The most deliciously innovative meal that we’ve experienced within memory. Modern, Greek-accented food, elevated by sophisticated yet subtle use of herbs, spices, dressings and sauces. The menu contains numerous vegetarian offerings, although carnivores will also be happy. Excellent cocktails and drinks, attractive setting, efficient and pleasant service.The sole disappointment: noise. If you’re not enamored with loud acoustics, try to reserve a more quiet booth or visit during off-peak hours.***DETAILS: I was very skeptical about booking at Melina because the menu appeared complex and fussy. My concern was that the results would be discordant and underwhelming. Happily, I was dead wrong. Melina’s chef is one of those rare souls capable of orchestrating a symphony of flavors for the palate. We loved our charred baby gem salad (enhanced by its light and sprightly dressing); the squash app (brightly and unexpectedly accented with pear, black garlic and fried kale), the portobello main (deep-flavored and satisfying) and the lamb neck (generous and succulent.) The bougatso dessert, capped with a remarkably smooth Greek brandy, offered a celebratory ending. Looking forward to returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Arvind Chopra
We had a family reunion (after a long time) at Melina. I ordered a shrimp-spicy tomato sauce and pasta dish. For the price, the shrimps were babies. The sauce and pasts were great. They do not have a kids' menu. However, the service was very good and the atmosphere was excellent.Kid-friendliness: They do not have a kids' menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Shrimp, Crispy Potatoes, Grilled Octopus, Lamb Kebab, Cheese Pie with House Made Laffa Dough, Portobello Mushroom 'Souvlaki'
Bobby D
The restaurant was very aesthetic and the ambiance was great. Service was good too.Food left a bit to be desired though. The short rib main was a gigantic disappointment. Orzo was overly salty, but cooked perfectly, and the short rib was overcooked and dry.Do get the chicken thigh skewers though, they are amazing and the slaw that comes with it was perfect as well. The doughnuts are not bad too; comes with rice chocolate milk and a slightly salty, in a good way, vanilla ice cream.Everything else was ok.Overall, not worth it and probably won't come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Grilled Octopus
Hannah Rodriguez
Amazing food, I especially like the lamb skewers and roasted squash.
We love Melina but some of our dishes this past time weren't as good as we've come to expect from there. The kofta, bread, short rib, cauliflower, and octopus were fabulous as usual. The rigatoni bolognese was a new to us and very good. But the cheesy bread was disappointing—we were expecting a more traditional spanikopita type dish. And the shrimp had shell on that was nearly impossible to get off and not tasty to eat. And the lamb neck dish was just okay. The cocktails were wonderful and the ambiance was great. We'll be back, but we'll stick to our tried and true dishes next time.
Was not disappointed at all. Peaceful ambience and the food was phenomenal. Staff was both courteous and knowledgeable about the menu items. Our waitress Vianca was amazing. I highly recommend this place for date nights and friend or family dinners. It's a more quiet restaurant so if you have young kids I wouldn't recommend it (I work with children I love them but this is much so an adult environment). Go check it out!
Theresa Kim
My husband and I enjoyed our anniversary dinner here. Our server's name was Orlando. The food was outstanding. We both ordered salads, which were both delicious. Our main entrees were also very satisfying. We did not order dessert because we wanted to go to The Block, but the doughnuts do look good, so maybe next time we will try them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cyrus A
By far the best restaurant I’ve been to in the area! The ambiance and waitstaff are simply amazing. I highly recommend the half chicken and grilled carrot mezze.
Fantastic tastes blended with wonderful presentation. Restaurant is comfortable and modern with a lively scene on the weekends. But no too loud for conversation. Cocktails are very creative, and tasty.
BarbaraW
We tried a few items on the menu that we had not ordered previously. Not disappointed! We brought friends with us who had not dined at Melina- they loved it!! As always, the service is excellent.
JoelR
The atmosphere was impressive, the service was suberb, the food was excellent. We had the grilled octopus, the lamb skewers, and the fish special, which was halibut. We also had the spinach salad but should have gotten the dressing on the side
CleoR
Very nice experience! The 4 of us sat in a comfortable booth. The drinks were innovative and strong. The food (we did tapas-style) was delicious. Would definitely come here again. The servers were attentive. The skewers were highly recommended!
JohnB
The food here is delicious and so are the drinks. Really the drinks are very very good, especially the nectar of the gods. The waiter himself was very good, and tried very hard to be on top of things, my only critique was the food was a little slow getting out of the kitchen so people got a little antsy between courses.
