Restaurants Opening in MoCo in 2022

Below you’ll find a list of restaurants that plan to open in Montgomery County in 2022. Please let us know of any restaurants we may have missed.

&pizza- Gaithersburg & Olney
&pizza is coming to the Gaithersburg Square shopping center and will be located next to Quickway Japanese Hibachi & Chipotle. They’ll also be opening at the Fair Hill shopping center in Olney.

&pizza was founded by Michael Lastoria and Steve Salis (Ted’s Bulletin, Federalist Pig, and Ensemble) in 2012 with their first location on H Street in D.C. The growing chain now has over 36 locations across the east coast including MoCo locations in Bethesda, Gaithersburg (Crown), Germantown, Pike & Rose, Silver Spring and a second Gaithersburg location coming soon.

Bethesda Bagels -Rockville

In April we let you know that Bethesda Bagels would be coming to 14929-D Shady Grove Rd in Rockville, the former site of GameStop, in Fallsgrove (the GameStop location closed in January of this year).

The latest update we’ve heard is that the restaurant plans to open in early 2022.

The family-owned business started in 1982 and is known for their New York style bagels.

Bethesda Bagels currently has two MoCo locations, 4819 Bethesda Ave. and 10241 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, as well as locations in DC and Virginia.

BRB (be right burger) – Silver Spring
BRB (be right burger) and Willie T’s Seafood Shack are both moving in to 9326 Georgia Avenue (joint restaurant), between Islands Tropical Ice Cream and Goldberg’s New York Bagels, in the location that was formerly home to Andy’s Restaurant (h/t @SilverSpringEats).

Willie T’s, a seafood concept from Thompson Hospitality, has recently opened as a pop-up inside of Austin Grill in Springfield, VA and a ghost kitchen out of Homewood Suites in Reston.

The restaurant serves A variety of seafood dishes, including hand-breaded fried fish sandwiches and baskets, crab cakes, lobster tails, salads, grilled fish, po boys, and more.

BRB (be right burger), which currently has a location within Dulles airport, offers a variety of burgers as well as hand spun milkshakes.

More information can be found on the BRB website.

BurgerFi- Gaithersburg
BurgerFi, an American fast casual restaurant chain focused on hormone-free and antibiotic-free angus hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, custard, and more, is coming to Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg.

The restaurant will be opening at 5 Grand Corner Ave, across from Dick’s Sporting Goods and next to Lanzhou Hand Pull Noodles.

Since its founding in Florida back in 2011, BurgerFi has been among the nation’s fastest-growing better burger concepts with over 100 restaurants in the United States.

Currently, there are BurgerFi locations in Downtown Silver Spring and Pike & Rose.

Burton’s – Gaithersburg
We first announced that Burton’s Grill & Bar was planning t0 open in the Kentlands (across the paseo from MOD Pizza) back in 2019, but the pandemic has caused significant delays.

The latest update we have is that Burton’s applied for its alcoholic beverage license with Montgomery County back September 2nd and are still planning to open in 2022.

This would be the first Burton’s restaurant in Montgomery County. They have nearby locations in Alexandria, Sterling, and Riverdale Park.

Burtons Grill and Bar opened its doors back in 2005 and offers “chef-driven, innovative local preparations, and traditional fare.” It was voted Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant in 2019 by AllergyEats.

Chadol Korean BBQ- Rockville
Rockville is getting a new Korean BBQ restaurant, this time at Research Row (1403 Research Blvd) Suite A-8).

Construction began back in May, and progress has been made, but it’s not ready to go yet. We’ll have an opening date for you as soon as it’s available. It is located next to Robek’s, across from One Life Fitness and the recently opened Grill Kabob. 

Many One Life Fitness members have expressed delight at the upcoming opening. “Great tasting protein right after a workout? It’s a perfect fit.” exclaimed instagram user @FunnyYanni90 in our original post announcing the upcoming restaurant.

Chopt-Gaithersburg
Signage is now up at the upcoming Chopt location in the Kentlands in Gaithersburg. The new restaurant is located next to MOD pizza on Commerce Square.

