Just Chicken, which opened its only Maryland location as one of the founding concepts at Solaire Social (located on the ground floor of the Solaire 8200 apartments at 8200 Dixon Ave in Silver Spring), has closed after approximately four months according to a Source of the Spring report.
Earlier this year we let you know that First Watch signed on to open a new location in the upcoming White Oak Town Center development (12255 Prosperity Dr.). It will be taking over a corner space with a large outdoor patio, across from the future grocery store anchor that remains to be determined (but appears to be Amazon Fresh again). According to Google, the opening date will be October 14th.
The New York Times has released its list of “America’s 50 Best Restaurants.” According to the newspaper, “Over the last 12 months, reporters and editors traveled to nearly every state scouting restaurants for our annual list.” While two DC restaurants (Moon Rabbit and Pascual) and one VA restaurant (Joon in Vienna) made the list, just one Maryland restaurant was included.
Kolkata Chai started with a simple idea: “How do we extend the authenticity, respect and tradition behind a cup of masala chai to NYC?” The company started as a café in New York’s East Village in 2019, secured $1 million in funding in 2022 and recently added popular comedian/actor Hasan Minhaj as a business partner after receiving an investment that made him the second largest stakeholder in the company. Kolkata is now available in the DC Metro Area through fast-casual Indian restaurant RASA.
50 Top Pizza, a pizza evaluation site in Paestum, Italy, not far from Naples, has released its 2024 Top 50 Pizza list. 50 Top Pizza is “an independent online guide which evaluates pizzerias with anonymous inspections during which the bill is paid in full.” Maryland contributed with the 22nd and 50th ranked pizzerias in the country.
Subway is set to open at the Montgomery Mall Food Terrace, taking over the former space of J. Chow’s, which closed in December 2023.
The inaugural Butter Chicken Festival will take place in the DMV from October 13-20, featuring top local restaurants showcasing their unique versions of the popular dish. From “Butter Chicken tacos to burritos and spaghetti,” participating chefs will present creative twists on the classic recipe, with a portion of sales supporting World Central Kitchen (WCK), Chef José Andrés’ non-profit focused on providing meals during crises. (more…)
Big Greek Cafe is officially opening its ninth location at 8874 McGaw Rd in Columbia, MD. The restaurant will be open daily from 11am until 9pm. This is the local restaurant chain’s first Howard County location and fourth location outside of Montgomery County after opening a restaurant in Urbana in 2022, in Laurel in spring 2023, and in Cockeysville in the summer of 2023.
The team behind popular local spots like Melina, Julii, Cava Mezze, and the soon-to-open Bouboulina has confirmed to us that they will be taking over the former Renato’s restaurant space at 10120 River Rd in the Potomac Village Shopping Center. Renato’s will close at the end of this month.
The Washington Post “analyzed 7.5 million Yelp reviews and developed a formula” to identify the best regional style pizza in each state. As with just about every list imaginable, there will be plenty who disagree with the Post’s rankings, but they’ve listed the following six restaurants as having the best New York style pizza in Maryland:
‘Khana a Claypot Grille’ had announced that it will be closing permanently on September 27th after approximately ten years at 15616 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville.