Below is a list of ten restaurant/fast food chains our readers have mentioned over the years that they wished were in MoCo, and where you can find their closest location. […]
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Shopping
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Mykonos, a Rockville staple since the 90s, will be opening a new restaurant in Potomac’s Cabin John Village. The restaurant is listed as the tenant in the space that was occupied by Broadway Pizza until the end of 2021, and the new restaurant was confirmed by a representative at the restaurant. The opening of the new restaurant will not affect the Rockville location, which will continue to operate as it has.
Mykonos, which is more of a traditional Greek restaurant than its Rockville location, also has a sister, fast-casual restaurant, Gyroland. It’s located at 1701-B3 Rockville Pike and opened in 2017. Gyroland serves open or wrapped sandwiches with lamb, beef, pork or chicken as set menu items or customizable dishes, as well as platters, salads and sides, Greek appetizers like the tyrokafteri spicy feta dip, and more.
Back in February of 2019, Mezeh Mediterranean Grill closed its Wheaton Mall location and reported on its website that it will be relocating to the Aspen Hill shopping center. The would-be Aspen Hill location was later removed from the Mezeh website in 2020, but a representative from the shopping center told us the two sides still hoped to reach an agreement. Nearly three years later, it’s officially happening. Mezeh has recently started construction on the old Jerry’s Subs & Pizza space. An opening date is not yet available.
Mezeh Mediterranean Grill will also be opening a new location in the upcoming Kensington Crossing development at 10619 Connecticut Avenue (at Plyers Mill Road). The restaurant has signed on to take over a new 2,350SF space with plenty of outdoor seating. Mezeh is a fast-casual eatery with a buffet-style of offerings that include rice and salad bowls, wraps and a variety of sauces and toppings. Mezeh currently has MoCo locations in Gaithersburg and Germantown.
Cava is making its debut on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday morning, with its IPO priced at $22 per share, valuing the company at $2.5 billion. The company, which was started by three Montgomery County natives with its first full-service restaurant in Rockville in 2006 (Cava Mezze in Traville Gateway), has since become the largest restaurant operator in the Mediterranean category in the U.S. restaurant industry, has opened over 200 restaurants since opening its first fast-casual spot in Bethesda in 2011.
In 2006, first-generation Greek Americans Ted Xenohristos (Paint Branch High School), Ike Grigoropoulos (Gaithersburg High School), and Dimitri Moshovitis (Quince Orchard High School) launched the full-service Cava Mezze restaurant in the Traville Gateway shopping center (Rockville), with Moshovitis as executive chef. Following the launch of four additional restaurants, in 2008, Xenohristos, Grigoropoulos, and Moshovitis launched a line of dips and spreads to over 200 stores, including Whole Foods Market. In 2009, Brett Schulman joined them as CEO and co-founder of the fast-casual chain CAVA (originally called Cava Mezze Grill, later rebranded as Cava Grill and then simply as CAVA). The group opened the first CAVA restaurant in Bethesda in January 2011.
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At one point Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, ate pizza every day for two years while getting his “One Bite” pizza reviews started on Instagram and YouTube. Through the years, he has eaten pizza from various restaurants across the country– providing a 1-10 rating for each slice, with over 1,000 ratings overall. While many disagree with his opinion on pizza, the ratings are some of the most popular across the country (in terms of social media views). Most of his reviews come from pizza places in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey, but some restaurants operate stores locally here in MoCo. Check them out below:
Buca Di Beppo (New York, NY, #1024, 1.2). An incredibly low score for the Italian family-style chain restaurant. It’s sole MoCo location can be found in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood.
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Grillmarx in Clarksburg, located at 12011 Snowden Farm Pkwy, has closed permanently. We spoke with owner Alec Aronow, who confirmed the news and let us know that he wants to thank the community for their support the last decade. 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.
The restaurant previously planned to undergo a rebrand after a split with the other GrillMarx locations located in Olney and Columbia, but ultimately wasn’t able to make it happen. “I am devastated that we have to close. I gave it everything I had,” Aronow told us, “and unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to make the decision to close.” Aronow wanted to stress how important the Clarksburg community has been to him throughout the years, “I wish it would have worked, I gave it a million percent…I just want to say thank you to everyone.”
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Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg was included in a list of the “Top 10 Retail Experiences” in the country in 2022. With a beautiful lake/boardwalk and long-time favorites like the AMC theaters, Dick’s, Guapo’s, Target, and others still going strong, the retail area has recently welcomed new additions and plans to welcome more in the coming months. Below is a list of newer stores and restaurants as well as some that are coming soon.
Auntie Anne’s Cinnabon: Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon combination restaurant is now open at 220 Boardwalk Place in Rio, taking over the location that was recently home to Lilly Magilly’s– as the cupcakery is still preparing for a move to a new location. The two brands, popular for their presence in malls, are co-branding to open locations across the country. In recent years, Cinnabon left then returned to Montgomery Mall. There’s also an existing Cinnabon location in Wheaton Mall. Auntie Anne’s has locations at the outlets in Clarksburg, Ellsworth Place Mall, Montgomery Mall, and Wheaton Mall in MoCo.
Pepe’s Pizza of Bethesda, located in Bethesda, Maryland, carries a rich history that spans back to its founder, Frank Pepe. With origins tracing back to 1925 in New Haven, Connecticut, […]
The Do Portugal Circus, which was scheduled to take place in the Montgomery Mall parking lot June 9-25, has been postponed.
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Last year, we let you know that Pines of Rome, a Bethesda staple for over 50 years, tabbed WashUrban to spearhead their first ever search for a second location. Pines of Rome has found a home for its newest venture, Pines of Rome Express, according to the restaurant’s website. It will be located at 121B Congressional Lane– the former home of Congressional Deli, a representative from the restaurant confirmed. The new restaurant is located beside/behind Mykonos Grill and near Bed Bath& Beyond.
The original restaurant, which will remain open, is located at 4918 Cordell Ave. in Bethesda. Pines of Rome moved to the location in 2017 and was previously located at 4709 Hampden Lane, opening in 1972. The restaurant is known for its extremely popular white pizza, spaghetti & meatballs, and other traditional Italian dishes.
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In addition to the $.01 promotion, Brew Belly will also be offering a special menu featuring lobster poutine and lobster cheesesteaks. Per Brew Belly: “Take Dad where he really wants to go this Father’s Day – the only place he can get a 1¢ CRAFT DRAFT PINT for telling his favorite joke, the BEST CHEESESTEAKS around, and our NEWEST WING FLAVOR – ANGRY JERK! We can’t wait to celebrate with you!”
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