Taste Gastropub
3418 Olney Laytonsville Rd, Olney, MD, 20832
Taste Gastropub Menu
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Address :
3418 Olney Laytonsville Rd
Olney, MD, 20832 - Phone (301) 774-2500
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Brunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Trendy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
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Paul L.
My wife and I went here for the first time this past weekend. Great atmosphere, bar area, and I found the waitstaff very personable. We had a couple of small plates (beef skewers and hummus platter) that were excellent. I had every reason to believe we'd continue that trajectory into the main meal, but we were both really disappointed with the entrees. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara and was shocked at how flavorless it was - there was no seasoning whatsoever and even the tomato didn't stand out as very tomato-y. To rule out the possibility of a mini-stroke that had obliterated my taste buds, I asked my wife to try it and she had the same assessment. Additionally. my wife commented that her dish - mussels - was also fairly plain, commenting that she could taste lemon and that was about it. We really wanted to like this place. One disappointing dish you can chalk up to hit-or-miss but two just means to avoid in the future. This place started out when it opened as small-plate fare only, but they haven't yet made the transition to equally-impressive entrees.
(2)Jeremy B.
2.5 if i could. Ambiance: Strip mall at the corner of Georgia Ave and 108 in Olney. Small seating area out front on the sidewalk. Inside features reduced lighting, a wood bar, tables that aren't too close together. Comfortable. Service: Not amazing, but definitely not terrible. On the high end of average with the regular wait staff (slightly brusque, not terribly engaging, but efficient), but the floor manager came by a couple of times too. Beer Selection: My inner beer douche is admittedly coming out here, but I don't think you can really call your place a gastropub when you only have eight draught lines and eight bottles in addition to the standard macros. The draft and bottle lists were nicely varied between styles, and most are local, but there were no pleasant surprises or rarities. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the well-curated and thoughtful draught and bottle list management at other nearby places like Quench, Full On, and Victoria's (a legitimate gastropub if ever there was one). Food: Had a few different small plates, as well as the charcuterie platter. Some of the stuff was really good (beef skewers and the charc), some was good (my wife's ravioli), and some was a mixed bag (meatballs over polenta). Where the food gets weak is that some of it is a tad underseasoned (the polenta and the bread basket), which is not that big a deal, except that this place did not have salt and pepper shakers on the table. That's a pet peeve of mine. Don't take the power of seasoning out of my hands. I might be a pepper addict for all you know, needing that spicy, sneezy black powder fix, man. Value: This place was definitely on the pricey end. The charc platter in particular was on the expensive side. The charc, plus ravioli, small beef skewers, small meatballs, two beers, and a cocktail ran a hundred bucks plus tip. Overall: Nice ambiance, better than average food, over-priced, with an average draught and bottle list. Probably won't be a regular.
(3)Maria O.
Excellent meal. The hangar steak au poivre was perfect and the frites delicious. The salmon was a little undercooked but tasty. The chocolate cake was so good! Moist and decadent. Very attentive service. All in all a lovely evening!
(4)T M.
We went here a few months ago because we saw a "kids eat free" sign outside. My wife and I had dinner and we got both of the kids something off the kids menu. The food was pretty good, nothing struck me as extraordinary. The drinks seem overpriced to me. When the bill came, we were charged for both of the kids. I asked the waiter about it and he said the sign must be for the Olney Grill. I politely informed him that there were several signs by the road and they all said "taste gastropub ". Instead of looking out the window at the signs, he asked his manager who said the signs must be for the Olney Grill also. I took the waiter to the front of the restaurant and pointed at the signs. He told me to wait again that he had to check. After another 10 minutes, he came back and said that he and the manager were both new and he checked with the cook who informed him that it was "kids eat free" night. They took both of the kids meals off the check. I still don't know how the manager and the waiter drove in the parking lot without seeing the signs. Further, I guess the waiter thought I hadn't passed elementary school reading because I couldn't tell the difference between "taste gastropub" and "Olney Grill". I will give this place two stars because the food was pretty good. It really isn't a good restaurant for kids. The meals and drinks seem overpriced and as you can tell from my review, the wait staff left something to be desired. I won't go back.
(2)Elizabeth W.
So, was searching for a nice place to go for my birthday dinner and saw that Olney has a Gastro Pub!!!! Super cool! So we ended up being a party of 15 and I was kind of worried that there wouldn't be enough room since the place seemed kind of small. IT worked out, they split us into two tables of 8. Food: Here is the run down of what people got: Sausage Craft Lamb Sausage Blue Crab Bisque - too salty Pan-Seared Rockfish - Catch of the day, mixed reviews Pan-seared Scallops - Too pricey Pan Roasted Local Ribeye - too pricey Seafood Pasta - 3 people got this rating: 7.5/10 Fish N Chips - 8/10 Roasted Chicken Sandwich - Didn't like the Bread The food was really good. I had the Pan-seared Rockfish and I thought it was delicious! The food overall seemed to be pretty good. Drinks: Good selection of beer, wine and specialties. I got an Orange Crush which was good. Not the best I ever had, but well balanced. Service: Tatianna was funny and personable, pretty good for a waitress. I liked her a lot. A big group like us is always hard to deal with, so I always give the waitress a break. Plus, if you're nice and you kept my sister's cup filled, I give you an A+! The decor was really nice, I liked it. I think I would come back for happy hour or to try the Charcuterie and cheese, but the main selections are a little pricey for me. This is not a place I would frequent I think.
(4)Roy S.
This used to be Taste Mezza!!! What happened??????? Taste Mezza was one of the best restaurants I have ever been to in MD. Now its just pub grub with a couple Greek tapas thrown in as an afterthought... I am terribly saddened by this change. Do not get me wrong the food is good but its just like most other places out there, so why would I drive all the way to Olney now?? Goodbye Taste Mezza, you are missed!!!
(2)Bill M.
I really want to like this place more. I came here when it was a greek place and liked it much more. We came in for brunch on Sunday. We were seated just outside the bar area where a guy that sounded like wolfman Jack obviously had too much to drink and was cursing quite a bit. I was there with my wife, 7yr old daughter, and mother-in-law. I am no shrinking violet, but the bottomless mimosas and bloody mary's can be a problem when there is hardly a barrier between the dining room and the bar. I understand this is a gastropub, but we have been to others without anything close to this. We were seated and drinks were delivered quickly. We ordered our meals at 2:00 and were delivered our meals at 2:30. There were two or three other tables in the restaurant. The food was actually pretty good. Chocolate chip pancakes for my daughter, pork belly hash for me, falafel for my wife, and a croque madame for MIL. The croque madame was huge and looked great, the falafel was good with a little harissa for spice. My hash was supposed to be topped with two poached eggs, these were overcooked, but the overall dish was fine. The food was fine, but we would have appreciated being updated on why our meals were so late coming out. I don't know if we'll be back.
(2)Doug C.
"Best Place to Host a Dinner Party..." I just hosted a dinner party last week at "Taste Gastropub" in Olney, Maryland for 70 of my best friends and clients. The event was a smashing success!! The staff at "Taste" were incredible to work with, they accommodated my every request, ALL of my 70 guests loved the restaurant and all of them raved about the excellent food and service. Everyone told me later that they are going to bring their families and friends back and others said they are going to bring their office staffs and clients because of the superb ambiance, food and service they enjoyed at the dinner party. I fully intend to host as many events as I can at "Taste" in the future. I can't say enough about what an outstanding restaurant "Taste' is. I highly recommend it to anyone. "Taste" and the staff made me look great in front of my friends and clients -- and you can't ask for anything better than that!! March 19, 2014 Doug Crowley
(5)Kyle D.
Taste has delicious food. The atmosphere is great and the staff is friendly. I wish the prices were a little lower. I love the community involvement!
(4)Sandy B.
What a nice surprise. Well-crafted food out in the 'burbs. I went on Saturday night. They even had live music (with no cover charge), starting at 6pm. I really liked the Charcuterie Board; I selected the chorizo. The chorizo was delicious, flavorful. The bread served with it was wonderful, soft and fresh. I had the pumpkin whatever dessert -- yummy, and a perfect size. That said, it was advertised as coming with "orange fennel crème fraiche", but the creme fraiche seemed more like ice cream, and the orange fennel taste didn't come through; it was more like vanilla to me -- but I enjoyed it anyway because the pumpkin soue tart was light and delightful. I drank the blueberry mojito -- pleasing but wished for more blueberries. I'm eager to try more of their creative drinks. (I don't drink beer so I know I was missing out on a big part of their schtick.) I also had iced tea which was served with lemon, without me having to ask. Yeah! Note: Reservations may be a good idea on Saturday nights....they're that popular. Check out prices online before you go -- so you know what you and/or companions may end up spending. I thought the prices were fair for what I had. My total without tip and tax was about $24 (drink/ meat 6 / dessert 7 / iced tea) I hope to go back. You can readily spend more if you get an entrée, or more drinks. They have special prices for lunch, and do serve Sunday brunch. And there are other specials happening (especially drink prices) now and then.
(4)M R C H.
Nice little pub atmosphere, really great fish & chips! I wasn't drinking when my wife and I visited, but the new selection seemed fun. Dark bar lighting, but not a sleezy feel at all. Good service, the kitchen was accommodating to questions and a dessert substitution. We will certainly go back.
(4)Liza A.
What a horrible experience.... We came at three in the afternoon on Friday and believe me biiigggg mistake....no service they were talking with each other and no one refilled my husband glass of water.......this is the scoop.. We come and are greeted by the waitress ... Sit down and brought menus...hubby ask for a mojito and I don't know yet..so she says she will bring a glass of water... Drinks come and I noticed my glass have some food on the side of the glass and something else floating on my water... Yukkkkk.....hubbies mojito has old rotten mint in it...and taste like diluted sugar...yukkkk... Then I order a white sangria and this orange juice colored drink comes....what? Do they think that wine+orange juice+wedges of orange and lime makes sangria? Come on...hubby didn't like mojito so he returns it...ask for a corona...it comes and is Luke warm..WTF!!!...disappointed already I almost left but hubby insisted....we order food and the first dish comes 15 min later ..flat bread and crab dip..nothing special...another 15 min and I am restless comes beef skewers and chicken souvlaki....I wasn't hungry out of all this waiting.... By the way did I forget to mention we were the only customers inside????? Never again...one star is to much....no service no good food....disgusting drinks.... Never again
(1)Debbie H.
My second time to this restaurant for lunch since they changed hands. (Was previously a 3 times a month customer)The food is worth the trip; the chef is experienced and has an excellent, varied cuisine. However, this is NOT a place you want to go on a lunch break, or if you have groceries in the car. 1st trip there were two of us, second trip there were 4. Both times we were the only ones in the restaurant and lunch took 40 minutes to be served. Communication by the wait staff would have been appreciated re: how much longer our meal would take, refilling our non-alcoholic drinks needed to be requested by our parties on both trips.. Getting the waitresses attention was not as easy as one might think in an otherwise empty restaurant. She was "tied up" behind the bar with one customer each time I was there. If you want great food, go there. If you can tolerate a longer than average wait time from order to arrival of food, or a really attentive wait staff, keep looking. One final positive: the large screen TVs behind he bar are quiet - thank you!
(3)Ginger B.
We've been here twice with a friend visiting her parents in Sandy Spring, both times on a weeknight. The service has been excellent and the atmosphere cozy. You don't know you're in a strip mall. The menu is varied and it works for groups where everyone wants something different. The small plates work for someone who doesn't want a large meal while the entrees roll out a full meal. The hummus/pita sampler was a safe choice for an appetizer and the perfect size for 6. A small plate chicken kabob worked for someone watching their carbs. The shrimp &grits was nicely cooked and delivered at the right temperature (grits need to be prepared on the spot), a good dish to eat with wine. They have a nice wine list and selection of beers. Their iced tea is brewed fresh, in case you aren't sampling the bar. The Arugula salad w/salmon and pumpkin w as good, although the accompanying breaded goat cheese was a bit dry. Overall it's a pleasant experience.
(4)A B.
First time there - food was very good. There were 4 of us. Appetizers were tasty and all entrees were great. One star off because the service was pretty lousy. At first we felt rushed as he asked us within a minute of sitting down if we were ready to order and did so again within another minute. We told him it was our first time and needed to review the menu. We asked for a round of water to start and one of us never got water - the entire time. My husband never got his second beer. I had to ask for a refill on my water and before my entree came out my glass was empty and never got refilled. I believe the manager even saw me leaning over and drinking from another glass on the table. They replaced vegetables with french fries without notification, stating the chef didn't like the way the vegetables looked (french fries is a lousy replacement) and when they said they would bring another vegetable it never came. While they offered to buy us dessert they already knew we were full and wouldn't accept the offer since we already told them forget the new vegetable since we were done eating. The right thing would have been to take an app off the bill. I would like to go back - we just have to be sure we never get that server again and hope it is a better experience!
(4)matt l.
Thankfully, they were the only place open in the storm yesterday. Great service by Andrew at the bar. Nice draft selection and the few items we are we're very good. The dip sampler is really good. Nice locals place although I miss some of the previous owners food but this bar is way better.
(5)Dan H.
I'm not familiar with the food, but just to mention the cost of a 10 oz. beer is $1.00 per ounce. After tax and a small tip, you have spent $11 for a tiny little drink of a microbrew. I don't think that's reasonable, even for the "best" microbrews. We went elsewhere because the "pub" part of this gastropub is a wee bit too pretentious with the prices.
(2)Ben P.
Bottomless mimosas during Sunday brunch and the waiter came out with complementary fresh donuts. Ballin'
(5)Janet C.
Our second visit here and still not entirely impressed. The food is good but not great for the price. Enjoyed the shrimp and grits and pork chop entrees but the steak and seafood pasta were just okay. Desserts were really disappointing. Some good beers but not an extensive list. Mixed drinks are yummy but most are over complicated. Not as refined as Victoria Gastropub in Columbia but charging the same price. Mixed feelings about service at bar, entirely too much personal information heard about the staff's current dating and diet status (don't need to know that the stick behind the bar is trying to lose 10 pounds to be a walking skeleton as we enjoy our calorie laden meals).
(3)Peter C.
Wow. Really a pleasant surprise! Just moved to Olney from Bethesda and this place was great. Beef tartar was excellent. Great beer selection. The burger my wife ordered was cooked a perfect medium. The fish and chips I ordered was delicious. Big piece of fish. Fries are hand made and cut apparently in the kitchen and they were very tasty. The bar was low for me when I walked in the door to this random place in a strip mall, and the bottom line was this place was great. It wasn't too noisy inside. Its not a large place but it was decorated tastefully and you weren't on top of your neighboring table. The prices were reasonable for the quality of food, and the service was excellent. The ice cream sandwich cookie on the lemon cookie...wow scrumptious. Highly recommend this place!
(5)Gio C.
Had a great dinner with friends and had a table up front by the window. Great drinks (don't miss the orange crush- its fantastic and you cannot drink just one!). Food was varied and had some fun menu items. lamb meatballs super! Lobster risotto delish with HUGE chunks of lobster- no skimping here! and fresh tasty oysters! We also had the shrimp and grits which i licked the plate (shoulda ordered a double on that!). Full bar+ great wine list+ great food = a great time in Olney! By the way- it really isn't that far from south MOCO county and def worth the trip!
(5)Dave M.
Cheeseburger tasted good but it was a lot smaller than the bun ... and the toppings overwhelmed the burger. Strip away the bread, the pickle, the onion, the lettuce and you're left with what seemed to be a 4-oz.burger for $13. Calamari was OK ... not hot or crispy enough for me but everyone else seemed to like it. I didn't care for the banana cream "pie." It was more crust than cream ... and it wasn't a slice of pie ... it was more like a tart with a couple of tablespoon fulls of cream. I looked for banana slices ... wasn't sure if there was any banana or not. Coffee had a funny taste. My table-mates seemed to enjoy their beer and vodka drinks. No need to return as far as I'm concerned.
