Kentlands Update: What’s Open, What’s Coming Soon

Now Open

Burton’s Grill & Bar opened earlier this summer nearly three years after it was first announced. The restaurant’s opening was delayed several years by the COVID-19 pandemic and later supply chain issues.  The 5,000 square foot restaurant serves lunch and dinner and has seating capacity for 196 patrons, including a 106 seat dining room, 44-seat bar, and an outdoor patio that seats 46.

Earlier this summer we let you know that JK Beer and Wine would be moving from its previous location at 800 Rockville Pike to 331 Kentlands Blvd, the former location of Liberty Income Tax, in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood in the space located on the other side of Giuseppi’s. The store officially opened earlier this month.

Upscale children’s boutique RUE + ROE has opened at 217 Market St W in Gaithersburg, the former site of My Big Finds (now located at 129 Commerce Square Pl. in the in the Kentlands). During its soft opening, hours will be 11am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday and Closed Sunday/Monday.

Lapu Lapu at 216 Market St W. in Gaithersburg opened earlier this summer. The new restaurant has taken over the 325 square foot storefront that was formerly home to Tex-Mex restaurant Peppers, located next to Vasili’s in the Kentlands. It specializes in breakfast sandwiches and will have a few tables available for outdoor seating. Lapu Lapu is the sister restaurant of popular Rockville restaurant Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly.

Charm City Run opened earlier this summer. The Baltimore-based Charm City Run opened its first Montgomery County location in the former Fleet Feet location at 225 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg (Fleet Feet has since reopened in a different Kentlands location).

Coming Soon

Shake Shack is making progress at its upcoming location next to Starbucks. There’s plenty left to go, as we don’t expect the burger spot to open until 2023.

The annual Oktoberfest celebration returns to transform the Kentlands in Gaithersburg, with multiple stages of live entertainment featuring traditional Bavarian music & dancing, along with local, regional & national talent. Fall-themed activities for families, a Business Expo, artisans, beer, mead & cider, and delicious food will delight attendees throughout the day. The event will take place on Sunday, October 9th from 12pm until 5pm. In past years this event has drawn crowds of up to 30,000. Admission, shuttles & parking are free to the public.

Back in March we let you know of a the third Crumbl Cookies location that will be coming to Montgomery County, as a new store signed on at 277 Kentlands Blvd, next to Panera, in the space that was formerly home to TD Ameritrade. Construction has moved quickly in recent weeks and the interior appears almost ready to go. The nearby Germantown location has just set its opening date.

We first reported that CVS would be taking over the old Tommy Joe’s/Boulevard Tavern/Brasserie Beck/O’Donnell’s location in the Kentlands back in 2019. There’s no timetable for when CVS will be ready to open, but it wouldn’t surprise us if it opened by this end of this fall.

Neal’s Bagels has signed on for a new Kentlands location, according to the Kimco website. It will be located between two upcoming restaurants, Brio’s Chicken and Burton’s, both of which are currently under construction without an expected opening date. We spoke with owner Neil Bressler, who bought Neal’s Bagels about 10 years back (the name just happened to be the same with a different spelling), and he told us that the bagel shop will remain in its existing location for about another year. Neal’s Bagels is currently located about a mile and a half away at the Potomac Valley shopping center in Gaithersburg. The shop has been there for about 30 years, previously operating under the name Bagels Deluxe. February 2023

There was finally a little bit of movement inside of Brio’s Chicken, which is located in the paseo across from My Big Finds. Brio’s Chicken had a location in Aspen Hill in the Aspen Manor shopping center, where Outback is located, but that location is under new ownership and is now known as Gio’s Chicken. We haven’t heard much else, but we know the restaurant is still coming.

Closed

Not Your Average Joe’s at 245 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg closed on July 27th. Signage at the restaurant prior to it closing asks customers to visit nearby locations in Bethesda (10400 Old Georgetown Rd) and Reston, VA, and thanks guests for their many years of patronage. ‪ The Massachusetts-based creative casual cuisine concept made its way to Montgomery County in the summer of 2012. The company then opened Bethesda in the summer of 2015 and in Silver Spring in July 2016. The Silver spring announced its permanent closure in July 2020. The replacement hasn’t yet been announced.