Bento Express opened earlier this summer in the Woodmoor Shopping Center at 10141 Colesville Road in Silver Spring. The fast-casual restaurant is located in the space that was formerly home to Sprint, between the UPS Store and Subway. Menu items include teryaki (chicken, beef, shrimp, & salmon), bento boxes, poke bowls, dumplings, and a variety of sushi rolls.

According to the restaurant, “Bento Express Restaurant offers authentic and delicious-tasting Japanese cuisine in Silver Spring, MD. Bento Express’ convenient location and affordable prices make our restaurant a natural choice for eat-in or take-out meals in the Silver Spring community. Our restaurant is known for its variety of tastes and high-quality fresh ingredients. Come and experience our friendly atmosphere and excellent service.”


Adam Greenberg, owner of Potomac Pizza, has announced the acquisition of Hunter’s Bar and Grill at 10123 River Rd in the Potomac Village Shopping Center. The restaurant opened as the Hunter’s Inn in 1978 and rebranded to Hunter’s Bar & Grill in 2014. Greenberg’s team plans to maintain a majority of Hunter’s menu offerings and will add their own twist by improving current recipes and experimenting with new items based on customer feedback. Full details below:

Adam Greenberg, the restaurateur behind Potomac Pizza, Bagels ‘n Grinds, and College Park Grill, today announced the acquisition of Hunter’s Bar and Grill, located at 10123 River Road in Potomac, MD. Hunter’s Bar and Grill first opened as Hunter’s Inn in 1978, the same year the original Potomac Pizza opened, changing its name to Hunter’s Bar and Grill in 2014 under longtime owners Fred and Murray Berman’s leadership.


Fabulous Lounge is scheduled to open in Downtown Silver Spring on August 18, according to a report by Source of the Spring. The restaurant/club will be located at 949 Bonifant St, the former site of Hub Lounge.  According to a grand opening announcement, “Our state-of-the-art sound system, stunning lighting effects, and opulent décor will transport you to a world where indulgence and style unite, where every moment becomes Fabulous.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvqc_wZPsXy/


Teas Me is now open at 5017 Wilson Ln in Bethesda. The shop is open Monday-Thursday 10am-8:30pm and Friday-Sunday 10am-9:30pm. The menu features a variety of milk, citrus, and coffee teas, and the store tells us they plan to add food items like eggrolls and muffins to the menu in the coming weeks.

While Teas Me is currently open for business, the shop will hold its official grand opening event this Sunday, August 6 from 10am-6pm. Per Teas Me: “Please come and join our little grand opening party on Sunday August 6th, 2023. Party is open for public. It’s a bubble tea and coffee shop, all ages are welcome. There will be food and music. However, we are now also open for business.” The news of Teas Me’s opening was first reported by Robert Dyer.


Cielo Rojo at 7056 Carroll Ave in Takoma Park has begun construction on its new, larger location just a few blocks away at 7211 Carroll Ave. Once the new restaurant is complete, the current Cielo Rojo location (7056 Carroll Ave) will be converted into San Pancho Burritos, a fast-casual restaurant serving San Fransisco-style burritos, according to report by Source of the Spring. 

Cielo Rojo opened in Takoma Park in 2019.  Owners David Perez and Carolina McCandless first met in 2012 at Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican restaurant in San Francisco. McCandless has ties to the area, as she’s from Takoma Park and her parents own nearby Amano.


The Original Pancake House at 12224 Rockville Pike in Rockville was one of the many businesses impacted by this past weekend’s severe storms. According to the restaurant, “It was a parapet wall that was blown over which consists of metal studs, plywood and styrofoam. There was no internal structural damage.”  MCFRS cleared the structure as safe and the Original Pancake House was able to open on Sunday morning.

