4935 Bar and Kitchen

Had dinner here the other night. Very impressed! The steak and fish were both excellent and well seasoned. The chicken tacos and mussels were also very flavorful. The desserts (crème brûlée and peanut butter cheesecake) were yummy. The service was friendly and top notch! Will definitely come back and recommend to friends. Great atmosphere as well. Perfect for dates!

I wanted to like this place, but the food was underwhelming and the service was so slow I didn’t know if we should just get are own dessert or leave the tip and go home and forego the very bleh mousse. Thank God I got a Groupon (the only way I’d know about this place) because this place would have heard an earful. I usually let things slide when I have a deal at a restaurant. I’ll just list pros and cons.
Pros:
1. Groupon (not sure if this is a pro but good thing we had it)
2. Cool atmosphere and decorations
3. Drinks were alright so they get a 2 star
Cons:
1. Cold in the restaurant.
2. Chicken was pre done and cold at our table.
3. Waiters are also the bartenders so the service was slow and he forgot my wife’s meal choice.
4. Waited forgot napkins.
5. The chicken tacos were cold and just drowned in curry sauce. So I’m not sure why they get great reviews. People must not know about curry sauce in Indian food. The place should use corn tortillas instead of mushy flour tortillas.
6. My wife’s chicken was cold and pre done. Yes, this gets two Cons as it was that bad.
7. My pork shank looked sooooo good, however it too was cold and drowning in some sort of flavorless, yes flavorless brown sauce. How can you just not put a little salt in? Basics.
8. My wife ordered the chocolate mousse and I have never turned down dessert in my life, but I hated it. Could be a preference thing as my wife liked the brown chocolate mousse but hated the white chocolate mousse and I hated the whole thing. But you may like it. It’s very generic and again looks very pre made.
9. My wife wanted her cold chicken wrapped up. I joked that she could heat it up at home and make it right. Waiter forgot to give her the chicken at the end. We knew it was going to happen and I said just to forget it because I’m sure it was sitting on a table collecting bacteria.
Conclusion: Go their for drinks and hit the next door Indian place for dinner.

Hm. Another great example of why Unilocal should have half star options. I’d say that this place was definitely better than a 3, however it definitely wasn’t a 4 unfortunately. I had been planning on going here for a while, and was excited to see a lot of people writing about the groupon, so I immediately purchased one. We got here kind of late, around 8PM. There was 1 person at the bar, and outside of that we were the only ones in the restaurant… Usually not a good sign. We sat down pretty quickly and were waited on right away. The groupon allowed for 1 appetizer, 2 cocktails or wine, 2 entrees, and 1 desert for $ 60. We decided on the tacos for an appetizer. I was surprised to see some people complained about them not having enough flavor. I thought there were pretty well balanced. We both ordered cocktails to go with dinner. I ordered both bourbon drinks and she originally ordered the moscow mule, however they were out of ginger beer and couldn’t make it so she went with the cucumber drink. The first bourbon drink I had (the whiskey sour) was pretty terrible. I let her try and and she felt pretty much the same way. The second one I ordered was a little better, but nothing spectacular. She said that she enjoyed her cucumber drink, however I’m not a huge fan of cucumber drinks. For the entrees I ordered the lamb shank which was really good. I was expecting a little more spice, and the carrots weren’t as caramelized as I would have hoped, but overall it was a pretty good dish and I was happy with it. She said that she liked her salmon. Desert time came and we had the option of regular cheesecake or pumpkin cheesecake and she wanted the pumpkin so pumpkin it was. Overall it was pretty good, no real complaints with it. The food was a pretty solid 4 here, however being the only one in the restaurant was a little weird, and the atmosphere just felt kind of off to us. The drinks were pretty bad, and it seems a few people have brought that up, so maybe it’s time to retrain and rework their bar staff/​menu. I don’t regret going here at all, but I probably wouldn’t go back. With the groupon however, I’d highly recommend it.

Came here with a Groupon in December.
Pros:
~Pork wings were excellent/​awesome/​delicious/​amazing — and I’m saying this as someone who can’t stand spicy anything.
~Tomahawk steak was very good — it’s difficult to cook a steak that size without drying it out and they did a good job. Fingerling potatoes and asparagus were delicious — although as I came to see in my take-​home box — they are literally swimming, nay DROWNING in butter — which would explain the deliciousness.
Notes:
~I honestly can’t remember what we had for dessert as it was so forgettable.
~It was almost deserted on a Saturday night except for a couple tables and a bunch of guys watching a game on the bar TVs.
Cons:
~Drinks were terrible, barely drinkable — and overpriced. We asked for a mojito and a moscow mule as part of our deal. My mojito’s mint was completely unmuddled or even touched (and I’m sorry but there were maybe 3 tables occupied in the entire restaurant, there is no excuse), there was no simple syrup — it was just really sour rum.
~This place is SO confused about its identity. On one hand you have a club lounge setup, on the other hand you have jazz music playing, and on the third hand you have 10 – 12 loud guys standing and watching sports on the bar TVs. The whole place just clashed and it really ruined the ambiance.
~Different waitress sprayed Lysol onto the table next to us (everyone knows you spray the cloth) which was gross as we were still eating and the smell was very strong. I’m hoping it was because she wasn’t trained well and not because she didn’t like us.
In conclusion, I’d come back here for pork wings but I’d get my drinks elsewhere.

Birthday Celebration!
I came here for my pre birthday celebration on ¹²⁄₁₂ with 7 people. My boyfriend and I bought a groupon from here. I have to say this place is amazing, from the décor, drinks, and food was a huge plus.
Our reservation was at 9pm at first however, I was running behind and changed it to 9:30pm which wasn’t a big deal at all (thank God). We were seated right away, it was a party of 7. The table was very nice, you had enough room for 7 people.
I would definitely recommend the chicken tacos, they are so amazing, my mouth is watering from them as we speak lol. My boyfriend and I ordered the duck dish (I forgot the name). It was okay, I rather have two orders of the chicken tacos :)
The only thing I did not care for was the old school music. I mean I get it, there was some older people there but dang, don’t play old school jams the entire night –_​–
After 10 or 11pm the server has to stop serving your table and start working behind the bar. I thought that was totally weird but maybe they were short on staff (maybe).
Any who, I will definitely come here for another round.

I have been here quite a few times. The customer service was always good and the servers were attentive. The food was great and I would go back for sure. The wait for the food was a bit too long.

Food is great! Found an awesome deal through Groupon so my friend and I decided to give it a shot. We had mussels as a starter, and we split the ginormous tomahawk steak. Their cheesecake is ahmaaa-​zingg! It is on the pricey side, so if you find a deal online, I say grab it!
I left happy and full. Planning to go back and have my husband try this place out. :)

I was having a decent New Year’s Eve, and then at one point I was walking from the upper level to the lower level and the person behind me pushed me on the stairs. This caused me to fall down the rest of the flight — the (apparently) owner saw this occur and his resolution to the situation was to kick both of us out, for the rest of the night. I did absolutely nothing except pay 45 dollars to get in and more than a few dollars on top of that. I was appalled by the apparent lack of care by the owner for my night. I was with a party of 10 and had to spend the last half hour of my night waiting outside because of the ridiculous reaction to the actions of a drunk patron towards me. I couldn’t believe it. I will never go back, nor will anyone that was in my party. Place is hard enough to find by searching online, I predict, and somewhat hope now, that they will not be around for long.

All I can say is tandoori tacos, out of this world. Also great service and knowledge at the bar from Frankie. Checkout their great happy hour deals. We will definitely be back.

Fabulous dining experience — if you see the groupon deal — grab it immediately!
Food is freaking amazing — no exaggeration — absolute must haves:
1) Tandoori Chicken Tacos & Samosas (beautifully presented)
2) The Lamb Shank is spectacular
3) Tandoori pork chops
4) Try the palak paneer side — very subtle and different from typical Indian restaurant fare!
5) Pistachio Cheescake
Some misses – they’re ok but just meh:
1) Tuna Tartare
2) Branzino Fish
3) Duo of chicken

Great atmosphere. Excellent service. It does have a clubby feel to it (which I liked). Our waitress was so friendly and attentive! After 10 they play music and the clubby feel gets real. I went with a friend on a Friday night around happy hour time. Definitely taking my fiancé next. It’s a great place for friendly gatherings or a sexy hot date. The lighting, table settings and impressive bar all tie into the modern and fun feel of the place.
The food was good. We were there for drinks abd appetizers so we had the tuna tartar, the pork shanks and the chicken tacos. We favored the tacos out of the 3 but enjoyed a second helping of the shanks as well. Flavorful, well presented and at happy hour prices, what’s not to like? Excellent bar and restaurant. Can’t wait to go back!