Previously, the Kentlands Chopt aimed to open in October. We spoke to representatives from the Rockville Chopt in December and were told us the new Kentlands location is now scheduled to open in January.

Commas (food hall)- Silver Spring
Commas, a new 13,000 square foot food hall coming to the 2nd level of Ellsworth Place (8661 Colesville Rd) in Downtown Silver Spring, is expected to open in Spring 2022 according to a press release from GBT Realty.

The new eatery will have 12 food and beverage merchants.

According to the company, Commas is a “Global Collection for Curious Eaters that will draw from local businesses to create a bustling community of bites from Ethiopia to Korea, Malaysia to El Salvador, Italy to New Jersey, Commas is your new favorite downtown Silver Spring destination”.

Creek Lodge Bar & Grill – Rockville
Signage is up for the Creek Lodge Bar & Grill at 5566 Norbeck Rd in Rockville, the former home of Urban BBQ.

Urban BBQ’s final day in business was on October 3 of this year.

We will post an update on the Creek Lodge Bar & Grill when additional information becomes available. According to public records, Creek Lodge Bar & Grill filed their tradename in Maryland on October 1.

Èkó House – Rockville
Èkó House, named after the local southwestern Nigerian dialect, Yoruba, will be located in the space formerly occupied by Bar Louie at 150 Gibbs St.

According to Federal Realty, “Èkó House (Èkó), a 6,500-square-foot full-service Nigerian restaurant located at 150 Gibbs Street, will open later this year. The restaurant will offer authentic and delicious fusions of well known and loved Nigerian food. It will have a magnificent ambience, with aesthetics that highlight the rich cultures, people and places of the
country. The restaurant will seat 250 people and will include a private room for special events and celebrations.”

El Mercat Bar De Tapas – Rockville
El Mercat Bar De Tapas will be taking over the spot that was most recently home to Gumbo Ya Ya at 101 Gibbs Street Unit C in Rockville Town Square.

It has been over a year since La Tasca announced its permanent closure in Rockville Town Square– leaving the square without a tapas restaurant.

Plaza Oaxaca, a Mexican restaurant, has already opened in the La Tasca location, but many have expressed their desire for tapas to return to the area. El Mercat hopes to fill the void, albeit in a smaller storefront than La Tasca was in.

In addition to Gumbo Ya Ya, Lab Cafe, Ev & Maddy’s, No. 82 Steak Out, and Tippy’s Taco House have all had their turn at the Unit C location on 101 Gibbs Street since 2012.

Feasty Crab – Derwood
Red Hot & Blue closed permanently back in July of 2019 after serving the Derwood area for 30 years. After almost two years of inactivity, signage was recently put up for the restaurant that will be taking over the location– Feasty Crab.

We don’t have much information on Feasty Crab at the moment, but construction has not started on the interior of the restaurant yet (16811 Crabbs Branch Way).

Firepan Korean BBQ – Silver Spring
Back in April we let you know that Firepan KBBQ started construction at the old Pete’s New Haven Style Pizza location at 962 Wayne Avenue Suite L-B in Downtown Silver Spring.

Source of the Spring reported Monday that the restaurant is now scheduled to open in “early 2022”.

Firepan had its Montgomery County ABS alcohol license hearing last week on November 4.

Per their website, Firepan KBBQ offers a varied KBBQ menu, including both unmarinated and marinated meats, seafood, vegetarian selections like kimchi pancakes, and more adventurous options like beef intestines.

Flipd’ by IHOP – Silver Spring
IHOP’s new concept, Flip’d by IHOP, will be taking over the old Asian Bistro Cafe location at 8537 Georgia Avenue between Panera and Red Lobster, according to the PetersonCos website.

Asian Bistro Cafe closed just over 5 years ago and the space has remained vacant ever since.

