12 Best Restaurants in Montgomery County, Maryland

The lamb dishes and appetizers ("mezze") are excellent at this Lebanese restaurant. Try the fatte bel lahm (lamb cooked in sizzling butter on a bed of pita chips and smothered in yogurt sauce, garlic, and pine nuts). The lamb is so tender the meat comes apart at the slightest touch of your fork. Outdoor seating is available in a pretty courtyard with a stone fountain in the corner. Both vegetarians and meat eaters will find good options on the creative menu.

This little counter-service café, named in honor of Kensington's christening, is also a full-service 70-seat restaurant with a charming courtyard linking the two. The egg soufflés, quiches, and pancakes are popular for breakfast, while a variety of wraps and salads are on the lunch menu. Café 1894's signature dish is turkey meat loaf with homemade mashed potatoes and fresh steamed vegetables. An ice-cream counter offers fresh berry toppings, homemade whipped topping, and specialty cones. The chef's emphasis is on organic and fair-trade products.

Friendly, quick service helps make this counter-service restaurant—which describes itself as "darned spunky"—a local favorite. The blackened chicken Caesar burrito is one of the top three sellers in the joint. Add spice to your meal with a dash or two from 75 hot sauces lined up on the wall, and grab a seat inside or out. On Monday nights, spin the Mystery Prize Burrito Wheel for discounts and freebies. Patrons can also subscribe to the restaurant's "Taco Talk" newsletter, which is read worldwide.

This turn-of-the-20th-century inn used to be a biker bar and a brothel. Now it's a cozy, popular destination with a pub and a restaurant, each serving excellent Irish comfort food. Try the bangers and mash, shepherd's pie, or the mustard-encrusted rack of lamb. The pub, which has an attractive selection of Irish whiskey and a relatively affordable menu, stays open until midnight, with live music on Sunday and Monday evenings. Closed Monday lunch.

In one of the last tollhouses in Montgomery County, Mrs. K's has welcomed diners since 1930 and continues to please both those in search of comfort food and those with adventurous palates. Designed to resemble a country inn, the restaurant is filled with antique furniture, "Historic Old Blue" Staffordshire plates, and Nicholas Lutz glass. Try the New Zealand lamb chops, marinated in juniper berries, garlic, and rosemary. Both the menu and the decorations change seasonally. The restaurant serves a popular brunch on Sunday.

Built on top of a half-finished country club that was foreclosed on during the Great Depression, Normandie Farm maintains the French-American provincial cuisine and romantic, rustic surroundings that the original 1930s owners (sisters) grew to love during their time at cooking school in Normandy, France. The classic menu has likewise remained nearly unchanged; the most popular dishes are beef Wellington, poached salmon, and lamb chops accompanied by fabulous popovers. Although French flavor imbues the farm, famous locals—like Maryland crab—also have a starring role.

The inn, where Civil War soldiers from the North and South found respite and Teddy Roosevelt stopped after hunting and fishing, was restored in 1957 when it began its foray into fine dining. It was then updated in 2008. Diners like the cozy fireplace and menu favorites like the Maryland crab cake appetizer with sesame seaweed salad. Everything is made fresh seasonally—the inn even makes its own ice cream and sorbet. For a more laid-back vibe, head to the beer garden for hot dogs and shrimp kabobs with live music (in good weather).

With not much more elegance than a neighborhood barbershop, the prices here might seem absurd. But you get your money's worth: no-nonsense seafood and an eyeful of Old Maryland arrested in time. Crab cakes don't get any more authentic than these, presented with just enough structural imperfection to guarantee they're made by hand; the clam chowder—creamy, chunky, and served with a bottomless bowl of oyster crackers—is rendered with similar, down-home care.

Blue walls and paintings of sea life reflect the owner's childhood home in Thailand; so does the extensive menu at this branch of a busy chain, whose many seafood dishes include fresh flounder and rockfish. Favorites include the mild and traditional pad thai, the spicy goong phuket (grilled black tiger shrimp topped with crabmeat and chicken sauce), and chicken satay. Service is quick and friendly, making Tara Thai an excellent place to stop and rest while shopping in nearby stores.

The Tastees are part of the culinary past in the Washington area, with a handful still left in Silver Spring, Laurel, and Bethesda, the flagship location. These 24-hour diners are sentimental favorites among many area residents, who value them for their hand-formed hamburgers, the tastiness of which is subjective. Students and others on low budgets (or little sleep) ignore the dust and relish the coffee, which flows endlessly. Breakfast is served around the clock.