Praline Bakery & Bistro

I came here looking to see what the options were for cakes for my cousin's birthday celebration. I found and bought the two pumpkin cheesecakes they had on display. $35 each, which isn't horrible. They tasted amazing and everyone loved it. I'll keep this place in mind for other baked goods. Apparently they do sandwiches, too, so perhaps a lunch stop might be in order soon.

This remains one of my favorite local restaurants. The food is consistently delicious. The servers are attentive and friendly. An added bonus is the expansive dining terrace. Most tables have a wide umbrella which is always nice on sunny days. Do go. You will not be disappointed!

They have two floors and a spacious terrace upstairs. They are known for their homemade pastries, have delicious fish with different special every week according to availability We ate on the terrace and it was very lightly raining part of the time, bit each table had a wide umbrella. I got photos of a rainbow 🌈. There were also colorful plants

I discovered this place while biking in the trails nearby during the pandemic and am thrilled to have found a truly delicious local restaurant so close by. Both al fresco/patio and indoor dining are available with consistently amazing food and friendly service. I believe they do takeout as well and have quality premade options by the bakery if you’re in a rush. From their burgers to their seafood to their quiches to their wine, this is the perfect place to grab a delicious lunch with friends! Don’t forget to grab a few goodies from the bakery downstairs before you leave. Truly a neighborhood gem.

This location is a mix of bakery and patisserie. They have a wonderful variety of options to choose from. The chocolate and pistachio croissant was delicious.

This is an extremely special restaurant experience. Let me begin by speaking of the service here. Praline distinguishes itself with its service. However now let's talk about the quality of the food which is of a very very high level. At the top where your seated outside is a great carryover to the high-quality of the food. We've been here several times and the food is always been very very good. All in all this is a restaurant you must visit however don't visit it too often. We don't want it to get too popular.

Great cakes, friendly staff, easy parking

Friendly environment, welcoming and easy to locate items available for purchase. I ordered the baguette sandwich with brie and turkey and pistachio chocolate croissant. Everything was fresh and appealing!

Love Praline! They have delicious baked goods and treats and also have a big selection of sandwiches and french meals. So far I have tried almost every sandwich and dessert! Also the owners are very nice.

Both Bistro and Bakery are top notch. Some entrees can be a little pricey, but quality is excellent, and serving sizes are generous. Also, the dessert menu is to die for! Definitely need reservations Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday Brunch.

I cannot tell you how amazing this bakery and cafe is. I think in the past year I've gained 10lbs (NO REGRETS) just from their amazing pastries, cakes, pies, and meals. I even ordered my Thanksgiving meal from here! Yes, their restaurant food is JUST AS GOOD as the buttery baked goods. The staff is super helpful and greets you with a smile. Go in and try their macarons, always perfect baguettes, and order their Praline burger with a side of roasted brussel sprouts (trust me) to go!

My mother brought home a raspberry tart... and OH. MY. GOD (cue janice's voice from friends). Between her, my husband and myself - the tart didn't make it to the next day. It was just THAT DARN GOOD. We are thinking of going out for a drive just to buy another one and we live all the way in Fairfax VA. Can't wait to taste another one! Keep up the great quality flavor!

I really love this neighborhood gem. Pretty much everything they bake is delicious. My kids adore the brownies. The service is friendly and fast. Highly recommend this spot.

Lovely atmosphere, service and dishes prepared with care—-excellent simplicity and taste in the seasonal menu options.. . I especially loved their scallops with spiralized zucchini-yum!

The Praline’s restaurant is upstairs from the bakery on the first floor. Indoor dining is relatively small and can get crowded and the tables close to one another. The outdoor patio when the weather is nice is outstanding. Food is uniformly delicious and well prepared. The menu is somewhat limited, but that’s a good thing. The staff are friendly, but could be a little more attentive. It’s a great place for a nice lunch.

Convenient. Friendly staff. Nice variety on the menu. The salads are delicious. Had a decent pot pie and our children love the Mac and cheese. The upstairs terrace is surprisingly relaxing despite being located next to a Safeway and parking lot.

Great place to have brunch/lunch. Eggs benedict is a favorite!! Service is fabulous! Quick and easy. Quiet if not too many people there.

I had a wonderful experience at Praline Bistro on Sangamore Street, Bethesda. The servers were intelligent, professional, and exceptionally friendly. They truly went the extra mile to make our visit enjoyable, anticipating our needs and offering thoughtful recommendations. Their attention to detail and warm service made the meal even more memorable. I highly recommend visiting Praline Bistro—not just for the food, but for the outstanding hospitality.

Absolutely love this local gem. Brought a number of friends who had never been there, to eat outside on the patio on a lovely night - everyone was very impressed with the service and quality of food. They said 'What a find!' Shout out to our delightful server Stephanie, who was so polite, patient and just charming. We all will be back ! PS - and you will not find a better pastry anywhere !

