The Dish & Dram

The brunch was amazing! I can't wait to go for dinner.

Visited during restaurant week. Everyone ordered something different, and we all enjoyed our dish. The burger was good asf. Gumbo was flavorful and try the apple bread pudding 😋 Many craft cocktails. Hidden gem in Kensington MD

Visited for restaurant week and wasn't disappointed. The memu felt fancy-experimental (cantaloupe gazpacho) but also contained homestyle classics like fried chicken and cheddar Bay biscuits. Worth a visit!

The food was good. The service was good. It was kind of loud but most restaurants are. The pictures on the walls were amazing. I couldn't stop staring at one of them. I should have taken a picture of it but thought that it might be kind of tacky to take a picture of a picture. So I took a picture of my food. I got the burger with some coleslaw. It was alright.

At first glance, I was a little skeptical as the restaurant was in the same complex with a gardening store and a , but once you entered the establishment, it was really nice and cozy. The server (Marcela) was friendly, the food was fresh and yummy, and the wait time for getting my meal was relatively short. I had the smoked brisket and coleslaw followed by a slice of sweet potato pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and it was great.

Really good drinks, but they were out of everything we wanted to order (food and beer). Specials are not posted online so you have to call. The Brown-Sugar Old-Fashioned was worth the trip though! We will be back to try dinner again!

We actually tripped upon this place bc a different restaurant was slammed with loud and chaotic crowds so I looked for other restaurants in the area and came upon this one. It's tucked in a corner next to a neighborhood and has a much quieter vibe which is what I was aiming for. I had the hamburger which was very good, the fries are fantastic and my husband had the fish and chips which he also gave a thumbs up to. More money than the original place we were going to go to but worth it for the calm atmosphere. We will be back.

The wait was short and the fish and chips were wonderful. I ate at the bar and was met by a distracted, inattentive, and frankly rude, bartender. Because the food was so delicious, I will def be back. Hopefully, the experience will be more welcoming the next time.

Good service and pretty good food. I would recommended it but with the slight caveat described in the third paragraph. I have enjoyed every entree I've had in my 2 or 3 visits. I had the grilled cheese sandwich at my most recent visit. It was outstanding and excelled far beyond the simple ones that I've typically had at my or others' homes. I want to have it again. Boy, was it tasty! The desserts are hit and miss, though. My friends and I went ga-ga over their delicious lemon posset. OTOH, we weren't as pleased with the chocolate mousse or the blackberry & pear (or was it peach?) crisp. I like the ambiance with the original, locally created art tastefully displayed throughout the restaurant. It's even in the bathrooms. I look forward to my next visit.

Mussels w/chorizo were excellent, bread was warm + toasty, and fries were crispy. Also, the portions were generous.

While it looks nondescript from the front, the Dish & Dram has good food and a good atmosphere inside. Visited for the first time on a Saturday night and glad they took reservations because it was busy. Everyone enjoyed their meal choices. My seasonal risotto was not the most appetizing looking but tasted great, with a strong flavor of asparagus, leeks, and manchego. The service was attentive and the front seating area felt clean and inviting. However, it's not a 5-star for me because there's a very slim selection for vegetarians. I wish they at least had a veggie burger option. Parking was also tricky but managed to snag one open spot.

I loved this place! Quaint; definitely a mom and pop feel restaurant. Drinks are good. Service was great! Chef's quiche was crab and it was delish!

Went for dinner on a Sat night: (1) The food and drinks were GOOD/ Solid. (2) Service was very hospitable / good vibes. Definitely plan to be a repeat customer. Two thumbs up.

Great, food, great ambiance. The Staff was great. The menu has variety and dishes punch above their weight.

They extended Restaurant week menu standard menu not available you could order a la carte from the week menu at greatly inflated prices. Ordered a crab cake appetizer and cantaloupe gazpacho $30, received 2 ping pong ball sized crab cakes down from the original qty of 4, soup very salty, not a pleasant evening Had visited before service and food good to very good

Another excellent meal at Dish and Dram. Service was outstanding. Mellow atmosphere. Not too loud. Just right for quit conversation amongst others enjoying their evening as well.