Came for happy hour and enjoyed the plump fresh $ 1.00/oysters and the pork wings were delicious. Modern simple atmosphere with upbeat music. Would recommend!

If you see a Groupon for this place, buy it. I purchased the 3 course meal option with drinks, and it did not disappoint!
I do echo the same thoughts as the others about the décor and ambiance of the place though. It’s lounge-​y and club-​like. When we arrived around 6, the place was fairly empty, with most of the people sitting at the bar. Around 7:30, the lights dimmed significantly and immediately my brain jumped to, «Oh my god it’s happening. The beat is going to drop! Thank goodness I’m almost finished here!»
Anyways, my boyfriend and I ordered additional drinks and food aside from the 3 course option, which the bartender allowed for us to do 2 appetizers (tuna tartar and tandoori chicken tacos) and 1 entrée each (I ordered the pomegranate glazed duck breast and BF ordered the spice rubbed braised lamb shank). We ordered a few cocktails, beers, and wine, and a dozen oysters as well.
The food was all very good. We did complain a little that the lamb shank and duck breast were a little on the saltier side however.
The bartender/​server guy (we sat at the bar) was very accommodating, and he explained our check thoroughly since we had the Groupon and ordered additional things.
One thing to note though: the drinks menu online is outdated. I browsed it before arriving and was very excited to try the Elder Berry, but it wasn’t listed on their current drinks menu anymore. See my pictures for the current drinks menu (at least when I went).

It is with some reservation that I write a lackluster review. I seriously doubt I’ll be going back, but obviously others had better experiences. I’ll give you the cliffs notes…
We had a slightly larger party on a Friday night, and the place wasn’t at capacity, but we couldn’t tell if there was more than one server actually attending to diners. We were completely through with our appetizers before they even took our entré orders. This was indicative of the night, and it took over three hours for us to dine. I will say that the mozzarella appetizer I had was really, really good. The sliders were well cooked, too.
As for wine, the list was very limited in selection, but there were some nice, reasonably priced wine.
When we finally got to order entrées, the server had to keep returning to the kitchen to check to see if what we wanted to order was still available – at 8:00 on a Friday night, mind you. The kitchen was out of at least one dish, and our table got the last two orders of another dish.
The dishes all came out at different times, and the server actually suggested we pierce the ravioli so that it wouldn’t over cook inside while we waited for the other dish, a huge steak, was «setting.» It didn’t matter. Both persons at the table who ordered the dish agreed: it was awful. Really, really bad in all aspects.
There was a lamb shank that was pretty good. But the huge steak was also deemed to be flavorless and unevenly cooked. Overall, the food was a huge disappointment. Some dishes seemed to be interesting takes on common foods. Others were a misguided attempt at fusion cooking topped with frozen peas.
At the end of the evening, the staff was very gracious about trying to make everything right at the end of the evening, offering to bring out additional appetizers to make sure everyone left happy, so I have to give credit for that. But when all was said and done, we spent over three hours eating food I would never give a second chance.

Went for happy hour and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t super busy!
Awesome specials! $ 1 oysters and ½ off apps which were $ 6
Tried a bunch of things but all were just mediocre. I was expecting tons of Indian flavors especially with all the great reviews but was underwhelmed.
Mussels: couldn’t taste the coconut at all
Wings: lots of meat which was good but kind of dry and the sauce was a little too oily
Tacos: chicken didn’t have much flavor either
Overall I liked the chill vibe and everyone was very nice and the prices were awesome but the food just didn’t quite deliver