We’ve never had a meal we did not love here. We often see the same staff, year after year, which tells you something. The service is very Euro: they take care of you but know how to leave you alone to chat and enjoy your meal. (They don’t have to ask 5 times, “How’s your food?”, because they know: it’s always great. Noise level is great for conversation. It’s always just an authentic, pleasant, laid back, very intimate, but not pretentious experience. When done, you will feel full and satisfied, but not “stuffed”, which I’ve always thought a great indicator of the quality of ingredients. Praline is a jewel, and the prices are very fair for what you get: great food, great service, and fond memories.

We tried the bistro part for the first time for a quick early dinner on a Sunday evening. They have a small patio upstairs which we enjoyed (but had to move indoors due to mosquitoes!). It was quiet and the service was good. Onion soup was delicious! We also ordered two caesar salads (salmon and chicken), which were very big portions and delicious as well. We paid 10$ for soup, 22$ for salmon caesar salad and, 17$ for chicken caesar salad. I’d like to try the bakery part soon. Overall, it was a solid 4-4,5 star. I recommend this business.

This is a very nice restaurant. The food was all delicious, even the desserts, and the location and the staff were wonderful. The macarons are very pretty. In the picture I ordered the tiramisu. I would love to go back again. Thank you.

The food was good but they said they didn’t have water for paying customers, only bottles for purchase. Then after a while someone begrudgingly brought water for our toddler but not for the rest of us. The heat index outside was over 100 degrees. Very strange. We didn’t just walk in and ask for water, we ordered and paid for our food order. Either they’re desperate for the additional $3 per bottle, were trying to get a bigger tip, or just lacked basic customer service skills. They’re only getting 4 stars because we used to be regulars and this was atypical a few years ago, otherwise it would be 2 or 3 stars.

Praline is a bit of a hidden gem. It's in a strip mall near Glen Echo. The food is French, and it's great. Everything we ate was well prepared and the portions are a good size. Desserts are a specialty of the house and something you don't want to miss! Service is friendly. The atmosphere is relaxed but nice. They also have a pretty rooftop for outdoor seating. Well worth a visit!

This place shares the space of a cafe thatvwasnt quite open but I was thankful for Praline and their delicious vegetable quiche. Mango and pistachio macaroons were amazing. I give them 4 stars because they weren't very sustainable. I was dining in and they offered everything with plastic. I politely asked for silverware and they did grab me some. Just imagine all the plastic they could save if they used reusable silverware and mugs. Just something to consider. They also have a beautiful location near the Wharf. I preferred that location to this one.

One of our favorite places for any meal. Generally excellent food and a quiet and relaxing environment. Good service in a lovely setting. Wonderful buckwheat crepes, salads, pattiserie, and wine selection. Some of the food is too salty (e.g., the smoked salmon), but otherwise no complaints. Enjoy!

This is an excellent spot for brunch or lunch: a bustling, cheerful neighborhood bistro with fresh salads and light entrees-- good omelettes and quiches, for example. And the big bonus? Ample free parking, because you're in a neighborhood shopping mall. (All those blue-haired matrons at the tables around you know a good thing when they see it.)

This is mainly in regards to one item. The chicken tenders at the bakery used to be super good. Hand breaded and all perfectly irregular . Last Friday however, there was a dramatic change ! They were now from bagged frozen. Not sure what’s going on, just hope the quality of other things doesn’t go down. Oh also, some days the croissants are pretty awesome. Days like Sunday and Saturday they don’t seem to be as good .

My steak was rare as per the order however it was tough and lacked flavor, my daughter's drink order was not as expected. There's a lot good here though: salads, lamb stew and their desserts are delicious

The ham and cheese croissant is pictured in my post. The chocolate mousse was okay, and the chocolate cookie contained apricot. The tea latte was tea with milk.

Their chocolate mousse cake was amazing. I have bought their cake so many times. But now the quality has gone down. This was my favorite bakery. I don’t know what happened. They need to go back to how they do things. The cake was dry and it wasn’t as chocolatey as it used to be.

This used to be the best restaurant for ratatouille and salmon; I do not know what happened other than they have a new chef and the food is not the same, which makes me sad The food is mediocre at best.

Went to the bakery/coffee bar today. The lack of helpfulness and disregard for customers was pronounced. It’s confusing where you order, pay and pick up and none of the three teenagers behind the counter seem to offer any information. The baguette sandwich was basically tasteless, although the lentil soup was good. My latte was half foam, so not the right proportion of milk to espresso. My friend got a café au lait, which was undrinkable to her… It looked more like a cup of coffee with a little almond milk in it (very dark). She had to rush off, so I mentioned it to the kids behind the counter as I was leaving, in hopes that they would be interested in learning and making sure they were creating the right types of drinks later, but they showed no interest whatsoever. There are signs posted everywhere to keep customers in line - we don’t heat up any food; please be patient we’re working as fast as we can - but no oversight of the employees and no urgency to serve people efficiently and do it well. Feels like a typical Bethesda experience: pay a lot, don’t get much.