(2)Elijah B.
I was in here about a few weeks ago with my annoying wife Sarah. I wanted to sit at the bar but she insisted we sit at a table like some pretentious couple from the 50's so we did. Our server was named Tommy and he mentioned he liked the redskins---so his service was perfect. He even went as far as asking the old hag for her ID--which made her feel special, even though shes clearly from the Mesozoic Era of time. I went for the shrimp pasta and my blabbing wife had something that was fried--I don't know what it was but she liked it so I was happy. I actually enjoyed my pasta too. All in all everything was fine and we lived ever after.
(4)Christy S.
I have heard about the Taste change over and to be honest my wife and I were skeptic. However, my wife took me in to Taste on Fathers day because they had a "dads eat free pigroast" promotion. The pigroast plate was amazing and I had a few orange crushes before switching to a pale ale ( I think it was Dales). - Fathers day so I was allowed to have a few..... Service was great. I didnt catch our servers name but I can say that we will be back and soon. Amazing time and I hope that the old taste "haters" come back to see what this place is about and give it a chance.
(5)Anne R.
I have always liked this place, and even though I miss my main man Mark the new owners are very, very nice. The chef is also awesome, although I am not a seafood fan I hear great things about their scallops. They still have awesome hummus and all that, but I do wish they had more Greek. The steaks are very good cuts and personally I think better seasoned than another local steak house. It would be nice if they added some curry dips and fries, which I know is a pub fave...
(4)Tony N.
My wife and I came here on a Saturday evening for cocktails and bar appetizers. We enjoyed the drinks and food was good. Glad to have a downtown-like watering hole in the outer rings of Olney!
(4)Mary Ann R.
Excellent meal! Started with chicken souvakli appetizer. The tzatziki sauce was cold, tasty and delicious. Chicken cooked perfectly! I had the shrimp and grits which were the perfect portion size and delicious. My husband had the Scottish salmon which he claimed to be perfection. We had the pear tart dessert to share. Came with hazelnut gelato which was scrumptious. 2 glasses of Riesling. A wonderful meal. We will be back!
(5)Laurie K.
For Sunday brunch, the menu selection was varied and the food was of good quality. However, the service leaves much to be desired. We waited 30 minutes for water or even to place our order. The food came first before the drinks. I had to ask the water afterwards. After multiple complaints, two waiters and the manager/bartender took good care of us.
(3)Jerry H.
Totally enjoyed the experience. My wife and I had been working very hard and decided to have a quiet dinner out to get a little break. We found the Taste Gastropub to be just the ticket. Not loud, great food, great service. We started with the filet skewers which were unbelievably tender. My wife had the sweet pea ravioli and I had the seared scallops which were outstanding. It turned into a perfect evening away from the stresses of work. Highly recommend it. I know we're going back.
(5)Anne R.
I have always liked this place, and even though I miss my main man Mark the new owners are very, very nice. The chef is also awesome, although I am not a seafood fan I hear great things about their scallops. They still have awesome hummus and all that, but I do wish they had more Greek. The steaks are very good cuts and personally I think better seasoned than another local steak house. It would be nice if they added some curry dips and fries, which I know is a pub fave...
(4)Kor H.
The first few times I came here it was pretty good but it started going downhill. The drinks are delicious but they seem to have changed a few bartenders and the last time I went the bartender was more interested in entertaining his friends than making us drinks or even finding out if we wanted refills or even bothering to wipe the bar when he realized we sat down. To be fair I would have not been annoyed with my experience but the place had my group of friends and his group of friends so it isn't like they were very busy. The food used to be one of my favorite things and I had talked this place up to my friends but either another chef was working or the chef was a bit off his game the night we went. My friend's girlfriend said her steak tasted like charcoal and the list of what they were out of was endless. When my friend ordered something that they forgot they were out of they substituted what they thought was appropriate instead of bothering to ask if she wanted to change her order and she was not a fan of the substitution so she wished she had gotten the opportunity to change her order. I ordered something I normally get but the recipe had changed drastically because the flavor was gone.
(1)Ken S.
So we have been a few times and overall a nice neighborhood place. New but getting it's feet. Went there on Sunday for brunch for wife B day and had nice jazz playing. Pretty empty so should be a easy deal.Had the bottomless mimosa's which were nice but at 12 bucks, I felt a little high, same as the bloody do it yourself which was cool, but again 11 bucks was high. So onto the meal. Waitress was fine but when told about the french toast was missing something she was like "oh well eat slowly" since she forgot the advertised cream anglasie and candied oranges. Hello that was what made it special. When I finally came i had shared 1/2 and ate my half since was getting cold. The sauce made it but was a little to late. Should replace the whole plate? The crab Benedict was very good but one of the eggs was hard while one was perfectly runny? How do you do that. The other plates of pancakes and hash were fine. Will go again in the future but you have to get it right and you have to won
(2)Christina M.
What a disappointment! I dined there last year and was very impressed with the food. Truly delicious and a surprise in a pub setting. Sadly, I can't say the same this year. First of all, they changed the menu, but they didn't change it on their website. So I went expecting something entirely different from what I got. The food was disappointing this time. While the fries are excellent and my fellow diner's steak was very good, my gnocchi was very chewy and the mussels were dry. Definitely not the wonderful dining experience from last year. Maybe I picked the wrong dish.
(3)Brian R.
Wanted it to be better. Some things worked and some didn't. The Charcuterie board had great selection, delivered on a monster sized board that nearly filled our table for 2. Nice beer list. Recommend: Oysters, Roasted pumpkin, Carcuterie, Garlic Rock Shrimp (spicy). Pass on: Brussel sprouts (not properly roasted, hard as rock), Lamb meatballs (way underseasoned, bottled sauce). 5 stars for the king of WEISSE beers Schneider Weisse Aventinus.
(3)David O.
Have eaten here before and was great. Last evening had rehearsal dinner there. It was truly amazing. Food was incredible, staff fabulous. Compliments from all attendees. Peter was very accommodating . Perfect event.
(5)Eric L.
My better half and I ate here on a sunday evening and were seated right away (which sometimes is a bad sign, and this particular evening would prove to be the case). We ordered drinks, a beer and a "sangria" (or white wine filled with whatever fruit they had at the bar) and ordered our food. Unfortunately, they were fresh out of both of the dishes we ordered, the result of an apparent delivery failure according to the manager. Our food came out promptly, and was OK. My burger which I ordered medium came out well done, and lacked any seasoning or flavor, and her Gnocchi came out with carrots on it, instead of the advertised butternut squash and pistachios. Seeing as my burger cost 12 bucks I expected something a little better than the five guys across the street but sadly I was disappointed. Her 15 dollar gnocchi came in an oversized bowl with an undersized portion, leaving her unsatisfied. Our waitress was friendly, and apologized several times for the restaurants failures, however there were too many during our experience. In summary, it seems like a great place to go for a beer, a football game, and maybe grab an appetizer. However I doubt I will ever come back for their dinner service.
(2)Melissa L.
I have to say .... I thought Taste was good before the redesign ... now they are great! Everything was spot on. All of the food was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the service was spot on. I am thrilled to have Taste in the area area as it is great to have a 'date night' place so close to home. Try the Hugs and Kisses martini with the pear tart dessert! More to come on our next trip!
(4)Stephen D.
Very good food. We've been twice and everything tastes wonderful. The atmosphere inside is quite nice too. It was fairly empty so don't know about the noise levels on a more popular night. The prices are slightly high which is what prevents a higher rating.
(4)Heather H.
The menu has returned to some of it's old Greek tapas. But the prices are high and the food was not good. Our server didn't have a recommendation other than the fish and chips. We order the calamari- it was plain. We ordered the pork belly and a soft cheese- that the server described as "brie"like. It was horrible- seriously it tasted like fumes. When we told him it wasn't like brie at all, he then told us that he didn't like that cheese- but preferred the harder ones. Really?? You couldn't tell us that ahead of time when we asked for recommendations?? We ordered the hanger steak w/ frites- it was bad also! I know that hanger steak is a bit tough, but when it is the ONLY steak on the menu- you would expect it to be chewable. It seems like Taste is trying to be modern and hip with fewer, fancy items. But the food should be first rate for the prices. To give them credit though, the manager did comp us the steak- we did tell her it wasn't necessary and gave us a free piece of pie. (Which sadly was not very good either.) Perhaps we really just ordered the wrong food, but will probably not be going back. It was a great original find a few years ago, when they had more Greek tapas, but now it's just overrated and not worth it.
(2)Michael S.
Food was good, great beer selection. Crab Bisque was excellent
(3)Matt P.
Nice place to go with another couple. Have a variety of tapas to start off with. Also a good drink menu. A good atmosphere and friendly staff.
(4)Cat S.
I didn't get a chance to sit in to eat in but their Try-Three-Cheeses platter with bread is DELICIOUS and their seafood pasta salad is on point! I also loved the little candies by the door, some kind of caramel mints. My take order goes great with the wine from the Winery at Olney, if you need a place to order great food to pair with wine, this is the place!
(3)S S.
Had the pleasure of having dinner here with a business client. I was very pleased with the food and service. Pork belly was amazing. Looking forward to future visits.
(5)Nicholas D.
I have been twice and both times the food and service was excellent. First time was for brunch and I had the shrimp and grits. It was awesome. Just as good as LuLu's @ The Thompson House down on Amelia Island. Second time I was in the mood for a burger and I wasn't disappointed. Cooked as ordered and full of flavor. Have some killer drink deals too with a large craft beer selection.
(5)Darcy P.
I think this place is fine. bartenders usually really nice and food is ok. evidently a lot of people seem to love the food but i've ordered a lot of different things, both before and after the redo, and while nothing was terrible, nothing was awesome either. before it was kind of a mezze place but the mezze selections were just fine. not awful but not amazing hummus or other types of dips. not as good as lebanese taverna, even. greek salad was terrible--it was like bagged lettuce with an olive on it. wasn't even greek dressing. mama lucia's was better! the bartender told me they redid the greek salad so perhaps it is better but for the price, i'm not getting it. flatbreads ok, again not awesome but not bad. veggie sides often too greasy. i have to say i've never ordered an entree and they do look good, but they are so much pricier and usually we are going for a drink and some food to share, not $25+ entrees each. they tend to close early-though always they say we should come back on x,y, or z day and they stay open late--perhaps they do on the weekends but I come after work on my way home, not saturdays, and thursdays they stay open late if they have a crowd of maybe 10 or more but otherwise, when it's say 6, the vacuums come out at 9. overall, this place is in the rotation but mostly bc bartenders are nice and generous with their pours and food is decent.
(3)Max H.
I gave the old Taste Mezze four stars, but I really wanted to give it 4.5. I try to reserve 5 stars for the most exceptional experiences. Well, the new Taste Gastropub kept the best of the old menu and made some great improvements, like carrying craft beers and raw oysters, both offered during happy hours, and an amazing scallop ceviche. I'm looking forward to trying everything on the menu eventually!
(5)Evelia S.
My family went to Taste today for Mother's Day Brunch. The menu was varied. We all got different items, cooked to perfection. Our waiter was Tom. He was excellent and paid attention to every detail. We were very happy and pleased. Mind you the our group included people with various dietary differences. We were all satisfied. The food was freshly cooked to perfection. We had the pancakes for my granddaughter, chicken for my son, frittata for my daughter, and salmon for me. It was beautifully presented. The mimosas are wonderful.
(5)Jeff M.
This is worth traveling for. The food here is top notch. From the custom charcuterie board (make sure to get the prosciutto and chorizo) to the beet salad, to the fritter plate, the beginning of your meal won't disappoint. Then for entrees, try the pork chop with kale, or the shrimp with grits. The portions are tasty, delicious, and don't skimp on size. The wine selection is better than adequate, and the choice of craft beers is impressive. For the money, it would be hard to find a better value in the Maryland suburbs (take that, Bethesda). They'll get our fifth star when the water comes to the table in a timely way and there are linen tablecloths. But overall, Taste Gastropub is a wonderful meal in a surprising location.
(4)Rachel L.
I was there last night for a double date with another couple. I just wasn't that thrilled with it. They try to put together a high end cocktail list but it comes off as inexperienced and honestly goofy. A cocktail based on skittles? I'll pass. The cocktail I landed up getting, the Third Date, was alright. It wasn't mixed very well and mostly tasted of gin. My boyfriend stuck with beer and liked the selection a lot. We ordered the crab dip and it tasted like canned crab that had been baked with a little cheesy on top...and someone didn't completely drain the can before baking it. The bottom of the crab dip was watery and the bread served with it was stale. The other couple ordered the rosemary skewers and said those were good but I didn't try them. I wasn't super hungry so I just had a cheese plate to nibble on. They did have a really interesting cheese selection which was nice. My boyfriend ordered the burger and said it was good but not special. He did really like the fries that came with it. If you check in on Yelp while you are there, you get a free desert, so we tried the sticky toffee bread pudding with malt ice cream. The bread pudding was fine, nothing special. The ice cream had freezer burn. Based on the food alone, we probably wouldn't return. What really sealed the deal was the volume of the music. We were literally screaming across the table to hear each other. My ears were ringing afterwards. If I knew they went for a dated night club after 9, we probably wouldn't have grabbed dinner there in the first place.
(2)Rachel G.
Food not as good since ownership switched hands.
(3)Steve L.
Great place. Gourmet food and an awesome selection of beer. Worth the drive
(5)matt l.
Thankfully, they were the only place open in the storm yesterday. Great service by Andrew at the bar. Nice draft selection and the few items we are we're very good. The dip sampler is really good. Nice locals place although I miss some of the previous owners food but this bar is way better.
(5)Dan H.
I'm not familiar with the food, but just to mention the cost of a 10 oz. beer is $1.00 per ounce. After tax and a small tip, you have spent $11 for a tiny little drink of a microbrew. I don't think that's reasonable, even for the "best" microbrews. We went elsewhere because the "pub" part of this gastropub is a wee bit too pretentious with the prices.
(2)Ben P.
Bottomless mimosas during Sunday brunch and the waiter came out with complementary fresh donuts. Ballin'
(5)Janet C.
Our second visit here and still not entirely impressed. The food is good but not great for the price. Enjoyed the shrimp and grits and pork chop entrees but the steak and seafood pasta were just okay. Desserts were really disappointing. Some good beers but not an extensive list. Mixed drinks are yummy but most are over complicated. Not as refined as Victoria Gastropub in Columbia but charging the same price. Mixed feelings about service at bar, entirely too much personal information heard about the staff's current dating and diet status (don't need to know that the stick behind the bar is trying to lose 10 pounds to be a walking skeleton as we enjoy our calorie laden meals).
(3)Peter C.
Wow. Really a pleasant surprise! Just moved to Olney from Bethesda and this place was great. Beef tartar was excellent. Great beer selection. The burger my wife ordered was cooked a perfect medium. The fish and chips I ordered was delicious. Big piece of fish. Fries are hand made and cut apparently in the kitchen and they were very tasty. The bar was low for me when I walked in the door to this random place in a strip mall, and the bottom line was this place was great. It wasn't too noisy inside. Its not a large place but it was decorated tastefully and you weren't on top of your neighboring table. The prices were reasonable for the quality of food, and the service was excellent. The ice cream sandwich cookie on the lemon cookie...wow scrumptious. Highly recommend this place!
(5)Gio C.
Had a great dinner with friends and had a table up front by the window. Great drinks (don't miss the orange crush- its fantastic and you cannot drink just one!). Food was varied and had some fun menu items. lamb meatballs super! Lobster risotto delish with HUGE chunks of lobster- no skimping here! and fresh tasty oysters! We also had the shrimp and grits which i licked the plate (shoulda ordered a double on that!). Full bar+ great wine list+ great food = a great time in Olney! By the way- it really isn't that far from south MOCO county and def worth the trip!
