We received several messages from readers telling us that Chopt at 141 Commerce Square Pl in Gaithersburg was closed on Friday afternoon. A representative from the store informs us that the restaurant wasn’t able to open for lunch due to an emergency, but the restaurant will be open for dinner. Chopt opened its Gaithersburg location back in January. The chain has additional MoCo locations in Bethesda and Rockville, as well as one scheduled to open in Potomac later this year.
Corner Bakery at 1 Grand Corner Ave in Gaithersburg has reopened after temporarily closing for several days due to HVAC issues.
Today, we continue to fulfill the needs and desires of our neighbors with a menu of ingredient-inspired, prepared-to-order food. When you visit our cafe, you’ll see real kitchens in place of assembly lines. You’ll hear the chopping of over 40 types of fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables, and the sizzle of our real panini grill. You’ll see the stove’s open flame and feel the warmth from our ovens working all day long. They’re the traditions we established years ago that we still passionately follow today.”
Grandma’s Ice Cream and Waffles is coming to 389 E. Gude Dr. in Rockville, which is located next to the former Branded 72/O’Brien’s restaurant space. The new shop is being opened by the same owners as the “Grandma Kona’s” Kona Ice franchise in Gaithersburg/Germantown.
No opening date has been announced but the owners are hoping to open by the end of July. Photos below courtesy of Kona Ice of Central Gaithersburg/Germantown:
Update: Corner Bakery at 1 Grand Corner Ave in Gaithersburg has reopened
Corner Bakery at 1 Grand Corner Ave in Gaithersburg has temporarily closed. A representative from the Corner Bakery location at 10327 Westlake Dr. in Bethesda tells us that the reason for the closure is due to a broken air-conditioning unit, and the store is working to reopen as soon as possible.
Centrado Cafe Shop is now open at 15530 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville (formerly Chapala), in the front portion of the building that also houses Luchador Bar & Eats, it’s sister restaurant. The coffee shop will focus on Central American coffee, pastries and food.
Centrado is owned and operated by Centrado restaurant group, who also own Restaurant 198, in the former Siebel’s location in Burtonsville. Seibel’s, which had been serving the community for over 82 years, permanently closed on November 28th, 2021.
Brickside Food & Drink has announced that the location has closed. The bar and restaurant opened with a prohibition-era them in 2013, by the owners of Adams Morgan’s Grand Central, at 4866 Cordell Ave. After nearly a decade operating in business, the following message was left on the restaurant website:
“Thank you to all our patrons. We regret to inform you that we have decided to move on to new ventures and Brickside is officially closed for business. We hope to see you at one of our other sister restaurants.
Zinnia, which opened the tavern portion of its restaurant back in October, has announced that the grand opening of Zinnia Café will take place on Wednesday, July 6. The café will feature full breakfast and lunch menus and serve Counter Culture Coffee. Zinnia is located at 9201 Colesville Rd in Silver Spring, the former site of Mrs. K’s Tollhouse, which closed in March 2020 after initial COVID-19 restrictions were enacted.
In June, Washingtonian released its ‘Best of Summer: Where We’d Have a Drink Right Now’ list that includes “new rooftop lounges, summery cocktails, terrific happy hour deals, and more reasons to raise a glass” and named Zinnia ‘Best Tavern Garden.’
Back in March, the owner/operator of Olney’s Chick-Fil-A restaurant announced that he will be relocating to Georgia to open a new Chick-Fil-A in Savannah. In his letter to the community he wrote that a new owner would be in place by July and that the Chick-Fil-A corporate offices would be running the restaurant from April until then, asking for grace during the transition period. Earlier in the week, the restaurant introduced its new owner/operator, Arlington Duncan while thanking the interim manager who took over for the last 3 months.
The full message from Chick-Fil-A can be seen here: “Chick-fil-A Olney is excited to introduce our new owner/operator, Arlington Duncan. We are so appreciative of our interim manager, Nick, who helped guide our team during these past 3 months. We look forward to sharing more with the community about our new operator in the coming days! If you see Arlington (left) at the store, be sure to say hello and welcome him to Olney!”
Urbano Mexican Fare will be opening its first Montgomery County location when the restaurant opens inside of The Heights, an upcoming food hall scheduled to open in Chevy Chase later this year. Urbano, a restaurant by Common Plate Hospitality, has current locations in Virginia- Alexandria and Mosaic District in Fairfax. The new food hall will be opening in the space formerly occupied by Anthropologie and PF Chang’s on the 5400 block of Wisconsin Ave (Wisconsin Place).
Common Plate Hospitality opened the restaurant with chef Alam Méndez Florián- an Oaxacan chef from Mexico City. According to Eater DC, “the menu heavily features tacos, including vegetarian and fish varieties. Meat options feature a slow-cooked lamb barbacoa topped with morita chile salsa — similar to a chipotle — and avocado sauce. There are also several moles inspired by Méndez Florián’s mother, seafood ceviches, and even a walk-up window serving piping hot churros. Sparrow says there are plans to also sell tacos to-go”
Approximately one year ago, we let you know that Common Plate Hospitality would be opening its first food hall in Maryland with The Heights Food Hall at Wisconsin Place. The new food hall will be opening in the space formerly occupied by Anthropologie and PF Chang’s on the 5400 block of Wisconsin Ave and will include Turncoat- a speakeasy, with its own hidden entrance. According to a report by Washingtonian, Turncoat will have its own hidden entrance that won’t actually be accessible from the main food hall. “The designers are looking to incorporate Chevy Chase Prohibition-era history (apparently train cars in the neighborhood transported bootleg liquor).”
Per a 2021 press release, “The Heights’ contemporary design consolidates the bright open space with white walls, art murals, charming textiles, modern lighting, and greenscaping to create a vibrant culinary oasis. Some creative concepts to join the Heights include eight food stalls that will feature a variety of international cuisine, a full-service bar, a speakeasy and Urbano @ The Heights – a contemporary Tex-Mex concept from Common Plate Hospitality”.
In March we let you know that Scratch Kitchen & Bistro will be taking over the location that was formerly home to CB Acai and House of Fortune at 18062 Georgia Avenue in Olney. The new restaurant initially announced on Instagram that it planned to hold its grand opening on Sunday, May 15th, but a few permitting and construction delays pushed things back. Initially hoping to open in June, all permits have been approved and construction is ongoing. The restaurant now hopes to hold a soft opening on July 29th
Scratch Kitchen & Bistro is described as a family-owned bistro and cafe. It will serve breakfast and lunch classics made from locally sourced ingredients. Breakfast will be available all day, according to Scratch Kitchen’s Instagram account. CB Acai, the former tenant of the space, announced in November 2021 that it would be closing the Olney storefront and continue to operate its catering business and food truck. The acai bowl and smoothie spot first opened in July of 2020.