The Best Restaurants in Rockville, by the Record
The best restaurants in Rockville, by the professional record: The Washington Post, Eater, and Washingtonian have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Melina comes out on top.
Peter Chang and Caruso's Grocery hold the next two places. Washingtonian shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with The New York Times next.
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Rank 1. Melina
Greek
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
- Washingtonian #95 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 2. Peter Chang
Chinese
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Rank 4. Z&Z Manoushe Bakery
Middle Eastern
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
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Rank 5. Hijos del Maiz
Oaxacan
A taco trailer parked at a Shell station in Rockville, where the chef mills his own masa on-site and builds the whole menu around it. Tacos, tostadas, and triangular tetelas stuffed with refried beans come out of an operation this small with a focus you'd expect from somewhere twice the size. The chef trained in Oaxaca, grew up in Montgomery County, and clearly has something to prove about corn.
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Rank 5. Pupuseria Mamá Emilia
Mexican
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Rank 7. A&J Restaurant
Chinese
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Rank 8. Bao Bei
Taiwanese Chinese
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Rank 8. Bouboulina
Greek
The whole branzino is flown in from Greece, cured, air-dried for days, then grilled until the skin shatters, which tells you everything about the kitchen's priorities at this polished Pike & Rose restaurant. It reads like a classic American steakhouse, and you could easily miss the Greek thread running through it, which is exactly what makes that fish such a pleasantly disorienting moment. The owners also run Cava, which is quite the range.