Restaurants in Bethesda

Executive Chef Gian Piero Mazzi fell in love with food at a young age, when he was growing up in the Liguria region of Italy. His mother’s passion for cuisine planted the seeds for his infatuation, which he cultivated during formal culinary schooling in Florence as well as an internship in France. After honing his skills in the kitchen, Mazzi ventured across the pond, earning new fans stateside when he showcased his recipes at an event at the James Beard House in 2002. But that was just the beginning. Today, at two locations of Piero's Corner, he and his team hand make an assortment of authentic pastas, including ravioli stuffed with Maine lobster or a blend of spinach and portobello mushrooms. The menu highlights Chef Mazzi's hometown cuisine, with a focus on fresh seafood. Entrees include blackened tilapia and shrimp served with fruit salsa as well as scallops wrapped in prosciutto and arranged on a bed of spaghetti carbonara. Pizzas are made to order and baked in a brick oven, as are calzones stuffed with ingredients such as ricotta, ham, spinach, and tomato sauce. A gluten-free menu features pastas and doughs imported from Italy, whose climate doesn’t support gluten.

Both of Piero's Corner’s locations facilitate mini European getaways, with brick arches framing murals of Italian landscapes, and columns reminiscent of classical architecture supporting their ceilings. In Fairfax, diners can eat or sip wine al fresco beneath red and white umbrellas.

Blending culinary inspiration from French and American cuisine, Nage's executive chefs craft seafood dishes infused with local ingredients and bistro-style flair. Cooks enhance the American classic mac ‘n’ cheese with chunks of lobster, a three-cheese mornay sauce, and english peas to create one of their most popular dishes. To avoid long waits for tables, Nage recommends patrons make dinner reservations.

Inside a crisp black-and-grey interior relieved by bright yellow flourishes, Eat & Joy’s staff serves food from a menu that combines pizzeria fare with casual Middle-Eastern dishes. Beside calzones and pasta, the kitchen team tosses pizza dough before decorating it with toppings such as chicken, artichokes, and spicy red pepper sauce. Tender slices of kebab—whether made from beef or lamb and veal—fill plates and warm up pita pockets like beef kebabs warming up blue jean pockets. The eatery’s two specialties combine in a kebab pizza, topped with gyro meat and feta, and Turkish-style pizzas that host spicy sausage or chopped veggies.

Specializing in teppanyaki, Samurai’s chefs grill fresh scallops, strip steaks, and salmon at cooktops built into the tabletops of their Japanese-style dining room. This tableside preparation ensures that every hibachi entrée is delivered with their just-seared flavors intact, while maki filled with yellow tail, avocado, or eel are rolled behind-the-scenes and presented on combination platters.