Interesting place. Menu looks good, but the service is more of an "ignore you until you leave" mentality. We walked in, were shown to a table, and then ignored.

The beer is great and I love the atmosphere - I hope to try the food soon so I will update when I go again!

Friend treated me to birthday lunch near her home and I'd never been. I will return! It's a pleasant space and was bustling and full for a Wednesday at lunch time-in a nice way. I had the daily fish special which was grilled grouper. It was fabulous tasting, cooked to a golden brown and was so satisfying! My friend had a salad with salmon and she said it was great too. Service was efficient. Took off 1 star because of the annoying flies where we were initially seated near the back. We asked to move to the front of the restaurant and thankfully they didn't follow us.

DAILY HAPPY HOUR starting at 3:30 PM! Even though I live in the neighborhood and hang out on Antique Row every week, it was my first time visiting. The happy hour was a pleasant surprise because with two toddlers, I don't get to experience too many of these anymore. My husband and I tried everything on the Happy Hour menu. All draft beers were on happy hour, there were two selections for wine (the white was flat/odd/atypical), and cocktails had a $2 discount. The burger was delicious but was a mess on the small bun and was falling apart after two bites. The wings were over-fried, and the sauce was nothing to write home about. The tacos should have TWO tortillas as the pastor and toppings are juicy and create breakage in the tortilla. The brat, while overpriced, was SPECTACULAR, with the most delicious mustard. The fries were tasty and were the perfect amount for two people to share. When all was said and done, it was about $75, including the food mentioned above and three drinks. Not the most cost-effective happy hour, but up there in terms of service and taste. Will definitely return to check out other items on their menu.

Recommend for the food. Tried the shrimp appetizer, steak frites, and fish and chips. Everything came out timely and warm. Shrimp app is good and you may need more bread for the sauce. Steak and fish were also good with a nice helping of fresh cooked fries. The drinks were disappointing-the drink looked to be filled with ice and little liquid. Made reservation online ahead of time and ended up being seated by the server station and to go prep station. A few chair bumps makes for an interesting evening. Staff is polite and there is plenty of parking.

We have ordered from the Dish and Dram several times during covid but this was our first time dining in the restaurant. It was the end of brunch time and quiet and we had a great table near the bar with the elite 8 games on. We had a mimosa and Bloody Mary and put in our order. Like three times after we had ordered and already gotten our drinks but not yet our food, our waitress came to see if we needed anything. I mean, what are the options here?! But like no we're good- go away! Lol. She was nice though. Super formal. I had the shrimp and grits, which came out cold. Boo. I sent them back to have them heated up and then they were nearly perfect. My boyfriend had the salmon Benedict which he loved. All in all, we were pleased. We ended up staying and watching the rest of the basketball game that was on and moved to the bar. The bartender was awesome. His name was Fidel, like Castro (his words not mine!). He was fun and engaging. The manager walking around was very nice and helpful. They seemed to be out of a lot of stuff (one of the beer taps was missing, the wine tap was out...) but, it was a great afternoon and we will definitely come back. I've had enough of their menu (which is always changing!) to know it's consistently good.

COVID update: I frequent this place as may be noticed by previous reviews. I've decided to post some reviews specifically highlighting Covid responses by eateries. The Dish & Dram gets 5 stars. DINING OPTIONS: The Dish & Dram offers dine-in as well as outdoor seating in addition to carry-out and local delivery. This includes selections from the bar if you're looking for a liquid accompaniment to your meal. SEATING: Groups are seated with plenty of distance both inside and out. Staff are diligent with disinfecting between customers. ORDERING: The menu and ordering is available contact-free through Ordereze by scanning the barcode on what I'm calling the "rules of engagement" on each table (I'll add photo). Masks are required when speaking with your server and when you are not consuming food/beverages. The staff actively engage in social distancing as much as possible, even when taking your order. This is a place (along with their sister location The Daily Dish) that I know is taking COVID seriously and is doing all they can to protect their customers and staff. My only recommendation is for them to post their "rules of engagement" (my term) on their web page so people can view it online. Thanks for providing a safe place to enjoy healthy and fresh farm to fork fare!

