Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg has announced a “Restaurant Week” scheduled to begin on March 26 and run through April 2. According to Downtown Crown, diners can “enjoy prix fixe menus, specialty food and drink items, exclusive offers and more at participating eateries! Gather with friends, family, and coworkers to indulge in delicious bites on each of our festive theme days. As you treat yourselves, let’s treat our community by bringing packaged or canned goods to participating eateries. All donations will go to Gaithersburg HELP, Inc.” Theme Days can be seen below:


Cuppa Tea has opened a Rockville location at 1112 Taft Street. The shop offers Hong Kong-style milk tea and is a popular brand with over 800 locations worldwide. Cuppa Tea made its U.S. debut when it opened in late 2021 in New York’s Flushing and Queens and Prince George’s County’s College Park.

In addition to Hong Kong-style milk tea, Cuppa Tea offers Taiwanese food like bento boxes, egg waffles, curry balls, and more. To order at the Rockville location, you can download Cuppa Tea app where you are accumulate reward points (for free drinks and more) or visit the Cuppa Tea website, select the Rockville location, and place your order. You can also order on delivery plate forms such as Chowbus and Fantuan (UberEats and DoorDash will be available soon). Cuppa Tea is currently offering Buy 3 get 1 drink free on its app. Currently, the shop is only accepting online phone orders only (no walk-ins). Their phone number is 301-201-5777, and business hours are Mon – Sun 11am until 7pm (closed on Tuesday).


Last November we reported on the deconstruction of Silver Diner’s outdoor patio in Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront. At that time we were told the diner was planning on constructing a new outdoor patio that can remain open in any weather. You may have recently noticed that the outdoor patio is back with a nearly identical look to last year’s version. An employee told us that due to the patio being situated above water and the supports having to go beneath the water, the project proved to be too much so the original patio was brought back in time for diners to enjoy Spring and Summer dining outdoors.

Rockville-based Silver Diner, which opened its first restaurant in Montgomery County back in 1989, recently opened its first DC location at 1250 Half Street, SE (Ball Park/Navy Yard) on October 5th. Silver Diner co-founder/CEO Robert Giaimo and partner/executive chef Ype Von Hengst opened the first Silver Diner in Rockville in 1989. The duo visited over 500 diners across the country to prepare for the opening of Silver Diner, which was located in Mid-Pike Plaza, where Pike & Rose stands today. The Rockville location later moved to Federal Plaza, in the location that was previously home to Bennigan’s, where it remains today. The Rio location opened in August of 2019, taking over the space that was previously home to Cafe Deluxe and Hamburger Hamlet.


Bonchon, located at 107 Gibbs Street in Rockville, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in Rockville Town Square by hosting a wing-eating competition on Saturday,  March 25th. The Korean fried chicken chain will be choosing five contestants for spicy and five  contestants for soy garlic wings to “see who can eat 15 wings the fastest in under 1 minute (bones must be clean).”

This competitive food eating contest is for amateurs that are 18+ only. The first place winner in each group will receive a $100 gift certificate and t-shirt. The competition will take place March 25th at 4pm, and any contestants selected would need to arrive thirty mins prior. Aspiring competitors can register for the competition using this formFeatured photo courtesy of Bonchon.


Sides BBQ & Catering is looking for a new home after operating as a “ghost kitchen” out of Sam’s Pizza at 15855 Redland Rd in Derwood since last August.  Sam’s Pizza was recently sold and will operate as Charlie Pizza and Subs starting next week. The change will move forward without Sides BBQ & Catering as part of the equation, according to announcement Sides made on social media:

Hello SIDES Family.. unfortunately we have to share some bad news. Our location on Redland Rd was sold to a new business that has chosen to go in a different direction necessitating us to close operations effective immediately. Please know that we appreciate each and every one of you and your support means the world to us. But make no mistake, WE WILL BE BACK! Keep following us here for updates.. as we regroup, refocus, and soon RETURN. P.S. If you know of any business in the area looking to share space, please let us know. ❤ STILL #thesoulofmoco


The 100-year old building that is home to the Olney Ale House has been sold to Two Sibs LLC, led by Selim Kantar, for $1.45 million, according to the deed. Olney Ale House, located at 2000 Olney Sandy Spring Rd (Rt. 108 and Doctor Bird Rd.), operated in the space until a kitchen fire caused the restaurant to shut down in 2019. In September, we spoke with previous owner John Rich who told us he was interested in selling to someone that would continue to run it as the Olney Ale House restaurant. We spoke with Kantar today, who told us that he will be doing just that.

