Spanish Diner – Bethesda

The paella here is incredible. We always have a wonderful meal and experience here.

We casually mentioned to the waitress that we were celebrating our son’s birthday. After dinner she brought out some flan with a candle in it! Speaking of dinner, the paella is amazing! Love Jaleo!

We actually ended up having happy hour, Sunday night who knew? Great food, great value.

Very nice location and decor . The food is nice and the service outstanding. I love the tapas concept of the resto, ideal for dinner. A little pricey though , plan around 40$ per person of you want to main dishes and dessert

it was mediocre

Many dishes were tasty but too oily for my palate and dietary needs.
Also did not care for the extra loud "peppy" music, it made conversation nearly impossible.

Husband’s birthday celebration. Nice table for two by the window, Woodmont Avenue side. Weeknight and lots of big groups near us. Seemed to be work related. Had three different servers. Everything we ordered wS delicious except the paella-like tapa. Served comped it as well as the dessert we ordered since it was my husband’s birthday. Awfully expensive considering how small the tapas are with the exception of the spinach, raisins & pine nuts salad.

I dined with 3 other folks and we each ordered about 2 tapas. I got the apple fennel manchego salad, which i highly recommend, and the sauteed mushrooms. Everything was delicious and service was great, but we all found the music a bit loud. Still, it did not mar our dining experience.

Birthday celebration was perfect

We’ve ben to Jaleo many times and have always had a great dining experience there. Everything is delicious and their sea salt margarita is to die for!

We were able to get reservations last minute on a Saturday, probably b/c we were dining before 6. We were immediately shown to our table - a window seat near the back which was nice & quiet. We ordered the Gazpacho de remolacha con queso de cabra, butternut squash soup (a Special - heavenly!), Espinacas a la Catalana, Salmón pisto, Butifarra casera con mongetes 'Daniel Patrick Moynihan', and Pato a la plancha con peras. Our food was served promptly and the dishes were all perfectly prepared and delicious. The staff were very gracious. One of the best restaurant experiences we’ve had in awhile. Kudos to José Andres & staff!

Just ok tapas. Good wasn’t hot and sangria was weak.

Not Jaleo in DC. Smelled. Bathroom filthy. Got sick on food.

Food exceptional. As was the value. Always wonderful

Everything was delicious. We had the Catalan Spinach and the Cauliflower.
The duck was very rich.

One of my "must eat at" restaurants when I visit DC. Wonderful small plates that are fun to share with friends.

My wife and I went with the tasting menu and accompanying wine selection.
The food is the focal point here: it's tasty, well prepared and quite original.
The wine pairing was pretty good. Out of the 5 glasses, only one of the reds did not strike me as being of interest.
This was our first time at Jaleo and will not be the last.
Welcoming and service needs a little work though, espcially for a place of this stature. We had a reservation and waited about 15 minutes to be seeted even though we noticed quite a few available tables. Also had to wait a long time for a server to come and bring water. Once they got the show on the road, it was perfect.

We got time tasting menu (the middle level) with sips and everything was amazing! SO. MUCH. FOOD. So delicious. Worth the price. My only complaint are the restrooms. Very ordinary/cheap and not very clean.

Went on a busy Saturday night. The food was great, the service was good. We had a little bit of trouble exiting as we left our table...they don't leave any room between the tables for traffic. But overall, very good.

Not very impressed. Food was okay but not up to Spanish places we have experienced in Europe. Wine list pretty expensive, with very few semi-moderate options. Service was unimpressive. We had to ask twice before we got additional bread, slow with drink order, and had to ask for a pen to sign the charge. Too long a drive, and too may other options, for us to return to a take-it-or-leave-it experience.

Varied menu with many options. Portions are perfect for sharing or eating on your own. You can try several dishes and not feel stuffed. Food is flavorful and presented nicely.

Consistently excellent. Maybe even getting better .

Valentines Day

It was fine in terms of food. The restaurant is wide open so it’s noisy.

Jaleo was one of the best restaurants in Bethesda. This experience was disappointing to say the least: sloppy service and mediocre food. Makes one regret having gone there for a Valentine's Day meal with a partner. Will think twice about going there again.

We had an appointment and we were seated upon arrival. service was very quick as we kind of rushing to get to a movie. Everything was great. I would go back again to the bethesda location.

We went with the Jaleo Classic option and received 10-12 different courses, plus dessert, all of which were excellent. The service was very attentive and the waiters did a great job of describing each of the dishes.

The best multi course lunch meal in Bethesda and Metro DC. Food is plentiful and delicious.

Great food in a fun and casual environment. Love the tapas

Mother and son date

Food was good but portion sizes vary dramatically depending on what you order

We went for lunch. The special was great, $16 for three different dishes, $5+ for sangria. It was great. Our food didn’t come out consistently together and it took a while for the other dishes to get to the table but the waiter was very nice.

Birthday celebration with friends. Great selection of tapas. Delicious chocolate custard dessert - perfect for the occasion.

All good especially the service

Great service! Excellent vegetarian options on the menu. Highly recommend!

Hostess was lovely. She acknowledged us right away and seated us quickly.

Service was soooo slow. Empty restaurant, so there is no excuse. It’s obvious the server forgot to put in the 3rd part to our meal. He came to ask if we were ready for our check after we had our salad course. We said we were waiting on our mains. He said that it would just be a bit—15 mins more. That wouldn’t have been so bad, but the other dishes came out at a snail’s pace. Also, the dishes were staggered, so my husband got his soup while I waited for my 1st course. Same with 2nd. The 3rd came out closer together, but still not together.

Overall, the fennel salad and creamed cauliflower soup were stand-outs. The soup was perfectly creamy (great mouthfeel) and well-seasoned. The fennel salad was bright, crunchy and fresh.

The sautéed spinach with pine nuts and raisins was fantastic. I added a bit of the garlic olive oil that’s served with bread, and it kicked it up!

Chicken with herb sauce was good. I happen to like dark meat, but my husband doesn’t and he was disgusted by it. I found the dish filling, and I loved the herb sauce, which I used to dip in a piece of the sausage from his plate (see below).

The endive with orange and cheese was so disappointing—nothing to it, the oranges were too tart and it needed something to bring it together. Better with a little of the aforementioned olive oil.

The sausage with beans was not good. While the sausage was cooked nicely, it’s flavor was very ordinary. The beans were dry and tasted like they were left out overnight. The aioli tasted like it was from a jar.

We will come back, but I’d probably want a different server and we would not get the endive or sausage plates again.

Good lunch value: 3 tapas for $16. We left very full.

As usual from this group, the service and ambience was good. What always stands out is the menu of distinct tastes. Every single plate was to be savored. The gazpacho - always a favorite- did not disappoint and was one of my reasons for returning.

Muy agradable todo.

My friend from LA came to DC to celebrate her birthday, and I treated her to dinner at Jaleo in Bethesda. It could not have been more wonderful. I ordered the Solomillo al cables (my favorite!), and she suggested that we try the tasting menu because she likes trying a variety of flavors. The excellent wait staff brought us dishes from every category on the menu, all of them delectable! I highly recommend this restaurant. We had a great time.

Ate here during Restaurant Week, with a special menu. The tapas selection and service were great—variety (vegetable, meat, seafood, cheese), generous portions, attentive service. A delicious meal.