(5)Anne R.
I have always liked this place, and even though I miss my main man Mark the new owners are very, very nice. The chef is also awesome, although I am not a seafood fan I hear great things about their scallops. They still have awesome hummus and all that, but I do wish they had more Greek. The steaks are very good cuts and personally I think better seasoned than another local steak house. It would be nice if they added some curry dips and fries, which I know is a pub fave...
(4)Tony N.
My wife and I came here on a Saturday evening for cocktails and bar appetizers. We enjoyed the drinks and food was good. Glad to have a downtown-like watering hole in the outer rings of Olney!
(4)Paul L.
My wife and I went here for the first time this past weekend. Great atmosphere, bar area, and I found the waitstaff very personable. We had a couple of small plates (beef skewers and hummus platter) that were excellent. I had every reason to believe we'd continue that trajectory into the main meal, but we were both really disappointed with the entrees. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara and was shocked at how flavorless it was - there was no seasoning whatsoever and even the tomato didn't stand out as very tomato-y. To rule out the possibility of a mini-stroke that had obliterated my taste buds, I asked my wife to try it and she had the same assessment. Additionally. my wife commented that her dish - mussels - was also fairly plain, commenting that she could taste lemon and that was about it. We really wanted to like this place. One disappointing dish you can chalk up to hit-or-miss but two just means to avoid in the future. This place started out when it opened as small-plate fare only, but they haven't yet made the transition to equally-impressive entrees.
(2)Dave M.
Cheeseburger tasted good but it was a lot smaller than the bun ... and the toppings overwhelmed the burger. Strip away the bread, the pickle, the onion, the lettuce and you're left with what seemed to be a 4-oz.burger for $13. Calamari was OK ... not hot or crispy enough for me but everyone else seemed to like it. I didn't care for the banana cream "pie." It was more crust than cream ... and it wasn't a slice of pie ... it was more like a tart with a couple of tablespoon fulls of cream. I looked for banana slices ... wasn't sure if there was any banana or not. Coffee had a funny taste. My table-mates seemed to enjoy their beer and vodka drinks. No need to return as far as I'm concerned.
(2)Elijah B.
I was in here about a few weeks ago with my annoying wife Sarah. I wanted to sit at the bar but she insisted we sit at a table like some pretentious couple from the 50's so we did. Our server was named Tommy and he mentioned he liked the redskins---so his service was perfect. He even went as far as asking the old hag for her ID--which made her feel special, even though shes clearly from the Mesozoic Era of time. I went for the shrimp pasta and my blabbing wife had something that was fried--I don't know what it was but she liked it so I was happy. I actually enjoyed my pasta too. All in all everything was fine and we lived ever after.
(4)Christy S.
I have heard about the Taste change over and to be honest my wife and I were skeptic. However, my wife took me in to Taste on Fathers day because they had a "dads eat free pigroast" promotion. The pigroast plate was amazing and I had a few orange crushes before switching to a pale ale ( I think it was Dales). - Fathers day so I was allowed to have a few..... Service was great. I didnt catch our servers name but I can say that we will be back and soon. Amazing time and I hope that the old taste "haters" come back to see what this place is about and give it a chance.
(5)Shawn T.
We have been to the Gastropub multiple times and are going again this Saturday. The owners have remodeled this place to make it more roomy and to offer a relaxing bar along with a fine dining area. I stop in for an occasional happy hour, dinner with my wife/friends and entertain clients. The oysters are so fresh and they offer a good rotating variety. The chef makes everything fresh and has introduced me to foods I have never eaten. Try the pork belly, something I never had before but will be having again this weekend. The staff is plesent and the atmosphere is inviting.
(5)Brian P.
Food n beer were outstanding for a strip mall place in the burbs the waiter was nice to boot n i got an entertainment book discount. I highly reco the hanger steak
(5)Donna Y.
This place was a little difficult to find but it's tucked away next to rite aid. I sat by the bar and ordered off the happy hour menu 4-7. I ordered the buttermilk chicken, raw oysters, meatball sliders, hummus, cucumber yogurt sauce, calamari, and roasted eggplant. The food was good for the value but missed the marks on taste. The skin on the chicken had a lot of flavor but the chicken was fairly bland... Could use more marinatinh. The raw oysters had quite a bit of left over pieces of shell... Very uncomfortable. The calamari was served in a sweet... Sweet... Sweet sauce. I used the yelp check in for free dessert... Raspberry tart with ice cream (looked unappetizing but tasted quite delicious... Still a little on the sweeter side). I would recommend to come here for a quick snack and a beer but I would move on to another place for dinner. I'd be happy to come back under new food quality management.... But for now I'll leave it at that.
(3)Jessica W.
Went with two of my girlfriends for brunch on Sunday. The calamari was very bland, as was the crab benedict (according to my friends who ordered it). The shrimp and grits was thick and grainy with very little to recommend it. The shrimp were fresh and tasty, but there weren't many of them and the rest of the dish was underwhelming. I was hungry and didn't even finish my food, because it just wasn't appetizing. Had to ask for butter to go with the bread that was offered. That was probably the best part of the meal. I won't be back.
(2)Renee R.
We entered and were not greeted. A jazz band was playing and the music was basically monotonous flute. Our server forgot several things that we asked for. All that and immeasurably upon arriving home, a 1/4 mile away, I could no longer hold food or water down for the remainder of the day. This isn't a review that I write lightly, not an one of "those people" that enjoys nitpicking. On the contrary, I've spent many years of my life working as a server, bartender and restaurant manager. I have also been patronizing Taste since it first unopened under another owner and even after the change in management. More recently it seems that its gone downhill. Not only has the chef parted ways, whom I have worked with several times professionally and have a deep respect for his work, but I'm now hearing rumors throughout our community that people have spotted roaches on the walls and even on their tables! I wish that I had known these things prior to my bringing out of town guests. No one was press with their food. My Crab Benedict clearly wasn't good as per my body's reaction, but the cheeseburger that was ordered was talked and dry and the fish from the fish & chips wasn't fried in oil that was hot enough, therefore causing the batter to absorb all of the oil. I couldn't be more dissatisfied and disappointed. I will ABSOLUTELY not be going back. It really used to be a gem in Olney.
(1)Ijene L.
Meh. The hype is definitely in over drive on this joint. I've gone twice. Once to drink and I went back because of the reviews and I wanted to try the food. The food: womp womp. I ordered the calamari starter. It was bland. That's the best I can say. The sweet sauce that goes with it is pretty good and made the calamari which was cooked well, just flavorless, a lil better. Hangar steak frites entree. First I looooove steak frites. But this presentation threw me. I've never been served steak frites where the steak isn't sLiced and usually over said frites. This was like ordering a lil steak and fries. I ordered it medium rare. Yeahhhh it was rare on the inside, burnt on the outside. Nothing turns me off like the taste of activated charcoal via beef. The fries were adequate and the salad was too, even though the dressing was sugary sweet and sparse. Dessert was FREE with my yelp check in & thank God cuz it SUCKED. I had the pineapple "cake" that the waitress said was good. I assume that's true in the land of crazy but in Olney, it was grooooooosssssss. It was a shaped like a slice of pie, with a tough top and bottom, with overcooked pineapples and cherries inside a really tough and rubbery bread pudding-ish center. ...oh... with ice cream on top. All sitting on a pool of a translucent off-putting vanilla like substance. Smh dude it was a FAIL! The ambience was alright, pretty dark wood and candle light. But the waiter, the tall guy, needs to work on spacial relations surrounding him because he kept bending over to talk to the next table effectively continuously sticking his ass in my face every 7 to 12 minutes. And not just like facing me, but literally cOuld've burned his ass on my table candle. It was thoroughly annoying. I had a couple drinks, the adult cream soda which I didn't really like. It kinda achieved it's goal but it has licorice flavoring that is overpowering and I don't think licorice is in cream soda. The pear Collins is sweet, but not too sweet, tangy tasting and the cucumber is complimentary. Funny how cukes make everything taste fresher. Anyhoo, this place is ok. I think a good happy hour spot and maybe some wings but for dinner, this pub is NOT about that life. :ol
(2)Dan W.
Haven't been here yet but I walked in and looked at the menu. Are they crazy? You're going to charge fine dining prices with a decor like that? Granted, I'm sure the chef is very talented and the menu sounds amazing but it's all in the experience. Get some professional interior decorating done and then maybe I'll pay what you're asking. I'd rather get it to go and sit in my house and eat it. At least my chairs have pillows and some comfort. Oh, they do have outside seating with couches so you can over look the stunning parking lot.
(3)Cosmo K.
My rating is mainly based on service. Food is a good 3 or 4 but crappy service will make even a 5 star joint get poor reviews. This was our second outing here, came for brunch about a year ago and received the same slow service. Came for a girls night out for dinner & drinks on a Friday with reservations this time. Decor is dark hipster modern. Entry area needs some work, most definitely not welcoming. You walk into a black box. The place was about half full so we were sat immediately. Our drink order was taken within minutes but waited at least a good 10 before waters were served and another 5 to 10 before first round of drinks. Starting off bad again and it continued throughout the night. No app plates with apps, and sides for apps delivered an easy 5 min after. Ordered second round of drinks and pile of dirty plates just left in front of us. Then dinner served with no place to put them. So on and so on blah blah bunch of the same slow service. Anywho Greek salad with shrimp was good my girlfriends like the monkfish & salmon. Probably won't come back two tries and it's the end of the road. Def more options in Olney that are better for the price.
(2)Lindsay H.
Finally, a REAL gastropub in the area! So many other bar food-serving restaurants claim to be a gastropub, yet have no idea what that actually means. It means great craft beer. Paired with even greater food. Taste is a real gem. Started with a La Fin du Monde- very tasty Belgian beer. We had the calamari for an appetizer. It actually was kind of bland, but the smokey tomato sauce it was paired with helped. BUT our entrees more than made up for the mediocre start. I had the seared ahi. It was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It came with kale and a rice side, which paired very nicely. My date had the ribeye, and was nice enough to let me try it. It too was cooked perfectly and was juicy and tasty. Awesomely, you get a free dessert for checking in on the Yelp app. We chose the pistachio baklava. Although I prefer my baklava with more phyllo, and I was expecting more pistachios in it since it was in fact, advertised as a pistachio baklava, it was complementary and still very tasty. Taste's waitstaff was attentive and friendly. The tables are a bit close together, but luckily a charming grandparent-aged couple were seated next to us, and their cute married-but-still-very-in-love convo only added to our night. I wish the other "gastropubs" in the area would take notes on the quality of Taste's food and ambiance. Their claim to gastropub-ness is making it hard to find true gems like this one!
(4)Linda C.
Hmmm it was so much better when it opened years ago. Now, I'm confused what's going on. Dirty, strange menu and over priced wine. $65 for a $15 bottle of wine. Really, that is just greedy. Never going back.
(2)Brittney T.
Why I gave some stars: Lots of craft beers, good ambiance, nice gastropub feel, attentive and friendly staff, and a convenient place to get to with easy parking. Why I docked some stars: food is very subpar. Went on a whim and tried the pumpkin gnocchi and my friend got it too. When it was presented it was pretty but the smallest portion of gnocchi I've ever recieved. I'm used to receiving a large amount and having plenty to take home after, but there were literally ten pieces. The presentation was pretty with a pumpkin sauce drizzled across and crumbled sage. But it was hard and overly chewy and very overcooked. Also, gnocchi should be shaped in little balls and these were rectangle pieces, it seemed like they took a couple strips of pasta and just chopped it up. I was there on the 30th of Oct with a group of 5 people and didn't want to make a scene when the waiter asked how everything was, so I beared through it, but ça été terrible. If your food isn't made/cooked well then you lose a lot of stars from me since that's the whole point of paying to eat out, to enjoy something yummy or at the very least, good. They were bold to take on gnocchi and pumpkin at that, but the chef should never put out a dish they wouldn't eat themselves. I was also surprised to see that someone posted a picture of their gnocchi 20 days ago (about 2 weeks before I went) and it looks amazing, nothing like what I recieved. There were barely any chunks of pumpkin in mine :(
(2)Jeremy P.
So so food. So so service. I probably won't go back. Lively atmosphere. Plenty of parking. The interior could use a facelift. For a gastropub I was expecting a little bit deeper draft beer menu.
(2)Sheilah L.
This place has changed ownership and the menu. Raw oysters, craft beer, and a new menu including the tapas from the old menu. Sundays they have live jazz and a brunch with a Bloody Mary Bar. New drinks! Try the Elderflower Martini- coming soon! Picture added.
(5)Candis F.
Totally weird location. Kind of dumpy strip mall. Don't be deceived. Great food. Great beer. Pretty good service. Would come back if I didn't live an hour away!
(4)Phi N.
This is a big upgrade from the previous menu here. Same layout but new theme (no longer just tapas). We started with the calamari and lump crab dip. Neither were exceptional, but I can see myself ordering the lump crab dip again. The calamari was tasteless and the dipping sauce they use isn't all that special either. I also got me a blue crab bisque. I enjoyed the taste of it, but if it was a little thicker, it'd be perfect. My friend and I split the pork chops and ribeye, both medium-rare. Both were cooked perfectly! I am truly surprised. These entrees were both very scrumptious, but if I were to choose one, I'd have to go with the pork chops. The extra stuff placed on the dish isn't as good (grits vs. risotto), but the meat is all we care about anyway, right?! I'm trying to keep my gout going here!... Our server was good. Joyful and attentive. However, the tables are a bit close. They'll seat you at all the 2-tops, really close to each other, before they put people at the 4-tops... even if the rest of the restaurant is empty. I was all up in the love conversation the ladies next to me were having, lol. Awkward... btw, love is something you show, not something you say...
(4)Sammy A.
Came on a rainy Tuesday night with high hopes for my first experience here. Upon walking in we are greeted by a live singer right by the door. Always love live music so its a great start so far. After a few moments of nobody coming to seat us, I decide to take it upon myself to grab a table, no biggie right? Our server Andrew came promptly and started on a courteous note. Started with the Ahi Tuna Tartare, a fantastic opening dish. Fresh tuna served with radishes, a ginger oil/evoo dressing, carrot and watercress. The tartare is accompanied with a focaccia bread. The tartare was great, but needed a bit of citrus for acidity to bring the dish together. The bread was great as well, but needed to be baked a few minutes longer. All criticisms aside though, this dish is a very strong opening. Moving on to the main dishes. Our party tried the Scottish Salmon, Short Rib & the Suckling Pig. The suckling pig was a very poor choice. The parpadelle pasta served with it was flavorless, it needed to be pulled together with a sauce. I thought that was what the Madeira would provide, but it seemed non-existent in the dish. The short rib was a bit better. Properly cooked risotto is rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite. This risotto unfortunately was quite dry and lukewarm, almost as if it had been left sitting under the lamp. The short rib sauce lacked body and was too watery. While the short rib was tender and fell off the fork, the dry risotto and lackluster sauce made this dish unfavorable. The Scottish Salmon was by far the best entree. The sauce had a great balance of sweet and savory, the salmon was cooked perfectly, and the accompaniments rounded out the dish well. But unfortunately, it just didn't have anything that made it special. Unfortunately, all of our main dishes were very meh. And I REALLY wanted to love this place. Our server Andrew was GREAT though, as was the Ahi Tuna Tartare. Unfortunately, the entree's above have convinced me that this menu may not be worth the second trip, particularly at this price point. Who knows though, maybe seafood is the only way to go here?
(2)Jeneane B.