I came here for the first time with my girlfriends. Staff was wonderful. They have seasonal menus. Not a huge selection but enough for everyone to find something. Everyone loved their dish. I ordered the mushroom risotto. It was soooo good that I ate every bite. This is the first time that I didn't take any pictures of the food. Overall great experience and delicious food.

My first experience was very good - blackened fish sandwich. Today I had an awful falafel sandwich.

Ate there for the first time Saturday evening and the food was amazing. Everyone loved their meals. The service was good, too, and it has a nice ambiance in the back dining area (the front has more of a sports bar vibe). Will definitely be going back.

This review is based on drinks only - but the service tonight (led by Matt) was excellent and friendly. He was able to make complicated drinks such as the grasshopper. Bill was very reasonable and they had free dreidels to play with (it was a few days before Xmas). This was my first time here and I'd definitely return. 10/10!

If I didn't know this place was here, I'd likely drive/walk right past the dish & dram. Came in on Tuesday night for dinner. The decor is some fancy lightbulbs, local artists on the walls and wooden table and chairs. Service was attentive and friendly. We started with cocktails, and I enjoyed the Next Fashioned. Then we shared a Poached Pear Salad. The pear was perfectly poached, the pecans were crisp and the blue cheese was not too heavy. For the main course, I was between the steak frites and the grilled pork chop and I'm so glad I picked the pork chop! My husband got the steak and it was cooked medium rare, it was very good,though portion wise the pork chop was a better bang for your buck. The pork chop was very flavorful, perfectly cooked and the mashed potato were delicious. For dessert we had a bourbon pecan pie. It was okay. The crust tasted like it had been in the refrigerator a little too long and picked up some savory notes. Overall, I'll be back to the dish & dram!

Love this place! I'm so mad at myself for not discovering this place sooner. I've seen it, have wanted to go but I do not dine inside (still). It didn't look like they had outdoor area -- but they DO! And it's beautiful, it is so cutely decorated The service was fantastic. We had calamari (good, but not my favorite), an AMAZING Mexican Cauliflower soup - it was so tasty!, I had yummy shrimp dish and my friend had awesome fish and chips. Love, love, love this place!

I rarely write negative reviews, but this place was awful. The food was inedible - how do you screw up scrambled eggs? The breakfast potatoes were undercooked & flavorless. I didn't complain bc someone was treating me to brunch. The manager was walking around & saw I wasn't eating & just walked by. The waiter didn't say anything either. The service was mediocre, at best. The ambience was dreary & tired, including giant chips of paint on the walls. Sad Christmas decorations still up. Very disappointing.

A great local eatery for both food and service. Last night I had the perfectly cooked tuna entree which was new to the menu and really outstanding.

Was very excited to try dish and dram after hearing great reviews from friends but the food was underwhelming. I got the steak and frites and the steak was burnt. When I mentioned this to the server, they did not take it well and made me feel like it was my fault. They remade the steak and it wasn't burnt but put in on the same plate as the old steak without any sauce. Didn't mention anything since they were rude the first go around.

Three of us came here for lunch on a Saturday. We had a reservation for a patio table through Opentable. We sat outside. Carl, our bartender and waiter, lit the heater. We ultimately decided to move indoors. I ordered the fish tacos w/o jalapeños and both my friends got the pork belly sandwich with fries. They said the pork belly was a little tough. It looked really good! I ate both their fries! We all agreed the fries were delicious! My fish tacos were a little disappointing. The menu said 3 fishes but it was all salmon. Also, it was way too much liquid. So the third taco was too wet by the time I got to it. The flavor was good. And the Cole slaw was incredible. I really liked the Cole slaw!!! Cocktails were good and strong. One friend really wanted a Bloody Mary but we were told that brunch and bloody Mary's are only Sunday brunch. But our bartender found one! It was really, really spicy. Too spicy for me. Our bartender turned us on to a skittles drink. He gave us one to taste and that was it. We ordered three more. We all agreed the green Apple was best. I would like to return when in the area. Service was excellent- thanks Carl K!