Back in December of 2019, IHOP® Restaurants announced plans to launch Flip’d by IHOP™, a new fast-casual concept in the U.S.– the new brand would aim to fill a gap in the restaurant space by focusing on freshly-made breakfast foods and beverages with speed and convenience in mind, directly addressing a growing consumer demand in densely populated city centers.

Popular lunch and dinner items, including the brand’s Ultimate Steakburgers and Buttermilk Crispy Chicken will also be available.

Frank Pepe’s – Bethesda
Back in December of 2019, we learned that Frank Pepe’s would be opening its first Maryland pizzeria right here in MoCo.

Frank Pepe’s will be located in the old Bobby’s Burger Palace location on the lower level across from Cheesecake Factory. No opening timeframe has been provided yet, but construction is currently ongoing and the restaurant had its liquor license hearing with the county back in September,

The Daily Meal has referred to Frank Pepe’s as “America’s finest pizzeria” and many publications have tabbed the pizza joints as a must-try in the New England area.

Per its website, Frank Pepe originated the New Haven-style thin crust pizza which he baked in bread ovens fired by coke. Coke is a byproduct of coal and it was used extensively until the late 1960’s when it became unavailable and hence coal was then put into use to fire the oven.

Grace Street Coffee – Bethesda
The coffee shop, which has two locations in D.C.,  first announced the Bethesda location back in August, but now “coming soon” signage has been put up at 5021 Wilson Lane confirming the exact location.

Grace Street Coffee offers a variety of coffees, matcha based products, lemonades, and more.

We’ll have more updates for you, including an opening date, as we get them.

Gregorio’s – Park Potomac
Gregorio’s Trattoria, an Italian restaurant, will open its third MoCo location, and fourth overall, in Park Potomac in 2022. It will be located in the former home of Sugo (12505 Park Potomac Ave), which closed its doors permanently earlier this summer.

Gregorio’s started out in Reston in 2008 and opened a second location in what’s now Cabin John Village in Potomac.

The restaurant opened its second MoCo location last November at the Shops at Sumner Place in Bethesda, in the spot that was home to China Pavilion for over two decades until it closed almost three years ago.

They hope to open the new location in the first half of 2022.

HalfSmoke- Rockville
HalfSmoke was the first restaurant of its kind to serve gourmet sausages via an assembly line format. Their sausages and toppings can be fully customized to create over 50,000 variations. Their menu also features craft beer, mac and cheese balls, tater tots, milkshakes, funnel cakes, wine, cocktails, and more.

The new Rockville location will take over the spot that was recently home to Pandora and previously home to American Tap Room and Austin Grill at 36A Maryland Ave.

The 50-employee Rockville location will be 6,000 square feet with 150 seats inside under normal capacity and seating for 30 outside.

We were told by representatives from HalfSmoke that there is still no firm opening date.

Hook & Reel- Wheaton
Hook & Reel at 11160 Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton, (Wheaton Mall), could be opening early 2022, according to a representative from Westfield Wheaton.

The restaurant is taking over two vacant storefronts between Party City and the old Bar Louie.

Hook & Reel recently had its beer, wine, and liquor license hearing on Thursday, October 7th.

Java Nation -Gaithersburg
Back in January we let you know that Java Nation would be moving in to 121 Market Street in the Kentlands neighborhood of Gaithersburg, which was formerly a Starbucks. Starbucks opened a new Kentlands location at 160 Kentlands Blvd earlier this year that features a drive-thru.

This summer we were told there have been material and equipment delays by manufacturers, pushing the opening timeframe from August to October but that was delayed.

Java Nation is best known for their house-roasted coffees, diverse food menu, and their wide variety of local craft beers, wines and artisan cocktails.

Curious about the “social house” signage that’s up in the window? Much like the Rockville location, the Kentlands location feature entertainment such as live music, comedy shows, dramatic readings and other community events.

Jongro BBQ- Wheaton
Jangro in Wheaton mall is expected to open in January, 2022.

The restaurant is known for its wide variety of cuts that are not  found in most other Korean restaurants. According to their website, their “beef and pork are produced with only natural feeds.” It will be taking over the location that was going to be home to Tilted Kilt a few years back, near DSW and the UPS store.

