Poke Bros, which opened its first restaurant in 2016 and has since expanded to over 75 restaurants across the country, will be opening its first MoCo location in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. The restaurant will be taking over the space that was previously home to Next Day Blinds at 107 Market St W until 2020.

More bout Poke Bros: After the founders were introduced to the Hawaiian staple on a trip to California. The appeal of this fast and casual—while healthy—concept immediately inspired the founders to begin thinking how they could bring this unique dish to the midwest. From its inception, we were confident the foodies of Columbus would love the poké concept, but wanted to provide an inexpensive and accessible product in the larger market. After some intense research and trial and error, the Poké Bros founders developed their own brand of poké bowl flavor they are proud to share and call their own. Modeling similar assembly line casual dining concepts, we developed a unique way to build your “sushi in a bowl” and have fun doing so! As the poké movement has caught on, Poké Bros has rapidly expanded into multiple states across the Midwest and East Coast, offering the same fresh and authentic cuisine to a wider range of customers. We will continue to stick to our roots, as Poké Bros continues to grow, and offer only the best fresh ingredients that fill you up but don’t slow you down.


The joint public hearing on the Lakeforest Mall Rezoning & Sketch Plan was conducted on January 17, 2023. The Planning Commission will hold their record open until 5 p.m. Friday February 17, 2023 with anticipated recommendation March 1, 2023. The Mayor & City Council hold their record open until 5 p.m. Friday March 10, 2023 with anticipated Policy Discussion April 3, 2023.

Below is a video of our very own Alex Tsironis discussing the latest meeting on Fox 5, followed by some highlights from WRS, Inc’s presentation on January 17th:


Gordon Ramsay’s new two-story waterfront restaurant, Hell’s Kitchen DC, sits in The Wharf (652 Wharf Street SW, Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20024) with views overlooking the Potomac River. The space is over 14,000 SF and offers dining room, patio,  or terrace seating. The restaurant is currently holding “preview nights” from 1/25-1/27 (bookings no longer available), but is expected to open soon after. The menus offered at the restaurant can be seen here.

Hell’s Kitchen, Washington, D.C. serves iconic Chef Ramsay dishes like Beef Wellington, Pan-Seared Scallops, Lobster Risotto, and one of Chef Ramsay’s personal favorites, Sticky Toffee Pudding. “The design considers the waterfront location and ensures a relaxing yet luxurious experience. With beautifully-plated dishes, experiential cocktails being served in smoking lanterns, delectable desserts, and the famous red and blue kitchen, Chef Ramsay brings the energy of Hell’s Kitchen to Washington D.C.”


Fresh and seasonal ingredients are integral to their menus, and cooking from scratch allows the team to cater to guests with many different lifestyles and dietary preferences. All staff members, both front of house and back of house, are trained in strict allergy protocols that allow them to safely serve most guests with food allergies. The dedication to accommodating gluten-free and celiac diners is one of Burton’s well-known trademarks.

Burtons Grill – Gaithersburg is located at Kentlands Market Square, 109 Commerce Sq. Place. Telephone: 240-798-2021. Other DC-area locations include Riverdale Park, Alexandria, and Sterling.


Last June Philz Coffee closed its Bethesda location, located at 7247 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda. Philz Coffee opened its Bethesda location in December of 2018. At the time, DC Area locations in Adams Morgan, Navy Yard, and Ballston remaine open, but have since closed. On Tuesday, the company tweeted that it would be exiting the DC market:

As we look to the future, we have made the difficult decision to exit the DC Metro market. We loved serving this community, but business conditions and our desire to provide the best possible experience to our customers led to our decision. Thank you all for the years of support.


“Downtown Brew’s” at 5751 Fishers Lane in Rockville is scheduled to hold its soft opening today (Thursday, January 26th), located at the former site of Downtown Beer and Wine. The soft opening takes place at 6pm.

According to the store, “We have on and off premise service so people can come here and enjoy a glass of wine and beer or take them with them.” “Downtown Brew’s” will also offer beer and wine home delivery services and plans to eventually offer charcuteries, gourmet toast and coffee. According to the highlight tabs on its social media, additional information, including hours of operation, will be available via the @dtbrews Instagram account, soon.


Back in November we let you know that Black Diamond Restaurant & Lounge will be taking over the space that was formerly home to TTT and Buena Vida at 8407 Ramsey Ave in Silver Spring. The restaurant announced, via social media, a soft opening that begins today (Thursday, January 26). It is described as an “Afro fusion restaurant and lounge.”

The soft opening phase is focusing on late-night entertainment, with Black Diamond open from 9pm until 2am on Thursdays and Sundays, and 9pm until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays (closed Monday through Wednesday). Grand opening information is being offered via the restaurant’s email list that can be found on its website, Black Diamond Restaurant & Lounge.


Over a year ago we let you know that Black Lion Café, which has a location in Rockville, will be opening a new location in the Fenton Silver Spring apartments at 8240 Fenton St in Silver Spring. After previously planned openings that were pushed back, the cafe officially opened on Wednesday. It will be open from 7am until 8pm, seven days a week (see announcement in their Instagram post below).

The cafe opened its first location at the Traville Gateway shopping center in late 2016. Black Lion Café sources its coffee from three regions of Ethiopia known for producing some of the best tasting coffee beans in the world. Keffa, the region of Ethiopia that gave the name ‘coffee’ to the bean, Yergacheffe, and Harrar. The news of Black Lion Cafe’s was previously reported by Source of the Spring.


Nori Japan, one of the last remaining tenants at Lakeforest Mall, has announced its opening a new location across from the mall in the Montgomery Village Crossing shopping center.  Nori will be taking over the space that was previously occupied by Wok Express. According to signage at the restaurant, “This is the new address for the store (9615 Lost Knife Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20877) near the H Mart Shopping Center. Now we are prepping for the opening of our new store. When we finish the prepping we will posting on the Facebook. Please add my Facebook ID Wei Huang. Thank you.” According to the owner, the restaurant is just waiting on permits before it can make the move.

In other Lakeforest news, Bath & Bodyworks and Charley’s Cheesesteaks have both closed, and Macy’s is currently running a store closing clearance sale. The mall itself is expected to close at the end of March, according to a recent announcement by WRS Inc.– the mall’s new owner.


On January 17, WRS, Inc. officially announced that Lakeforest Mall would be closing at the end of March, after almost 45 years in Gaithersburg. While there are still a handful of businesses open inside of the mall, including a pro wrestling training school, the last remaining stores are beginning to close, including Bath & Body Works and Charley’s Cheesesteaks, which both closed this past week.

Bath & Body Works is expected to open its new Gaithersburg location at Downtown Crown sometime in the next month. The new store will be located at 130 Crown Park Ave, in the location that was formerly home to Hair Cuttery, in between ZAGG and Warby Parker. Employees from the Lakeforest location have been transferred to the Germantown store at 20934 Frederick Rd.


In December, we let you know that Dunkin’ is continuing its massive expansion across the country and in MoCo, with an upcoming location coming to the Traville Village Center in Rockville. We have since learned that it will be taking over 1,500 SF in the back half of the building that was previously home to Capital One Bank building at 9761 Traville Gateway Drive (rendering available below). The location will also have a drive-thru. 1,700 SF on the front side of the building is still available to lease.

Since Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins in late 2020 for $11.3 billion, the company has been opening in former bank locations that allow for easy installation of a drive-thru window. Dunkin has also aimed for non-traditional development that includes opening in airports and on college campuses, including the University of Maryland.


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