The restaurant will keep the Olney Ale House name and operate with an updated menu and new cocktails. Kantar tells us that work is just getting started and that there is a lot of it that has to be done before the restaurant is ready to open, so a 2024 opening is the most likely scenario. We will have updates for you as the restaurant continues with renovations and moves closer toward opening.  The news of the sale was first reported by @themocosource. Below we share with you the restaurant’s rich history, courtesy of the Olney Ale House website:


Charlie’s Pizza and Subs will be taking over the current Sam’s Pizza & Subs location at 15855 Redland Rd (off of Frederick Rd) in Derwood. The sale became official as of Wednesday March 14, 2023, but the restaurant will continue to operate as Sam’s until March 29, 2023 when the name officially changes to Charlie’s Pizza and Subs.

The change will come with a new name and new hours. Charlie’s will be open daily and will serve beer and wine for dine-in and carry out. The restaurant is currently working on delivery of beer and wine as well. The new menu, which will be available next week, will offer many of the selections currently on the Sam’s menu as well as fresh wraps (chicken, shrimp, Caeser), Maryland crab cakes, and more.


Quickway has opened its 7th Montgomery County location right next to Trader Joe’s in the Travilah Square Shopping Center (photos below). The restaurant signed on nearly a year ago, and only recently began and completed construction. Their signature hibachi chicken dish is available for $7.95 and additional meals range in price from $9.95 to $12.75. Bento boxes, beef, shrimp, tofu, salmon, sushi, poke bowls and more are also available.

The regional chain opened its 6th location in Olney last year and and its 5th MoCo location in Stone Mill Square (Korean Korner shopping center) before that. Quickway which can now be found in 10 different counties across the DMV since opening its first location in 2012, will be joining Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken– another new fast casual restaurant that recently opened in the shopping center.


Pizza Hut has opened its newest Montgomery County location at 842-B Rockville Pike in Rockville, located between Maki and Pho Nom Nom in the space that was previously home to Geico. Pho Nom Nom will be opening a second restaurant at 18509 N Frederick Ave at Gaithersburg S.C. (that’s the name of the shopping center), at the former site of Pho Viet Saigon.

The new Pizza Hut location is a smaller version than traditional Pizza Hut locations of the past– focusing solely on carry out and delivery orders. In September 2021, David Gibbs (CEO of Pizza Hut parent company Yum Brands), told investors, “We closed a lot of the dine-in stores that didn’t belong on the portfolio over the last 18 months in the United States,” according to a transcript on the financial services site Sentieo. “But for the most part, the stores we have in the portfolio now are good, long-term stores.” The new Germantown Pizza Hut location, which opened less than three months ago, follows the model.


Updated to reflect that the Montgomery Village location is the only Moe’s left in the county, rather than state.

Moe’s Southwest Grill made its triumphant return to MoCo when the fast-casual Mexican restaurant opened in the Wheaton Mall food court in late 2019. That restaurant has now closed permanently, a representative from the Montgomery Village location confirmed for us on Saturday morning.


Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet is taking over the space that was recently home to Miller’s Ale House and previously home to Hooters and Shakey’s at 1471 Rockville Pike in Rockville. Miller’s Ale House closed last September after a decade in Rockville. Photos of Umi are available below.

As of now things look the same inside the restaurant with Miller’s Ale House logos still visible in exterior and interior doors. Umi shares the name and description of a restaurant that has multiple locations in New York, New Jersey and Florida. It describes itself as “the largest and most elegant Chinese, Japanese, and American cuisine restaurant.” Its other restaurants offer a lunch and dinner buffet, along with Saturday/Sunday all-day dinner, and a to-go buffet option. Lunch buffet options go for up to $16.99 per person and the dinner buffet for up to $27.99 per person, according to that menu.


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