 cups of hand fried potato chips for $16. Given the location, homemade donut, full chicken breast, decent seasoning in the breading, and homemade potato chips I could have justified the price, but I could have made that meal for $4 in 30 minutes. Getting a lame chicken sandwich that pales in comparison to something even McDonalds could make in 5 minutes for a quarter of the price was disappointing. Having the waitress not tell me up front that the menu was inconsistent with the actual product or worse, lie to me, was the reason for this review. There are better choices within walking distance; dont waste your cash