This was a very last minute reservation for us for Valentine's Day since our other restaurant decided to not do outdoor dining all of a sudden. Must have been fate because we had a wonderful dining experience at The Dish and Dram. We showed up at 6 and and were taken to the back patio which is a back parking lot space that had been repurposed for outdoor dining. Each table gets a space heater, lots of social distancing and a tent overhead and to 2 sides with enough opening for air circulation. Paper menu for the prix fixe Valentine's dinner was provided. I went with the lobster ravioli for app, baguette and herbed butter for interlude, seafood pasta for entree and the chocolate mouse for dessert. My bf got the duck confit salad, the Artichoke soup, halibut for entree and tiramisu for dessert. Everything tasted excellent and was aptly portioned. The lobster ravioli ...the sauce was to die for. And my seafood pasta was delicious. I brought leftovers home to enjoy later. My bf also enjoyed all his courses a lot. Service was above and beyond and our server Fidel was the best! Would definitely recommend this place to everyone. We wanna come back for brunch as soon as we can. They also just reopened indoor dining at a limited capacity if that is more your speed. Support a great local business like this if you can :)

Visited the brewery next door for the first time and noticed you can order food from here for pick up. We walked in and waited 10 minutes all for our food to be extremely cold. We ordered the fried buttermilk oysters which we were shocked that they wasn't hot and fresh out the fryer. We could tell that the oysters and my burger was sitting out for awhile which made the food not a great experience.

This is a quiet little brunch spot we tried out. This is our first time in the state and we were looking for a spot to have brunch after our flight. My first impression is this spot is so cute! It's a bit more on the expensive side. I like it because it can be casual while intimate, has quite the potential. The reception and customer service was exceptional. Our server was hot too so that was a +. I had the fish and chips and it was pretty good I loved the breading on the fish and the fish tasted so fresh. It had what I believe was homemade tarter sauce. For a person who hates tarter sauce I was quite impressed I do feel as if the fish meat could use more seasoning at least salt. The french fries were ok. My mom had the brisket sandwich, now we are from Texas so they had some big boots to fill! While the brisket was not Texas great it was pretty good what my mom raved about was the jalapeños in the sandwich it gave the sandwich a great kick. The portions were quite large also. Overall I'm probably going to eat again and try something different. Maybe dinner.

Oy. First their vent system has been bad for a long, long while-- you leave smelling like the kitchen. Second, their fish tacos were a big disappointment -- seems simple to make but not today (1st try: salmon pieces with the brown fat still adhered; 2nd try: white fish so over salted to make it inedible). A shame. Even their draft hazy was flat and not hazy. They lost me as a regular.

I adore this neighborhood gem, with its imaginative menu and delightful staff. during my recent 3-month return to Maryland, I joined friends on the outdoor patio, where my small pups were welcome, as often as once a week. The soups and appetizers are great - sharing the fried oysters was always delicious. The entrees were varied and special, whether perfectly prepared fish or a tower of duck nachos! We learned to save room for sharing a terrific dessert. You might not expect much when you first arrive at this restaurant tucked into the corner of a strip mall, but it has a devoted following with my Kensington neighbors.

We've had the opportunity to stop by the Dish & Dram over the last few years. From the take home meals at the beginning of the pandemic, brunch with a large group, and a small lunch - it has been a pleasant experience. The staff has been pleasant and the food comes in a timely manner.

I want to love this place, but left hanging a few too many times. It's nice to have the neighborhood option, but many nights, it's just average. A bit inconsistent. IMHO they need to elevate the ambiance, cleaning, and consistency of food, service, and they'll have a real winner.

