A replacement for Pho Hung & Grill at 11225 New Hampshire Ave. has signed on at the White Oak Shipping Center. Pho Hung & Grill closed over a year ago at the shopping center after a run of approximately 15 years (it opened in 2007). Danny Rubin of WashUrban tells us that they have signed Valle De Sula, a Honduran restaurant specializing in Central American cuisine, to the shopping center.

Some of the dishes that will be available at Valle De Sula include, baleadas, carne asada, sopa de mariscos, desayunos, flautas, pupusas, enchiladas, tacos dorados, chuleta con tajadas, sopa modongo, yuca con chicharron, pastelitos, sopa de res, pescado con tajadas, and more. The restaurant is currently building out and hopes to open in the coming weeks.


Per the City of Rockville: The city’s contractor applied final pavement markings on North Washington Street and East Middle Lane in August as part of the city’s Town Center Road Diets Project. New traffic patterns are now in place on North Washington Street and East Middle Lane after the city’s contractor converted the two existing motor vehicle travel lanes into one lane in each direction, creating new bike lanes. New on-street parking spaces were also added.

As a final step in the project, the contractor will install precast concrete curbs for the bike lanes, meter poles and signs. For more information, including the approved construction plans, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/visionzeroprojects.


Last summer we let you know that Andy’s Pizza, the 2021 winner of the International Pizza Challenge™, was coming to Montgomery County with an upcoming location at 4600 East West Highway– the former site of sandwich shop Booeymonger in Bethesda. The restaurant is now open according to several messages from readers and confirmation via the Andy’s website. The restaurant is open from 10:30am until 10pm Monday-Thursday, 10:30am-12am on Friday, 11am-12am on Saturday, and 11am-10pm on Sunday.

Andy’s Pizza aleo has locations in Adams Morgan, NoMa, Navy Yard, and Shaw in DC, with an additional NoVa location at Tysons. Another upcoming location is planned for Old Town Alexandria. Owner Andy Brown, who grew up in Bethesda, stated that he had been looking in the area since his restaurant began expanding. According to Business Journal, “The Bethesda location will also have more space than average — its other locations run roughly 1,800 square feet — to accommodate larger parties.”


The Maryland Lottery has announced that Montgomery County’s first sportsbook is now open at Sports & Social (11800 Grand Park Ave) in Pike & Rose. Sports & Social opened in August 2021 and describes itself as a “premier dining, entertainment, sports viewing, and social concept located in high-profile entertainment and lifestyle districts, world-class casino resort destinations, and at the front door of professional sports stadiums around the country.” Additional details below.

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission (MLGCC) today issued a sports wagering facility license to Whitman Gaming, Inc., and its operator partner FanDuel, for a retail sportsbook operating at Sports & Social in North Bethesda.


The Washington Post recently released a searchable list of the best pizza by state, divided into eight different categories. They analyzed 7.5 million Yelp reviews and developed a formula to identify the “best.” Ema Rossi, a family-owned and operated Italian restaurant that serves wood-fired Neapolitan style pizza, pastas, salads, and small plates, was ranked as the best “Neapolitan-ish” style pizza in the state of Maryland.

According to WaPo, “While “Neapolitan” is strictly defined, Neapolitan-ish includes puffy-crusted wood-fired pizzas with all sorts of fancy toppings.” Ema Rossi has been doing it since they opened in the old Pizza Hut location in the Rock Creek Village Center (5556 Norbeck Rd) back in July 2020– a very difficult time for a restaurant to get started with many Covid restrictions in place.


Quincy’s Uptown opened a few years back at 9813 Main St. in Damascus. Now, the restaurant has added a new dimension with their new arcade games for families and individuals to enjoy with dinner or drinks. The Quincy’s Gaithersburg location, along with Quincy’s Uptown in Damascus, will soon be offering a barbecue menu as well.

“People are looking for a reason to come out and enjoy some food and entertainment. What better way than old school pinball, boardwalk skee ball, and of course Pac-Man?” owner Marty Magill tells us. “We have also joined forces with the powerhouse of Bangin BBQ. Chris Patterson and I have formed a joint venture to take things to another level.”


Buena Onda Baja Taqueria is coming to 12107 Rockville Pike, the former home of Avail Vape/Kure CBD & Vape, in the Pike Center shopping center (home to TGI Friday’s), according to Kimco. The restaurant is a José Garces creation. Garces is an Ecuadorian-American chef, born in Chicago to Ecuadorian parents. He won in the second season of The Next Iron Chef and also defeated Bobby Flay in Iron Chef America.

According to the restaurant website, Buena Onda, celebrity chef Jose Garces’ Baja-inspired taqueria is more than a fast casual taqueria, it’s a mindset. In Spanish, Buena Onda means ”Good Vibes”. In a world full of fast casual options, Buena Onda offers a unique, casual Baja taqueria  experience for guests with an appealing menu, friendly service, and laid-back beach bum decor.


This article has been updated to include updated plans for the Downtown Silver Spring location.

Chick Fil A on Tech Rd. in the Calverton/Fairland/White Oak area (technically Silver Spring) has temporarily closed for renovations. The store closed on Thursday at 2pm and will reopen in 8-10 weeks (approximately two months).


It has been over two years since Pizza Hut signed on to take a portion of the former GameStop in the Four Corners area in Silver Spring, but the store recently made plenty of progress and is now open according to a report by Source of the Spring.

The new Pizza Hut location is a smaller version than traditional Pizza Hut locations of the past– focusing solely on carry out and delivery orders, but still brings the charm of the 80s with the retro lamps hanging inside the carry-out/delivery spot (photo below). In September 2021, David Gibbs (CEO of Pizza Hut parent company Yum Brands), told investors, “We closed a lot of the dine-in stores that didn’t belong on the portfolio over the last 18 months in the United States,” according to a transcript on the financial services site Sentieo. “But for the most part, the stores we have in the portfolio now are good, long-term stores.” The new Germantown Pizza Hut location and the new Rockville location both follow the same model.


A couple weeks back we let you know that Luna Hall has signed on to move into one of the vacant spaces in the Pike Center (the shopping center that’s the longtime home of TGI Friday’s and the recently opened Golfdom), according to Kimco. The location is listed as taking is the former CiCi’s Pizza spot.

Luna Hall tells us that in addition to Rockville, Luna Hall also has new branches on the horizon in Tyson’s and Ellicott City, but that Rockville’s Luna Hall will be their “premier location.” The Rockville location will offer Hot Pot and Korean BBQ at Top Pot KBBQ, and food court with ten offerings, including Dumpling District, Kung Fu Tea, TKK Fried Chicken, Pollo Aria, Buena Onda by renowned Iron Chef Jose Garces, Mala Pot, Ramen, Kebob, a dessert spot, and a bakery. An opening date is not yet available.


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