Kema Sushi- Potomac
Kenaki Sushi is coming to Cabin John Village. They will be moving into the former location of Zhora hair salon.

Kenaki opened their popular Kentlands location back in 2018. The restaurant is owned by longtime Raku chef, Ken Ballogdajan, and his sister, Aki Ballogdajan.

According to Store Reporter, who first reported the news, the new location will be called Kema by Kenaki is expected to open in the first part of 2022.

From their website: “Combining a traditional foundation with modern flavors and techniques.
KENAKI sources high quality ingredients while presenting innovative, approachable sushi.”

Kobe Japan- Montgomery Village
Kobe Japan is also coming to the newly redeveloped Montgomery Village Shopping Center.

According to the sitemap on the klnb Commercial Real Estate website, Kobe Japan will be located next to Moe’s Southwest Grill in the shopping center.

Both Moe’s Southwest Grill and Kobe Japan will be taking over the space formerly occupied by the MV Animal Hospital. Earlier this month the hospital moved to one of the recently built store fronts on the Centerway Rd extension.

Kobe Japan currently has one location at 13623 Georgia Ave. Suit A in Aspen Hill. Their menu features, sushi and sashimi, bento boxes and hibachi.

Kruba Thai – Potomac
Collins + Co. has announced that Kruba Thai will be coming to Park Potomac in the second quarter of 2022. It will be taking over the former Wine Harvest location at 12525 Park Potomac Ave B.

Kruba currently has a location at 301 Water St. near Nationals Park in Washington, DC. Their menu features sushi and traditional Thai dishes such as Panang and Drunken Noodles.

Kung Fu Tea- Olney
Kung Fu Tea has signed on to take over the location that’s as recently home to Yogi Berry, next to Starbucks in the same shopping center as Cava Mezze, CVS, and Cafe Rio at 3128 Olney Sandy Spring Road.

The bubble tea cafe was one of the first to distinguish itself by having a system where drinkers customize their orders by sweetness, amount of ice, toppings, and more, using Asian teas as a base rather than commercial powders.

The company opened its flagship DMV location in Rockville in 2015 and has since expanded by opening many shops across the county.

Kusshi ko- Silver Spring
Kusshi ko, a restaurant by the folks who have brought you Kusshi Sushi (Pike & Rose), Hanaro (Bethesda), and Poke Dojo (Bethesda Row), will be moving into the location formerly occupied by Gusto in Downtown Silver Spring (8512 Fenton Street).

For now, management tells us they know that sushi will be part of what the restaurant offers, but they’re looking into doing more than just sushi with the space. “We know it‘ll be more quick service style,” owner Wesley Yao tells us.

Gusto announced its permanent closure in January of this year and the ink is still drying on this contract with plenty of construction likely, so it’ll likely be a while before we see Kusshiko make its Downtown Silver Spring debut.

You can follow the progress on their Instagram account, @kusshiko

Kumbia- Rockville
Kumbia, a South American restaurant focusing on cuisine from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador, is coming to 100 B Gibbs Street in Rockville Town Square, the former location of Spice Xing. The restaurant is expected to open this winter.

Per Federal Realty:

Kumbia will occupy a 3,904-sqaure-foot space at 100 B Gibbs Street next to First Watch and Truist Bank. Named after the popular music style similar to salsa and reggae, the full-service restaurant will offer a variety of South American food from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador. It will also offer a robust tableside cocktail menu and a variety of nighttime entertainment.

“We are excited to bring a unique Latin offering, to include exciting cocktails, beloved dishes and live music inspired by the variety of cuisines that represent South American food culture,” said Steven Tobar, co-owner of Kumbia. “We look forward to joining the diverse collection of restaurants that make the neighborhood a great community dining destination.”

