Matchbox Rockville

Matchbox has been on my love list for many years. It’s popular combinations of freshly made pizzas offer something for everyone and are out of this world delicious! If you’ve never been here, start this love affair now! Love the décor throughout the restaurant, it really is so beautiful.
The signature cocktails are poppin! Salads and appetizers are practically irresistible. Sometimes it looks like an Adams Morgan lounge here in the spring /​summer during happy hour and weekend evenings!
Trendy and beloved by all the savvy young professionals in the area!
The service is top notch & they have like 3 fireplaces plus a fire pit outside!
Ask for Panaya! She will take good care of you! She’s the best ever!

We went for the first time last night (we’re new to the area) and it was very nice. We had the signature mini-​burgers which were delicious, and I couldn’t get enough of the fried onions!
The crab soup was just okay, it seemed like it needed something and it just got salt.
The Calamari salad was very good, the fried calamari had a perfect texture and the dressing was bold, flavorful and not over-​dressed.
My wife ordered the House-​label wine and enjoyed it thoroughly.
We tried two versions of the pizza, Spicy Meatball and White Prosciutto. The flavors were right there but they seemed kind of minimalist. I wanted more sauce and more cheese. (Caveat, being from the Midwest I prefer Chicago-​style deep dish to NY style cracker crust. My wife is a New Englander and she loved them)
For dessert we ordered the Lemon Custard Cake, it was too much! Too much cake and just too tart for us.
Our server, Morgan, was attentive and informative, when we couldn’t decide on which pizza to order and she let us know we could do half and half. Perfect!
We’ll be back.

Gave this place a second chance on Valentine’s Day. The NBA all star game was up with romantic music playing in the background for a balanced atmosphere.
For starters, I recommend the shrimp n grits. A flavorful appetizer that leaves room for dinner. Their selection in specialty brick oven pizzas and beer is delicious. I went with the scallops and chose risotto per our server’s recommendation — great choice. We ordered the ice cream over fudge brownie drizzled in caramel for a delightful ending.
Great staff, fast service, and delicious food made up for the last experience.
***Suggestion: Make a reservation on Open Table. This place fills up fast from ‘first come first serve.’

We made reservations before my wife decided to give up wheat items for Lent. Thinking I made a mistake by going to a gourmet pizza restaurant without the ability to order Pizza, I was pleasantly surprised that the seafood and steak items were equally delicious. This place deserves as much kudos for the steaks and seafood items as much as it gets for pizza.

Went for Sunday brunch. Did not have to wait. I got the BLT Benedict and it was fantastic. My husband got the potato soup which was really good also.

Awful will never return. Waited ages for drinks and food. Mussel appetizer they forgot and when it came was not cooked through. I ordered mussels not oysters. They offered to redo but not going to be worth the wait. I’m done and will never return. Matchbox has no flame!

This restaurant is definitely one of my top choices. I thought this whole time they were more of an upscale pizza place. Boy was I wrong. I ordered sliders that came with crispy breaded onions and my coworker got a salad. She was blown away on how delicious it was also. The ambiance was great and so was the service. Its looks much nicer inside than it does outside. So if I liked it so much why not 5 stars? The only thing that kind of took me off guard was that the burger buns tasted a little old. Other than that everything was excellent

One of my go to restaurants on the pike.
Great food, service, and an amazing atmosphere.
Only downside is the long waits for a table.
As stated in majority of the other reviews, the sliders are a must try. They only have two temperature options of pink or no pink. I would recommend getting the pink option otherwise the sliders are dry as hell.
Their pizzas are also delicious, I would suggest getting a seat at the pizza bar and watch them make it in front of you for the full gourmet pizza experience.

We arrived for lunch with three children. We ordered 4 servings of chicken sandwich and side dishes, the meat and bread arrived half an hour later burned. We had to wait another half hour until everything worked out.
Just a pity.

Matchbox is Matchbox is Matchbox. They’re all the same, more or less. And with this location having nearly 700 reviews (date of review 1÷7÷16) there’s really nothing I can add that hasn’t been touched upon.
HOWEVER, upon scrolling through the highlights I gotta say I’m pretty disappointed that the CINNAMON ROLLS aren’t one of them. Maybe not enough people grab brunch at Matchbox. I don’t blame you. There are a ton of great brunch spots you can go to that offer unlimited raw bars or bottomless mimosas. Yeah, you won’t get that here. But if you’re looking to indulge in a way that awakens the fat blob within you, get your butt to Matchbox for brunch and order a few pans of these phenomenal cinnamon rolls.
That is all.

Why on earth is it so hard to find a restaurant that can make a Long Island ice tea that isn’t weak? Do I need to carry my own pre made stash and just ask for a glass of ice?
I come here with my squad for dinner. It wasn’t packed but it was cold and it was raining. Why are the front doors open? Why was it so cold in the private dining room? We had ask to be moved elsewhere as my lips were already turning purple.
We get the best waiter ever, I mean he had jokes for us all night and we were all enjoying his company. I really wasn’t that hungry.
Weak Long Island: strike one.
My food: cream of crab soup: very creamy soup and I was lucky to find one little lump of meat swimming at the bottom of my soup. I asked for old bay on the side but old bay couldn’t even save my soup. I was disappointed. Strike two.
My 3 sliders: it was buried in some very overly salted onion straws, charred burger on the outside and very pink in the middle. No taste or seasoning, dipping in ketchup couldn’t make it any better. Strike two. It would have been a double strike if I had food poisoning
Later on that night or the next but I didn’t. Strike three.
My friend had a chicken pesto pizza, it was meh…
Our waiter asked if we wanted dessert, I passed. My only hope was if I’ll make it to chik fil a in time before they close because I was very hungry at this point after the disastrous food I had to encounter and only chik fil a could satisfy my hunger.
3 stars for the best waiter we could possibly ever have despite my failed meals. I loved his corny jokes and I will have to use them with my friends and family at Christmas dinner.
Long Island Ice tea: weak!!! Dont order it!

We ordered mozzi carrozzi. Crab soup. Wood fire lamb sandwich. I would definitely recommend the crab soup. Mozi carrozzi is fried bread with mozzarella cheese and zesty tomato sauce. Wasn’t too impressed by it. Lamb sandwich Was allrt.

I have only ever eaten outside here because the patio tends to be much quieter than the dining room.
The brunch pizza has a lot going on, but all the flavors work together really well. The fire and smoke pizza is very spicy and delicious. The cinnamon rolls are probably my favorite thing I’ve had here – they are served in a cast iron skillet, and they are gooey and hot!
The service leaves something to be desired – I usually had to track down the server for refills, but that may just be part of sitting on the patio. The patio has a nice laid-​back vibe, so no one is in a rush.
This is a great Rockville brunch spot.

I have been here for drinks and I finally took the plunge for dinner. Yummy! This was a 4.5. Elizabeth gets a 5 for being a patient and delightful server and the food was a solid 4 with some real standouts!
My new «thing» is dining out with clients and sharing our meals so we can try a little of everything… I LOVE my job! :)
Tonight we started with a pinot grigio. They shared a glass but I abstained as I was driving. One of us was super hungry so we asked Elizabeth for the fastest appetizers. So she brought out a simple salad and the crab, avocado tower. Mmmmmm…
This salad was anything but simple! Mesclin greens with halved grape tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, dried cherries, and pecorino romano tossed in a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Served with a parmesan crisp, the small at $ 7 was easily divided by the three of us. Very fresh and light. I couldn’t decide between this or the wedge (my fave) and it did not disappoint! Nicely tossed and a great start to whet our appetites!
The crab + avocado tower was a seriously dense and flavorful starter. They were out of the crabcakes so Elizabeth had to check to make sure there was crab for our appetizer. My grandfather instilled in me that you eat with your eyes as well as your tummy… and the Chef obviously attended the same school!
The layers started with an avocado ‘relish’ on the bottom with a delicious but subdued mango salsa separating it from a generous mound of crab meat. My mind envisioned a skinny and tall «tower» but what was brought out well exceeded the price point of $ 17. The accompanying toast slices were not enough because although the «tower» was not tall it was massive. The attention to detail impressed me as each crostini was brushed with basil oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Elizabeth came to the rescue with more toast.
Did I mention that you should try the tower?
Next two golden brown fillets of rainbow trout were brought out sitting atop a pile of pesto Israeli couscous. The trout was still moist in spite of the extra crispy crust. De-​lish! The little pearls of grain were deceiving as they looked savory but packed a burst of sweetness as you bit into a piece of granny smith or dried cherry. This was rounded out with red onions and arugula. A medley of flavors dancing on my tongue! I did not taste (or see) the red peppers but a dish worth the price tag of $ 21.
Speaking of pepper, the seafood pasta had a bit too much of it. There were plenty of mussels, strips of calamari and 3 large pieces of shrimp served with the linguine. The white wine butter sauce was a delicious as it sounds. A sprinkling of capers and chopped tomatoes with a large slice of crusty bread to sop up the juices… our juices remained in the bowl as each bite became more painful. Elizabeth was disappointed that we had not told her earlier but my clients (and many older people I dine with) would not let me send it back. Don’t get me wrong, the dish is a really good one but it was not supposed to be so spicy. It just made me sad to give back a bowl with lots of sauce left in it. For $ 22, I would order it again, but ask that they be a little light handed with the black pepper.
Plenty of food for 3 adults. We should have stopped there but have no regrets for taking a peek at the dessert menu.
There was a brownie topped with ice cream calling our names but we ignored it as we chose something lighter. If you like to finish your meal with something small and sweet, I recommend the lemon custard cake ($ 8). W.O.W. You read the ingredients and your head starts to nod at the light lemon cake and the tart lemon custard… What? Did I read that correctly? Thyme shortbread cookies. Ew. Is this dessert or is this Thanksgiving dressing? But wait. Do not turn your nose up at this combination. The entire dessert works. The cake is light, the lemon is refreshing and the cookie is buttery with a subtle taste that you just can’t place.
A dinner for three with salad, appetizer, dessert and even a glass of wine set us back $ 100. Not bad for a Sunday night. If you want to make your experience even better, ask to sit in Elizabeth’s section. And save room for grandma kunkel’s lemon custard cake. Mmmmmm…

