Restaurants That Closed in MoCo in 2023

Below you’ll find a list of restaurants that unfortunately closed in 2023. Please let us know of any restaurants we may have missed. On the flip side, make sure to read our list of 120+ Restaurants That Have Opened in Montgomery County in 2023.

Astro Lab – Silver Spring
Astro Lab Brewing at 8216 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring closed in June. Third Hill Brewing Co. has since launched in the former Astro Lab space. Astro Lab Brewing opened in 2018 and brewed a variety of different beers, such as the Cherry Blossom Donut Sour and the Rock Creek Lager. 

Baby Bar – Gaithersburg
Baby Bar, a concept that provided a space where parents could go with their young children to enjoy a space where they can each grab a bite and just play, closed its doors on December 2. The unique concept opened at 375 Main St. in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood this past summer. Owner Carolynne Nowrouzi was raised in MoCo and looked to offer “food, fun, and socializing” where “you enjoy a coffee and a bite, while your little ones get yummy food and a baby-friendly place to play!” Her announcement via Facebook states that she has made the decision to not renew the lease so she can spend more time with her family and working on her other business.

BIBIBOP Asian Grill – Bethesda 
BIBIBOP Asian Grill permanently closed its location at 4820 Bethesda Ave at Bethesda Row on February 12. The restaurant was open for approximately six years. BIBIBOP has additional locations at Downtown Silver Spring (935 Ellsworth Drive) and Pike & Rose (11584 Old Georgetown Rd. Unit 1126) that will both remain open.

Boston Market – Aspen Hill & Gaithersburg
Boston Market closed its last two remaining Montgomery County locations in 2023. The Gaithersburg Square location closed in April and the Northgate Plaza (Aspen Hill) closed in October. The restaurant chain is dealing with various issues across the country, as detailed in this Finance Buzz article.

BurgerIM – Gaithersburg
BurgerIM, the Israeli based burger chain that opened a Downtown Crown location in September 2019, closed in April. The restaurant served a variety of burgers (beef, falafel, lamb, and salmon,) milkshakes, and wings.

Butter Me Up – Bethesda
Butter Me Up closed its location in Montgomery Mall in April. The breakfast restaurant opened in the former Aroma Espresso Bar location on the mall’s lower level in May 2022. Butter Me Up is the sister restaurant of popular DC gourmet sausage restaurant HalfSmoke (651 Florida Ave NW). HalfSmoke opened a location in the Montgomery Mall food terrace back in July 2022 which has also closed. Butter Me Up featured “instagrammable” decor, offered a menu that consisted of a variety of breakfast sandwiches, toasts, sides, bowls, smoothies, and juices. A Yelp article named Butter Me Up DC’s best breakfast sandwich, as the restaurant’s first location can be found within HalfSmoke in Florida Ave NW.

Chaia – Bethesda
Chaia, a vegetarian taco shop, closed its pop-up shop on Bethesda after almost two years in August. The restaurant was located at 7237 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, the former site of Häagen-Dazs. Though the pop-up shop in Bethesda has closed, Chaia owners have “plans to soon bring its insanely delicious tacos further into the DMV area and beyond.” On social media, Chaia wrote, “When we opened our pop up shop in Bethesda, we thought we’d have a great time – and boy did you prove us right! Thank you so much for welcoming us with open arms, big hearts, and hungry bellies. Come stop by during our pop up’s LAST FEW DAYS to get your fill of our fresh, seasonal veggie tacos. We’re open through Wednesday! After that, come visit us in one of our two shops in Georgetown and Chinatown.”

The Comus Inn – Dickerson
The Comus Inn, at 23900 Old Hundred Rd. in Dickerson closed on November 26th. The restaurant has been sold and the new owners are expected to take over in mid to late December.
The Comus Inn opened on October 28th, 2020. The previous version of the restaurant closed in January 2020 and was purchased by Doug Yurechko who transformed the Inn into a beer garden with a new menu created by Chef Sammy D. The Comus Inn dates back to 1862 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Daytime Eats – Gaithersburg
Daytime Eats at 7889 Cessna Ave in Gaithersburg closed in May. It has since been replaced by Tacos Al Pariente. Daytime Eats was a fast casual restaurant which served breakfast all day.

