Bethesda Music & Nightlife

Bethesda Restaurants

Café Europa
7820 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda, Maryland; Tel. 301.657.1607
A chill place to kick back with some friends while sipping on some good cocktails, the Europa Lounge at Café Europa in Bethesda caters to those that like a little refinement in their night out without the pretensions of some other clubs. The restaurant itself features a pan-European menu with new twists and old classics from many different regional cuisines. The Lounge is becoming a premier spot in Bethesda to hear some cool live music on the weekends.

Divino Lounge & Restaurant
7345-B Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Maryland; Tel. 301.497.0300
A chic restaurant and lounge that specializes in the Latin culinary export of tapas along with some authentic, down-home Argentinean dishes Divino Lounge in downtown Bethesda gets packed nightly with locals sampling the fine fare or relaxing to some chill sounds in the chic lounge area.

Rock Bottom Brewery
7900 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda, Maryland; Tel. 301.652.1311
The Rock Bottom Brewery serves up some darn fine beer and not your average pub grub to a hungry Bethesda in their spacious bar and restaurant under the watchful eye of the gleaming beer tanks. Besides the normal distractions of good food and extremely well crafted homemade brews, Rock Bottom Brewery also has four pool tables, TVs showing a variety of sports and a back patio for those warm Bethesda summer eves. On the weekends, local live music gets the packed in brew crews rocking, so get there early or you're going to be left out in the cold while your friends enjoy a cold one; don't worry though, Rock Bottom Brewery in Bethesda sells their hand-crafted beer to go.

Saphire Café
7940 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Maryland; Tel. 301.986.9708
Sporting one of the largest bars in Bethesda doesn't mean the Saphire Café is just packed at night. During lunch—which is phenomenal by the way—it is nearly impossible to get a table and the take out orders have the phones ringing off the hook; tells you something about the food right there. But, you probably wanted to know what the Saphire Café in Bethesda was like at night; right? Well, with one of the best priced happy hours in town, this chic looking bar and restaurant, after the lunch rush, starts getting packed and usually stays that way right through closing because they usually take their cheap happy hour pricing philosophy and apply some aspect of it to any given night. Pluses include an outdoor patio and a late night menu so you can soak up that fifth martini.

South Beach Restaurant & Bar
7904 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, Maryland; Tel. 301.718.9737
South Beach Restaurant and Bar brings a little taste of Miami to Bethesda with its' signature Caribbean, Cuban and Latin American cuisine. Awash in the funky, light colors of South Beach patrons get transported to that number one vacation spot even in the dead of winter. The art deco joint attracts the younger set who want to experience the extreme south without traveling there, also Bethesda business types pack the bar after work to get taken care of very well by the outstanding staff.

—Bethesda bar and club reviews by Ryan Osterbeck

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