When in Rockville, this is a must.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roasted, Crispy Potatoes, Grilled Octopus
The most deliciously innovative meal that we’ve experienced within memory. Modern, Greek-accented food, elevated by sophisticated yet subtle use of herbs, spices, dressings and sauces. The menu contains numerous vegetarian offerings, although carnivores will also be happy. Excellent cocktails and drinks, attractive setting, efficient and pleasant service.The sole disappointment: noise. If you’re not enamored with loud acoustics, try to reserve a more quiet booth or visit during off-peak hours.***DETAILS: I was very skeptical about booking at Melina because the menu appeared complex and fussy. My concern was that the results would be discordant and underwhelming. Happily, I was dead wrong. Melina’s chef is one of those rare souls capable of orchestrating a symphony of flavors for the palate. We loved our charred baby gem salad (enhanced by its light and sprightly dressing); the squash app (brightly and unexpectedly accented with pear, black garlic and fried kale), the portobello main (deep-flavored and satisfying) and the lamb neck (generous and succulent.) The bougatso dessert, capped with a remarkably smooth Greek brandy, offered a celebratory ending. Looking forward to returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a family reunion (after a long time) at Melina. I ordered a shrimp-spicy tomato sauce and pasta dish. For the price, the shrimps were babies. The sauce and pasts were great. They do not have a kids' menu. However, the service was very good and the atmosphere was excellent.Kid-friendliness: They do not have a kids' menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Shrimp, Crispy Potatoes, Grilled Octopus, Lamb Kebab, Cheese Pie with House Made Laffa Dough, Portobello Mushroom 'Souvlaki'
The restaurant was very aesthetic and the ambiance was great. Service was good too.Food left a bit to be desired though. The short rib main was a gigantic disappointment. Orzo was overly salty, but cooked perfectly, and the short rib was overcooked and dry.Do get the chicken thigh skewers though, they are amazing and the slaw that comes with it was perfect as well. The doughnuts are not bad too; comes with rice chocolate milk and a slightly salty, in a good way, vanilla ice cream.Everything else was ok.Overall, not worth it and probably won't come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Grilled Octopus
Amazing food, I especially like the lamb skewers and roasted squash.
We love Melina but some of our dishes this past time weren't as good as we've come to expect from there. The kofta, bread, short rib, cauliflower, and octopus were fabulous as usual. The rigatoni bolognese was a new to us and very good. But the cheesy bread was disappointing—we were expecting a more traditional spanikopita type dish. And the shrimp had shell on that was nearly impossible to get off and not tasty to eat. And the lamb neck dish was just okay. The cocktails were wonderful and the ambiance was great. We'll be back, but we'll stick to our tried and true dishes next time.
Was not disappointed at all. Peaceful ambience and the food was phenomenal. Staff was both courteous and knowledgeable about the menu items. Our waitress Vianca was amazing. I highly recommend this place for date nights and friend or family dinners. It's a more quiet restaurant so if you have young kids I wouldn't recommend it (I work with children I love them but this is much so an adult environment). Go check it out!
My husband and I enjoyed our anniversary dinner here. Our server's name was Orlando. The food was outstanding. We both ordered salads, which were both delicious. Our main entrees were also very satisfying. We did not order dessert because we wanted to go to The Block, but the doughnuts do look good, so maybe next time we will try them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
By far the best restaurant I’ve been to in the area! The ambiance and waitstaff are simply amazing. I highly recommend the half chicken and grilled carrot mezze.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes, Lamb Kebab, Lamb 'Kofte' Kebab with Yogurt
Kid-friendliness: Have kids meal options upon request.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Fish of the Day
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic tastes blended with wonderful presentation. Restaurant is comfortable and modern with a lively scene on the weekends. But no too loud for conversation. Cocktails are very creative, and tasty.
We tried a few items on the menu that we had not ordered previously. Not disappointed! We brought friends with us who had not dined at Melina- they loved it!! As always, the service is excellent.
The atmosphere was impressive, the service was suberb, the food was excellent. We had the grilled octopus, the lamb skewers, and the fish special, which was halibut. We also had the spinach salad but should have gotten the dressing on the side
Very nice experience! The 4 of us sat in a comfortable booth. The drinks were innovative and strong. The food (we did tapas-style) was delicious. Would definitely come here again. The servers were attentive. The skewers were highly recommended!
The food here is delicious and so are the drinks. Really the drinks are very very good, especially the nectar of the gods. The waiter himself was very good, and tried very hard to be on top of things, my only critique was the food was a little slow getting out of the kitchen so people got a little antsy between courses.