Darnestown

Way back in July 2021 we let you know that Wayback Burgers, a fast-casual burger chain based out of Connecticut, is coming to Montgomery County with a new location in Gaithersburg. Permanent signage has now been erected, and though there is a tarp partially covering the sign, it’s evident that it says “Wayback Burgers”.

Construction on the restaurant began a while ago, but there have been plenty of delay before recent progress. The restaurant  will be located at 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.

On June 29, USA Today published a ‘Top 50 Pizzerias in the US’ list, “as ranked by Italian pizza experts.” The list was created by 50 Top Pizza, a pizza evaluation site in Paestum, Italy, not far from Naples. New York City reigns supreme with 9 pizzerias on the list, but Montgomery County contributed with the 25th ranked pizzeria in the country– Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, located in Darnestown/Gaithersburg.

Inferno was opened at 12207 Darnestown Rd. by Chef Tony Conte back in 2015. Conte, who is well known for his high-end cooking at DC’s Oval Room, got his start making pizza in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut. Conte’s father moved to the United States from a small town near Naples at 17, and raised his family in New Haven, Connecticut where Conte worked in a Sicilian pizzeria during high school, according to Washingtonian Magazine.

After a successful soft opening, Eternal Love and Pizza is rolling full steam ahead at its location at Windridge Vineyards in Darnestown (15700 Darnestown Rd). “I finally opened. After 2 years and 15 different dough recipes!” wrote owner Neil Dundee on Reddit.

While some of us have experienced a garlic dip for our crusts, Eternal Love and Pizza provided you with a garlic whip to help you finish your crusts. MoCo native Tod Fishman shared his love for the new pizza place via social media. “This place is good and they give you this garlic whip to dip your crust that’s insane!” Fishman wrote to us in his message.