BurgerIM, the Israeli based burger chain that opened a Downtown Crown location in September 2019, has closed permanently. The space, which was previously home to SmashBurger, has been listed as available to lease by Kite Realty.
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Sunil Bastola is a skilled culinary professional with over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Recognized for his comprehensive knowledge of international cuisines, he opened Commonwealth Indian at Pike & Rose in 2019 with the desire to bring a contemporary Indian dining experience to the area.
Mastiha Bakery, a Kensington favorite (formerly known as Baklava Couture) since 2015, is gearing up for its soft opening this week in its new Rockville location at 2387 Lewis Ave. […]
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Permanent signage has been up for a few months at the upcoming Shake Shake location in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. A representative from the Potomac location previously let us know that the Kentlands location was scheduled to open at the end of April, but the burger chain has posted a notice on the door of its upcoming location stating that it will open on Wednesday, May 3 (photos below). Shake Shack has additional MoCo locations at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and Cabin John Village in Potomac.
Background: On July 8, 2021, Shake Shack was granted approval for the construction of a 4,700 square foot building with outdoor seating as the second of three commercial infill sites totaling 16,000 square feet along Kentlands Square Place. The burger chain was granted its license to sell beer and wine on the premises during its Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) hearing on January 6th of 2022, and prepared to break ground in February. Construction began in March, but stalled after flooding that occurred over the summer. The approval was for the first of three infill sites was granted for the construction of a 2,100 square foot Starbucks building with drive through and outdoor seating. Starbucks opened in January of 2021, a little over two years ago.
Copper Canyon Grill (100 Boardwalk Place at Rio Lakefront) is requesting approval for a 1,012 square foot covered dining pier to be located in the RIO Lake. The Schematic Development Plan will add commercial as an allowed use on the RIO lake parcel. The restaurant currently has two locations in Montgomery County with the other in Downtown Silver Spring (928 Ellsworth Drive).
Per the City of Gaithersburg: The Joint Public Hearing is scheduled for Monday, May 1, 2023 in the City Hall Council Chambers at 31 South Summit Avenue. The public hearing is hybrid, where public comment can be accepted both in person or virtually. Further information may be obtained from the Planning and Code Administration, 31 South Summit Avenue between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, visiting the City’s website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov/meetings, or calling 301-258-6330. The final agenda is posted to the City’s meeting agenda website Friday before the scheduled meeting and includes all background material. Any questions or comments on the application should be directed to the Planning Department at [email protected] or 301-258-6330. Featured photo shows existing bridge at Rio Lakefront.
In October, we let you know that a new Korean barbecue restaurant signed on to take over the space previously occupied by Saffron Indian Cuisine at Woodmont Station in Rockville (1319 Rockville Pike). In February we let you know that the restaurant is Damso Korean BBQ, and now we know that the soft opening will be held on Friday, April 14th from 5pm-9pm.
Construction is complete and signage has been up for a couple months at the upcoming Korean bbq restaurant. A hearing with Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) took place in March the restaurant is now ready to go. Saffron Indian Cuisine occupied the space from 2014 until it closed in May 2022.
HalfSmoke has closed it’s Westfield Montgomery Mall location. HalfSmoke was located in a kiosk in the mall’s food court/terrace (previously occupied by Coldstone Creamery and Gelato Galaxy) and was the first restaurant/bar to serve alcohol in the food court (nearby restaurants off of the food court served alcohol, ex: Slade’s). The menu consisted of the best selling sausages and sides from its DC location (651 Florida Ave, NW), as well as boozy milkshakes and a funnel cake bar. Earlier today we reported that HalfSmoke’s sister restaurant Butter Me Up had also closed its Montgomery Mall location.
HalfSmoke announced plans to open a Rockville Town Square location at 36A Maryland Ave back in August 2020 but there has been little movement at the site. We were told recently by an employee of HalfSmoke that the Rockville restaurant is still under construction and that there is no timeframe for opening. HalfSmoke DC was the first restaurant of its kind to serve gourmet sausages via an assembly line format and its sausages and toppings can be fully customized to create over 50,000 variations. HalfSmoke has an additional location at 2400 Boston St in Baltimore.
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Butter Me Up has closed its location in Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The breakfast restaurant opened in the former Aroma Espresso Bar location on the mall’s lower level in May of last year. Butter Me Up is the sister restaurant of popular DC gourmet sausage restaurant HalfSmoke (651 Florida Ave NW). HalfSmoke opened a location in the Montgomery Mall food terrace back in July 2022 which has also closed.
Butter Me Up featured “instagrammable” decor, offered a menu that consisted of a variety of breakfast sandwiches, toasts, sides, bowls, smoothies, and juices. A Yelp article named Butter Me Up DC’s best breakfast sandwich, as the restaurant’s first location can be found within HalfSmoke in Florida Ave NW.
Japong Bakery, which opened at 785 Rockville Pike in the Ritchie Center nearly five years ago in October 2018, has announced that it’ll temporarily close for approximately three weeks as the bakery transitions to its new location at 765 A Rockville Pike within the same shopping center.
“Dear Japong Customers, We will be moving to our new and improved location, to better serve you in the future! Please excuse our closing from 4/17/2023 to 5/09/2023, as we transition our operations to the new storefront. We thank you for your continuous support and understanding, and we look forward to seeing you again soon for our grand reopening! Let’s Japong! 765 A Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20785”
After 25 years, the original Britches Warthog returned to Warrenton, VA with a new store that opened in 2020. Now, Britches has returned to DC with a store at 12 District Square SW, Washington DC 20024 that opened at the beginning of April. Britches Great Outdoors opened its first store in Georgetown in 1967 and grew to have over 100 locations nationwide before ceasing operations in the early 2000s.
Per Britches: “Being deeply aware of the responsibility they bare in the rebirth of this iconic brand, this team of Britches fans from the 1980s has begun with a foundation built on quality, value, service, and honesty. The new Britches team is working directly with the original crew of designers, manufacturers, and dreamers to ensure every piece is authentic to the original mission. The future for Britches includes rugbys, durable cotton polos, backpacks, and many other items we all remember. They know what this means to you – it’s more than just a piece of clothing. Britches’ first store in 25 years opened in historic Warrenton, Virginia – this small store in a beautiful small town is a launchpad and proving ground for future stores. It is from here that Britches Great Outdoors is working to rebuild a great American clothing brand, which includes establishing an American manufacturing base as they grow. There truly was no other clothing company like Britches and we are thrilled to be on this journey with you as they rebuild.
Ji Bei Chuan Noodle House is now open at 19520 Waters Road Unit 5 in Germantown. The new restaurant has taken over the location that was formerly home to Provisions Cafe closed in January 2022 after just over three years in Germantown.
Ji Bei Chuan is a restaurant franchise based in China that was founded in 2018. In just five years it has become one of the fast growing noodle restaurants in China with over 400 locations across the country. There are now several locations in the United States (over 50 in the last two years) with the Germantown location being the first in Maryland. Ji Bei Chuan Noodle House is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11am-9pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am-9:30pm, and Sunday from 11:30am until 9pm (closed on Tuesdays). The menu can be seen here. Featured photo courtesy of Ji Bei Chuan, photo below courtesy of Google Maps.