We loved Jaleo and we think Jose Andres is wonderful - all his other restaurants and his humanitarian work-- but unfortunately we didn't love the food at Spanish Diner (apart from the croquettes & bread). It might just be that Continental/Spanish food is generally not to my taste. The gazpacho had cream and a slight bitter note; I prefer the tomato-colored light refreshing gazpacho that I've had elsewhere. The garbanzo and spinach stew was only okay, a bit bland; I plan to add spices to the portion I brought home. The other dish we ordered - roasted chicken - also didn't pop. The preparation of the food was well done; we just wanted more flavor. On the other hand, service was spot on and the atmosphere is nice.
Diane Vogel
Simple food prepared
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Harrison Sanchez
Everything was delicious, the best thing is the live show.They can't let it go, excellent experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas
Tyler Devilbiss
Stopped in for a work lunch. Service was quick, food was excellent as always, and there was a 3 course lunch special that was perfect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas, Manchego
Lindsay S.
I am shocked this place hasn't been rebranded. It is the forgotten Andres restaurant. All of his other places are amazing. This one is terrible. The menu choices, the actual food-nothing is good. It is always empty. I beg the restaurant group to please give this place some attention as Bethesda would pack it daily if it was anything like his dc places.
Kate C.
I've only been for happy hour. They have great prices for food and drinks and would strongly recommend
Stevan Anderegg
Good food and quick service. Sangria was fresh and
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic
Marcus Noland
The successor to Jaleo, very chill place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Katie J
Delicious food! The vegetable paella and gazpacho were delicious!
Jason Wallach
Went here for a business lunch, and it was excellent. I had the squid entree (3 large squid with a black ink sauce and rice), which was delicious. A colleague had the beef stew and another colleague had the Cuban rice, both of which looked outstanding. Overall, a fantastic meal at a reasonable price.Parking: Large County-operated parking structure within 100-200 feet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Arroz a La Cubana, Calamar a La Plancha
Decided to try for Bethesda's Restaurant Week after truly enjoying Chef Jose Andres Jaleo for DC's Restaurant Week. I MUCH prefer Jaleo in the District. Spanish Diner is a step down, IMHO, in quality, presentation, and flavor. Service is welcoming and sincere, and for a weeknight, I guess it's okay, but I cannot recommend.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Emily Campbell
This is one of my favorite restaurants, but last night we did not have a great experience. My friends and I went to Sangria hour, and when asked for our IDs, they did not want to accept mine due to the fact that it is vertical because I do not have to get it renewed yet. The manager came over and explained that this is a restaurant policy they have, even though I have been served there many times in the past: They were not going to serve me even though I am almost 23 years old. I then asked if I could show a photo of my passport, and the manager agreed to that and then said oh ok the dates match up, so I was served. In that moment, wouldn’t the manager attempt to offer a solution such as that one instead of just not serving a 22-year-old? Our drinks took a long time to come out. No one was attentive to us at all. The table next to us had gotten their food after arriving at the same time and we just got our drinks. Our second round of drinks took over 10 minutes to come out, and when the glass arrived, there was cork in the wine. It took about another 10 minutes to get that new glass of wine that was the “sauvignon Blanc” but was one of the sweetest wines we had ever tried, almost like Porto Wine sweet. Our water was empty the entirety of our time there, no one checked on us once. We had to make awkward eye contact to get anyone to come over. At the end of our meal, we paid in cash and left the tip on the card, and the bartender asked why we didn’t leave the tip in cash. We paid and on the way out heard a nice “finally” from the person taking care of us. Food was great but service made it an extremely unenjoyable experience.
Carolyn Frank
Friend and I enjoyed lunch here. The food was tasty and we savored each bite but do understand that they only have huge ladle size spoons, which are not easy to eat with. The croquetas could be eaten with a fork, but the beef stew would have been far more enjoyable with a normal size soup or tablespoon. The Spanish ham and cheese sandwich was delectable, and also could be eaten by hand. We managed the delightful flan with demitasse spoons, apparently the only alternative.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Stephen Ager
This is the site of the old Jaleo in Bethesda. Good comfort
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Cristie DeVoss
I've ordered take out on numerous occasions, and it's reliably great. They are an A+ place for take out.The online ordering interface is easy and fast.The food is packaged thoughtfully and travels well. They have little bottles for the gazpacho! They include little cups with garnishes! It's delightful.They are extremely fast in preparing take out, and they text you when it is ready. I've had take out ready in literally five minutes, it's great.Staff are always quick and courteous.And the food is delicious. So good. The tomato bread and gazpacho and the citrusy olives are my favorites, but I've enjoyed everything I've tried.Parking nearby is challenging sometimes. Pulling up beside the building usually works fine because they are super fast.
We loved Jaleo and we think Jose Andres is wonderful - all his other restaurants and his humanitarian work-- but unfortunately we didn't love the food at Spanish Diner (apart from the croquettes & bread). It might just be that Continental/Spanish food is generally not to my taste. The gazpacho had cream and a slight bitter note; I prefer the tomato-colored light refreshing gazpacho that I've had elsewhere. The garbanzo and spinach stew was only okay, a bit bland; I plan to add spices to the portion I brought home. The other dish we ordered - roasted chicken - also didn't pop. The preparation of the food was well done; we just wanted more flavor. On the other hand, service was spot on and the atmosphere is nice.
Simple food prepared
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Everything was delicious, the best thing is the live show.They can't let it go, excellent experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas
Stopped in for a work lunch. Service was quick, food was excellent as always, and there was a 3 course lunch special that was perfect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas, Manchego
I am shocked this place hasn't been rebranded. It is the forgotten Andres restaurant. All of his other places are amazing. This one is terrible. The menu choices, the actual food-nothing is good. It is always empty. I beg the restaurant group to please give this place some attention as Bethesda would pack it daily if it was anything like his dc places.
I've only been for happy hour. They have great prices for food and drinks and would strongly recommend
Good food and quick service. Sangria was fresh and
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic
The successor to Jaleo, very chill place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food! The vegetable paella and gazpacho were delicious!
Went here for a business lunch, and it was excellent. I had the squid entree (3 large squid with a black ink sauce and rice), which was delicious. A colleague had the beef stew and another colleague had the Cuban rice, both of which looked outstanding. Overall, a fantastic meal at a reasonable price.Parking: Large County-operated parking structure within 100-200 feet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Arroz a La Cubana, Calamar a La Plancha
Restaurantji Recommends
Decided to try for Bethesda's Restaurant Week after truly enjoying Chef Jose Andres Jaleo for DC's Restaurant Week. I MUCH prefer Jaleo in the District. Spanish Diner is a step down, IMHO, in quality, presentation, and flavor. Service is welcoming and sincere, and for a weeknight, I guess it's okay, but I cannot recommend.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
This is one of my favorite restaurants, but last night we did not have a great experience. My friends and I went to Sangria hour, and when asked for our IDs, they did not want to accept mine due to the fact that it is vertical because I do not have to get it renewed yet. The manager came over and explained that this is a restaurant policy they have, even though I have been served there many times in the past: They were not going to serve me even though I am almost 23 years old. I then asked if I could show a photo of my passport, and the manager agreed to that and then said oh ok the dates match up, so I was served. In that moment, wouldn’t the manager attempt to offer a solution such as that one instead of just not serving a 22-year-old? Our drinks took a long time to come out. No one was attentive to us at all. The table next to us had gotten their food after arriving at the same time and we just got our drinks. Our second round of drinks took over 10 minutes to come out, and when the glass arrived, there was cork in the wine. It took about another 10 minutes to get that new glass of wine that was the “sauvignon Blanc” but was one of the sweetest wines we had ever tried, almost like Porto Wine sweet. Our water was empty the entirety of our time there, no one checked on us once. We had to make awkward eye contact to get anyone to come over. At the end of our meal, we paid in cash and left the tip on the card, and the bartender asked why we didn’t leave the tip in cash. We paid and on the way out heard a nice “finally” from the person taking care of us. Food was great but service made it an extremely unenjoyable experience.
Friend and I enjoyed lunch here. The food was tasty and we savored each bite but do understand that they only have huge ladle size spoons, which are not easy to eat with. The croquetas could be eaten with a fork, but the beef stew would have been far more enjoyable with a normal size soup or tablespoon. The Spanish ham and cheese sandwich was delectable, and also could be eaten by hand. We managed the delightful flan with demitasse spoons, apparently the only alternative.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
This is the site of the old Jaleo in Bethesda. Good comfort
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
I've ordered take out on numerous occasions, and it's reliably great. They are an A+ place for take out.The online ordering interface is easy and fast.The food is packaged thoughtfully and travels well. They have little bottles for the gazpacho! They include little cups with garnishes! It's delightful.They are extremely fast in preparing take out, and they text you when it is ready. I've had take out ready in literally five minutes, it's great.Staff are always quick and courteous.And the food is delicious. So good. The tomato bread and gazpacho and the citrusy olives are my favorites, but I've enjoyed everything I've tried.Parking nearby is challenging sometimes. Pulling up beside the building usually works fine because they are super fast.