Melina

Review summary

1. E

   Eddie

   VIP

   Washington DC

   36 reviews

   3.0

   36 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   This restaurant looks nice and is located in the area which convenient. The service team was attentive but perhaps too attentive. The short rib had potential - certainly tender and not overly fatty but the flavor was “missing.” This dish lacked flavorful sauce and salt. I really wanted “greek” potatoes and this was not that. The 1 potato was not back but was hoping for nice lemony Greek potatoes!! The spinach pie croquettes were very creative and excellent. My wife’s main dish fell short on flavor and had risotto which really didn’t work with the dish. Desert was a miss unfortunately but the pistachio gelato was very good! Overall Melina does not feel very Greek which is part of their web address. Maybe I’ll try lunch sometime but if I want Mediterranean or specifically Greek dishes, I’ll go back to Nostos in Tysons. It’s not as elegant and it’s loud but the food is spot on if you want excellent Greek dishes.
   

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2. V

   Vincent

   Washington DC

   14 reviews

   3.0

   14 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Melina has a great atmosphere and attentive service, but overall, the experience fell a bit short of expectations. The food was solid—some dishes stood out, while others were just okay.It felt like it was almost great but missed the mark in a few places. The biggest letdown was the desserts. Given the quality of the main courses, we expected something special, but they were underwhelming and frankly was not tasty. If the desserts had been on par with the rest of the meal, the experience would have been much more satisfying. Would we return? Maybe—but next time, we’d probably skip dessert.
   

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3. L

   Lilo2017

   Washington DC

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The short ribs are an absolute delight. Also, because I never had manouri cheese before, I was thrilled with the experience overall. It's pricey of course but if that's what we need to pay to get good food around here then so be it!
   

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4. P

   Pamela

   VIP

   Washington DC

   3 reviews

   3.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Melina offers a lively setting. The drinks were outstanding. The food offerings had a lot of layers. The chef does best with the simpler, cleaner, one cuisine at a time dishes. Finally, on a Thursday night, I did not expect to be firmly ushered out after 1 hour and 20 minutes. Perhaps we didn’t order enough food?
   

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5. r

   robert

   VIP

   Washington DC

   3 reviews

   4.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   My wife and I dine at Melina almost once a week. The food is consistently good and the service excellent. If we had to find any faults it would be that the menu needs to be revised as the offerings are limited. The "specials" lose their appeal for example after being the same every week. And note that the menu is quite expensive; for example, given the "special" $44 halibut. Notwithstanding these comments, we will continue to dine at Melina as the service (Sean is a wonderful waiter) and quality of the food remains consistently good.
   

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6. A

   Ari

   Washington DC

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 8 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   That was among the best meals I have ever had! Justin, our server, was very knowledgeable and offered many good suggestions of pairings. The roasted carrots are a not miss item. We loved the miso cauliflower as well. The daily special was a 16 oz rack of lamb cut into chops. That was absolutely to die for! My wife had the Icelandic cod but Justin suggested swapping the cod for halibut. This was prob his only misstep as she felt it made the dish too rich. We finished with the Greek yogurt ice cream and it was the perfect end to a perfect meal. Can’t wait to go back!
   

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7. S

   Sarah

   Washington DC

   15 reviews

   5.0

   15 reviews

   Dined on 8 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Wonderful experience for our part of 6. The table was set back in a little alcove, and it was just the right size. We were both very comfortably seated and able to hear each other well. The initial welcome, food, and service were all excellent. What a gem.
   

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8. P

   Phoebe

   Los Angeles

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 8 February 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Just wasn’t that good food wise and options. Over priced fro sure. No one finished their food. Either underseasoned or overseasoned. We probably won’t be back, unfortunately.
   

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9. A

   Ajay

   Philadelphia

   5 reviews

   5.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on 8 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Very good dining experience at Melina. Excellent service and ambience. The Bouboulina cocktail and blackberry margarita were a terrific start to the meal. Lamb kebab was outstanding, loved the tahini miso cauliflower, and crispy potatoes were just the right level of crispy. Roasted squash was ok. The yogurt ice cream on almond cake was a perfect ending to the meal.
   

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10. E

    Erica

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 8 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    I wasn’t as impressed with the food as I hoped to be. Textures and flavors were a little off, and it lacked sophistication. We also had to wait 15mins past our reservation time, and it was a special occasion. They gave us some bread as a compensation, which was probably the best part of the whole meal. Squash was undercooked and lacked seasoning, carrots were good, baby gem salad was largely tasteless except for the goop underneath, cheese pie was bland, bougatsa was nothing like its namesake. There are many much better Mediterranean restaurants in the DC area.
    

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