Denizens Brewing Co. – Silver Spring
Denizens closed its Silver Spring taproom on October 22nd. The announcement was made via a video shared on social media by Denizens co-founder and owner Julie Verrati. The brewery opened at 1115 East-West Highway in Silver Spring back in 2014. Denizens’ Riverdale Park, MD location will remain open.
“Our ten year lease has come to an end and that’s the end of an era for us, an end of a chapter. It’s been an incredible ten years in Silver Spring and we’re so grateful for the community here. We’re still making the same high quality beer, high quality service, high quality food that you can grab right here in Riverdale Park, Maryland.” Verratti said in the video.

Doki Toki – Gaithersburg
Doki Toki Dessert at 202 Ellington Blvd in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown, closed in July. Doki Toki offered soft serve ice cream, mochi donuts, bubble tea and more.

Dominic’s Italian Grille – Colesville 
Dominic’s Italian Grille at 12854 New Hampshire Ave in Colesville closed at the beginning of the year. “Dominic’s Italian Grille has ceased operations. Grazie Mille to our community of customers/friends for patronage over the years.”

The Eleanor – Silver Spring
The Eleanor, located at 932 Ellsworth Dr in Downtown Silver Spring, closed in June. The restaurant/arcade opened just weeks prior to the Covid shutdowns in 2020, was open for just over three years and will remain open at its DC location (100 Florida Ave NE).

Ensemble – Bethesda
Ensemble at 4856 Cordell Ave in Bethesda closed in July. Ensemble was a “digital food hall” from Catalogue Brands, the restaurant group behind Ted’s Bulletin, Federalist Pig, Honeymoon Chicken, Sidekick Bakery, and Kramers. Food from Ensemble was available for pickup or delivery and its menu featured the most popular items from several Catalogue restaurants that could be mixed and matched, all coming from one kitchen.

Flip’d by IHOP – Silver Spring
Flip’d by IHOP at 8537 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring closed on June 1.  The restaurant opened on September 20, 2022 in the space that was previously occupied by Asian Bistro Cafe, between Panera and Red Lobster. Flip’d is a quick-service version of IHOP that features some of the chain’s best selling items made to order for carryout and delivery. IHOP has full service locations in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, Rockville, Wheaton, Silver Spring, and Takoma Park.

Gama Chicken – Rockville 
In early 2023, Choong Man (CM) Chicken rebranded to Gama Chicken & BBQ at 765 Rockville Pike #E. The restaurant specialized in Korean style fried chicken and closed permanently in August.

Greek Aroma Mediterranean Grill – Bethesda
Greek Aroma  closed its Montgomery Mall location after six months. The restaurant was located in the food terrace and offered items that included, dolma, gyros, kababs, salads, souvlaki, and baklava. Greek Aroma has additional location/ at 177 D Thomas Johnson Dr. in Frederick, MD and at 4555 Woodberry St, in LeFantome Food Hall (Riverdale, MD). Pollo Campero is scheduled to open in this space sometime this winter.

GrillMarx – Clarksburg
Grillmarx at 12011 Snowden Farm Pkwy in Clarksburg closed over the summer.  GrillMarx Clarksburg, which hasn’t been affiliated with the other GrillMarx locations in Olney and Columbia for about a year, originally leased the space about a decade ago in 2013. Construction is currently ongoing for The Clarks Lodge Bar & Grill– the restaurant that is moving into the space.

Half Smoke – Bethesda
HalfSmoke closed it’s Montgomery Mall location in April. HalfSmoke was located in a kiosk in the mall’s food court/terrace (previously occupied by Coldstone Creamery and Gelato Galaxy) and was the first restaurant/bar to serve alcohol in the food court (nearby restaurants off of the food court served alcohol, ex: Slade’s). The menu consisted of the best selling sausages and sides from its DC location (651 Florida Ave, NW), as well as boozy milkshakes and a funnel cake bar.

Hinode – Rockville 
Hinode Japanese Restaurant (134 Congressional Ln in Rockville), a local family-owned restaurant that has been serving traditional Japanese cuisine in Montgomery County since 1992, closed in May.

Kung Fu Tea – Germantown & Rockville
Kung Fu Tea closed locations at the Fox Chapel Shopping Center (19717 Frederick Rd, Germantown) and Rockville Town Center (275 N Washington St) in 2023.