Kumbia joins the recently announced Èkó House (Èkó) and El Mercat Bar de Tapas, as the latest restaurants to join Rockville Town Square.
Èkó House is full-service Nigerian restaurant located at 150 Gibbs Street. El Mercat Bar de Tapas (El Mercat) is located at 101 Gibbs Street and will feature traditional Spanish tapas, paellas, gambas al ajillo, patatas bravas, Tortilla Española as well as sangria, wines, and beer.

Ladurée Paris- Bethesda
Ladurée Paris is coming to 4808 Bethesda Ave In Bethesda.

The Parisian café and pastry shop has U.S. locations in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, D.C.

Dating back to 1862, Ladurée is known worldwide for their macarons.  The Bethesda menu will also feature chocolates, pastries, teas and more.

The location is expected to open this winter.

Lapu Lapu- Gaithersburg
Lapu Lapu, which will be the sister restaurant of popular Rockville/North Bethesda/Kensington restaurant Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly, announced via Instagram that it will be opening in the Kentlands neighborhood of Gaithersburg.

The new restaurant will be taking over the 325 square foot storefront that was formerly home to Tex-Mex restaurant Peppers, located next to Vasili’s.

Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly started as a pop-up at owner Javier Fernandez’ sister’s bakery– Gwenie’s Pastries (12113 Nebel Street in Rockville) in 2016, before opening at 5268-H Nicholson Ln 240-669-4383. The restaurant is known for its lechon—crispy, bronzed pork belly.

We will have more information on the upcoming Lapu Lapu as it becomes available.

Little Sesame- Bethesda
Little Sesame is coming 7118 Bethesda Lane in Bethesda

The opening will be the hummus brand’s first outpost outside of DC. Little Sesame is excited to bring their freshly spun hummus, seasonal pita sandwiches to the neighborhood. The fan favorite shawarma-spiced rotisserie family meals will  join the menu as the perfect dinner choice along with a curated selection of quality beer, natural wine, and low ABV canned cocktails. Nick Wiseman says: “We’ve always wanted to open a shop in Bethesda” notes Wiseman “We got such a warm welcome to our Sugar Fox Pop Up and the Bethesda Central Farm Market and we’re thrilled to plant permanent roots in this community.” 

The 1,200 sq ft shop will be designed by Brian Miller of Edit Lab at Streetsense, with 20 seats indoors, an additional 20 seats outdoors, and a designated area for pre-order pick up. 

This past summer we let you know that New York based Mexican restaurant Mexicue, which has a nearby location at 1720 14th St NW in DC, would be coming to 4733 Elm St., the former site of Gusto Farm to Street. Their menu features tacos, bowls, shareable platters, margaritas and weekend brunch.

Miss Toya’s – Silver Spring
Miss Toya’s, a Cajun/Creole restaurant by local chef Jeffeary Miskiri, is coming to 923 Ellsworth Dr in Silver Spring, the former site of Eggspectation.

Eggspectation, a Montreal based restaurant with locations across the world, closed back in September 2020 after 15 years in that location.

Miskiri is the founder and owner of Miskiri Hospitality Group, which describes itself as a unique collective of Black, family and woman-owned products and restaurants in the DC area. The group’s restaurants include Creole on 14th and Po Boy Jim’s in DC, as well as Suga & Spice, listed as coming soon to Hyattsville.

Moe’s Southwest Grill – Montgomery Village
Construction on Moe’s Southwest Grill at 19222 Montgomery Village Ave in the Montgomery Village Center began back in October and is nearing completion.

The owners of the fast casual Mexican restaurant told us in October that they hoped to open by the end of the year.

Moe’s is taking over the former space occupied by the MV Animal Hospital. The hospital has moved right down the road to 19243 Watkins Mill Rd.

Currently the only Moe’s in Montgomery County is located in the Westfield Wheaton Food Court.

Paris in Town- Bethesda
Paris in Town, a French bakery and Cafe based in Florida, is opening a Bethesda location at 4903 Cordell Avenue in the spot that was formerly home to Smashburger, Fuse Taco, and more.

The cafe has recently erected signage and offers the following per its website: “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.”