For those of you who are wondering. A Dram is "a small drink of whiskey or other spirits." It's a Scottish word (obviously). And you might say something like "Might have a wee dram before I call it a night." Cause obviously, no Scot is going to START the night with a wee dram. I think that's called sacrilege in Scottland. Really cute interior. The restaurant looks fairly small until you go back and turn the right corner into another whole room that seats about/maybe just as much as the thin front of the restaurant seats. Our server was a bit... in the weeds? Not 100 percent sure what happened, but we definitely didn't see her as much as we would have liked. Which led to lunch taking a bit longer. Not only that, the food took a lot longer than expected as well. Both of these reasons are why I shaved off one star. The 4 other stars are for ambiance, food, being local, interesting menu selections. We started off with an appetizer of fried oysters. They were cornmeal breaded, crispy, and tasted really fresh. The old bay aioli that came with them was delicious. It complimented the oysters really well. I found the pickled cauliflower/carrots/onion mix a bit weird... but I guess I just wasn't sure what to do with it. Do I eat it alone, do I eat it with the oysters. Do I mix it with the arugula? Eh? I decided to have the Brisket Sandwich for my entree with a side Caesar salad. The lettuce in the side caesar wasn't properly dried. Ok... don't start with that. It's not nit-picky. When lettuce still has water on it from being washed, it doesn't allow the dressing to stick on. It changes the whole dynamic of the salad. No one wants salad and water soup. That's why we have salad spinners. Caesar dressing was decent, but did have a mild "Caesar-y" flavor and a more prominent lemon flavor. Brisket sandwich was pretty darn good. The brisket was very well cooked, the cheese that came on it was melted, and I appreciated the pickled jalapenos. The bread was thick, soft, and delicious. The issue was... my brisket sandwich had a faint recollection of the bbq sauce it was suppose to have. Due to this, it was a bit of a dry sandwich. If our server checked back on us, I would have asked for more sauce, which would have made this sandwich DA BOMB. Cause the bites that did have the bbq on them were REALLY good. The ones without the bbq sauce were just decent. Lunch took 2 hours because of the delays in service and food, but overall was quite delicious and I definitely want to go back. Menu items like grilled cheese with bacon jam, fried green tomatoes, bacon pimento cheese burger, (Omelette of the day was: breakfast sausage, kale, lemon, goat cheese, and pickled red onion). "Soup Of The Moment" was curried cauliflower. The kitchen is definitely doing some awesome things. Also, I didn't know that tiny shopping center in Kensington existed. You'll definitely want to GPS directions, cause I have really have little idea of where it actually is.

The food is so well-prepared and delicious--my favorite--the hamburgers and the hand-cut fries.

It looked like a nice place. Small. Crowded. I walked in to just have a drink at the bar. The hostess wasn't sure if seating was available. Apparently other people asked about the bar then left. Everyone was confused. So I guess just going for a drink at the bar is a big deal. Don't come without a reservation.

This place has the BEST FOOD!!!!!!!I came here with my family to have dinner!!!!The service was good too!!!!It also has a very nice building!!!!I recommend going here(:(:

Had a great meal on my first visit that they happily made non-dairy for me. Second visit they not only said they could not make the meal non-dairy, they also offered nothing else for me to order--they preferred to lose my patronage!

Great option for outdoor dining! This review is a bit overdue, but my wife and I had a wonderful outdoor dinner at Dish & Dram in October. The food was excellent, with an innovative menu which our server told us changed often. Service was helpful and attentive, but not hovering. Most importantly, the restaurant has set up an attractive side patio with six tables on a piece of a quiet parking lot, with a cover, heaters and attractive plantings (see attached photos). We've been trying to eat outside often during the pandemic, and this was clearly one of the two best experiences we've had in Montgomery County (and the only one of the two with heaters). We highly recommend!!!

This little gem has always been a easy go to spot, menu changes but always GREAT! Service is always tip top & would say if you have never been, CHECK IT OUT!

If you like watching the cooks eat constantly while their making your food than that's great. Personally it's disgusting and unprofessional.

Updating a previous 5 star review from a little over a year ago... each visit back seems a little more disappointing than the last. The food can be amazing, but have had some misses too. The service has been more consistently frustrating, especially when accompanying a higher priced menu. The latest visit left us waiting with empty plates, to asking several employees for a check, to receiving the wrong check, to finally leaving over 20 minutes after we finished our dinner. Seemed like they were understaffed, but then... don't seat so many tables? Will probably give it another shot, but running out of chances...

Superior food, friendly staff, I've watched some classic college football games at that bar. Bring back the cassoulet!

Nice neighborhood restaurant and bar to hang out for happy hour. Friendly staff. The menu is excellent and service is quick.