About the Original Pancake House: “The Original Pancake House was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1953 by Les Highet and Erma Hueneke. Customers enjoy the benefit of their many years of experience in the culinary field, through the extensive menu of delicious authentic national and ethnic pancake recipes. The Original Pancake House is a second and third generation family business, which takes great pride in maintaining the high standards that make our food so outstanding. There are over 100 Original Pancake House restaurants from coast to coast, which have won local and national acclaim. Our recipes demand only the very finest of ingredients, such as 93 score butter, pure 36% whipping cream, fresh grade AA eggs, hard wheat unbleached flour, and our own recipe sourdough starter. Our batters and sauces are made fresh in each kitchen every day. Legendary chef James Beard was one of the Original Pancake House biggest fans! There are three Original Pancake House locations in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, each with free parking. We consider ourselves “The First Name in Pancakes” and hope you will too! Each location below offers free wi-fi and a senior menu. You can also get terrific sandwiches, burgers, salads and wraps from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays.”


Nick’s Diner at 11199 Veirs Mill Rd in Wheaton remains closed after a heavy storms knocked out power in the immediate area on Saturday afternoon.  The restaurant posted the following update Monday morning: “Attention valued customers, We regret to inform you that Nick’s Diner is still closed due to the ongoing power outage. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding. Updates on our reopening will be provided as soon as electricity is restored. Thank you for your patience and continued support. -Nick’s Diner”

Nick’s recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and serves diner classics like pancakes, French toast, omelets, hot & cold sandwiches, chili, souvlaki, and gyros. Featured photo courtesy of Nick’s Diner on Instagram.


Gentleman Jim’s Restaurant at 18257 Flower Hill Way in Gaithersburg will be holding its first annual Wing Eating Contest on Saturday, July 29 in honor of National Wing Day. The competition begins at noon and there is a $50 registration fee per contestant. According to the restaurant, “All participants receive a T-Shirt, 1lb of wings per qualified round, and a High Noon to wash it down! Tons of giveaways from suppliers and a Grand Prize of a Yuengling Neon!”

Gentleman Jim’s, one of the pioneers of Maryland Style Pizza, got started in Twinbrook off of Veirs Mill back in 1971, by the gentleman himself – Jim Hance. In its previous incarnation it was known as the Cavalier restaurant, when it was located in Washington D.C. They made the move to 18917 Earhart Ct. in Gaithersburg in 1990 and then relocated down the road to its current Flower Hill location in 2021.


Updated to reflect that Kevin Hsieh graduated from Gaithersburg in 2013.

Washingtonian Magazine writes that “Food influencers love to promote restaurants as “hidden gems” to the TikTok and Instagram masses.” so the magazine put together a list of “The DC Area’s Best “Hidden Gem” Restaurants, According to Food Influencers”. Montgomery County’s Bao Bei was the only MoCo restaurant to be listed.


Peri Peri Original & Kallisto Steakhouse is now open in the space that was previously home to Pollo Mex at 13436 New Hampshire Ave in the Colesville Center. Pollo Mex closed last summer after 12 years in the location. Items at Peri Peri Original include wings, coconut shrimp, flame-grilled chicken, pita sandwiches, wraps, smash burgers, and tacos.  Kallisto Steakhouse, a concept by the owners of Peri Peri Original, will be joining Peri Peri in the restaurant space, but items from its menu are currently unavailable.

Peri Peri Original is an international chain that has over ten locations in Virginia and Maryland, as well as an additional location coming to Rockville (location not yet available). “Peri Peri chicken is marinated for 24hrs in our unique Portuguese Peri Peri sauce flamed grilled for serving from the spice selection of your choice.” The first United States location was opened in 2018 in Alexandria, Virginia. Kallisto Steakhouse was launched in 2020 in Herndon, VA. “Impatient and unsatisfied from the unavailability of true steak parlors and appropriate cuts under Halal sector, company leaders took a daunting and brave step to take the reins in their hands and inaugurated the operations with the deep vision on providing excellence around the principles of 3Ps – people, process and product. Kallisto Steakhouse incepted with only one goal and that is to bring premium cut and best in class Halal Steaks to its loyal and respected steak connoisseurs, Kallisto Steak house company is proud of being a first mover in the steak industry while offering the unique products to its esteemed patrons. The founders bring deep enthusiasm towards ensuring the sophistication in ultimate product delivery to the end consumers with pride and excellence. Furthermore, finding passion and zeal in delivering mouthwatering steaks that are flavored and grilled to perfection to serve the perfect taste and fulfill the appetite.” 


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