Paris in Town has its only other location in N. Palm Beach, Florida. An opening date is not yet available but the bakery/café is “coming soon.”

Planta (vegan) – Bethesda
Back in January we told you that Planta, an upscale plant-based restaurant featuring a menu by Chef David Lee, will be coming to 4910 Elm St at Bethesda Row, in the location formerly occupied by Cafe Deluxe (Cafe Deluxe closed permanently back in March of last year).

Planta was founded in 2016 and currently has several locations in Florida, New York, and Toronto.

The Bethesda Row location will seat approximately 140 people inside, as well as an additional 50 people on an outdoor patio, per the restaurant’s January press release.

Menu items include various ceviche dishes, plant-based sushi, Baja Mushroom Tacos, Poke Bowls, dumplings, pizzas, a selection of burgers, wraps and pastas, and more.

Qdoba- Gaithersburg
The fast-casual burrito chain will be opening its newest location at 16260 Frederick Road in the location that was formerly home to Jerry’s Subs and Pizza.

Construction at the building is currently ongoing.

Qdoba has two other Montgomery County locations– one on Rollins Ave in Rockville and another on Tech Road in Silver Spring.

Quickway Japanese Hibachi – Olney
Quickway Japanese Hibachi has “coming soon” signage up in the location that was formerly home to Fashion Cleaners in the Shoppes of Olney shopping center, between CVS and Bubbles Hair Salon.

Fashion Cleaners closed this past spring after 8 years in the location.

Quickway describes itself as bringing the Teppanyaki cooking technique to a quick service restaurant setting with cooked to order hibachi dishes.

This will be the regional chain’s sixth MoCo location, with over 30 restaurants across the DMV. The latest MoCo location opened just under a year ago in Stone Mill Square (Korean Korner shopping center).

Roaming Rooster- Pike & Rose
Federal Realty announced in July that the popular Roaming Rooster was coming to North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose. The 1,843-square-foot restaurant will feature its famous buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches, sides, salads and an all week breakfast menu.

“As a supporter of the DMV’s local businesses, Federal is eager to bring this popular regional favorite to its first location in Maryland and Montgomery County,”said Emily Gagliardi, Director of Leasing at Federal.”Roaming Rooster will be a welcome addition to the dining destinations in thevibrant Pike & Rose neighborhood.”

A minority- and family-owned business founded in 2015, Roaming Rooster began as a food truck that traveled across the Washington, D.C. metro region. Its popularity grew and today there are three food trucks and multiple storefronts.This will be the first Roaming Rooster in Maryland and Montgomery County and its sixth fast-casual restaurant in the region. Locations in Washington, D.C. can be found in the Woodridge, U-Street and the recently opened Tenleytown neighborhoods. Two more locations opening soon are in the Western Market Food Hall and the Skyland Town Center.

The restaurant offers a variety of buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches varying in heat depending on the diner’s preferences – mild, medium or hot. In addition to itsfree-range, grain-fed, antibiotic-free and Halal chicken, Roaming Rooster offers an all week breakfast menu, salads and sides including wings, chicken tenders and hand-cut fries.

Royal Farms- Gaithersburg
A representative from Royal Farms informed us recently that the location at 690 Watkins Mills Road in Gaithersburg will be opening this February. We will let you know the exact date when it becomes available.

The gas station/convenience store that is known for their fried chicken will be located in the Spectrum Town Center, next to the I-270 Watkins Mill exit.

This will be the chain’s first Montgomery County location.

Starbucks – Montgomery Village Center
Construction is ongoing at the site of the upcoming Starbucks in the Montgomery Village Center.

The Starbucks will be located at the former site of the Montgomery Village Denny’s (19290 Montgomery Village Ave), directly across the new Lidl grocery store that is currently being built, and nearing complete across the street at the site of the former Montgomery Village Professional Center.

Starbucks– Glenmont
Starbucks is moving in to the Glenmont Shopping Center, taking over the location what was previously home to Capital One and a Chevy Chase banks (2315 Randolph Road).