There is good reason Taste Gastropub is rated the #1 restaurant in Olney. They have good food, a great craft beer selection, and their prices are reasonable. We found Taste about a year and a half ago, and we have been back a number of times. On our most recent visit, we noticed the menu change and were disappointed to see some of our favorite dishes gone. But we were excited to give the newer dishes a try. Some of our favorite appetizers are the Chicken Souvlaki, Filet Skewers, and Charcuterie options (perfect with the pickled veggies and spicy mustard). While the roasted beet salad is good, I really miss the wilted spinach salad with roasted hazlenuts. The Salmon and the Roasted Chicken are both amazing entrée options. It certainly seems the food quality and beer selection have maintained with new management, although service was markedly slower. Although it is a small location and often busy when we go, we have never had trouble getting a table.
(4)Jeremy B.
2.5 if i could. Ambiance: Strip mall at the corner of Georgia Ave and 108 in Olney. Small seating area out front on the sidewalk. Inside features reduced lighting, a wood bar, tables that aren't too close together. Comfortable. Service: Not amazing, but definitely not terrible. On the high end of average with the regular wait staff (slightly brusque, not terribly engaging, but efficient), but the floor manager came by a couple of times too. Beer Selection: My inner beer douche is admittedly coming out here, but I don't think you can really call your place a gastropub when you only have eight draught lines and eight bottles in addition to the standard macros. The draft and bottle lists were nicely varied between styles, and most are local, but there were no pleasant surprises or rarities. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the well-curated and thoughtful draught and bottle list management at other nearby places like Quench, Full On, and Victoria's (a legitimate gastropub if ever there was one). Food: Had a few different small plates, as well as the charcuterie platter. Some of the stuff was really good (beef skewers and the charc), some was good (my wife's ravioli), and some was a mixed bag (meatballs over polenta). Where the food gets weak is that some of it is a tad underseasoned (the polenta and the bread basket), which is not that big a deal, except that this place did not have salt and pepper shakers on the table. That's a pet peeve of mine. Don't take the power of seasoning out of my hands. I might be a pepper addict for all you know, needing that spicy, sneezy black powder fix, man. Value: This place was definitely on the pricey end. The charc platter in particular was on the expensive side. The charc, plus ravioli, small beef skewers, small meatballs, two beers, and a cocktail ran a hundred bucks plus tip. Overall: Nice ambiance, better than average food, over-priced, with an average draught and bottle list. Probably won't be a regular.
(3)Maria O.
Excellent meal. The hangar steak au poivre was perfect and the frites delicious. The salmon was a little undercooked but tasty. The chocolate cake was so good! Moist and decadent. Very attentive service. All in all a lovely evening!
(4)T M.
We went here a few months ago because we saw a "kids eat free" sign outside. My wife and I had dinner and we got both of the kids something off the kids menu. The food was pretty good, nothing struck me as extraordinary. The drinks seem overpriced to me. When the bill came, we were charged for both of the kids. I asked the waiter about it and he said the sign must be for the Olney Grill. I politely informed him that there were several signs by the road and they all said "taste gastropub ". Instead of looking out the window at the signs, he asked his manager who said the signs must be for the Olney Grill also. I took the waiter to the front of the restaurant and pointed at the signs. He told me to wait again that he had to check. After another 10 minutes, he came back and said that he and the manager were both new and he checked with the cook who informed him that it was "kids eat free" night. They took both of the kids meals off the check. I still don't know how the manager and the waiter drove in the parking lot without seeing the signs. Further, I guess the waiter thought I hadn't passed elementary school reading because I couldn't tell the difference between "taste gastropub" and "Olney Grill". I will give this place two stars because the food was pretty good. It really isn't a good restaurant for kids. The meals and drinks seem overpriced and as you can tell from my review, the wait staff left something to be desired. I won't go back.
(2)Elizabeth W.
So, was searching for a nice place to go for my birthday dinner and saw that Olney has a Gastro Pub!!!! Super cool! So we ended up being a party of 15 and I was kind of worried that there wouldn't be enough room since the place seemed kind of small. IT worked out, they split us into two tables of 8. Food: Here is the run down of what people got: Sausage Craft Lamb Sausage Blue Crab Bisque - too salty Pan-Seared Rockfish - Catch of the day, mixed reviews Pan-seared Scallops - Too pricey Pan Roasted Local Ribeye - too pricey Seafood Pasta - 3 people got this rating: 7.5/10 Fish N Chips - 8/10 Roasted Chicken Sandwich - Didn't like the Bread The food was really good. I had the Pan-seared Rockfish and I thought it was delicious! The food overall seemed to be pretty good. Drinks: Good selection of beer, wine and specialties. I got an Orange Crush which was good. Not the best I ever had, but well balanced. Service: Tatianna was funny and personable, pretty good for a waitress. I liked her a lot. A big group like us is always hard to deal with, so I always give the waitress a break. Plus, if you're nice and you kept my sister's cup filled, I give you an A+! The decor was really nice, I liked it. I think I would come back for happy hour or to try the Charcuterie and cheese, but the main selections are a little pricey for me. This is not a place I would frequent I think.
(4)Roy S.
This used to be Taste Mezza!!! What happened??????? Taste Mezza was one of the best restaurants I have ever been to in MD. Now its just pub grub with a couple Greek tapas thrown in as an afterthought... I am terribly saddened by this change. Do not get me wrong the food is good but its just like most other places out there, so why would I drive all the way to Olney now?? Goodbye Taste Mezza, you are missed!!!
(2)Bill M.
I really want to like this place more. I came here when it was a greek place and liked it much more. We came in for brunch on Sunday. We were seated just outside the bar area where a guy that sounded like wolfman Jack obviously had too much to drink and was cursing quite a bit. I was there with my wife, 7yr old daughter, and mother-in-law. I am no shrinking violet, but the bottomless mimosas and bloody mary's can be a problem when there is hardly a barrier between the dining room and the bar. I understand this is a gastropub, but we have been to others without anything close to this. We were seated and drinks were delivered quickly. We ordered our meals at 2:00 and were delivered our meals at 2:30. There were two or three other tables in the restaurant. The food was actually pretty good. Chocolate chip pancakes for my daughter, pork belly hash for me, falafel for my wife, and a croque madame for MIL. The croque madame was huge and looked great, the falafel was good with a little harissa for spice. My hash was supposed to be topped with two poached eggs, these were overcooked, but the overall dish was fine. The food was fine, but we would have appreciated being updated on why our meals were so late coming out. I don't know if we'll be back.
(2)Doug C.
"Best Place to Host a Dinner Party..." I just hosted a dinner party last week at "Taste Gastropub" in Olney, Maryland for 70 of my best friends and clients. The event was a smashing success!! The staff at "Taste" were incredible to work with, they accommodated my every request, ALL of my 70 guests loved the restaurant and all of them raved about the excellent food and service. Everyone told me later that they are going to bring their families and friends back and others said they are going to bring their office staffs and clients because of the superb ambiance, food and service they enjoyed at the dinner party. I fully intend to host as many events as I can at "Taste" in the future. I can't say enough about what an outstanding restaurant "Taste' is. I highly recommend it to anyone. "Taste" and the staff made me look great in front of my friends and clients -- and you can't ask for anything better than that!! March 19, 2014 Doug Crowley
(5)Kyle D.
Taste has delicious food. The atmosphere is great and the staff is friendly. I wish the prices were a little lower. I love the community involvement!
(4)Sandy B.
What a nice surprise. Well-crafted food out in the 'burbs. I went on Saturday night. They even had live music (with no cover charge), starting at 6pm. I really liked the Charcuterie Board; I selected the chorizo. The chorizo was delicious, flavorful. The bread served with it was wonderful, soft and fresh. I had the pumpkin whatever dessert -- yummy, and a perfect size. That said, it was advertised as coming with "orange fennel crème fraiche", but the creme fraiche seemed more like ice cream, and the orange fennel taste didn't come through; it was more like vanilla to me -- but I enjoyed it anyway because the pumpkin soue tart was light and delightful. I drank the blueberry mojito -- pleasing but wished for more blueberries. I'm eager to try more of their creative drinks. (I don't drink beer so I know I was missing out on a big part of their schtick.) I also had iced tea which was served with lemon, without me having to ask. Yeah! Note: Reservations may be a good idea on Saturday nights....they're that popular. Check out prices online before you go -- so you know what you and/or companions may end up spending. I thought the prices were fair for what I had. My total without tip and tax was about $24 (drink/ meat 6 / dessert 7 / iced tea) I hope to go back. You can readily spend more if you get an entrée, or more drinks. They have special prices for lunch, and do serve Sunday brunch. And there are other specials happening (especially drink prices) now and then.
(4)M R C H.
Nice little pub atmosphere, really great fish & chips! I wasn't drinking when my wife and I visited, but the new selection seemed fun. Dark bar lighting, but not a sleezy feel at all. Good service, the kitchen was accommodating to questions and a dessert substitution. We will certainly go back.
(4)Liza A.
What a horrible experience.... We came at three in the afternoon on Friday and believe me biiigggg mistake....no service they were talking with each other and no one refilled my husband glass of water.......this is the scoop.. We come and are greeted by the waitress ... Sit down and brought menus...hubby ask for a mojito and I don't know yet..so she says she will bring a glass of water... Drinks come and I noticed my glass have some food on the side of the glass and something else floating on my water... Yukkkkk.....hubbies mojito has old rotten mint in it...and taste like diluted sugar...yukkkk... Then I order a white sangria and this orange juice colored drink comes....what? Do they think that wine+orange juice+wedges of orange and lime makes sangria? Come on...hubby didn't like mojito so he returns it...ask for a corona...it comes and is Luke warm..WTF!!!...disappointed already I almost left but hubby insisted....we order food and the first dish comes 15 min later ..flat bread and crab dip..nothing special...another 15 min and I am restless comes beef skewers and chicken souvlaki....I wasn't hungry out of all this waiting.... By the way did I forget to mention we were the only customers inside????? Never again...one star is to much....no service no good food....disgusting drinks.... Never again
(1)Debbie H.
My second time to this restaurant for lunch since they changed hands. (Was previously a 3 times a month customer)The food is worth the trip; the chef is experienced and has an excellent, varied cuisine. However, this is NOT a place you want to go on a lunch break, or if you have groceries in the car. 1st trip there were two of us, second trip there were 4. Both times we were the only ones in the restaurant and lunch took 40 minutes to be served. Communication by the wait staff would have been appreciated re: how much longer our meal would take, refilling our non-alcoholic drinks needed to be requested by our parties on both trips.. Getting the waitresses attention was not as easy as one might think in an otherwise empty restaurant. She was "tied up" behind the bar with one customer each time I was there. If you want great food, go there. If you can tolerate a longer than average wait time from order to arrival of food, or a really attentive wait staff, keep looking. One final positive: the large screen TVs behind he bar are quiet - thank you!
(3)Ginger B.
We've been here twice with a friend visiting her parents in Sandy Spring, both times on a weeknight. The service has been excellent and the atmosphere cozy. You don't know you're in a strip mall. The menu is varied and it works for groups where everyone wants something different. The small plates work for someone who doesn't want a large meal while the entrees roll out a full meal. The hummus/pita sampler was a safe choice for an appetizer and the perfect size for 6. A small plate chicken kabob worked for someone watching their carbs. The shrimp &grits was nicely cooked and delivered at the right temperature (grits need to be prepared on the spot), a good dish to eat with wine. They have a nice wine list and selection of beers. Their iced tea is brewed fresh, in case you aren't sampling the bar. The Arugula salad w/salmon and pumpkin w as good, although the accompanying breaded goat cheese was a bit dry. Overall it's a pleasant experience.
(4)A B.
First time there - food was very good. There were 4 of us. Appetizers were tasty and all entrees were great. One star off because the service was pretty lousy. At first we felt rushed as he asked us within a minute of sitting down if we were ready to order and did so again within another minute. We told him it was our first time and needed to review the menu. We asked for a round of water to start and one of us never got water - the entire time. My husband never got his second beer. I had to ask for a refill on my water and before my entree came out my glass was empty and never got refilled. I believe the manager even saw me leaning over and drinking from another glass on the table. They replaced vegetables with french fries without notification, stating the chef didn't like the way the vegetables looked (french fries is a lousy replacement) and when they said they would bring another vegetable it never came. While they offered to buy us dessert they already knew we were full and wouldn't accept the offer since we already told them forget the new vegetable since we were done eating. The right thing would have been to take an app off the bill. I would like to go back - we just have to be sure we never get that server again and hope it is a better experience!
(4)Rachel L.
I was there last night for a double date with another couple. I just wasn't that thrilled with it. They try to put together a high end cocktail list but it comes off as inexperienced and honestly goofy. A cocktail based on skittles? I'll pass. The cocktail I landed up getting, the Third Date, was alright. It wasn't mixed very well and mostly tasted of gin. My boyfriend stuck with beer and liked the selection a lot. We ordered the crab dip and it tasted like canned crab that had been baked with a little cheesy on top...and someone didn't completely drain the can before baking it. The bottom of the crab dip was watery and the bread served with it was stale. The other couple ordered the rosemary skewers and said those were good but I didn't try them. I wasn't super hungry so I just had a cheese plate to nibble on. They did have a really interesting cheese selection which was nice. My boyfriend ordered the burger and said it was good but not special. He did really like the fries that came with it. If you check in on Yelp while you are there, you get a free desert, so we tried the sticky toffee bread pudding with malt ice cream. The bread pudding was fine, nothing special. The ice cream had freezer burn. Based on the food alone, we probably wouldn't return. What really sealed the deal was the volume of the music. We were literally screaming across the table to hear each other. My ears were ringing afterwards. If I knew they went for a dated night club after 9, we probably wouldn't have grabbed dinner there in the first place.
(2)Rachel G.
Food not as good since ownership switched hands.
(3)Steve L.
Great place. Gourmet food and an awesome selection of beer. Worth the drive
(5)S S.
Had the pleasure of having dinner here with a business client. I was very pleased with the food and service. Pork belly was amazing. Looking forward to future visits.
(5)Nicholas D.
I have been twice and both times the food and service was excellent. First time was for brunch and I had the shrimp and grits. It was awesome. Just as good as LuLu's @ The Thompson House down on Amelia Island. Second time I was in the mood for a burger and I wasn't disappointed. Cooked as ordered and full of flavor. Have some killer drink deals too with a large craft beer selection.
(5)Mary Ann R.
Excellent meal! Started with chicken souvakli appetizer. The tzatziki sauce was cold, tasty and delicious. Chicken cooked perfectly! I had the shrimp and grits which were the perfect portion size and delicious. My husband had the Scottish salmon which he claimed to be perfection. We had the pear tart dessert to share. Came with hazelnut gelato which was scrumptious. 2 glasses of Riesling. A wonderful meal. We will be back!
(5)Laurie K.
For Sunday brunch, the menu selection was varied and the food was of good quality. However, the service leaves much to be desired. We waited 30 minutes for water or even to place our order. The food came first before the drinks. I had to ask the water afterwards. After multiple complaints, two waiters and the manager/bartender took good care of us.
(3)Jerry H.
Totally enjoyed the experience. My wife and I had been working very hard and decided to have a quiet dinner out to get a little break. We found the Taste Gastropub to be just the ticket. Not loud, great food, great service. We started with the filet skewers which were unbelievably tender. My wife had the sweet pea ravioli and I had the seared scallops which were outstanding. It turned into a perfect evening away from the stresses of work. Highly recommend it. I know we're going back.
(5)Lauren H.
They used to have a decent Lunch menu but it's ridiculously overpriced now with no true lunch options. I spent $16 on nothing and left unsatisfied. The quality of the cooking was fine, but I think they're missing the point. Olney doesn't have a DC vibe for the lunch crowd
(1)Kor H.
