Chef Tony’s

Not a good experience. The fried calamari appetizer was actually very good. Of our party of 8, 6 people were disappointed with their meals. The Italian paella was disappointing. The seafood was rubbery and tasted old. The swordfish was overcooked and not good at all. The place was pretty empty and I can see why. Will not go back.

I have been coming here for years and never had the crab cake. Chef Tony is the king of crab cakes. Thanks for years of great food and service. Chef Glenn

Another amazing dinner at Cher Tony’s. This restaurant is absolutely the Best of Bethesda!!! Our server, Richard was incredible. He made us feel like we were family and he was happy to host us at his home.

Nowadays with so many restaurants being part of big conglomerates it so refreshing to dine at a restaurant where the chef owner really cares and the passion and love he has for cooking and his customers is evident from the moment you enter chef Tony’s. The food is so fresh and delicious. Try the calamari, The artic char was amazing. cannot wait to come back and work my way through the menu. next time will try a homemade desert. A place where every penny of you dining dollar is well spent

Great food– ordered more than we could eat and saw many things on the menu we’d want to come back to try. Food and drink are a little on the pricey side, should be at least $$$ here in Unilocal land especially if you have appetizers, drinks or dessert in addition to your main entrée, but I would say it’s worth it. Cream of crab soup was one of the best I’ve had (and I’ve had a lot, it’s one of my very favorite things), calamari was perfect. The only thing to mention about the food is something you see almost everywhere you order scallops– you don’t get many. That was the only dish I thought was over priced– $ 25 for 4 regular sized scallops was disappointing. But that just means we won’t order those again– my seafood stuffed fish filet was great and I thought it was worth every penny.
The other thing to note is that this is a pretty small location, it is very cozy once you get in to your table. Not a bad thing, but something to be aware of. You’re going to be close to your neighbor or close to a wall or both.

We came on a coupon over a year ago and make it back when we can (the food scene in Frederick is nothing to sneeze at). This last trip was no exception. Sunday brunch for six and everything was tasty. Some ordered breakfasty fare and others more suppery. The calamari and pita sampler did not disappoint. From steak and eggs to seafood stew and the scallops and tuna in between… We were very happy yet again. Thank k you, Chef, for the best reason to visit Bethesda.

Had their monkfish today — equally great. Chef is a master of flavor combinations. A friend had what I recommended from my past experience and wasn’t disappointed.
Also, special compliments to our waiter — very fast service, helpful recommendation on the wine.

My daughter and I usually go over the Bay Bridge for seafood on her birthday, but this year her schedule didn’t allow that much time. So we made a reservation at Chef Tony’s. I had great soft-​shell crabs on an earlier visit. Loved the crème brûlée on that occasion.
Today, we had raw oysters and her favorite, cream of crab soup. She had sea scallops on the tapas menu and I had a crab cake from the lunch menu. Great veggies! Everything was cooked perfectly and the server was outstanding.
Hard to find GREAT seafood this side of the Bridge, but Chef Tony’s certainly has it.

We checked out Chef Tony’s around lunch time on a Sunday which turned out to be the brunch menu. Note that the brunch menu has higher prices than the lunch menu for the same items.
Grilled Marinated Filet Mignon Satay: Filet Mignon, herb cream, plantains, cucumber salad
–Very good but overcooked even though when the kind server asked, I had requested medium. It came out well-​done. So keep that in mind that I might be good to ask for a little less cooked than you normally order. I think it would have been perfect if it had come out as medium as I had asked… and he did ask me…
Lump crab & artichoke heart omelette: Parmesan cheese, home fries, bacon
–Concept is great, but needs more flavor inside or outside the omelet somehow. Maybe some onions, spices, sauce, or something. Ingredients tasted very fresh though, and there was lots of crab meat inside. This is good if you like very simple flavors.
Freshwater Trout: Grilled fillet, basil oil, crispy baby potatoes, daily veggies
–Perfectly cooked and very fresh. Highly recommended!
Warm banana bread pudding: vanilla ice cream & Jack Daniels whiskey sauce
–The best way to end the meal… this was amazing! Better to eat this with a spoon to get all the yummy whiskey sauce in each bite… Highly recommended!
Overall a pretty good meal but pricey for the brunch menu. Might be best to come here when it’s their normal lunch menu.
Also they had heaters inside around the tables which made it very cozy!

Awesome grilled romaine/​ceasar salad. Antonio pasta dish is to die for. Calamari is always cooked perfectly. The drinks, when I’ve been during dinner, have been hit or miss. Happy Hour however is Superb!

