Last month we reported that Z-Burger and Maman Joon will be taking over the space that was previously home to Taco Bar and Jerry’s Subs & Pizza at 18100 Georgia Avenue in Olney. Both restaurants are now open, beating out the Bethesda Z-Burger location as the first in Montgomery County for the DMV-based regional restaurant. The space offers food from both the Z Burger and Maman Joon concepts.
Z-Burger is a local, DMV-based chain that describes itself as “a Washington DC landmark! Home to the area’s most delicious handcrafted burgers with endless toppings, fresh cut fries and 75 varieties of hand spun milk shakes and concretes made with premium Wisconsin custard.” Z-Burger has multiple locations in DC, a few in Northern Virginia, and three in Maryland– with more to come. Its first location opened in Tenleytown in 2008. Earlier this year, its first Montgomery County location was announced. Prior to starting Z-Burger in 2008, founder Peter Tabibian was the general manager at a Jerry’s Subs & Pizza in Maryland.
Maman Joon offers a variety of kabobs, sandwiches, soups, salads, platters, desserts and other Persian specialties. Maman Joon currently has locations in Tenleytown, McLean, and Tyson’s Corner. The group recently opened its Tyson’s Maman Joon location and co-owner Peter Tabibian stated “We know there’s a lot of Persian community and a lot of people from Qatar, Saudi and Middle Eastern countries in that area. We thought there was a void for a Persian [or] Middle Eastern concept, and we thought it would be a great fit to put Maman Joon out there.” in an interview with FFXnow.
Per Maman Joon, “We take pride in creating authentic Persian food that reflects our heritage. Our ingredients are always fresh, most of our spices come from Iran, and our menu is lovingly prepared using our treasured family recipes. As for the restaurant’s name, the word Maman means “mom” and the word Joon means “soul, spirit of life.” Used in a modern day to mean “dear”, as a gesture of close kinship and hospitality. So all together Maman Joon, means DEAR MOM! Food is the language through which mom best knows.”