Whoever is taking the calls for dish and dram was trash... I've Been here before about a year ago and the service was impeccable.... I'm over here vouching for this place and buddy couldn't put his phone down for less than minute to answer questions or be proactive given nobody knows how establishments are serving let alone even open! That nice nasty condescending passive BS is unacceptable, cannot believe y'all! Very very disappointed! Now I look stupid ‍

I always enjoy eating at Dish and Dram. I've never eaten anything I didn't like. The fish and ragu dishes are always our go tos. Highly recommend.

It was time for something new this particular Sunday morning, so off to Dish & Dram we went. While our expectations were high based on both Yelp reviews and the fact that Dish & Dram has appeared in Zagat lists, the experience just didn't match up for us. The restaurant is comfortable, with a very nice minimalist bar featuring quite a few bourbons and ryes, enough to make any aficionado of brown liquor quite happy. The ceilings are high, and the high tops by the window would be perfect for an after-work happy hour cocktail. Now, to the brunch. We were served by three different servers over the course of our brunch, which made for very disjointed service. The guy who took our order wasn't particularly knowledgeable about the menu, not able to answer questions about specifics of the brunch items we were interested in. That made for an unpleasant surprise for my brunch companion who ordered the seasonal omelette only to find that it contained mushrooms, something he asked about specifically before ordering. (My friend *hates* mushrooms!) I had the corned beef hash special, a different take on a hash that used cubed corned beef rather than the usual chopped approach, giving it a nice texture. The star of the brunch were the biscuits, amongst the best you'll find anywhere - light and fluffy, the kind any southern cook would be proud to serve on their table. With no one really assigned to our table, it was really hard to get anyone's attention when we needed anything, like a coffee refill -- and why so stingy with the coffee, only filling the mugs half-full? (It's really good coffee, by the way. Too bad I didn't get to enjoy more of it.) Also, please don't take my plate away from me while I'm in the process of having the last few bites of my breakfast - biscuit in hand and in mid-chew, my plate was whisked away, not offering the common courtesy of waiting until I was actually done eating before clearing the table. All in all, a very confused and clueless approach to service this particular Sunday morning. Finally, when we were presented with the check, we noticed that the seasonal omelette had rung up incorrectly ($10 instead of $9), but given how hard it was to get the wait staff's attention in general, it wasn't worth the time to stick around over $1 to have it corrected. 2.5 stars for the Dish & Dram, where a few more drams of service would certainly have been welcome.

We had a couples date night and quickly grabbed a round of drinks. I enjoyed the Kentucky Apple Mule with Bourbon, apple cider, and ginger beer. My hubby raved about the Dirty Martini with 2 olives

Came here for dinner for the first time and it was a major disappointment. They were out of some pretty basic things like Diet Coke and chicken (chicken? Safeway is right around the corner.....). Anyway, we kept an open mind. The prices were reasonable but now we see why... the portions were really, really small. The starter salad was no more than about 3 bites of lettuce, the fish and chips had one piece of fish, and the entree salads were about the size of a normal starter salad, but were completely tasteless. Steak was also cold. The back dining room needs a major refresh as well. The front bar area seemed to be hopping, and the appetizers were good, so I would say this is probably better suited for happy hour than dinner.

Decided to come here on a Sunday for brunch after church with my family. I had heard about this restaurants in the paper and read the reviews on yelp. The service was exceptional! And our waitress was very attentive and friendly. My mom ordered the Dram breakfast which she somewhat liked: She didn't like the spice in the sausage. Tasted like Thyme or Rosemary but it was very very strong! She said she would give it a four out of five stars. My brother ordered the Breakfast Burger well done. It came out medium well but he ate it anyway. He said it was lacking spice and was somewhat dry. He gave 4/5 stars as well. I ordered the brisket sandwich which was phenomenal! 5/5 stars. The reason I'm giving the experience 4 stars is that the side salad my brother and I ordered had minimal flavor and was barely a "salad" (lettuce and topped with shredded radishes). In the future I will order the fries instead. I will be back to try the lunch menu especially the Fried Green Tomatoes.