The first few times I came here it was pretty good but it started going downhill. The drinks are delicious but they seem to have changed a few bartenders and the last time I went the bartender was more interested in entertaining his friends than making us drinks or even finding out if we wanted refills or even bothering to wipe the bar when he realized we sat down. To be fair I would have not been annoyed with my experience but the place had my group of friends and his group of friends so it isn't like they were very busy. The food used to be one of my favorite things and I had talked this place up to my friends but either another chef was working or the chef was a bit off his game the night we went. My friend's girlfriend said her steak tasted like charcoal and the list of what they were out of was endless. When my friend ordered something that they forgot they were out of they substituted what they thought was appropriate instead of bothering to ask if she wanted to change her order and she was not a fan of the substitution so she wished she had gotten the opportunity to change her order. I ordered something I normally get but the recipe had changed drastically because the flavor was gone.
(1)Ken S.
So we have been a few times and overall a nice neighborhood place. New but getting it's feet. Went there on Sunday for brunch for wife B day and had nice jazz playing. Pretty empty so should be a easy deal.Had the bottomless mimosa's which were nice but at 12 bucks, I felt a little high, same as the bloody do it yourself which was cool, but again 11 bucks was high. So onto the meal. Waitress was fine but when told about the french toast was missing something she was like "oh well eat slowly" since she forgot the advertised cream anglasie and candied oranges. Hello that was what made it special. When I finally came i had shared 1/2 and ate my half since was getting cold. The sauce made it but was a little to late. Should replace the whole plate? The crab Benedict was very good but one of the eggs was hard while one was perfectly runny? How do you do that. The other plates of pancakes and hash were fine. Will go again in the future but you have to get it right and you have to won
(2)Christina M.
What a disappointment! I dined there last year and was very impressed with the food. Truly delicious and a surprise in a pub setting. Sadly, I can't say the same this year. First of all, they changed the menu, but they didn't change it on their website. So I went expecting something entirely different from what I got. The food was disappointing this time. While the fries are excellent and my fellow diner's steak was very good, my gnocchi was very chewy and the mussels were dry. Definitely not the wonderful dining experience from last year. Maybe I picked the wrong dish.
(3)Brian R.
Wanted it to be better. Some things worked and some didn't. The Charcuterie board had great selection, delivered on a monster sized board that nearly filled our table for 2. Nice beer list. Recommend: Oysters, Roasted pumpkin, Carcuterie, Garlic Rock Shrimp (spicy). Pass on: Brussel sprouts (not properly roasted, hard as rock), Lamb meatballs (way underseasoned, bottled sauce). 5 stars for the king of WEISSE beers Schneider Weisse Aventinus.
(3)Eric L.
My better half and I ate here on a sunday evening and were seated right away (which sometimes is a bad sign, and this particular evening would prove to be the case). We ordered drinks, a beer and a "sangria" (or white wine filled with whatever fruit they had at the bar) and ordered our food. Unfortunately, they were fresh out of both of the dishes we ordered, the result of an apparent delivery failure according to the manager. Our food came out promptly, and was OK. My burger which I ordered medium came out well done, and lacked any seasoning or flavor, and her Gnocchi came out with carrots on it, instead of the advertised butternut squash and pistachios. Seeing as my burger cost 12 bucks I expected something a little better than the five guys across the street but sadly I was disappointed. Her 15 dollar gnocchi came in an oversized bowl with an undersized portion, leaving her unsatisfied. Our waitress was friendly, and apologized several times for the restaurants failures, however there were too many during our experience. In summary, it seems like a great place to go for a beer, a football game, and maybe grab an appetizer. However I doubt I will ever come back for their dinner service.
(2)Melissa L.
I have to say .... I thought Taste was good before the redesign ... now they are great! Everything was spot on. All of the food was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the service was spot on. I am thrilled to have Taste in the area area as it is great to have a 'date night' place so close to home. Try the Hugs and Kisses martini with the pear tart dessert! More to come on our next trip!
(4)Stephen D.
Very good food. We've been twice and everything tastes wonderful. The atmosphere inside is quite nice too. It was fairly empty so don't know about the noise levels on a more popular night. The prices are slightly high which is what prevents a higher rating.
(4)David O.
Have eaten here before and was great. Last evening had rehearsal dinner there. It was truly amazing. Food was incredible, staff fabulous. Compliments from all attendees. Peter was very accommodating . Perfect event.
(5)Matt P.
Nice place to go with another couple. Have a variety of tapas to start off with. Also a good drink menu. A good atmosphere and friendly staff.
(4)Cat S.
I didn't get a chance to sit in to eat in but their Try-Three-Cheeses platter with bread is DELICIOUS and their seafood pasta salad is on point! I also loved the little candies by the door, some kind of caramel mints. My take order goes great with the wine from the Winery at Olney, if you need a place to order great food to pair with wine, this is the place!
(3)Heather H.
The menu has returned to some of it's old Greek tapas. But the prices are high and the food was not good. Our server didn't have a recommendation other than the fish and chips. We order the calamari- it was plain. We ordered the pork belly and a soft cheese- that the server described as "brie"like. It was horrible- seriously it tasted like fumes. When we told him it wasn't like brie at all, he then told us that he didn't like that cheese- but preferred the harder ones. Really?? You couldn't tell us that ahead of time when we asked for recommendations?? We ordered the hanger steak w/ frites- it was bad also! I know that hanger steak is a bit tough, but when it is the ONLY steak on the menu- you would expect it to be chewable. It seems like Taste is trying to be modern and hip with fewer, fancy items. But the food should be first rate for the prices. To give them credit though, the manager did comp us the steak- we did tell her it wasn't necessary and gave us a free piece of pie. (Which sadly was not very good either.) Perhaps we really just ordered the wrong food, but will probably not be going back. It was a great original find a few years ago, when they had more Greek tapas, but now it's just overrated and not worth it.
(2)Michael S.
Food was good, great beer selection. Crab Bisque was excellent
(3)Evelia S.
My family went to Taste today for Mother's Day Brunch. The menu was varied. We all got different items, cooked to perfection. Our waiter was Tom. He was excellent and paid attention to every detail. We were very happy and pleased. Mind you the our group included people with various dietary differences. We were all satisfied. The food was freshly cooked to perfection. We had the pancakes for my granddaughter, chicken for my son, frittata for my daughter, and salmon for me. It was beautifully presented. The mimosas are wonderful.
(5)Max H.
I gave the old Taste Mezze four stars, but I really wanted to give it 4.5. I try to reserve 5 stars for the most exceptional experiences. Well, the new Taste Gastropub kept the best of the old menu and made some great improvements, like carrying craft beers and raw oysters, both offered during happy hours, and an amazing scallop ceviche. I'm looking forward to trying everything on the menu eventually!
(5)Jeff M.
This is worth traveling for. The food here is top notch. From the custom charcuterie board (make sure to get the prosciutto and chorizo) to the beet salad, to the fritter plate, the beginning of your meal won't disappoint. Then for entrees, try the pork chop with kale, or the shrimp with grits. The portions are tasty, delicious, and don't skimp on size. The wine selection is better than adequate, and the choice of craft beers is impressive. For the money, it would be hard to find a better value in the Maryland suburbs (take that, Bethesda). They'll get our fifth star when the water comes to the table in a timely way and there are linen tablecloths. But overall, Taste Gastropub is a wonderful meal in a surprising location.
(4)Darcy P.
I think this place is fine. bartenders usually really nice and food is ok. evidently a lot of people seem to love the food but i've ordered a lot of different things, both before and after the redo, and while nothing was terrible, nothing was awesome either. before it was kind of a mezze place but the mezze selections were just fine. not awful but not amazing hummus or other types of dips. not as good as lebanese taverna, even. greek salad was terrible--it was like bagged lettuce with an olive on it. wasn't even greek dressing. mama lucia's was better! the bartender told me they redid the greek salad so perhaps it is better but for the price, i'm not getting it. flatbreads ok, again not awesome but not bad. veggie sides often too greasy. i have to say i've never ordered an entree and they do look good, but they are so much pricier and usually we are going for a drink and some food to share, not $25+ entrees each. they tend to close early-though always they say we should come back on x,y, or z day and they stay open late--perhaps they do on the weekends but I come after work on my way home, not saturdays, and thursdays they stay open late if they have a crowd of maybe 10 or more but otherwise, when it's say 6, the vacuums come out at 9. overall, this place is in the rotation but mostly bc bartenders are nice and generous with their pours and food is decent.
(3)Shawn T.
We have been to the Gastropub multiple times and are going again this Saturday. The owners have remodeled this place to make it more roomy and to offer a relaxing bar along with a fine dining area. I stop in for an occasional happy hour, dinner with my wife/friends and entertain clients. The oysters are so fresh and they offer a good rotating variety. The chef makes everything fresh and has introduced me to foods I have never eaten. Try the pork belly, something I never had before but will be having again this weekend. The staff is plesent and the atmosphere is inviting.
(5)Lauren H.
They used to have a decent Lunch menu but it's ridiculously overpriced now with no true lunch options. I spent $16 on nothing and left unsatisfied. The quality of the cooking was fine, but I think they're missing the point. Olney doesn't have a DC vibe for the lunch crowd
(1)Candis F.
Totally weird location. Kind of dumpy strip mall. Don't be deceived. Great food. Great beer. Pretty good service. Would come back if I didn't live an hour away!
(4)Christy S.
I have heard about the Taste change over and to be honest my wife and I were skeptic. However, my wife took me in to Taste on Fathers day because they had a "dads eat free pigroast" promotion. The pigroast plate was amazing and I had a few orange crushes before switching to a pale ale ( I think it was Dales). - Fathers day so I was allowed to have a few..... Service was great. I didnt catch our servers name but I can say that we will be back and soon. Amazing time and I hope that the old taste "haters" come back to see what this place is about and give it a chance.
(5)Shawn T.
We have been to the Gastropub multiple times and are going again this Saturday. The owners have remodeled this place to make it more roomy and to offer a relaxing bar along with a fine dining area. I stop in for an occasional happy hour, dinner with my wife/friends and entertain clients. The oysters are so fresh and they offer a good rotating variety. The chef makes everything fresh and has introduced me to foods I have never eaten. Try the pork belly, something I never had before but will be having again this weekend. The staff is plesent and the atmosphere is inviting.
(5)Brian P.
Food n beer were outstanding for a strip mall place in the burbs the waiter was nice to boot n i got an entertainment book discount. I highly reco the hanger steak
(5)Lauren H.
They used to have a decent Lunch menu but it's ridiculously overpriced now with no true lunch options. I spent $16 on nothing and left unsatisfied. The quality of the cooking was fine, but I think they're missing the point. Olney doesn't have a DC vibe for the lunch crowd
(1)Donna Y.
This place was a little difficult to find but it's tucked away next to rite aid. I sat by the bar and ordered off the happy hour menu 4-7. I ordered the buttermilk chicken, raw oysters, meatball sliders, hummus, cucumber yogurt sauce, calamari, and roasted eggplant. The food was good for the value but missed the marks on taste. The skin on the chicken had a lot of flavor but the chicken was fairly bland... Could use more marinatinh. The raw oysters had quite a bit of left over pieces of shell... Very uncomfortable. The calamari was served in a sweet... Sweet... Sweet sauce. I used the yelp check in for free dessert... Raspberry tart with ice cream (looked unappetizing but tasted quite delicious... Still a little on the sweeter side). I would recommend to come here for a quick snack and a beer but I would move on to another place for dinner. I'd be happy to come back under new food quality management.... But for now I'll leave it at that.
(3)Jessica W.
Went with two of my girlfriends for brunch on Sunday. The calamari was very bland, as was the crab benedict (according to my friends who ordered it). The shrimp and grits was thick and grainy with very little to recommend it. The shrimp were fresh and tasty, but there weren't many of them and the rest of the dish was underwhelming. I was hungry and didn't even finish my food, because it just wasn't appetizing. Had to ask for butter to go with the bread that was offered. That was probably the best part of the meal. I won't be back.
(2)Ijene L.
Meh. The hype is definitely in over drive on this joint. I've gone twice. Once to drink and I went back because of the reviews and I wanted to try the food. The food: womp womp. I ordered the calamari starter. It was bland. That's the best I can say. The sweet sauce that goes with it is pretty good and made the calamari which was cooked well, just flavorless, a lil better. Hangar steak frites entree. First I looooove steak frites. But this presentation threw me. I've never been served steak frites where the steak isn't sLiced and usually over said frites. This was like ordering a lil steak and fries. I ordered it medium rare. Yeahhhh it was rare on the inside, burnt on the outside. Nothing turns me off like the taste of activated charcoal via beef. The fries were adequate and the salad was too, even though the dressing was sugary sweet and sparse. Dessert was FREE with my yelp check in & thank God cuz it SUCKED. I had the pineapple "cake" that the waitress said was good. I assume that's true in the land of crazy but in Olney, it was grooooooosssssss. It was a shaped like a slice of pie, with a tough top and bottom, with overcooked pineapples and cherries inside a really tough and rubbery bread pudding-ish center. ...oh... with ice cream on top. All sitting on a pool of a translucent off-putting vanilla like substance. Smh dude it was a FAIL! The ambience was alright, pretty dark wood and candle light. But the waiter, the tall guy, needs to work on spacial relations surrounding him because he kept bending over to talk to the next table effectively continuously sticking his ass in my face every 7 to 12 minutes. And not just like facing me, but literally cOuld've burned his ass on my table candle. It was thoroughly annoying. I had a couple drinks, the adult cream soda which I didn't really like. It kinda achieved it's goal but it has licorice flavoring that is overpowering and I don't think licorice is in cream soda. The pear Collins is sweet, but not too sweet, tangy tasting and the cucumber is complimentary. Funny how cukes make everything taste fresher. Anyhoo, this place is ok. I think a good happy hour spot and maybe some wings but for dinner, this pub is NOT about that life. :ol
(2)Dan W.
Haven't been here yet but I walked in and looked at the menu. Are they crazy? You're going to charge fine dining prices with a decor like that? Granted, I'm sure the chef is very talented and the menu sounds amazing but it's all in the experience. Get some professional interior decorating done and then maybe I'll pay what you're asking. I'd rather get it to go and sit in my house and eat it. At least my chairs have pillows and some comfort. Oh, they do have outside seating with couches so you can over look the stunning parking lot.
(3)Renee R.
We entered and were not greeted. A jazz band was playing and the music was basically monotonous flute. Our server forgot several things that we asked for. All that and immeasurably upon arriving home, a 1/4 mile away, I could no longer hold food or water down for the remainder of the day. This isn't a review that I write lightly, not an one of "those people" that enjoys nitpicking. On the contrary, I've spent many years of my life working as a server, bartender and restaurant manager. I have also been patronizing Taste since it first unopened under another owner and even after the change in management. More recently it seems that its gone downhill. Not only has the chef parted ways, whom I have worked with several times professionally and have a deep respect for his work, but I'm now hearing rumors throughout our community that people have spotted roaches on the walls and even on their tables! I wish that I had known these things prior to my bringing out of town guests. No one was press with their food. My Crab Benedict clearly wasn't good as per my body's reaction, but the cheeseburger that was ordered was talked and dry and the fish from the fish & chips wasn't fried in oil that was hot enough, therefore causing the batter to absorb all of the oil. I couldn't be more dissatisfied and disappointed. I will ABSOLUTELY not be going back. It really used to be a gem in Olney.
(1)Cosmo K.
My rating is mainly based on service. Food is a good 3 or 4 but crappy service will make even a 5 star joint get poor reviews. This was our second outing here, came for brunch about a year ago and received the same slow service. Came for a girls night out for dinner & drinks on a Friday with reservations this time. Decor is dark hipster modern. Entry area needs some work, most definitely not welcoming. You walk into a black box. The place was about half full so we were sat immediately. Our drink order was taken within minutes but waited at least a good 10 before waters were served and another 5 to 10 before first round of drinks. Starting off bad again and it continued throughout the night. No app plates with apps, and sides for apps delivered an easy 5 min after. Ordered second round of drinks and pile of dirty plates just left in front of us. Then dinner served with no place to put them. So on and so on blah blah bunch of the same slow service. Anywho Greek salad with shrimp was good my girlfriends like the monkfish & salmon. Probably won't come back two tries and it's the end of the road. Def more options in Olney that are better for the price.
