Below is a list of restaurants that have opened in Montgomery County, MD so far in 2023!
Andy’s Pizza – Bethseda
Andy’s Pizza is now open at 4600 East West Highway– the former site of sandwich shop Booeymonger in Bethesda. The pizza dough undergoes a 72-hour cold ferment and is cooked in a New York deck oven. The process creates a crispier crust with a chewy interior, and a hint of a sour flavor. Andy’s Pizza will also offers salads, wings, fries, and more. Last year Andy’s got 1st place in the International Pizza Challenge™, which has evolved and grown in stature and prize money to become one of the most prestigious pizza-making competition in North America.  Andy’s Pizza also has locations in Adams Morgan, NoMa, Navy Yard, and Shaw in DC, with an additional NoVa location at Tysons. Another upcoming location is planned for Old Town Alexandria. Owner Andy Brown, who grew up in Bethesda, stated that he had been looking in the area since his restaurant began expanding. According to Business Journal, “The Bethesda location will also have more space than average — its other locations run roughly 1,800 square feet — to accommodate larger parties.”

Antojitos Salvadoreños Isabel – Montgomery Village 
Antojitos Salvadoreños Isabel at 19114 Montgomery Village Ave opened on Friday, August 25. The restaurant is located in the former Einstein Bagel Bros spot in the Montgomery Village Shopping Center. The restaurant will serve traditional Salvadorian dishes like pupusas, tamales, yuca con chicharron, and pastelitos. Einstein Bros closed its Montgomery Village store in December 2021. La Poteria, which sells Colombian street food and coffee, is located next door.

Asian Cuisine and Seafood – Gaithersburg
Asian Cuisine and Seafood is now open at 8035 Snouffer School Rd in Gaithersburg, the former site of China King.  Menu items includes “bangin wings with DC mumbo sauce,” traditional Chinese carry-out options like Beef with Broccoli and General Tso’s Chicken, and seafood combination platters with Snow Crab Legs, Crawfish, and Mussels.  Asian Cuisine and Seafood is located between 7-Eleven and El Salvadoran restaurant El Encanto in the Horizon Center shopping center.

Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon- Gaithersburg
Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon combination restaurantis now open at 220 Boardwalk Place in Rio, taking over the location that was recently home to Lilly Magilly’s– as the cupcakery is still preparing for a move to a new location. The two brands, popular for their presence in malls, are co-branding to open locations across the country. In recent years, Cinnabon left then returned to Montgomery Mall. There’s also an existing Cinnabon location in Wheaton Mall. Auntie Anne’s has locations at the outlets in Clarksburg, Ellsworth Place Mall, Montgomery Mall, and Wheaton Mall in MoCo.

B2J Fish Soup – Gaithersburg
B2J, which specializes in traditional Szechuan-style fish soup, is now open at 9629 Lost Knife Rd in the Montgomery Village Crossing shopping center in Gaithersburg. The menu include a variety of soups where you choose the broth flavor, protein, and add-ons, including tilapia, bass, and Waygu beef. B2J has additional locations in New Jersey, Texas, and Washington State.

Baked Potato House – Clarksburg 
Baked Potato House, featuring “delicious stuffed potatoes”, is now open in the Clarksburg Premium Outlets, taking over the space that was previously home to Day & Night Cereal Bar. The cereal bar cleared out of the space in May and is expected to open in a new location sometime this summer. Menu items at Baked Potato House include a “build your own” stuffed potato with toppings such as cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, gyro meat, broccoli, olives, sweet corn, and a variety of sauces, a selection of specialty baked potatoes, ice cream, and lemonade. The menu also features “wet burgers,” an Istanbul-style street burger that has been marinated in a special tomato sauce.

Barra Brava Cevicheria – Rockville (opens October 21)
Back in February we let you know that Barra Brava Cevicheria Peruana was “coming soon” to the location that was previously home to Old Hickory Grill at 15420 Old Columbia Pike B in Burtonsville. The restaurant recently announced that it will open its second location on Saturday, October 21st from 12pm until 12am. Barra Brava opened its first location at 15921 N Frederick Rd in Rockville in October of 2017. The menu consists of seafood entrees, a variety of ceviches, non-seafood entrees like lomo saltado, aji de gallina, and more.

Baskin Robbins – Potomac
Baskin Robbins opened at 1079 Seven Locks Rd in Potomac Woods Plaza in the space that was previously home to Ibhana Creations. Last February, Baskin Robbins closed its doors at Cabin John Village and announced its plans to open in the nearby Potomac Woods Plaza shopping center. Baskin Robbins was replaced in Cabin John Village by The Scoop, which was opened this past August by Timothy and Mitch Ryoo– Potomac natives and Winston Churchill High School Graduates (2010 and 2006). Baskin Robbins will also be opening a location later this year in the Montgomery Village Center. 

Bento Teryaki & Sushi Express – Silver Spring
Bento Express opened earlier this summer in the Woodmoor Shopping Center at 10141 Colesville Road in Silver Spring. The fast-casual restaurant is located in the space that was formerly home to Sprint, between the UPS Store and Subway. Menu items include teryaki (chicken, beef, shrimp, & salmon), bento boxes, poke bowls, dumplings, and a variety of sushi rolls. According to the restaurant, “Bento Express Restaurant offers authentic and delicious-tasting Japanese cuisine in Silver Spring, MD. Bento Express’ convenient location and affordable prices make our restaurant a natural choice for eat-in or take-out meals in the Silver Spring community. Our restaurant is known for its variety of tastes and high-quality fresh ingredients. Come and experience our friendly atmosphere and excellent service.”