Live Crawfish & Seafood – Rockville 
Live Crawfish & Seafood at 765 Rockville Pike permanently closed in February. Menu items included crawfish, blue crabs, king crab legs, lobster, mussels, and shrimp. Live Crawfish & Seafood was located in the Ritchie Center, which is also home to Ding Tea, Kiin Imm Thai, and El Mariachi. According to its website, the restaurant has additional locations at 6168 Arlington Blvd in Falls Church, Virginia and in Smithfield, North Carolina.

Lock 72 Kitchen and Bar – Potomac 
Lock 72 closed after 7 years at 10128 River Rd in Potomac’s Potomac Village shopping center in October. The restaurant was purchased by the Robert Wiedmaier group in 2016 when the name changed from The Tavern at River Falls to Lock 72, Kitchen & Bar in 2916. The name Lock72 comes from one of the locks on the C&O Canal, which are numbered 1 through 75. The locks were used to help barges make their way along the canal, which runs from Georgetown in DC to Cumberland, Maryland.

Lotus Café – Silver Spring
Lotus Cafe, located at 8077 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, will closed permanently in July. The restaurant served the Silver Spring community for nearly 15 years and over 300 Yelp reviews and over 350 of Google reviews, earning 4 and 4.4 stars respectively. The restaurant offered Vietnamese cuisine and esd known for its outdoor patio in Silver Spring.

Moe’s Southwest Grill – Wheaton
Moe’s closed its Wheaton Mall food court location back in March. Moe’s has one remaining Montgomery County location open at 19222 Montgomery Village Ave.

Momo Chicken & Grill – Bethesda 
Momo Chicken & Grill opened at 4862 Cordell Ave nearly ten years ago as Momo Chicken and Jazz. The restaurant closed permanently is September, according to an announcement made on social media. Momo Bethesda wrote “Today marks the end of an era. This location (Bethesda) is closing its doors, but the memories and flavors will live on forever. Thank you for being a part of our journey.” The restaurant opened in the spring of 2014 offering Korean fried chicken, bento boxes, teriyaki, bulgogi, pork spare ribs, other Korean barbecue items, and more. Momo’s Navy Yard location will remain open.

Nalley Fresh – Gaithersburg
Nalley Fresh closed its location at 261 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg after just over 7 years in business. The space has since been taken over by TaKorean.  Nalley Fresh has nine additional locations across Maryland, but no others in Montgomery County.

Nava Thai – Wheaton
Nava Thai at at 11301 Fern St. closed around the beginning of the year. The restaurant, which was located in the old Sir Walter Raleigh building, had been open for approximately 16 years. The restaurant was a local favorite that had been featured in various publications throughout the years, including a 2008 Washingtonian article.

Old Town Pour House – Gaithersburg
Old Town Pour House, located at 212 Ellington Drive in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown development, closed permanently on Tuesday, October 24th. Old Town Pour House released the following statement after our report, “After 10 incredible years in Gaithersburg, our lease is up and we’ve decided to turn off the taps at Old Town Pour House at 212 Ellington Boulevard. This last decade was filled with so many delightful guests and meaningful engagement with an outstanding community, and we consider it a major success for the Bottleneck Management group. We whole-heartedly thank everyone we’ve met along the way for making us a part of their lives. Our last day of service will be Tuesday, October 24th. We’re so thankful to our team and guests for our 10 years in Gaithersburg. Though this location is closed, you can visit other Bottleneck restaurants across the US. www.bottleneckmgmt.com”

Paris in Town – Bethesda 
Paris in Town, a Florida based French bakery and Café at 4903 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda, closed over the summer. The café opened in April 2022 and was located in the spot that was formerly home to Smashburger and Fuse Taco. Items on Paris in Town’s menu included, “Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Homemade soups, Crepes and Pastries, Cafe au Lait, Espresso, Organic Teas. Imported Wine and Cheese, Escargots, Salads and Sandwiches, Smoked Salmon, European beers, Cappuccino, and a lot more.”

Courtesy Paris in Town

Pepino’s – Burtonsville
Pepino’s at 15721 Columbia Pike in the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center closed in April after 32 years due to the redevelopment of Burtonsville Crossing. Originally located in the current Cuba de Ayer location, Pepino’s has been around since 1991. Patti and Margaret bought the restaurant in 2006. They’re the former owners of Umberto’s, which was located in the Cabin John Shopping Center in Potomac. The restaurant didn’t miss a beat and remained a staple in the Burtonsville community.

