What’s New and What’s Coming Soon to Montgomery Mall: September 2023 Edition

Patrick Herron September 1, 2023 at 9:57am

Below is a list of businesses that are new or coming soon to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda:
Coming Soon: Butter Chicken House
Butter Chicken House is moving into the space that was recently home to Ya Mon! Island Grill. Butter Chicken House plans to open on Friday, September 15th, according to Robert Dyer. Per his report, “The internationally-popular dish [butter chicken] from the city of Amritsar will be available as a bowl with rice, as a wrap, or in a combo meal.”

Temporarily Relocated: American Eagle
American Eagle has set up a temporary shop while their regular location undertakes a redesign. You can find the temporary location on the second level near Macys Home.

Coming Soon: Lids
Lids is coming to Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd) in Bethesda. The store will be located next to LEGO on the mall’s lower level. Lids is a “mall based, retail headwear” store that sells NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL licensed hats and merchandise. Lids has additional Montgomery County locations at the Clarksburg Outlets, Ellsworth Place (Silver Spring), and Wheaton Mall. The location is currently hiring and no opening date has been announced.

Now Open: VinoRita
VinoRita Wine Slushies is now open in the Montgomery Mall food court, taking over the kiosk space that was previously home to HalfSmoke, Gelato Galax, and Coldstone Creamery. HalfSmoke closed in April. VinoRita is considered a “pop-up”, so get it while you can. The menu consists of a variety of flavors, including the best selling “Black San,” which is a Blackberry Sangria. Other flavors include Peach Frose, Strawberry Daquiri, Blueberry Pomegranate, and a variety of non-alcoholic slushees. Additional information below, per VinoRita:
“If you’ve never had a wine slushy before, you’re in for a treat! Even if you have had a wine slushy, you’re in for a treat! VinoRita was created to bring you a fun & unique, Love at First Sip, top notch customer experience! Our goal is to revolutionize the way you experience wine! We’re not biased, our slushies really are delicious & they really are made with wine – no hard liquors or spirits are added. At VinoRita, we offer a delicious slushy cocktail that does not require you to indulge in hard liquor to have fun! We’ve worked hard to perfect our recipes over the years and can’t wait to bring our wine slushies to a city near you. In some of our locations, you can have a wine slushy while you shop! 🍷🍹🛍How fun is that? Check out our locations page to see where you can find us & experience Love at First Sip with a VinoRita Wine Slushy!” Based on the way alcohol and liquor licenses have previously worked at the mall, we do not expect customers to be able to leave the VinoRita area with the drinks, but are awaiting word on that. Featured photo courtesy of VinoRitaWineSlushies.com

New: Napkin Nook (free diapers and formula)
“Westfield Montgomery is proud to partner with Bethesda-based non-profit organization, The Napkin Network for the “Napkin Nook” initiative in a testament to the mall’s ongoing commitment to the community. As 1 in 3 families struggle to afford diapers for their children, the Napkin Nook welcomes those in need to take home essential baby items such as diapers and formula, making their parenting journey a little easier. Stationed on the lower level in front of the PlaySpace, the activation aims to bridge the gap between families in need and those eager to help, recognizing the challenges of motherhood and the persistent need within the community.”

Now Open: Swarovski
Swarovski has reopened in a new location on the upper level of Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd) in Bethesda. Swarovski closed its previous location this past spring to make room for a new Rolex storefront at Liljenquist & Beckstead, which is taking over the former Swarovski space. Swarovski is an Austrian-based company that specializes in jewelry, watches, and crystal decorations.

Update: We previously reported that Arhaus would be relocating to a new location in the mall. The store is not moving and the additional signage in the mall is for branding purposes.

Coming Soon: Pollo Campero
Pollo Campero is coming to Westfield Montgomery’s dining terrace. It will be taking over the space recently occupied by Greek Aroma Grill. Menu items include fried and grilled chicken, empanadas, yuca, plantains, and flan. According to signage, the restaurant is expected to open this winter. Pollo Campero has additional Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, and Wheaton. The fried chicken chain, which originated in Guatemala, opened its first location in 1971 and has grown to over 400 locations worldwide, including over 70 in the United States.

Coming Soon: Rolex at Liljenquist & Beckstead
Westfield Montgomery announced the signing of an expanded lease with Liljenquist & Beckstead back in March. According to a press release, “The luxury boutique, housing exquisite collections of Swiss timepieces and stunning jewelry from around the world, will soon be home to a Rolex corner and storefront, along with an expanded selection of David Yurman offerings. The boutique will be built upon the existing location and expand into the former Lush and Swarovski spaces with Swarovski and Lush relocating nearby.” No opening date has been announced.