(2)Lindsay H.
Finally, a REAL gastropub in the area! So many other bar food-serving restaurants claim to be a gastropub, yet have no idea what that actually means. It means great craft beer. Paired with even greater food. Taste is a real gem. Started with a La Fin du Monde- very tasty Belgian beer. We had the calamari for an appetizer. It actually was kind of bland, but the smokey tomato sauce it was paired with helped. BUT our entrees more than made up for the mediocre start. I had the seared ahi. It was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It came with kale and a rice side, which paired very nicely. My date had the ribeye, and was nice enough to let me try it. It too was cooked perfectly and was juicy and tasty. Awesomely, you get a free dessert for checking in on the Yelp app. We chose the pistachio baklava. Although I prefer my baklava with more phyllo, and I was expecting more pistachios in it since it was in fact, advertised as a pistachio baklava, it was complementary and still very tasty. Taste's waitstaff was attentive and friendly. The tables are a bit close together, but luckily a charming grandparent-aged couple were seated next to us, and their cute married-but-still-very-in-love convo only added to our night. I wish the other "gastropubs" in the area would take notes on the quality of Taste's food and ambiance. Their claim to gastropub-ness is making it hard to find true gems like this one!
(4)Brittney T.
Why I gave some stars: Lots of craft beers, good ambiance, nice gastropub feel, attentive and friendly staff, and a convenient place to get to with easy parking. Why I docked some stars: food is very subpar. Went on a whim and tried the pumpkin gnocchi and my friend got it too. When it was presented it was pretty but the smallest portion of gnocchi I've ever recieved. I'm used to receiving a large amount and having plenty to take home after, but there were literally ten pieces. The presentation was pretty with a pumpkin sauce drizzled across and crumbled sage. But it was hard and overly chewy and very overcooked. Also, gnocchi should be shaped in little balls and these were rectangle pieces, it seemed like they took a couple strips of pasta and just chopped it up. I was there on the 30th of Oct with a group of 5 people and didn't want to make a scene when the waiter asked how everything was, so I beared through it, but ça été terrible. If your food isn't made/cooked well then you lose a lot of stars from me since that's the whole point of paying to eat out, to enjoy something yummy or at the very least, good. They were bold to take on gnocchi and pumpkin at that, but the chef should never put out a dish they wouldn't eat themselves. I was also surprised to see that someone posted a picture of their gnocchi 20 days ago (about 2 weeks before I went) and it looks amazing, nothing like what I recieved. There were barely any chunks of pumpkin in mine :(
(2)Jeremy P.
So so food. So so service. I probably won't go back. Lively atmosphere. Plenty of parking. The interior could use a facelift. For a gastropub I was expecting a little bit deeper draft beer menu.
(2)Sheilah L.
This place has changed ownership and the menu. Raw oysters, craft beer, and a new menu including the tapas from the old menu. Sundays they have live jazz and a brunch with a Bloody Mary Bar. New drinks! Try the Elderflower Martini- coming soon! Picture added.
(5)Phi N.
This is a big upgrade from the previous menu here. Same layout but new theme (no longer just tapas). We started with the calamari and lump crab dip. Neither were exceptional, but I can see myself ordering the lump crab dip again. The calamari was tasteless and the dipping sauce they use isn't all that special either. I also got me a blue crab bisque. I enjoyed the taste of it, but if it was a little thicker, it'd be perfect. My friend and I split the pork chops and ribeye, both medium-rare. Both were cooked perfectly! I am truly surprised. These entrees were both very scrumptious, but if I were to choose one, I'd have to go with the pork chops. The extra stuff placed on the dish isn't as good (grits vs. risotto), but the meat is all we care about anyway, right?! I'm trying to keep my gout going here!... Our server was good. Joyful and attentive. However, the tables are a bit close. They'll seat you at all the 2-tops, really close to each other, before they put people at the 4-tops... even if the rest of the restaurant is empty. I was all up in the love conversation the ladies next to me were having, lol. Awkward... btw, love is something you show, not something you say...
(4)Linda C.
Hmmm it was so much better when it opened years ago. Now, I'm confused what's going on. Dirty, strange menu and over priced wine. $65 for a $15 bottle of wine. Really, that is just greedy. Never going back.
(2)Sammy A.
Came on a rainy Tuesday night with high hopes for my first experience here. Upon walking in we are greeted by a live singer right by the door. Always love live music so its a great start so far. After a few moments of nobody coming to seat us, I decide to take it upon myself to grab a table, no biggie right? Our server Andrew came promptly and started on a courteous note. Started with the Ahi Tuna Tartare, a fantastic opening dish. Fresh tuna served with radishes, a ginger oil/evoo dressing, carrot and watercress. The tartare is accompanied with a focaccia bread. The tartare was great, but needed a bit of citrus for acidity to bring the dish together. The bread was great as well, but needed to be baked a few minutes longer. All criticisms aside though, this dish is a very strong opening. Moving on to the main dishes. Our party tried the Scottish Salmon, Short Rib & the Suckling Pig. The suckling pig was a very poor choice. The parpadelle pasta served with it was flavorless, it needed to be pulled together with a sauce. I thought that was what the Madeira would provide, but it seemed non-existent in the dish. The short rib was a bit better. Properly cooked risotto is rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite. This risotto unfortunately was quite dry and lukewarm, almost as if it had been left sitting under the lamp. The short rib sauce lacked body and was too watery. While the short rib was tender and fell off the fork, the dry risotto and lackluster sauce made this dish unfavorable. The Scottish Salmon was by far the best entree. The sauce had a great balance of sweet and savory, the salmon was cooked perfectly, and the accompaniments rounded out the dish well. But unfortunately, it just didn't have anything that made it special. Unfortunately, all of our main dishes were very meh. And I REALLY wanted to love this place. Our server Andrew was GREAT though, as was the Ahi Tuna Tartare. Unfortunately, the entree's above have convinced me that this menu may not be worth the second trip, particularly at this price point. Who knows though, maybe seafood is the only way to go here?
(2)Jeneane B.
There is good reason Taste Gastropub is rated the #1 restaurant in Olney. They have good food, a great craft beer selection, and their prices are reasonable. We found Taste about a year and a half ago, and we have been back a number of times. On our most recent visit, we noticed the menu change and were disappointed to see some of our favorite dishes gone. But we were excited to give the newer dishes a try. Some of our favorite appetizers are the Chicken Souvlaki, Filet Skewers, and Charcuterie options (perfect with the pickled veggies and spicy mustard). While the roasted beet salad is good, I really miss the wilted spinach salad with roasted hazlenuts. The Salmon and the Roasted Chicken are both amazing entrée options. It certainly seems the food quality and beer selection have maintained with new management, although service was markedly slower. Although it is a small location and often busy when we go, we have never had trouble getting a table.
(4)Paul L.
My wife and I went here for the first time this past weekend. Great atmosphere, bar area, and I found the waitstaff very personable. We had a couple of small plates (beef skewers and hummus platter) that were excellent. I had every reason to believe we'd continue that trajectory into the main meal, but we were both really disappointed with the entrees. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara and was shocked at how flavorless it was - there was no seasoning whatsoever and even the tomato didn't stand out as very tomato-y. To rule out the possibility of a mini-stroke that had obliterated my taste buds, I asked my wife to try it and she had the same assessment. Additionally. my wife commented that her dish - mussels - was also fairly plain, commenting that she could taste lemon and that was about it. We really wanted to like this place. One disappointing dish you can chalk up to hit-or-miss but two just means to avoid in the future. This place started out when it opened as small-plate fare only, but they haven't yet made the transition to equally-impressive entrees.
(2)Dave M.
Cheeseburger tasted good but it was a lot smaller than the bun ... and the toppings overwhelmed the burger. Strip away the bread, the pickle, the onion, the lettuce and you're left with what seemed to be a 4-oz.burger for $13. Calamari was OK ... not hot or crispy enough for me but everyone else seemed to like it. I didn't care for the banana cream "pie." It was more crust than cream ... and it wasn't a slice of pie ... it was more like a tart with a couple of tablespoon fulls of cream. I looked for banana slices ... wasn't sure if there was any banana or not. Coffee had a funny taste. My table-mates seemed to enjoy their beer and vodka drinks. No need to return as far as I'm concerned.
(2)Elijah B.
I was in here about a few weeks ago with my annoying wife Sarah. I wanted to sit at the bar but she insisted we sit at a table like some pretentious couple from the 50's so we did. Our server was named Tommy and he mentioned he liked the redskins---so his service was perfect. He even went as far as asking the old hag for her ID--which made her feel special, even though shes clearly from the Mesozoic Era of time. I went for the shrimp pasta and my blabbing wife had something that was fried--I don't know what it was but she liked it so I was happy. I actually enjoyed my pasta too. All in all everything was fine and we lived ever after.
(4)Jeremy B.
2.5 if i could. Ambiance: Strip mall at the corner of Georgia Ave and 108 in Olney. Small seating area out front on the sidewalk. Inside features reduced lighting, a wood bar, tables that aren't too close together. Comfortable. Service: Not amazing, but definitely not terrible. On the high end of average with the regular wait staff (slightly brusque, not terribly engaging, but efficient), but the floor manager came by a couple of times too. Beer Selection: My inner beer douche is admittedly coming out here, but I don't think you can really call your place a gastropub when you only have eight draught lines and eight bottles in addition to the standard macros. The draft and bottle lists were nicely varied between styles, and most are local, but there were no pleasant surprises or rarities. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the well-curated and thoughtful draught and bottle list management at other nearby places like Quench, Full On, and Victoria's (a legitimate gastropub if ever there was one). Food: Had a few different small plates, as well as the charcuterie platter. Some of the stuff was really good (beef skewers and the charc), some was good (my wife's ravioli), and some was a mixed bag (meatballs over polenta). Where the food gets weak is that some of it is a tad underseasoned (the polenta and the bread basket), which is not that big a deal, except that this place did not have salt and pepper shakers on the table. That's a pet peeve of mine. Don't take the power of seasoning out of my hands. I might be a pepper addict for all you know, needing that spicy, sneezy black powder fix, man. Value: This place was definitely on the pricey end. The charc platter in particular was on the expensive side. The charc, plus ravioli, small beef skewers, small meatballs, two beers, and a cocktail ran a hundred bucks plus tip. Overall: Nice ambiance, better than average food, over-priced, with an average draught and bottle list. Probably won't be a regular.
(3)Maria O.
Excellent meal. The hangar steak au poivre was perfect and the frites delicious. The salmon was a little undercooked but tasty. The chocolate cake was so good! Moist and decadent. Very attentive service. All in all a lovely evening!
(4)T M.
We went here a few months ago because we saw a "kids eat free" sign outside. My wife and I had dinner and we got both of the kids something off the kids menu. The food was pretty good, nothing struck me as extraordinary. The drinks seem overpriced to me. When the bill came, we were charged for both of the kids. I asked the waiter about it and he said the sign must be for the Olney Grill. I politely informed him that there were several signs by the road and they all said "taste gastropub ". Instead of looking out the window at the signs, he asked his manager who said the signs must be for the Olney Grill also. I took the waiter to the front of the restaurant and pointed at the signs. He told me to wait again that he had to check. After another 10 minutes, he came back and said that he and the manager were both new and he checked with the cook who informed him that it was "kids eat free" night. They took both of the kids meals off the check. I still don't know how the manager and the waiter drove in the parking lot without seeing the signs. Further, I guess the waiter thought I hadn't passed elementary school reading because I couldn't tell the difference between "taste gastropub" and "Olney Grill". I will give this place two stars because the food was pretty good. It really isn't a good restaurant for kids. The meals and drinks seem overpriced and as you can tell from my review, the wait staff left something to be desired. I won't go back.
(2)Elizabeth W.
So, was searching for a nice place to go for my birthday dinner and saw that Olney has a Gastro Pub!!!! Super cool! So we ended up being a party of 15 and I was kind of worried that there wouldn't be enough room since the place seemed kind of small. IT worked out, they split us into two tables of 8. Food: Here is the run down of what people got: Sausage Craft Lamb Sausage Blue Crab Bisque - too salty Pan-Seared Rockfish - Catch of the day, mixed reviews Pan-seared Scallops - Too pricey Pan Roasted Local Ribeye - too pricey Seafood Pasta - 3 people got this rating: 7.5/10 Fish N Chips - 8/10 Roasted Chicken Sandwich - Didn't like the Bread The food was really good. I had the Pan-seared Rockfish and I thought it was delicious! The food overall seemed to be pretty good. Drinks: Good selection of beer, wine and specialties. I got an Orange Crush which was good. Not the best I ever had, but well balanced. Service: Tatianna was funny and personable, pretty good for a waitress. I liked her a lot. A big group like us is always hard to deal with, so I always give the waitress a break. Plus, if you're nice and you kept my sister's cup filled, I give you an A+! The decor was really nice, I liked it. I think I would come back for happy hour or to try the Charcuterie and cheese, but the main selections are a little pricey for me. This is not a place I would frequent I think.
(4)Roy S.
This used to be Taste Mezza!!! What happened??????? Taste Mezza was one of the best restaurants I have ever been to in MD. Now its just pub grub with a couple Greek tapas thrown in as an afterthought... I am terribly saddened by this change. Do not get me wrong the food is good but its just like most other places out there, so why would I drive all the way to Olney now?? Goodbye Taste Mezza, you are missed!!!
(2)Bill M.
I really want to like this place more. I came here when it was a greek place and liked it much more. We came in for brunch on Sunday. We were seated just outside the bar area where a guy that sounded like wolfman Jack obviously had too much to drink and was cursing quite a bit. I was there with my wife, 7yr old daughter, and mother-in-law. I am no shrinking violet, but the bottomless mimosas and bloody mary's can be a problem when there is hardly a barrier between the dining room and the bar. I understand this is a gastropub, but we have been to others without anything close to this. We were seated and drinks were delivered quickly. We ordered our meals at 2:00 and were delivered our meals at 2:30. There were two or three other tables in the restaurant. The food was actually pretty good. Chocolate chip pancakes for my daughter, pork belly hash for me, falafel for my wife, and a croque madame for MIL. The croque madame was huge and looked great, the falafel was good with a little harissa for spice. My hash was supposed to be topped with two poached eggs, these were overcooked, but the overall dish was fine. The food was fine, but we would have appreciated being updated on why our meals were so late coming out. I don't know if we'll be back.
(2)Doug C.
"Best Place to Host a Dinner Party..." I just hosted a dinner party last week at "Taste Gastropub" in Olney, Maryland for 70 of my best friends and clients. The event was a smashing success!! The staff at "Taste" were incredible to work with, they accommodated my every request, ALL of my 70 guests loved the restaurant and all of them raved about the excellent food and service. Everyone told me later that they are going to bring their families and friends back and others said they are going to bring their office staffs and clients because of the superb ambiance, food and service they enjoyed at the dinner party. I fully intend to host as many events as I can at "Taste" in the future. I can't say enough about what an outstanding restaurant "Taste' is. I highly recommend it to anyone. "Taste" and the staff made me look great in front of my friends and clients -- and you can't ask for anything better than that!! March 19, 2014 Doug Crowley
(5)Kyle D.
Taste has delicious food. The atmosphere is great and the staff is friendly. I wish the prices were a little lower. I love the community involvement!
(4)Sandy B.