I was very disappointed in this restaurant. The vibe was really strange, as the loungey almost clubby feel clashed with the menu items. It’s an interesting contrast ordering braised lamb shanks while listening to Usher tracks. The restaurant is also dominated by a large island bar, adding to the feel of the place being a bar first and restaurant second. Not the feel I want for $ 25 plates.
Our table was a bit scatterbrained and slow to order, but our waiter didn’t seem well equipped to be dealing with a large table. Once we got out orders in, the food came rather quickly. We tried the beef sliders, which were very pedestrian and also had soggy bottom buns. We also had tuna tartare, which was pretty standard but was supposed to have grapefruit which I did not detect.
My entrée was the spice rubbed lamb shank, which just tasted like a normal braised lamb shank with no spice flavor profile. I also tried the pomegranate glazed duck breast, and once again could not find the fruity flavor.
The strange atmosphere combined with the boring flavor profiles made for a disappointing (and pricey) trip to Bethesda.

I used the Groupon deal at 4935 on a Friday night, which gave us an appetizer to share, 2 entrees, a dessert to share, and 2 glasses of wine. It easily saved us $ 30 – 40 on our meal depending on what we ordered. LOVED the tandoori tacos with naan and lamb shank.
The food and service were both great, but I probably would not return because I can’t really say I enjoyed the atmosphere. You have an upscale Indian-​fusion menu, dark and modern (borderline cold) décor, fairly loud music playing ranging from current top 40 pop to late 90s R&B, and the Wizards game playing at the bar. It feels like 4935 is trying to be all things to all people, and though it is moderately successful it feels more disjointed than anything. I loved my meal, but I would have to find a very specific person to share a repeat visit with. Cocktails would be fun, though!

This almost qualifies as a speakeasy — minimal flash and signage on exterior, check. Classy lobby — check. Great service and strong cocktails — check.
The only thing to clue you in that this place exists is the sign outside saying 4935. In all honesty, I thought they were just being douchy Bethesdians and flaunting their address. No, ’tis the actual name. The dimmed down atmosphere and relaxed blue lighting was a welcome change of pace from Gringos and Mariachis, Rock Bottom, and Caddi’s (shudders).
Let’s get down to business here. I first came here on a happy hour with work — and were intrigued by the interesting menu, which is primarily Indian and American fusion. The pork wings and oysters were great, especially on happy hour special. The sliders were also cooked perfectly, which seems like noone else in Bethesda can do property (also a nice mushroom reduction on top of them). The only thing that threw me for a loop were the tacos. Don’t get me wrong, the flavors were there, but just TOO much sauce.
The staff went out of their way to ensure our visit was memorable and kept the smiles coming.
Happy hour is $ 3 or $ 4 drafts and starters/​apps are ½ off. The past two times they were out of mussels, which was disheartening :(
I’ll definitely return here

Disappointing. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I remember this place.
When you walk in, you feel like you’re in a fancy restaurant that doubles as a lounge. BUT soon you realize it’s a lounge trying to be a high class restaurant. They fail.
Our waitress was attentive at first, but soon started slacking. It took several minutes to get a refill of water. Majority of our group ordered appetizers, however they were not sent out at the same time. Half the group finished their appetizers before the other half was able to get theirs. The appetizers were flavorful and much much much better than the entrée selection.
My eggplant ravioli came with two bite size pieces for $ 18. I don’t remember reading that it only came with two pieces. I did not enjoy it. I enjoy raw eggs but it did not work with this entrée. I was grossed out but forced myself to eat it because of the price tag.
Hearing from my friends, the lamb shank is barely seasoned and the salad is boring.
Nice try but stick to the lounge setting. If I were to go back, I’d stick with drinks and appetizers only.
Service: C
Environment: C (there’s a DJ)
Food: C

This review is based on the bar only as I didn’t eat anything.
The interior lacks charm and warmth, but they make up for their design flaws with top-​notch service and an excellent happy hour!
We went on a Friday for drinks and Leslie was our bartender. The bar was full and people were demanding her attention left and right, yet she was able to greet us and was very friendly and helpful.
I ordered the bourbon boom and my partner went with the rumble, both drinks were delicious, but on the sweet side so if you’re not into the sweeter drinks, opt for something else; I’m sure Leslie can whip up something you’ll love! We had dinner reservations immediately after so we weren’t too hungry, but my partner ordered a duck samosa and thought it was great. I was impressed by the happy hour menu because they offer something for everyone at an unbeatable price.