Pho City – Gaithersburg 
Pho City, which has been located at The Shops of Potomac Valley shopping center at 12123 Darnestown Rd. in Gaithersburg for approximately 15 years, closed in July.

Pieology Pizzeria
Pieology Pizzeria at 15780 Shady Grove Rd in Gaithersburg closed in October. Pieology was located in the 270 Center, which is also home to anchors Home Depot and Best Buy. The restaurant offered individual, fast-casual style pizzas where customers would order toppings in an “assembly-line” similar to Chipotle. A previous Montgomery County location in Bethesda closed about four years ago.

Quincy’s South – Rockville
After nine years, Quincy’s South at 11401 Woodglen Dr in Rockville will be closed on March 31.  The current location is scheduled to be redeveloped into an apartment complex with a retail pad and the restaurant is actively looking for a new location. Back in March we reported that Drew Gardner, who was recently in the running for Maryland bartender of the year, would be the new General Manager and managing partner when the restaurant reopens and that Gardner would be at Quincy’s Potomac (1093 Seven Locks Rd) until a new location is found for Quincy’s South.

Shouk – Bethesda 
Vegetarian restaurant Shouk, closed its Bethesda location at 5436 Westbard Avenue in the Westwood Shopping Center in in January. Shouk is best known for its plant-based, Kosher street food. Per their website, their menu is “Inspired by the bold flavors of the world’s liveliest street markets, we craft our food from real ingredients you can pronounce. Fresh vegetables, beans, grains, and lots of spices.” Shouk has an additional MoCo location at 5568 Randolph Rd in the Montrose Shopping Center in Rockville.

Sushi Damo – Rockville
Popular sushi restaurant Sushi Damo, located at 36G Maryland Ave in Rockville Town Square, has announced that it will close permanently on October 1st. Sushi Damo was one of the first tenants of Rockville Town Square, signing on back in 2006 and opening in 2007. The restaurant posted the following message on social media, “To our loyal community and guests, we sadly announce to all of you that we’re closing Sushi Damo Rockville forever in 7 days, it was a pleasure serving to all of you during the last 16 years. THANK YOU.” Currently the restaurant is offering 20% off wine bottles during its last week in business. Back in 2019, Sushi Damo hosted The MoCoShow for an episode of The MoCoShow podcast. That’s available to view here.

Taco Bar – Olney
Taco Bar at 18100 Georgia Ave in Olney permanently closed in May. The restaurant opened in the former Jerry’s Subs & Pizza spot back in 2018 and served a variety of tacos, tortas, and soups. Taco Bar has additional locations at 3 Russell Ave in Gaithersburg and 1450 W. Patrick St in Frederick. Popular gas station restaurant Taco Bar El Guero (in Rio) is not related to these restaurants.  Z-Burger and Maman Joon opened in this location in October.

Tara Thai – Bethesda 
Tara Thai permanently closed at Montgomery Mall in March. The Thai chain closed its Gaithersburg location at 9811 Washington Blvd in Rio back in April 2022. Brio’s Chicken has announced it will be replacing the Montgomery Mall location. The Tara Thai location at 12071 Rockville in Montrose Crossing remains open.

Texas Paradilla – Gaithersburg 
Texas Parrillada at 9631 Lost Knife Rd in Gaithersburg closed on January 1.  Menu items included Tex-Mex staples like burritos, carne asada, enchiladas, and tacos. Texas Parrillada was located in the Montgomery Village Crossing shopping center, which is home to BLT Grill, Hook & Reel, and Roy Rogers. It has since been replaced by Los Amigos.

Toosso Pakistani Kitchen – Rockville
Toosso Pakistani Kitchen announced it had closed its Rockville restaurant in Loehmann’s Plaza after 8 years in September. The restaurant was previously located at 1596 Rockville Pike near the old Pizza CS and Fuddrucker’s restaurants, but had to move due to the development of Twinbrook Quarter. It opened in its recent location at 5290 Randolph Rd in November 2020. The restaurant left the following message on social media, inviting customers to its Sterling, Virginia location. “Restaurant closed. To our valued customers: Toosso Pakistani kitchen (Rockville) has closed its doors after 8 years. It has been a pleasure to serve the community. Thank you for your patronage and friendship that made us a success. We will miss you all. Please don’t forget to visit our Sterling location 20921 Davenport drive Sterling VA 20165.”