What a nice surprise. Well-crafted food out in the 'burbs. I went on Saturday night. They even had live music (with no cover charge), starting at 6pm. I really liked the Charcuterie Board; I selected the chorizo. The chorizo was delicious, flavorful. The bread served with it was wonderful, soft and fresh. I had the pumpkin whatever dessert -- yummy, and a perfect size. That said, it was advertised as coming with "orange fennel crème fraiche", but the creme fraiche seemed more like ice cream, and the orange fennel taste didn't come through; it was more like vanilla to me -- but I enjoyed it anyway because the pumpkin soue tart was light and delightful. I drank the blueberry mojito -- pleasing but wished for more blueberries. I'm eager to try more of their creative drinks. (I don't drink beer so I know I was missing out on a big part of their schtick.) I also had iced tea which was served with lemon, without me having to ask. Yeah! Note: Reservations may be a good idea on Saturday nights....they're that popular. Check out prices online before you go -- so you know what you and/or companions may end up spending. I thought the prices were fair for what I had. My total without tip and tax was about $24 (drink/ meat 6 / dessert 7 / iced tea) I hope to go back. You can readily spend more if you get an entrée, or more drinks. They have special prices for lunch, and do serve Sunday brunch. And there are other specials happening (especially drink prices) now and then.
(4)M R C H.
Nice little pub atmosphere, really great fish & chips! I wasn't drinking when my wife and I visited, but the new selection seemed fun. Dark bar lighting, but not a sleezy feel at all. Good service, the kitchen was accommodating to questions and a dessert substitution. We will certainly go back.
(4)Liza A.
What a horrible experience.... We came at three in the afternoon on Friday and believe me biiigggg mistake....no service they were talking with each other and no one refilled my husband glass of water.......this is the scoop.. We come and are greeted by the waitress ... Sit down and brought menus...hubby ask for a mojito and I don't know yet..so she says she will bring a glass of water... Drinks come and I noticed my glass have some food on the side of the glass and something else floating on my water... Yukkkkk.....hubbies mojito has old rotten mint in it...and taste like diluted sugar...yukkkk... Then I order a white sangria and this orange juice colored drink comes....what? Do they think that wine+orange juice+wedges of orange and lime makes sangria? Come on...hubby didn't like mojito so he returns it...ask for a corona...it comes and is Luke warm..WTF!!!...disappointed already I almost left but hubby insisted....we order food and the first dish comes 15 min later ..flat bread and crab dip..nothing special...another 15 min and I am restless comes beef skewers and chicken souvlaki....I wasn't hungry out of all this waiting.... By the way did I forget to mention we were the only customers inside????? Never again...one star is to much....no service no good food....disgusting drinks.... Never again
(1)Debbie H.
My second time to this restaurant for lunch since they changed hands. (Was previously a 3 times a month customer)The food is worth the trip; the chef is experienced and has an excellent, varied cuisine. However, this is NOT a place you want to go on a lunch break, or if you have groceries in the car. 1st trip there were two of us, second trip there were 4. Both times we were the only ones in the restaurant and lunch took 40 minutes to be served. Communication by the wait staff would have been appreciated re: how much longer our meal would take, refilling our non-alcoholic drinks needed to be requested by our parties on both trips.. Getting the waitresses attention was not as easy as one might think in an otherwise empty restaurant. She was "tied up" behind the bar with one customer each time I was there. If you want great food, go there. If you can tolerate a longer than average wait time from order to arrival of food, or a really attentive wait staff, keep looking. One final positive: the large screen TVs behind he bar are quiet - thank you!
(3)Ginger B.
We've been here twice with a friend visiting her parents in Sandy Spring, both times on a weeknight. The service has been excellent and the atmosphere cozy. You don't know you're in a strip mall. The menu is varied and it works for groups where everyone wants something different. The small plates work for someone who doesn't want a large meal while the entrees roll out a full meal. The hummus/pita sampler was a safe choice for an appetizer and the perfect size for 6. A small plate chicken kabob worked for someone watching their carbs. The shrimp &grits was nicely cooked and delivered at the right temperature (grits need to be prepared on the spot), a good dish to eat with wine. They have a nice wine list and selection of beers. Their iced tea is brewed fresh, in case you aren't sampling the bar. The Arugula salad w/salmon and pumpkin w as good, although the accompanying breaded goat cheese was a bit dry. Overall it's a pleasant experience.
(4)A B.
First time there - food was very good. There were 4 of us. Appetizers were tasty and all entrees were great. One star off because the service was pretty lousy. At first we felt rushed as he asked us within a minute of sitting down if we were ready to order and did so again within another minute. We told him it was our first time and needed to review the menu. We asked for a round of water to start and one of us never got water - the entire time. My husband never got his second beer. I had to ask for a refill on my water and before my entree came out my glass was empty and never got refilled. I believe the manager even saw me leaning over and drinking from another glass on the table. They replaced vegetables with french fries without notification, stating the chef didn't like the way the vegetables looked (french fries is a lousy replacement) and when they said they would bring another vegetable it never came. While they offered to buy us dessert they already knew we were full and wouldn't accept the offer since we already told them forget the new vegetable since we were done eating. The right thing would have been to take an app off the bill. I would like to go back - we just have to be sure we never get that server again and hope it is a better experience!
(4)matt l.
Thankfully, they were the only place open in the storm yesterday. Great service by Andrew at the bar. Nice draft selection and the few items we are we're very good. The dip sampler is really good. Nice locals place although I miss some of the previous owners food but this bar is way better.
(5)Dan H.
I'm not familiar with the food, but just to mention the cost of a 10 oz. beer is $1.00 per ounce. After tax and a small tip, you have spent $11 for a tiny little drink of a microbrew. I don't think that's reasonable, even for the "best" microbrews. We went elsewhere because the "pub" part of this gastropub is a wee bit too pretentious with the prices.
(2)Ben P.
Bottomless mimosas during Sunday brunch and the waiter came out with complementary fresh donuts. Ballin'
(5)Janet C.
Our second visit here and still not entirely impressed. The food is good but not great for the price. Enjoyed the shrimp and grits and pork chop entrees but the steak and seafood pasta were just okay. Desserts were really disappointing. Some good beers but not an extensive list. Mixed drinks are yummy but most are over complicated. Not as refined as Victoria Gastropub in Columbia but charging the same price. Mixed feelings about service at bar, entirely too much personal information heard about the staff's current dating and diet status (don't need to know that the stick behind the bar is trying to lose 10 pounds to be a walking skeleton as we enjoy our calorie laden meals).
(3)Peter C.
Wow. Really a pleasant surprise! Just moved to Olney from Bethesda and this place was great. Beef tartar was excellent. Great beer selection. The burger my wife ordered was cooked a perfect medium. The fish and chips I ordered was delicious. Big piece of fish. Fries are hand made and cut apparently in the kitchen and they were very tasty. The bar was low for me when I walked in the door to this random place in a strip mall, and the bottom line was this place was great. It wasn't too noisy inside. Its not a large place but it was decorated tastefully and you weren't on top of your neighboring table. The prices were reasonable for the quality of food, and the service was excellent. The ice cream sandwich cookie on the lemon cookie...wow scrumptious. Highly recommend this place!
(5)Gio C.
Had a great dinner with friends and had a table up front by the window. Great drinks (don't miss the orange crush- its fantastic and you cannot drink just one!). Food was varied and had some fun menu items. lamb meatballs super! Lobster risotto delish with HUGE chunks of lobster- no skimping here! and fresh tasty oysters! We also had the shrimp and grits which i licked the plate (shoulda ordered a double on that!). Full bar+ great wine list+ great food = a great time in Olney! By the way- it really isn't that far from south MOCO county and def worth the trip!
(5)Mary Ann R.
Excellent meal! Started with chicken souvakli appetizer. The tzatziki sauce was cold, tasty and delicious. Chicken cooked perfectly! I had the shrimp and grits which were the perfect portion size and delicious. My husband had the Scottish salmon which he claimed to be perfection. We had the pear tart dessert to share. Came with hazelnut gelato which was scrumptious. 2 glasses of Riesling. A wonderful meal. We will be back!
(5)Laurie K.
For Sunday brunch, the menu selection was varied and the food was of good quality. However, the service leaves much to be desired. We waited 30 minutes for water or even to place our order. The food came first before the drinks. I had to ask the water afterwards. After multiple complaints, two waiters and the manager/bartender took good care of us.
(3)Jerry H.
Totally enjoyed the experience. My wife and I had been working very hard and decided to have a quiet dinner out to get a little break. We found the Taste Gastropub to be just the ticket. Not loud, great food, great service. We started with the filet skewers which were unbelievably tender. My wife had the sweet pea ravioli and I had the seared scallops which were outstanding. It turned into a perfect evening away from the stresses of work. Highly recommend it. I know we're going back.
(5)Kor H.
The first few times I came here it was pretty good but it started going downhill. The drinks are delicious but they seem to have changed a few bartenders and the last time I went the bartender was more interested in entertaining his friends than making us drinks or even finding out if we wanted refills or even bothering to wipe the bar when he realized we sat down. To be fair I would have not been annoyed with my experience but the place had my group of friends and his group of friends so it isn't like they were very busy. The food used to be one of my favorite things and I had talked this place up to my friends but either another chef was working or the chef was a bit off his game the night we went. My friend's girlfriend said her steak tasted like charcoal and the list of what they were out of was endless. When my friend ordered something that they forgot they were out of they substituted what they thought was appropriate instead of bothering to ask if she wanted to change her order and she was not a fan of the substitution so she wished she had gotten the opportunity to change her order. I ordered something I normally get but the recipe had changed drastically because the flavor was gone.
(1)Ken S.
So we have been a few times and overall a nice neighborhood place. New but getting it's feet. Went there on Sunday for brunch for wife B day and had nice jazz playing. Pretty empty so should be a easy deal.Had the bottomless mimosa's which were nice but at 12 bucks, I felt a little high, same as the bloody do it yourself which was cool, but again 11 bucks was high. So onto the meal. Waitress was fine but when told about the french toast was missing something she was like "oh well eat slowly" since she forgot the advertised cream anglasie and candied oranges. Hello that was what made it special. When I finally came i had shared 1/2 and ate my half since was getting cold. The sauce made it but was a little to late. Should replace the whole plate? The crab Benedict was very good but one of the eggs was hard while one was perfectly runny? How do you do that. The other plates of pancakes and hash were fine. Will go again in the future but you have to get it right and you have to won
(2)Christina M.
What a disappointment! I dined there last year and was very impressed with the food. Truly delicious and a surprise in a pub setting. Sadly, I can't say the same this year. First of all, they changed the menu, but they didn't change it on their website. So I went expecting something entirely different from what I got. The food was disappointing this time. While the fries are excellent and my fellow diner's steak was very good, my gnocchi was very chewy and the mussels were dry. Definitely not the wonderful dining experience from last year. Maybe I picked the wrong dish.
(3)Brian R.
Wanted it to be better. Some things worked and some didn't. The Charcuterie board had great selection, delivered on a monster sized board that nearly filled our table for 2. Nice beer list. Recommend: Oysters, Roasted pumpkin, Carcuterie, Garlic Rock Shrimp (spicy). Pass on: Brussel sprouts (not properly roasted, hard as rock), Lamb meatballs (way underseasoned, bottled sauce). 5 stars for the king of WEISSE beers Schneider Weisse Aventinus.
(3)Eric L.
My better half and I ate here on a sunday evening and were seated right away (which sometimes is a bad sign, and this particular evening would prove to be the case). We ordered drinks, a beer and a "sangria" (or white wine filled with whatever fruit they had at the bar) and ordered our food. Unfortunately, they were fresh out of both of the dishes we ordered, the result of an apparent delivery failure according to the manager. Our food came out promptly, and was OK. My burger which I ordered medium came out well done, and lacked any seasoning or flavor, and her Gnocchi came out with carrots on it, instead of the advertised butternut squash and pistachios. Seeing as my burger cost 12 bucks I expected something a little better than the five guys across the street but sadly I was disappointed. Her 15 dollar gnocchi came in an oversized bowl with an undersized portion, leaving her unsatisfied. Our waitress was friendly, and apologized several times for the restaurants failures, however there were too many during our experience. In summary, it seems like a great place to go for a beer, a football game, and maybe grab an appetizer. However I doubt I will ever come back for their dinner service.
(2)Melissa L.
I have to say .... I thought Taste was good before the redesign ... now they are great! Everything was spot on. All of the food was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the service was spot on. I am thrilled to have Taste in the area area as it is great to have a 'date night' place so close to home. Try the Hugs and Kisses martini with the pear tart dessert! More to come on our next trip!
(4)Stephen D.
Very good food. We've been twice and everything tastes wonderful. The atmosphere inside is quite nice too. It was fairly empty so don't know about the noise levels on a more popular night. The prices are slightly high which is what prevents a higher rating.
(4)David O.
Have eaten here before and was great. Last evening had rehearsal dinner there. It was truly amazing. Food was incredible, staff fabulous. Compliments from all attendees. Peter was very accommodating . Perfect event.
(5)Matt P.
Nice place to go with another couple. Have a variety of tapas to start off with. Also a good drink menu. A good atmosphere and friendly staff.
(4)Cat S.
I didn't get a chance to sit in to eat in but their Try-Three-Cheeses platter with bread is DELICIOUS and their seafood pasta salad is on point! I also loved the little candies by the door, some kind of caramel mints. My take order goes great with the wine from the Winery at Olney, if you need a place to order great food to pair with wine, this is the place!
(3)Heather H.
The menu has returned to some of it's old Greek tapas. But the prices are high and the food was not good. Our server didn't have a recommendation other than the fish and chips. We order the calamari- it was plain. We ordered the pork belly and a soft cheese- that the server described as "brie"like. It was horrible- seriously it tasted like fumes. When we told him it wasn't like brie at all, he then told us that he didn't like that cheese- but preferred the harder ones. Really?? You couldn't tell us that ahead of time when we asked for recommendations?? We ordered the hanger steak w/ frites- it was bad also! I know that hanger steak is a bit tough, but when it is the ONLY steak on the menu- you would expect it to be chewable. It seems like Taste is trying to be modern and hip with fewer, fancy items. But the food should be first rate for the prices. To give them credit though, the manager did comp us the steak- we did tell her it wasn't necessary and gave us a free piece of pie. (Which sadly was not very good either.) Perhaps we really just ordered the wrong food, but will probably not be going back. It was a great original find a few years ago, when they had more Greek tapas, but now it's just overrated and not worth it.
(2)Michael S.
Food was good, great beer selection. Crab Bisque was excellent
(3)Evelia S.
My family went to Taste today for Mother's Day Brunch. The menu was varied. We all got different items, cooked to perfection. Our waiter was Tom. He was excellent and paid attention to every detail. We were very happy and pleased. Mind you the our group included people with various dietary differences. We were all satisfied. The food was freshly cooked to perfection. We had the pancakes for my granddaughter, chicken for my son, frittata for my daughter, and salmon for me. It was beautifully presented. The mimosas are wonderful.
(5)Max H.
I gave the old Taste Mezze four stars, but I really wanted to give it 4.5. I try to reserve 5 stars for the most exceptional experiences. Well, the new Taste Gastropub kept the best of the old menu and made some great improvements, like carrying craft beers and raw oysters, both offered during happy hours, and an amazing scallop ceviche. I'm looking forward to trying everything on the menu eventually!
(5)Jeff M.
This is worth traveling for. The food here is top notch. From the custom charcuterie board (make sure to get the prosciutto and chorizo) to the beet salad, to the fritter plate, the beginning of your meal won't disappoint. Then for entrees, try the pork chop with kale, or the shrimp with grits. The portions are tasty, delicious, and don't skimp on size. The wine selection is better than adequate, and the choice of craft beers is impressive. For the money, it would be hard to find a better value in the Maryland suburbs (take that, Bethesda). They'll get our fifth star when the water comes to the table in a timely way and there are linen tablecloths. But overall, Taste Gastropub is a wonderful meal in a surprising location.
(4)Rachel L.
