Now you can add a “twist” to your shopping experience by sipping on your favorite alcoholic beverage while strolling throughout Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Rd., Tysons, VA). You can purchase your favorite drink at any of our participating restaurants listed below. If a restaurant is not listed, they are not approved to sell alcohol for common area consumption. FAQ and additional info below, courtesy of the mall:

Can I carry an alcoholic beverage around Tysons Corner Center? Yes! Those that are 21 years of age and older can now purchase an alcoholic beverage from participating restaurants and stroll throughout the common areas and most stores at Tysons Corner Center. Beverages must be in a logo disposable cup provided by the restaurant where you purchased the drink.


Pines of Rome Express is now open at 121B Congressional Lane– the former home of Congressional Deli. 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. 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. The express version will focus on carry-out and delivery. The menu can be seen below via Instagram.


Carmen’s Italian Ice is partnering with the owners of Kung Fu Tea at 130 Market St in Gaithersburg to open a new location. Carmen’s will be sharing the space with Kung Fu Tea, taking over the portion that is currently occupied by Tutti Frutti. According to Carmen’s, it will initially offer 3-4 flavors of custard, 6-8 flavors of Italian ice, milkshakes, and more. The plan is to open in about two weeks. Earlier this year Carmen’s partnered with the Clarksburg Market at 23329 Frederick Rd to open a similar concept in Clarksburg.

About Carmen’s: It started with a simple idea. Introduce homemade gourmet Italian Ice to the Washington DC area. Jason Mandler – a native of Parsippany, New Jersey – opened Carmen’s Italian Ice & Cafe in Rockville, MD in 2001. Tracing its roots back to Philly and South Jersey where this dessert has been a mainstay for years, Carmen’s offers homemade, gourmet Italian Ice in over 60 flavors. It also now offers frozen custard, shakes, and a toppings bar.


Robert Wiedmaier’s Mussel Bar & Grille closed its 7262 Woodmont Ave Bethesda location permanently in April 2022, but the Robert Wiedmaier restaurant group plans to bring the restaurant back to a new location in Bethesda in 2024, according to the group’s website. The restaurant initially opened in Bethesda in July of 2010. A second location opened in Atlantic City, N.J, and a third opened in Ballston. The Atlantic City location has also since closed and the Ballston location remains open. The location of the restaurant will be announced soon.

Per its website, “inspiration for Mussel Bar is an old-world Belgian roadhouse serving Bière, Moules & Frites, the kind of place where Chef in his youth would head late night to unwind with kitchen colleagues, eat simple food and listen to good music. He’s one of the first to ‘muscle’ the craze and honor his Belgian roots in the DC area with bringing the savory mollusks to the forefront of his own gastro-pubs with the original location in Bethesda, MD that opened in July, 2010.” Featured photo courtesy of Taste MoCo.


Raising Cane’s started its expansion into the D.C. metropolitan region when its first area restaurant opened last December in Sterling, VA (45545 Dulles Eastern Plaza). The first Maryland location opened in Towson in January 2023 and both stores featured lines out the door for months on several days of the week. A Waldorf Location opened in May, a Westminster location opened in July, and a Gambrills locations opened in September to make four for the state. Now, the fifth and closest location to Montgomery County will open at 9071 Snowden River Pkwy in Columbia on Tuesday, November 7th.

We previously reported that Raising Cane’s aims to open 14 stores in the next year, stretching from suburban Baltimore to the Richmond area, and now the chain has announced 15+ locations for Maryland alone. A Forestville restaurant, at 3270 Donnell Drive (Prince George’s County) is set to open on December 5th, which will be a closer location for many. None of the other Maryland locations have been announced yet, and we are awaiting word on if Montgomery County will be included in the openings.


Lock 72 has closed permanently after 7 years at 10128 River Rd in Potomac’s Potomac Village shopping center. The restaurant is listed as permanently closed on Google, no longer listed on the RW Restaurant Group website, the phone number is no longer operational, and all of the social media accounts have been deactivated. The restaurant also had a scheduled auction for its contents, which has since been postponed.

