Planet Bethesda, a plant-based food festival, will take place on June 5 from 12-6pm at Elm Street Park in Bethesda.  According to the events website, there will be more than a dozen area restaurants and vendors, live DJ, Bier Garten, and a plant-based pie eating contest.  Participating restaurants include Dog Haus, Berries & Bowls, True Food Kitchen, and Tikka Masala. Entry to is the event is free and vendor food and beverage will be available for purchase.

Planet Bethesda will be held rain or shine. This food, music, and fun festival will take place in beautiful Elm Street Park (4600 Elm Street, Bethesda) on Sunday, June 5th, just a two minute walk from the Bethesda Metro Station, or park your car for FREE in lots 10 and 24. We’ll see you there!


Mr. Kai, a large stuffed bear, has been Sweeteria’s unofficial mascot since the dessert shop opened its doors back in the fall of 2020. The Thai dessert shop, owned and operated by the owners of Kao Thai Restaurant (two stores down), recently posted a sad story that included a video of their beloved mascot being taken off a chair by a man on a bike. The stuffed bear is posed in various locations around the restaurant and a few days ago, he was placed on a chair behind the restaurant that the employees often use to sit on.

After a brief search, Mr. Kai was returned and it turns out the whole situation was a misunderstanding. The outdoor chairs behind the dessert shop are located in close proximity to a dumpster, so the man who was riding by on his bike thought that the large stuffed animal was being thrown away. Once he was informed that Mr. Kai was being looked for, he quickly returned the bear to the restaurant.


Last July we let you know that New York based Mexicue, which has a nearby location at 1720 14th St NW in DC, would be coming to 4733 Elm St. in Bethesda, the former site of Gusto Farm to Street. The Mexican restaurant has announced via social media that it will one opening on Tuesday, June 7th. The menu features tacos, bowls, shareable platters, margaritas and weekend brunch.


Ladurée Paris, located at 4808 Bethesda Ave, is now open. Permanent signage was installed on the building earlier this spring and on May 16th we were told that the French café and pastry shop would be opening in approximately two weeks. Ladurée Paris has U.S. locations in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and currently has a pop-up/kiosk location inside of Montgomery Mall.

Ladurée Paris will be taking over the location that was formerly home to Sugarfina. Sugarfina, the “luxury candy boutique for grown-ups” closed its location in Bethesda Row permanently at the end of September 2019 after a three and a half year run. Dating back to 1862, Ladurée has been known worldwide for their macarons.  The Bethesda menu will also feature chocolates, pastries, teas and more.


Lapu Lapu at 216 Market St W. in Gaithersburg has announced that they will be holding a soft opening this Sunday, June 5, from 7am-3pm.  The new restaurant is be taking over the 325 square foot storefront that was formerly home to Tex-Mex restaurant Peppers, located next to Vasili’s in the Kentlands. It will specialize in breakfast sandwiches and will have a few tables available for outdoor seating.

Lapu Lapu is the sister restaurant of popular Rockville restaurant Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly. According to their social media accounts, “No better day to announce this than #nationaleggday 🥚🍳 The day has come! (Almost!) Come join us for our soft opening this Sunday from 7am-3pm! We can’t wait to see you.” Lapu Lapu has been holding “pop ups” at Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly on weekends over the past few months.


Back in March we let you know that NYC’s beloved French Bakery & Café, maman, would be expanding into the Washington, DC region with three new locations opening this year. Its first location will be in Bethesda Row at 7140 Bethesda Ln , replacing Le Pain Quotidien, and now we know that it will be opening on Monday, June 6th.

The Provençal-inspired café, created by co-founders Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, will bring its fan-favorite salads, sandwiches, and Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, made famous by Oprah, to the Bethesda Row neighborhood later this spring/summer. In true maman fashion, the decor will boast florals and feature vintage windows and antique furniture, inspired by the South of France.


Bento Express will be opening in the Woodmoor Shopping Center (10141 Colesville Road) in Silver Spring later this year. The new fast-casual restaurant will be taking over the location that was formerly home to Sprint, between the UPS Store and Subway.

While we don’t know much about the restaurant at this time, we have been told that it will be serving teriyaki chicken, sushi, and bento boxes, which could fare well in the area with the lunch and after-school crowd from nearby Montgomery Blair High School.


Jennifer Meltzer, co-owner of All Set, tells us, “We wanted to find a way to support the families who are going through so much pain in Uvalde. The Silver Spring community came out in strong support and this morning we donated 100% of last night’s sales, a total of $8580.45 to the verified GoFundMe page supporting the victims’ families. We recruited donation support from others in the community, including a local real estate agent and the Alan and Amy Meltzer Family Foundation who together added an additional $12,500.”

Feature photo courtesy of All Set on Facebook.


Feasty Crab opens today at 16811 Crabbs Branch Way (the former location of Red, Hot, & Blue) in Derwood. Red, Hot, & Blue closed permanently back in July of 2019 after serving the Derwood area for 30 years. After almost two years of inactivity, Feasty Crab signage was put up in April 2021. The menu features oysters, snow crabs, scallops, crawfish, mussels, and various Cajun sides and desserts. The restaurant is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-9pm and Friday & Saturday 11am-10pm and is currently hiring.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CePLRbLM6k6/


Back in January, we let you know that Pollo Campero would be taking over the location that was home to KFC until December 2020 at 426 N Frederick Rd in Gaithersburg. The exterior of the building appears to almost be finished (minus the signage) and the location is currently hiring.

A timeframe for the opening has not been provided, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it open by the end of the summer. No official word on the future of the Lakeforest location, but based on other businesses relocating from the mall to nearby areas, we’d expect the current location to close prior to the opening of the new location.


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