Nest Cafe is closed at 4921 Bethesda Avenue. A sign on the door says the restaurant is "closed for renovations," but gives no target date for reopening. The restaurant's website says Nest will reopen "with a new look in 2016."
Their Twitter account is still going, but clicking on their Facebook page in Google results takes you to a "Sorry, this content isn't available to you right now" message.
Nest used to be our go-to spot. Then, over the last couple of years the menu and beer selection was pared down a lot. Even the items they kept on the menu dropped in quality and we stopped going there entirely.
ReplyDeleteI hope if they do reopen that the food returns to its former level of quality.
I hope so too. However trends of closings for renovations don't have a great tack record do actually reopening ever.... :(
DeleteI know someone who used to be a part-owner here. I believe most of the original owners and investors left and a new bunch came in within the last year. I wonder if they are having trouble making it work. I've been there many times and always enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteSince this is a restaurant post, I'll take my opportunity to report on my visit to Gusto last week. I predict this one will shut down within the next year.
ReplyDeleteIt's trying to be fast casual Italian, like Vapiano's was across the street. There are two main problems:
a) the food is not fresh. It's done Chipotle-style where they cook a big batch of beef and chicken, then dump it into a service bin. That works fine if you sell a burrito every 10 seconds like Chipotle, but no good for a place with few customers. At Vapiano, they took the fresh raw meat and fresh pasta, and cooked it right in front of you.
b) I'm not a chef. They have over 20 (!) items you can put on your pasta, like mushrooms, cucumber, lettuce, bacon bits, and a bunch of other stuff. How am I supposed to know what goes well together? I guess I don't, as I chose a combination of ingredients that _didn't_ go well. At places like &Pizza and Roti, you can also choose from a huge list of fixings, but they also have a list of 10 set menu items and I just order from those. At Vapiano's, it was all set menu items, and then you could modify it as you like.
This may come off sounding like I'm a Vapiano investor or something, and I assure you I'm not. Just I think if they want to do Italian as fast-casual, the Vapiano way (fresh, and the chef chooses the ingredients) is a better way to do it.
Meanwhile over at Soup Up... only 5 soups on the menu this week, and only 2 with meat. I don't think a $13 bowl of pumpkin soup will fill me up.
gusto is so bad, seriously. I went in there around 8:30 they seemed like they were waiting to close. the girl at the register didn't understand when I asked what the rolled up things were so some guy who was on his cell phone said they are ...... he said it so fast and as if I should know then back to his call.
ReplyDeletethere were two of us, one ordered penne, and they scooped the bottom of the pan to get maybe a 3/4 order and the other pans have maybe a forkful of food in them.
it tasted very plain, the drink area is tiny and too small that only one person can stand there at a time.
it was $22 dollars for penne and penne with meatballs which might have been the softest mushiest meatballs ever.
I agree this place is gone in a year.
@9:19 I think you're referring to the "piadine" thing on their menu. I wasn't sure what it was either (a pizza?) but they said it was like a burrito. Now.. if customers have to ask what it is you're serving, wouldn't it be a good idea to include a description on the menu?
ReplyDeleteEmpty Nest. LOL
ReplyDeleteIt's absolutely horrible. How they don't reopen.
ReplyDelete