Suki Hana will be taking over the space previously occupied by Sarku Japan in the Wheaton Mall food court. The restaurant is expected to be open this winter.

From their website: “Suki Hana/Wokaholic brings the best of the Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Their delicious teriyaki dishes are cooked fresh to order on their teppanyaki grill, right in front of their guests. They also serve light and crispy tempura and freshly-made sushi.”

Sweet Block Tropical Munchies- Silver Spring
Signage has been installed for a few months at 24B Vital Way in Silver Spring (Colesville) for carry ou /delivery only restaurant Sweet Block.

Sweet Block will offer tropical desserts along with traditional treats only found in the streets of various Latin countries. The owners told us that they are looking to open this fall and that the one stop dessert shop will feature Latin food, art, and culture from various countries such as Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Peru.

Some of the menu items will include Mangonadas, Esquites (corn in a cup), in-house ice cream, carved/prepared fruits, and juices/smoothies.

The Heights (food hall) – Chevy Chase
Common Plate Hospitality will be opening their first food hall in Maryland with The Heights Food Hall at Wisconsin Place.  The new food hall will be opening in the space formerly occupied by Anthropologie and PF Chang’s on the 5400 block of Wisconsin Ave.

According to a press release, “The Heights’ contemporary design consolidates the bright open space with white walls, art murals, charming textiles, modern lighting, and greenscaping to create a vibrant culinary oasis. Some creative concepts to join the Heights include eight food stalls that will feature a variety of international cuisine, a full-service bar, a speakeasy and Urbano @ The Heights – a contemporary Tex-Mex concept from Common Plate Hospitality”.

They have also announced that the Heights Food Hall at Wisconsin Place will offer both indoor and outdoor patio dining and will be open seven days a week from 11am-Midnight.  They are targeting a Spring 2022 opening.

The Pretzel Bakery – Potomac
The Pretzel Bakery, which opened it’s DC location at 257 15th Street SE in DC back in 2012, is coming to Cabin John Village in Potomac.  The restaurant will be taking over the space formerly occupied by the Hair Cuttery at 7961 Tuckerman Ln.

According to their website, the Pretzel Bakery serves small batch, hand-rolled, Philadelphia-style soft pretzels fresh-out-of-the-oven all day.  In addition to traditional pretzels, they also sell pretzel dogs, pretzel calzones, stuffed pretzel “bombs”, and pretzel sliders.

The Salt Line- Bethesda
The Salt Line will be moving in to 4900 Hampden Lane– the space that was formerly home to Kapnos (and would have been home to The Riggsby). We were also told a Ballston, VA location would be opening in 2-3 weeks.

The Salt Line DC location is a waterfront venture that opened near Navy Yard in June of 2017 with a 100-seat patio bar overlooking the Anacostia River. While the Bethesda location won’t be overlooking the water, Bethesda Row offers a highly walkable, bustling downtown experience in Montgomery County.

Per The Salt Line website:

“At The Salt Line, we’re taking inspiration from that magical blend and creating a lively and welcoming experience of classic New England dishes influenced by the bounty of the Chesapeake. Each day The Salt Line features a rotating selection of local Chesapeake and New England oysters.When available, you can find ‘Cthulhu Deeps’, The Salt Line proprietary oyster, on the menu. Hailing from Otter Cove farm on the Damariscatta River in Maine, Cthulhu Deeps are the perfect balance of crisp, briny, and salty with moderate flavor and texture.”

Tropical Smoothie Cafe- Germantown
Back in May we let you know that Tropical Smoothie Café would be coming to Germantown. Now we know that the cafe will open the day after Christmas, December 26, 2021, at 9am.

Tropical Smoothie Café has opened many new locations in MoCo in the last couple years and their latest location will be at 19828 Century Blvd in the Germantown Town Center, according to InvenTrust Properties. The location was formerly home to Verizon.

The cafe offers more than just smoothies as the menu contains flatbreads, wraps, quesadillas, sandwiches, bowls, breakfast, and a lot more.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened in Aspen Hill this last summer. They’ve also opened on Elm Street in Bethesda, in the Gaithersburg Square Shopping Center in Gaithersburg, the Travilah Square Shopping Center (10052 Darnestown Road), Burtonsville Town Center and in the White Oak area.

True Food Kitchen – Gaithersburg
It has been over two years since we let you know that True Food Kitchen would be taking the place of Joe’s Crab Shack in Rio.

Originally slated for a late 2020 opening, we spoke with a team member back in March who told us the restaurant would not open until 2022. Earlier today, Rio doubled down on the timeframe as they advertised a Spring 2022’arrival for the restaurant.

The True Food Kitchen website also lists Spring 2022 as the expected opening date.

This will be the second MoCo location, with the first being at 7100 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda.

True Food Kitchen is a health-focused restaurant chain with 23 locations in 10 U.S. states (most locations in California and Texas). The restaurant focuses on serving healthy, seasonal, sustainable, and organic food with plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.

Underground Pizza Company – Silver Spring
Underground Pizza Company is coming to 8235 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring (formerly Olazzo) later this year. Owner Evan Weinstein, a concert promoter and founder of Steez Promo, started Underground Pizza Company (UPC) last year after concert venues in the area closed their doors due to the pandemic.

Underground Pizza started selling their Detroit-style pizzas at local “pop-up” events that were marketed through social media. Costumers would pre-order pizzas and then meet at a designated location at specific times to pick up their order.

UPC opened their first brick & mortar location inside of Power Plant Live! in Downtown Baltimore last December.

In addition to pizza, UPC serves over-stuffed sandwiches, salads, hot honey bacon, and mozzarella sticks.

Wawa- Gaithersburg
Wawa would have come in first, but because it’s more of a convenience store than a restaurant, we’re going to just list it here.

Back in 2019 we reported that Wawa was coming to Gaithersburg and would be taking over the old Becraft Antiques location on 355, across from Gaithersburg High School (405 S Frederick Ave).

The latest we’ve heard is that Wawa is currently working through their final site plan with the City of Gaithersburg in order to present and get approval from the Planning Commission. Once approved, Wawa move forward with construction.

Public opposition to the site led to the development being stalled after a group of 14 community members filed an administrative appeal in the Montgomery County Circuit Court.

The opponents of the site had stated that the Wawa does not align with MoCo’s master plan and would generate traffic and noise annoyances for residents in the surrounding areas.

Back in April Judge Donald Beachley struck down the appeal, clearing the way for development to begin.

Wayback Burgers- Gaithersburg
Wayback Burgers, a fast-casual burger chain based out of Connecticut, is coming to The Shops of Potomac Valley shopping center at 12121 Darnestown Rd. in the location that was formerly home to an AT&T store and a tanning salon before that.

Wayback serves burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, milkshakes and salads along with a variety of regional selections.

The restaurant opened its first location in neighboring Delaware back in 1991. It was then known as “Jake’s Hamburgers” before the name changed to “Jake’s Wayback Burgers” in 2010, and dropping the “Jake’s” portion of the name in recent years. Wayback Burgers now has over 150 locations worldwide.

Construction at the restaurant site began back in July.

Willie T’s Seafood Shack – Silver Spring
See BRB Burger above.

Yirasai Sushi- Park Potomac
Yirasai Sushi, located at 5110 Ridgefield Road in the Westwood Shipping Center in Bethesda, announced they will be moving the old Elevation Burger spot in Park Potomac.

Per the Yirasai website, “Kim’s Yirasai Sushi and Café is owned and operated by Mr. Kim. He took over the restaurant from the previous owner in 2004 and has worked hard to make Yirasai a neighborhood gem.”

”Yirasai has been recognized as many people’s favorites by others such as The Washingtonian and NBC4. Mr.Kim has many regular customers whom he has built friendships with over the past years. Accommodating to the customer’s needs, Mr. Kim and his staff are quick to make adjustments and changes if needed.”