I was there last night for a double date with another couple. I just wasn't that thrilled with it. They try to put together a high end cocktail list but it comes off as inexperienced and honestly goofy. A cocktail based on skittles? I'll pass. The cocktail I landed up getting, the Third Date, was alright. It wasn't mixed very well and mostly tasted of gin. My boyfriend stuck with beer and liked the selection a lot. We ordered the crab dip and it tasted like canned crab that had been baked with a little cheesy on top...and someone didn't completely drain the can before baking it. The bottom of the crab dip was watery and the bread served with it was stale. The other couple ordered the rosemary skewers and said those were good but I didn't try them. I wasn't super hungry so I just had a cheese plate to nibble on. They did have a really interesting cheese selection which was nice. My boyfriend ordered the burger and said it was good but not special. He did really like the fries that came with it. If you check in on Yelp while you are there, you get a free desert, so we tried the sticky toffee bread pudding with malt ice cream. The bread pudding was fine, nothing special. The ice cream had freezer burn. Based on the food alone, we probably wouldn't return. What really sealed the deal was the volume of the music. We were literally screaming across the table to hear each other. My ears were ringing afterwards. If I knew they went for a dated night club after 9, we probably wouldn't have grabbed dinner there in the first place.
(2)Rachel G.
Food not as good since ownership switched hands.
(3)Steve L.
Great place. Gourmet food and an awesome selection of beer. Worth the drive
(5)S S.
Had the pleasure of having dinner here with a business client. I was very pleased with the food and service. Pork belly was amazing. Looking forward to future visits.
(5)Nicholas D.
I have been twice and both times the food and service was excellent. First time was for brunch and I had the shrimp and grits. It was awesome. Just as good as LuLu's @ The Thompson House down on Amelia Island. Second time I was in the mood for a burger and I wasn't disappointed. Cooked as ordered and full of flavor. Have some killer drink deals too with a large craft beer selection.
(5)Darcy P.
I think this place is fine. bartenders usually really nice and food is ok. evidently a lot of people seem to love the food but i've ordered a lot of different things, both before and after the redo, and while nothing was terrible, nothing was awesome either. before it was kind of a mezze place but the mezze selections were just fine. not awful but not amazing hummus or other types of dips. not as good as lebanese taverna, even. greek salad was terrible--it was like bagged lettuce with an olive on it. wasn't even greek dressing. mama lucia's was better! the bartender told me they redid the greek salad so perhaps it is better but for the price, i'm not getting it. flatbreads ok, again not awesome but not bad. veggie sides often too greasy. i have to say i've never ordered an entree and they do look good, but they are so much pricier and usually we are going for a drink and some food to share, not $25+ entrees each. they tend to close early-though always they say we should come back on x,y, or z day and they stay open late--perhaps they do on the weekends but I come after work on my way home, not saturdays, and thursdays they stay open late if they have a crowd of maybe 10 or more but otherwise, when it's say 6, the vacuums come out at 9. overall, this place is in the rotation but mostly bc bartenders are nice and generous with their pours and food is decent.
(3)Brian P.
Food n beer were outstanding for a strip mall place in the burbs the waiter was nice to boot n i got an entertainment book discount. I highly reco the hanger steak
(5)Tony N.
My wife and I came here on a Saturday evening for cocktails and bar appetizers. We enjoyed the drinks and food was good. Glad to have a downtown-like watering hole in the outer rings of Olney!
(4)Donna Y.
This place was a little difficult to find but it's tucked away next to rite aid. I sat by the bar and ordered off the happy hour menu 4-7. I ordered the buttermilk chicken, raw oysters, meatball sliders, hummus, cucumber yogurt sauce, calamari, and roasted eggplant. The food was good for the value but missed the marks on taste. The skin on the chicken had a lot of flavor but the chicken was fairly bland... Could use more marinatinh. The raw oysters had quite a bit of left over pieces of shell... Very uncomfortable. The calamari was served in a sweet... Sweet... Sweet sauce. I used the yelp check in for free dessert... Raspberry tart with ice cream (looked unappetizing but tasted quite delicious... Still a little on the sweeter side). I would recommend to come here for a quick snack and a beer but I would move on to another place for dinner. I'd be happy to come back under new food quality management.... But for now I'll leave it at that.
(3)Jessica W.
Went with two of my girlfriends for brunch on Sunday. The calamari was very bland, as was the crab benedict (according to my friends who ordered it). The shrimp and grits was thick and grainy with very little to recommend it. The shrimp were fresh and tasty, but there weren't many of them and the rest of the dish was underwhelming. I was hungry and didn't even finish my food, because it just wasn't appetizing. Had to ask for butter to go with the bread that was offered. That was probably the best part of the meal. I won't be back.
(2)Renee R.
We entered and were not greeted. A jazz band was playing and the music was basically monotonous flute. Our server forgot several things that we asked for. All that and immeasurably upon arriving home, a 1/4 mile away, I could no longer hold food or water down for the remainder of the day. This isn't a review that I write lightly, not an one of "those people" that enjoys nitpicking. On the contrary, I've spent many years of my life working as a server, bartender and restaurant manager. I have also been patronizing Taste since it first unopened under another owner and even after the change in management. More recently it seems that its gone downhill. Not only has the chef parted ways, whom I have worked with several times professionally and have a deep respect for his work, but I'm now hearing rumors throughout our community that people have spotted roaches on the walls and even on their tables! I wish that I had known these things prior to my bringing out of town guests. No one was press with their food. My Crab Benedict clearly wasn't good as per my body's reaction, but the cheeseburger that was ordered was talked and dry and the fish from the fish & chips wasn't fried in oil that was hot enough, therefore causing the batter to absorb all of the oil. I couldn't be more dissatisfied and disappointed. I will ABSOLUTELY not be going back. It really used to be a gem in Olney.
(1)Ijene L.
Meh. The hype is definitely in over drive on this joint. I've gone twice. Once to drink and I went back because of the reviews and I wanted to try the food. The food: womp womp. I ordered the calamari starter. It was bland. That's the best I can say. The sweet sauce that goes with it is pretty good and made the calamari which was cooked well, just flavorless, a lil better. Hangar steak frites entree. First I looooove steak frites. But this presentation threw me. I've never been served steak frites where the steak isn't sLiced and usually over said frites. This was like ordering a lil steak and fries. I ordered it medium rare. Yeahhhh it was rare on the inside, burnt on the outside. Nothing turns me off like the taste of activated charcoal via beef. The fries were adequate and the salad was too, even though the dressing was sugary sweet and sparse. Dessert was FREE with my yelp check in & thank God cuz it SUCKED. I had the pineapple "cake" that the waitress said was good. I assume that's true in the land of crazy but in Olney, it was grooooooosssssss. It was a shaped like a slice of pie, with a tough top and bottom, with overcooked pineapples and cherries inside a really tough and rubbery bread pudding-ish center. ...oh... with ice cream on top. All sitting on a pool of a translucent off-putting vanilla like substance. Smh dude it was a FAIL! The ambience was alright, pretty dark wood and candle light. But the waiter, the tall guy, needs to work on spacial relations surrounding him because he kept bending over to talk to the next table effectively continuously sticking his ass in my face every 7 to 12 minutes. And not just like facing me, but literally cOuld've burned his ass on my table candle. It was thoroughly annoying. I had a couple drinks, the adult cream soda which I didn't really like. It kinda achieved it's goal but it has licorice flavoring that is overpowering and I don't think licorice is in cream soda. The pear Collins is sweet, but not too sweet, tangy tasting and the cucumber is complimentary. Funny how cukes make everything taste fresher. Anyhoo, this place is ok. I think a good happy hour spot and maybe some wings but for dinner, this pub is NOT about that life. :ol
(2)Dan W.
Haven't been here yet but I walked in and looked at the menu. Are they crazy? You're going to charge fine dining prices with a decor like that? Granted, I'm sure the chef is very talented and the menu sounds amazing but it's all in the experience. Get some professional interior decorating done and then maybe I'll pay what you're asking. I'd rather get it to go and sit in my house and eat it. At least my chairs have pillows and some comfort. Oh, they do have outside seating with couches so you can over look the stunning parking lot.
(3)Cosmo K.
My rating is mainly based on service. Food is a good 3 or 4 but crappy service will make even a 5 star joint get poor reviews. This was our second outing here, came for brunch about a year ago and received the same slow service. Came for a girls night out for dinner & drinks on a Friday with reservations this time. Decor is dark hipster modern. Entry area needs some work, most definitely not welcoming. You walk into a black box. The place was about half full so we were sat immediately. Our drink order was taken within minutes but waited at least a good 10 before waters were served and another 5 to 10 before first round of drinks. Starting off bad again and it continued throughout the night. No app plates with apps, and sides for apps delivered an easy 5 min after. Ordered second round of drinks and pile of dirty plates just left in front of us. Then dinner served with no place to put them. So on and so on blah blah bunch of the same slow service. Anywho Greek salad with shrimp was good my girlfriends like the monkfish & salmon. Probably won't come back two tries and it's the end of the road. Def more options in Olney that are better for the price.
(2)Lindsay H.
Finally, a REAL gastropub in the area! So many other bar food-serving restaurants claim to be a gastropub, yet have no idea what that actually means. It means great craft beer. Paired with even greater food. Taste is a real gem. Started with a La Fin du Monde- very tasty Belgian beer. We had the calamari for an appetizer. It actually was kind of bland, but the smokey tomato sauce it was paired with helped. BUT our entrees more than made up for the mediocre start. I had the seared ahi. It was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It came with kale and a rice side, which paired very nicely. My date had the ribeye, and was nice enough to let me try it. It too was cooked perfectly and was juicy and tasty. Awesomely, you get a free dessert for checking in on the Yelp app. We chose the pistachio baklava. Although I prefer my baklava with more phyllo, and I was expecting more pistachios in it since it was in fact, advertised as a pistachio baklava, it was complementary and still very tasty. Taste's waitstaff was attentive and friendly. The tables are a bit close together, but luckily a charming grandparent-aged couple were seated next to us, and their cute married-but-still-very-in-love convo only added to our night. I wish the other "gastropubs" in the area would take notes on the quality of Taste's food and ambiance. Their claim to gastropub-ness is making it hard to find true gems like this one!
(4)Linda C.
Hmmm it was so much better when it opened years ago. Now, I'm confused what's going on. Dirty, strange menu and over priced wine. $65 for a $15 bottle of wine. Really, that is just greedy. Never going back.
(2)Brittney T.
Why I gave some stars: Lots of craft beers, good ambiance, nice gastropub feel, attentive and friendly staff, and a convenient place to get to with easy parking. Why I docked some stars: food is very subpar. Went on a whim and tried the pumpkin gnocchi and my friend got it too. When it was presented it was pretty but the smallest portion of gnocchi I've ever recieved. I'm used to receiving a large amount and having plenty to take home after, but there were literally ten pieces. The presentation was pretty with a pumpkin sauce drizzled across and crumbled sage. But it was hard and overly chewy and very overcooked. Also, gnocchi should be shaped in little balls and these were rectangle pieces, it seemed like they took a couple strips of pasta and just chopped it up. I was there on the 30th of Oct with a group of 5 people and didn't want to make a scene when the waiter asked how everything was, so I beared through it, but ça été terrible. If your food isn't made/cooked well then you lose a lot of stars from me since that's the whole point of paying to eat out, to enjoy something yummy or at the very least, good. They were bold to take on gnocchi and pumpkin at that, but the chef should never put out a dish they wouldn't eat themselves. I was also surprised to see that someone posted a picture of their gnocchi 20 days ago (about 2 weeks before I went) and it looks amazing, nothing like what I recieved. There were barely any chunks of pumpkin in mine :(
(2)Jeremy P.
So so food. So so service. I probably won't go back. Lively atmosphere. Plenty of parking. The interior could use a facelift. For a gastropub I was expecting a little bit deeper draft beer menu.
(2)Sheilah L.
This place has changed ownership and the menu. Raw oysters, craft beer, and a new menu including the tapas from the old menu. Sundays they have live jazz and a brunch with a Bloody Mary Bar. New drinks! Try the Elderflower Martini- coming soon! Picture added.
(5)Candis F.
Totally weird location. Kind of dumpy strip mall. Don't be deceived. Great food. Great beer. Pretty good service. Would come back if I didn't live an hour away!
(4)Phi N.
This is a big upgrade from the previous menu here. Same layout but new theme (no longer just tapas). We started with the calamari and lump crab dip. Neither were exceptional, but I can see myself ordering the lump crab dip again. The calamari was tasteless and the dipping sauce they use isn't all that special either. I also got me a blue crab bisque. I enjoyed the taste of it, but if it was a little thicker, it'd be perfect. My friend and I split the pork chops and ribeye, both medium-rare. Both were cooked perfectly! I am truly surprised. These entrees were both very scrumptious, but if I were to choose one, I'd have to go with the pork chops. The extra stuff placed on the dish isn't as good (grits vs. risotto), but the meat is all we care about anyway, right?! I'm trying to keep my gout going here!... Our server was good. Joyful and attentive. However, the tables are a bit close. They'll seat you at all the 2-tops, really close to each other, before they put people at the 4-tops... even if the rest of the restaurant is empty. I was all up in the love conversation the ladies next to me were having, lol. Awkward... btw, love is something you show, not something you say...
(4)Sammy A.
Came on a rainy Tuesday night with high hopes for my first experience here. Upon walking in we are greeted by a live singer right by the door. Always love live music so its a great start so far. After a few moments of nobody coming to seat us, I decide to take it upon myself to grab a table, no biggie right? Our server Andrew came promptly and started on a courteous note. Started with the Ahi Tuna Tartare, a fantastic opening dish. Fresh tuna served with radishes, a ginger oil/evoo dressing, carrot and watercress. The tartare is accompanied with a focaccia bread. The tartare was great, but needed a bit of citrus for acidity to bring the dish together. The bread was great as well, but needed to be baked a few minutes longer. All criticisms aside though, this dish is a very strong opening. Moving on to the main dishes. Our party tried the Scottish Salmon, Short Rib & the Suckling Pig. The suckling pig was a very poor choice. The parpadelle pasta served with it was flavorless, it needed to be pulled together with a sauce. I thought that was what the Madeira would provide, but it seemed non-existent in the dish. The short rib was a bit better. Properly cooked risotto is rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite. This risotto unfortunately was quite dry and lukewarm, almost as if it had been left sitting under the lamp. The short rib sauce lacked body and was too watery. While the short rib was tender and fell off the fork, the dry risotto and lackluster sauce made this dish unfavorable. The Scottish Salmon was by far the best entree. The sauce had a great balance of sweet and savory, the salmon was cooked perfectly, and the accompaniments rounded out the dish well. But unfortunately, it just didn't have anything that made it special. Unfortunately, all of our main dishes were very meh. And I REALLY wanted to love this place. Our server Andrew was GREAT though, as was the Ahi Tuna Tartare. Unfortunately, the entree's above have convinced me that this menu may not be worth the second trip, particularly at this price point. Who knows though, maybe seafood is the only way to go here?
(2)Jeneane B.
There is good reason Taste Gastropub is rated the #1 restaurant in Olney. They have good food, a great craft beer selection, and their prices are reasonable. We found Taste about a year and a half ago, and we have been back a number of times. On our most recent visit, we noticed the menu change and were disappointed to see some of our favorite dishes gone. But we were excited to give the newer dishes a try. Some of our favorite appetizers are the Chicken Souvlaki, Filet Skewers, and Charcuterie options (perfect with the pickled veggies and spicy mustard). While the roasted beet salad is good, I really miss the wilted spinach salad with roasted hazlenuts. The Salmon and the Roasted Chicken are both amazing entrée options. It certainly seems the food quality and beer selection have maintained with new management, although service was markedly slower. Although it is a small location and often busy when we go, we have never had trouble getting a table.
(4)