After a few years , Stopped at the downstairs entrance bistro area on a Sunday afternoon for a coffee and sandwich after many years. Food was ok, but space was very unappealing; glass windows dirty and overly covered in signs, the abandoned front welcome bar area was scattered with piles of half opened cardboard boxes of supplies, and the fireplace sitting area was littered with crumbs and bits of food all over the floor and tables . Won’t be back

I made a reservation through the Bethesda website Resy for today at 2:45. My husband and I arrived at 2:45 and were completely ignored by the staff passing by us on the 1st floor so we went to the 2nd floor to be seated and were stopped at the top of the stairs by a rude hostess?? stating that our reservation was for 2:15 and the restaurant was closed. I explained that my reservation was for 2:45 and further, how could they be closed if we were seated at 2:15 to which she replied they were closed and I must have made a mistake. They would reopen for dinner. They will not have to worry about another reservation for lunch or dinner given their attitude.

I’ve eaten here more times than I care to. Why? Because since they opened, my mom, grandma, and MIL like Praline’s proximity to their nail salon. So, for the sake of convenience, we patronize Praline (I’ve recently gotten them to drive an extra 5 minutes down Mass Ave for a more enjoyable dining experience). The Quiche Lorraine is okay (it’s edible but so is the frozen one from Trader Joe’s) but EVERY entree I’ve ever tried has been a disappointment; from the pot pie (runny filling), to the grilled shrimp (overcooked), to the scallops (overcooked), to a hamburger (you guessed it, overcooked; and I don’t mean by a little bit, I mean going way past medium rare to well done). The 2 stars are for their pastries and apple tart. Service almost always comes with a pretentious attitude too (host/hostess too).

I have been at this locations several times, just to buy cakes. I think they are great regardless of the price. And their costumer service was always great until today. I came in with my mother and there were two kids at the front that didn’t even look like they were old enough to be working. They didn’t even greet me or asked if I needed any help I had to say Hello and asked for help. As the girl was getting the cake out of he display to place it on the box, the chocolate squares fell off and she said “ oh we can always attach them” she picked them up and attached them back to the cake. Sadly I really needed the cake and that was the only chocolate cake they had in display. Will I ever go back? I don’t think so.

such nice people and delicious snacks - but their ‘’lattes’ are more often than not given to me from premade boiled coffee mixed With frothed milk Vs espresso shot and frothy milk. It’s so frustrating and keeps happening. Update: Changing from two stars to one. Today my family and I had their chicken salad sandwiches for lunch (thought the Mayo looked a bit dry and bread was kind of old crunchy Vs. French baguette crusty). It tasted ok / we were starving so we ate it all. All three of us had a horrible bout of food poisoning (repeated vomiting, nausea and awful situation overall). We skipped breakfast due to errands so I know for sure it was the lunch. I think we’ll only stick to their overpriced delicious desserts from now on Vs. the not so fresh food. Too bad, since I love their ambiance and the owners are really awesome 😔, but paying $40 for 3 poisonous sandwiches isn’t my idea of a placid Sunday.

We went to Praline for our lunch today. It was shortly after 11 am so we were the first customers. We ordered coffee and tea and two Vegetarian sandwiched along with french fries for me and salad on the side for my friend. Food arrived and I started eating the french fries. I realized immediately it was stale. It was reheated french fries with freshly salted. I decided not to say anything and tried to eat the sandwich. When I touched the sandwich, I realized that the bread was staled too! It was rock hard and they reheated the bread on the pan so it became so hard. There was no way we could eat them and not break our teeth. I went to the staff and told them the bread was staled and so hard we couldn't eat it. The hostess said that the bread was baked in the morning! Who would believe that? They said that they will make them again. There was only excuses but no apology! We went back to our seat but we decided to just leave. So we tried pay for the tea and coffee and it took them at least 10 minutes to give us the change! In all, we wasted our precious lunch time with really bad food and service and wasted money for the tea we did not even drink! Not only the food was bad but the service was even worse. I live in the neighborhood and I believe in the quality of neighborhood restaurant. I don't come to the bistro as often as I come to the Praline bakery but serving hard rock french bread to their very first customer of the day was really bad! And the way the staff handled the situation was so poor! It will take me sometime to get over this and use this restaurant again. VERY DISAPPOINTED!

Terrible place!! Stay away!! This is a popular spot among locals but it’s aged and service sucks. The Bistro upstairs might be better but it’s full service and doesn’t open until 11am. Until then, you’re left with weak coffee, fridge cold & not fully baked quiches, mediocre pastries and hopeless staff. Don’t expect to get a plate (even a paper one) for your “breakfast” or even a cup of water after you shell out almost ten bucks for a crappy “quiche” that’s inedible as is. If this is meant to go, why have seating?! Confusing! I’ll not be going back! Ever!