Wow, amazing find.
Finally I had a chance to visit Chef Tony’s! I had heard many great things about this restaurant for years, but did not have a chance till tonight.
I came here with my husband and his business partner/​friend from other city, total 3 of us.
First we shared a dozen of raw oysters from 3 different locations. I honestly did not anticipate to see raw oysters in menu of this restaurant, because I thought it is a mediterranean restaurant. Their oysters turned out to be superb !!! Thank you so much for having such a wonderful, fresh oysters. It is not easy to find restaurant that offers that level of oysters.
Along with oysters, we ordered a bottle of Italian white wine (Pinot Grigio) recommended by our waiter — wow, great suggestion. We LOVED it, it worked perfectly with our taste buds as well as oysters. We ended up ordering 2^nd bottle !!
Next, we split Grilled Cesar Salad. So crisp and tasty with Balsamic sauce, and generous portion! All of us loved it !!! it was, in a way, art, because it was grilled «lettuce» but so crispy. How do you grill Romain lettuce??? When I tried to grill lettuce, it just gets soft and soggy, not attractive at all. I want to know the miracle recipe, I guess it requires real professional level of grilling skill.
For entrees, I ordered whole crispy red snapper, my husband had seared tuna, his friend had whole lobster… OMG, we shared everything each other, because we wanted to try everything, and were totally amazed how fabulous each dish is ! My red snapper definitely hit my spot !!!
One thing I really liked was that main piece of seafood was awesome, but the fact that it comes with perfect side items. For example, red snapper comes with such a delicious lobster sauce, veggies & nicely cooked rice. This combination makes the dish perfect. Tuna dish had very yummy sauce (mustard?) and crispy flies, lobster dish had veggie sides. These side items were as great as main seafood. I felt that each dish was carefully and meticulously prepared. Also, I thought their cooking style is very healthy. I have seen so many restaurant offering very greasy, heavy seafood dishes which I don’t like. Chef Tony’s dishes looked very healthy !
So we had so much amazing time so far, we could not resist to try dessert at the end.
We shared a cheesecake and a bread pudding… as a cheesecake lover, I have to say their cheesecake was a true killer !!! Delish !!!
My husband and I are sooooo happy to find such a high quality, non-​pretencious, real seafood restaurant in Bethesda. We both thought price was very affordable given the quality of food.
Lastly, we liked their relatively quiet atmosphere — popular restaurants in Bethesda or DC area are often so noisy, and my husband and I don’t appreciate that. Chef Tony’s had nice relaxing ambience and three of us truly enjoyed both meal and conversation. I highly recommend Chef Tony’s to anyone who wants to have really fresh seafood. Thank you very much Tony and his team, can not wait to go back !

This was my husband and I’s first date night in two months! The service was great. Everyone was so friendly and gave us the five star treatment. My husband chose this restaurant so I was not surprised that the décor was subpar. HOWEVER, I didn’t mind the décor. It’s decent. This is like a high end restaurant with a take out restaurant’s ambiance. But I think that’s what it’s supposed to be! That’s appears to be the vibe that they are going for and it works! The food was great! I personally could have had my seafood cooked just a lil longer but my husband explained what my problem was. I’m from the south and used to Cajun seafood. That is not what this is. That is not what they are trying to be. Apparently Chef Tony personally selects the seafood and the menu changes daily. His goal is to bring out the flavors through his artistry as a chef. That’s not for everybody. The food is for a more refined palate so be prepared. The deserts were phenomenal! We really enjoyed ourselves and will be back. It was nice that the owner, Chef Tony, came to see how we enjoyed our meal. It was also nice to see him interacting with his staff. I would have given 5 stars, but I really couldn’t get past the to-​go bag and bean filled candle holder. The glass blocks were a lil too retro for me as well.

Amazing! Best Crab cake I’ve ever had in my life! I’m a traveling lab tech long hours I didn’t feel like going out. Wonderful delivery service through Unilocal.Strawberries soaked in Grand Marnier was wonder duo situate for cocktail Loved it!!!

Nothing to ever come back for. Yes the calamari’ are good, but not enough to make-​up for the other terrible dishes. My friend had two tapas,
Grilled shrimp and butternut squash soup, and I had the seafood waffle. We both could barely finish our food, and came out hungry.
The ambiance isn’t great either. Chef tony needs some serious help.

Came here for Happy Hour. Interior is very dark and feels classic/​dated, depending on how you want to look at it. Great Happy Hour deals– half priced glasses of wine and appetizers. Got the calamari, which was tasty and a generous portion, though a bit soggy. I ordered a glass of wine 2 minutes after Happy Hour ended at 6:30, and the bartender indicated to me that he would honor the Happy Hour price, but when I got my bill I was charged the full price. Not a huge deal, but slightly annoying. Got to meet Chef Tony, who was very friendly, so that was cool. Plus I know he’s involved in a lot of great causes in the community. Would like to return for another Happy Hour to try more appetizers, or for their prix-​fixe seafood dinner.