Tropics Ice Cream & Jerk – Silver Spring
Tropics Ice Cream & Jerk at 9324 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring permanently closed in October. The restaurant, which originally opened as Tropical Café, served York Castle Caribbean Ice, Jamaican patty’s, smoothies, and jerk chicken.

True Respite Brewing Company – Rockville 
True Respite Brewing Company’s last day in operation was September 2. True Respite owners Brendan and Bailey O’Leary opened up shop at 7301 Calhoun Place Suite 600 in Rockville in 2018 and the brewery made a name for itself in the local beer community by winning multiple Maryland Craft Beer Awards and hosting community events. True Respite posted the following message on their social media accounts before the closure:
“Today is a day we hoped would never come. After almost 5 1/2 years of community, pints, and adventure, True Respite’s journey is coming to a close. Our last day in operation will be Saturday, September 2nd. We couldn’t possibly capture all that has occurred, all it has meant to us, and all those involved in a single social media post. But one thing is clear: none of this would have happened if it weren’t for the love and passion of every single person involved. Our gratitude to our staff, our customers, our peers, our friends, and especially our families knows no bounds. The people around us so constantly and so willingly gave all they could to try to create something worthwhile, meaningful, and memorable. We take some solace in feeling that together, we’ve achieved just that. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for supporting us.”

Vegetable Garden – Aspen Hill/Silver Spring
Vegetable Garden, a “truly vegan restaurant” located at 3830 International Drive in Leisure World Plaza,  at has closed after nearly 30 years in business.
The restaurant, which offered health-conscious and vegan Chinese cuisine has been a staple in the community since its arrival- becoming one of former Senator and Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman’s favorite places to eat, according to the restaurant.

Courtesy of Google Maps

Vinorita Wine Slushies – Bethesda 
VinoRita Wine Slushies, the pop-up that arrived in the Montgomery Mall food court in early August, closed as summer came to an end. VinoRita popped up at the kiosk space that was previously home to HalfSmoke, Gelato Galaxy, and Coldstone Creamery. VinoRita offered wine slushies with alcohol-infused flavors including the best selling “Black San,” which is a Blackberry Sangria, Peach Frose, Strawberry Daquiri, and Blueberry Pomegranate. Non-alcoholic options included Blue Raspberry and Lemonade. The plan for the store, which has locations in North Carolina and Georgia, was to remain until the end of summer. A new location has recently opened, or will open soon, in Orlando.

Willie T’s Seafood Shack – Silver Spring
Willie T’s Seafood Shack at 9326 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring permanently closed in September and has since been replaced by Milk & Honey, a southern inspired brunch and soul food restaurant which has locations across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Both concepts are owned by Thompson Hospitality, the group behind Matchbox (Bethesda, Rockville, and Silver Spring locations in MoCo), Austin Grill and American Tap Room (both previously in MoCo), and Wiseguy Pizza (opening this month at Wheaton Mall.) Willie T’s began as a pop-up restaurant inside of Austin Grill in Springfield, VA and opened its Silver Spring location in March 2022. The location was originally going to be a “joint restaurant,” splitting the space with BRB (be right burger), another Thompson Hospitality concept that currently has a location at Dulles airport. Menu items at Milk & Honey include “Chef Sammy’s Award Winning” Shrimp & Grits, Deep Fried Salmon Hash, Chicken & Waffles, and Crab Benedict. We will post an update when additional information is available.

Yogi Castle – Rockville
Yogi Castle closed its Rockville location in Federal Plaza (12274 Rockville Pike Suite E) in June. It has since been replaced by Mimi’s Handmade ice cream, which opened its first location two years ago in Arlington. Mimi’s is named for one of owner Rollin Amore’s two daughters. Amore credits his extensive travels over the last 30 years for the unique flavors like roasted banana nut, olive OYL, butterfly pea, maple cashew, and more, offered at the ice cream shop. The shop offers a wide variety of other flavors, including more traditional options.