Came here for brunch. We were seated right away, and the service was friendly enough.
After ordering coffee, we asked for coffee refills and got charged for two more coffees. This was unexpected since it’s not really common practice (comparing to sodas and the like).
I ordered steak and eggs — the meal was OK.
After our meal, there was an issue with our bill. My friend let a server know but there must have been some miscommunication between the servers because it took us waiting for 20 minutes and flagging down our waiter, who had no idea there was even an issue, for the bill to get resolved.
Overall a lackluster experience.

I’ve been to Matchbox quite a few times over the years, but I’m starting to see that it’s not quite as good as it was when it first opened and breathed new life into a location on Rockville Pike where many have failed in the past. Case in point: today’s brunch pizza. I’ve ordered this pizza many times, since it’s a great way to start a Sunday while watching one of the early games, with a really nice flavor combination of onion, sausage, smoked gouda, eggs, and a chipotle cream, giving it a nice kick. Unfortunately, the crust was underdone, making for a soggy center, and that soggy center made this topping-​heavy pizza hard to handle. It was impossible to actually pick up a slice (or to even use the pie server to transfer a slice to a plate) without having all of the toppings just fall right off, making for a sloppy mess. They might as well just have skipped the crust and brought the toppings to me in a bowl, given how I ended up having to eat the pizza. The last couple of visits have been this way, with dishes I know have been great in the past just being so-​so now, and I’d withheld writing a review hoping that was just a blip.
I agree with what many others have said regarding the disaffected staff at the front door, but the servers are generally quite friendly, on their game, and eager to please. With all of the new competition in the Bethesda-​Rockville corridor, Matchbox needs to do a little re-​focusing to recapture what brought us all to their doors years ago — that great wood-​fired pizza that was amongst the best in the area. To me, it’s okay, but it’s nothing special anymore.

As an overall chain — I still don’t care of the place. This experience was alright though.
My friend and I came here for his belayed birthday lunch. We ended up having patio seating where we enjoyed the sun and what bit of time left there is for patio weather. We ended up splitting a chef’s specialty pizza which we both killed and enjoyed.
Service was very spotty. We would see her then she’d disappear for longer than extended periods of time. This became an annoyance for the both of us, but since we were chilling out and hanging for the course of an hour and a half — we tried to not give it that much notice versus if we would have been in a rush.
I still do not care for this place, and I only came for the matter of his request (being his birthday gift and all…), but for the one time I’ve dined at this chain the pizza wasn’t half bad.

Dressy casual American restaurant serving great brunch, lunch, and dinner.
I came here with my family for dinner several months ago and then more recently with a friend for brunch. It was crowded on a Friday night for dinner, as one would expect of a popular place, but the noise wasn’t a disturbance and the service was still quite fast and friendly. I had the veggie burger and loved it. It was thankfully much less crowded for a weekend brunch and we didn’t have to wait for a table. Our service was very friendly and exceptionally quick. We were so pleased to find they could accommodate both gluten-​free and vegetarian requests — there were several great options for both restrictions on their brunch and regular menus. My friend had the vegetable frittata, which she thought was fantastic, and I the huevos rancheros, which were delicious (anything with chipotle mayo is bound to be great). The ambience for both dinner and brunch is, I would say, dressy casual — certainly not formal, but still a bit dressed up.

I went to Matchbox for lunch with some clients from work. We were seated right away and drinks came shortly after that. Once we all had our beverages, we waited about 15 more minutes before the server even took our order. Overall the service was slow. Once we were done eating, we had to flag down a server to pay our bill because our server was nowhere to be found.
The crab tower appetizer was delicious and refreshing. For my entrée I ordered the ty chop salad. It had WAY too much dressing. I think next time I go to matchbox I will stick to pizza since that’s what they are known for.

This was a good pizza place if you like wood fire pizza. The place gets pretty busy in the evenings but if you can get there before 6 you can probably get in without too much trouble.
The service was fine, not particularly noteworthy in the positive but certainly above acceptable. The food came out pretty quickly as well. We had the matchbox meat and spicy meatball pizzas. Both were good if not exceptional. I prefer Coal Fire’s pizza to Matchbox but I think Matchbox has a wider menu and a more upscale ambiance. So Matchbox may be better for dates or events where such things are important.
The value was pretty good but not great. I certainly can’t complain but at the same time didn’t feel like I really got a great deal. If that not important to you then don’t worry about it. If you’re in the area and looking for pizza it’s certainly worth a try.