I had the waffles with shrimp and crab, and it was amazing. The shrimp was high quality. It reminded me of shrimp I eat when I’m New Orleans. The atmosphere was very pleasant. My husband was able to sit there for a good part of the morning and afternoon reading our newspaper without too much disturbance. They don’t try to rush you out after you have your meal. Overall, it was a great experience.

I’ve had equally good service at the bar and at a table (thanks, Axel and Brian). Drinks trend sweet but sippable. Ambivalent about the pita table bread, so maybe the black olive tapenade is worth the upgrade. Mussels and crab bisque are fine, the scallops are seared well, and the calamari was probably the favorite bar bite of the night. Filet mignon was seasoned nicely, but the quality almost wasted in satay format. Portioning is definitely tapas style across the menu, though the crème brûlée was generously sized in comparison to everything else. I’m tempted to see if the third time’s the charm, but I’m afraid to see how small the braised boneless beef short rib, but Chef Tony’s blends into the hubbub of Bethesda restaurants which don’t especially wow.

OMG-​oodness! What a great lunch experience! Where do I begin?
First, I called and spoke to Michael to inquire about some of the menu selections that I didn’t’ see on the internet menu, which always works for me when trying a new eatery. .hence my co-​worker decided to give this place a try.
As soon as we walked, the host/​server and probably the sous-​chef (LOL) greeted and welcome us to Chef Tony’s. Ha, it was Michael! I told him I was the person who called earlier to inquire about the menu selections and he was just as excited and ecstatic as I was. I asked for the patio seating, which had white linen tablecloths and he assured me the service time would not be hindered by seating outside. Let the foodie games begin.
He came out with the water, read us the specials and asked if we would partake in any appetizers. We settled on the Calamari, which is slated as the «Bethesda’s Best» and I got my glass of Malbec… what a generous pour. My co-​worker ordered the Crab Cake Omelet and I settled for a sided salad, that was very fresh with Dried Cranberries and Marinated Peppers… let’s say YUMMY! My co-worker’s lunch came with a side of potatoes and some bacon, with the presentation looking very nice. I can admire plate presentations without consuming such LOL!
Michael’s service was on point, he was friendly, engaging, expeditious, and had an overall great sense of whit. The food was fresh, didn’t take long to hit our table and was truly a great lunch experience on a Friday and on the patio.
I told Michael that we would be back, and I plan to call ahead to place our order so we can have more time to enjoy the nosh, wine and great customer service.

Our new favorite spot for pasta and small plates! Service is outstanding in a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Soups and salads were very generous servings, as were the pastas. Lobster with penne was, indeed, just about a whole lobster worth of meat. Piccata was served with fried capers!!! Same room for breathtaking tiramisu or cannoli.
For a real treat, let Chef Tony take your palate on a delightful journey via the Chef’s Tasting Menu. You need to reserve a table for this menu and contact the chef at least a day in advance, and you will enjoy the six course that he crafts for you! It’s worthy of a special occasion meal or a married couple’s date night!

I’m always skeptical of restaurants that continue to offer Groupon and LivingSocial deals time after time, because if the place is really good, people will start to come back without any special offer, and the deals won’t be offered anymore. In the case of Chef Tony’s, the deals really are always available, and have been for what feels like years. Maybe it has been years? Anyway, I never bought a deal, for the reason I just discussed, until recently. One of the deal websites was having a sale for an extra percent off of whatever the already discounted deal price was. I thought, what the heck… might as well give it a try. Well, it seems that my theory holds true. It just wasn’t impressive. Here’s why.
1. The décor needs a lot of help. It’s dark in there. The floors look like they need to be repaired. The wall murals look dated and tired. Plain and simple, it needs freshening up.
2. Though the service is very friendly and very attentive, it seems that the servers are encouraged to push the most expensive items. The food also came out startlingly fast, which could be perceived as a positive, but made me wonder if it really was made to order.
3. The food is unimpressive. I had the braised Massachusetts cod, and my friend had the monkfish. The cod was flaky and tender, but the sauce was strange. It had an odd sour flavor to it, and the chorizo was tough and chewy. The monkfish was tough, like overcooked lobster, and, oddly, the sauce looked almost exactly like the sauce on my dish, though one was supposed to be a seafood sauce and the other a tomato and chardonnay-​based sauce. Both were edible, though neither was very good. The bread with olive oil served before the entrees, however, was very good.
I’m sorry to say I won’t be back, and I wouldn’t recommend it.