The restaurant was purchased by the Robert Wiedmaier group in 2016 when the name changed from The Tavern at River Falls to Lock 72, Kitchen & Bar in 2916. The name Lock72 comes from one of the locks on the C&O Canal, which are numbered 1 through 75. The locks were used to help barges make their way along the canal, which runs from Georgetown in DC to Cumberland, Maryland. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


Trip Advisor is a popular American online travel company that offers ratings of restaurants primarily from those who have traveled to the area, rather than locals. If you’re interested in seeing the opinions of those who have traveled to the area, you’re in luck, as today we’ll be sharing the top 10 restaurants according to Trip Advisor as of October 31, 2023.

10. Copper Canyon (928 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring): With a 4 out of 5 rating after 471 reviews, Copper Canyon’s Silver Spring location comes in at #10 overall in the county and #2 in Silver Spring. The restaurant has an additional MoCo location at Gaithersburg’s Rio.


Bouboulina, a new full-service American grill influenced by Mediterranean cuisine, will take 3,080 square feet on the street level of 915 Meeting. The restaurant, which is being opened by the founders of CAVA, will feature a wood fired grill, premium steak cuts, fresh seafood and house baked breads with Mediterranean influences that celebrate the founders’ heritage and roots. Construction will begin later this winter, in early 2024.

Additional information: Ted Xenohristos, Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ike Grigoropoulos are behind Bouboulina, the team’s third restaurant at Pike & Rose, that joins a collection of popular and award-winning dining choices available in the neighborhood. Melina, which opened in 2021, is name after Dimitri’s daughter and is located on the street level of 909 Rose near the group’s first restaurant, French Mediterranean concept, Julii, which opened in 2018. The partners are also the co-founders of CAVA, the Mediterranean fast-casual concept, which is publicly held.


Catalyst Hot Dogs has announced it will be opening a concession stand this season at The Xfinity Center (8500 Paint Branch Dr, College Park) at the University of Maryland.  New Jersey native Chris Van Jura opened Catalyst Hot Dogs in late 2020 as a food truck/trailer that served New Jersey style hot dogs. The trailer operates across Montgomery County and surrounding areas. In January, Catalyst Hot Dogs took over the kitchen at Denizen’s Brewing Riverdale Park location (4550 Van Buren St., River Dale Park) in Prince George’s County.

Per Catalyst Hot Dogs when the trailer first opened: “Owner/operator, Chris Van Jura, has been a member of the Hospitality Industry for nearly 20 years. Over this time he has, on a daily basis, done what every Hospitalian does, which is put the attention and focus on the guest. During this time, he has relocated to the DMV, found love and started a family. He has devoted hundreds of hours to the needs of others—and now, through the pandemic and two furloughs, he has made a choice: We’re getting into the Hot Dog business!”


Sushi N You will be opening at 7607 MacArthur Blvd in Cabin John on Thursday, November 2 in the space that was previously home to J. Brown Bakery almost a decade ago. The restaurant will be giving away California Rolls on Wednesday, November 1st from 12pm-2pm. The following note was left on the door:

“Thank you for waiting for Sushi N You for a long time. We will be having our grand opening on Thursday, November 2nd. We have passed numerous permits and inspections required for various openings from Montgomery County, Maryland.


Construction has recently began at Nori Japan (9615 Lost Knife Rd) in Gaithersburg. Back in January we let you know that the restaurant, which was one of the last remaining tenants at Lakeforest Mall, would be opening a new location across from the mall in the Montgomery Village Crossing shopping center, taking over the space that was previously occupied by Wok Express. We’re told the delay in construction was permit related. No opening date has been announced.

Montgomery Village Crossing is also home to B2J Fish Soup, BLT Grill, Copacabana Bakery, Hook & Reel, and Los Amigos Mexican.


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