Black Diamond Restaurant & Lounge – Silver Spring
Black Diamond Restaurant & Lounge opened in the space that was formerly home to TTT and Buena Vida at 8407 Ramsey Ave in Silver Spring on January 26.The restaurant is described as an “Afro fusion restaurant and lounge.”

Black Lion Café – Silver Spring
Black Lion Café opened at 8240 Fenton St in Silver Spring in January. The cafe opened its first location at the Traville Gateway shopping center in late 2016. Black Lion Café sources its coffee from three regions of Ethiopia known for producing some of the best tasting coffee beans in the world. Keffa, the region of Ethiopia that gave the name ‘coffee’ to the bean, Yergacheffe, and Harrar.

BooBoo Pho – Montgomery Village
BooBoo Pho is now open at 19230 Montgomery Village Ave. in the Montgomery Village Shopping Center.  Menu items include spring rolls, Pho (noodle soup), sandwiches, vermicelli bowls, salads, and stir fry.

Brew House Kentlands – Gaithersburg
Brew House Kentlands at 325 Main Street in Gaithersburg will opened on March 4. Per its logo, it touts itself as being the “best coffee shop in Kentlands.” Brew House Kentlands is taking over the previous home of Clear Skies Meadery, which has opened its new meadery at 15201 Display Ct in Rockville. In addition to coffee, the menu also features beer, wine, and cocktails, as well as breakfast and lunch options.

Butter Chicken House – Bethesda
Butter Chicken House is now open in Montgomery Mall. The restaurant is located in the space that was recently home to Ya Mon! Island Grill, next door to Chick-Fil-A. Ya Mon Island Grill closed over the summer. According to its website, “Butter chicken, also known as “Murgh Makhani,” is a mouthwatering and beloved dish in Indian cuisine. It’s a rich and flavorful dish that combines tender pieces of chicken with a creamy and aromatic tomato-based sauce. The flavors are a perfect balance of savory, creamy, tangy, and mildly spicy, making it an absolute delight for the taste buds.” Menu items at Butter Chicken House include butter chicken, tofu, shrimp, and lamb, either over rice or as a wrap.

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Capo Italian Deli – Potomac 
Capo Italian Deli is now open in Cabin John Village, taking over the location that was previously home to Goldberg’s New York Bagels, which closed last year, at 7731 Tuckerman Lane. The menu includes Italian classics like Chicken Parmigiano, Hot Italian Beef, Prosciutto & Provolone, and more. The Italian delicatessen was previously available for carryout and delivery in Montgomery County out of sister restaurant Brickside Food & Drink (4866 Cordell Ave) in Bethesda. The deli’s first location opened at 715 Florida Ave in NW, DC.  Using a a prohibition style speakeasy gimmick, the deli used their old school Italian deli as a “front” to it’s back bar. Capo gained attention in the area in the summer of 2020 for their popular “Fauci Pouchy” carryout cocktails. The deli has since opened a Western Market location and has a Tyson’s Corner location coming soon.

Charlie’s Pizza and Subs – Derwood
Charlie’s Pizza and Subs has taken over the restaurant that was previously known as Sam’s Pizza & Subs at 15855 Redland Rd (off of Frederick Rd) in Derwood. While the sale became official as of Wednesday March 14, 2023, the restaurant operated as Sam’s until March 29, 2023 when the name changed to Charlie’s. After 2.5 months. The restaurant received approval for the final change– the official signage. The updates 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 offers many of the selections currently on the Sam’s menu as well as fresh wraps (chicken, shrimp, Caeser), Maryland crab cakes, and more.

Charley Prime Foods – Gaithersburg
Charley Prime Foods, the new restaurant from Jackie Greenbaum & Gordon Banks (Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) is now open on the Rio Lakefront boardwalk at 9811 Washington Blvd in Gaithersburg. Charley Prime features an extensive steak menu that includes filet mignon, New York strip, and a 36oz Tomahawk ribeye, as well as house made pastas and sandwiches like the Roasted Lamb French Dip. Additional details: Acclaimed DC restaurateurs Jackie Greenbaum & Gordon Banks (Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) will open Charley Prime Foods, a modern American restaurant, on May 12 at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. Chef/Partner Adam Harvey, long time Executive Chef with Greenbaum & Banks, will helm the kitchen, along with Russell Pike, currently the Chef de Cuisine at Little Coco’s. Located in the former Tara Thai space (9811 Washingtonian Blvd, Gaithersburg, MD), the restaurant will be centrally positioned on the boardwalk. The space will seat roughly 90 inside, with another 100 on an expansive patio, complete with lake views. Editlab@Streetsense designed the space.

Charleys Cheeseteaks & Wings – Aspen Hill & Germantown
Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings has opened Montgomery County locations this year at:
19877 Century Blvd, Germantown
20910 Frederick Rd, Germantown (Walmart)
13617 Connecticut Ave, Hill

The Charmery – Chevy Chase
Baltimore-Based ice cream shop The Charmery opened its newest location at 8551 Connecticut Ave, Suite 202, in Chevy Chase. According to a press release, “The Charmery’s first location opened in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood in 2013. Since then, husband and wife team David and Laura Alima, have opened three additional locations in Towson, Columbia, and The Union Collective. The Charmery has quickly become not only a Baltimore mainstay, but also an East Coast destination for super premium, highly original, and insanely delicious ice cream. Since opening, they have won numerous Best of Baltimore awards and recently Thrillest named them one of the 40 best ice cream shops in America. This will be their first location in the DC area with the aim to bring together the local and global communities to help every person achieve happiness through ice cream.

Chicken Basket – Gaithersburg
Chicken Basket at 30 N. Summit Ave. in Olde Towne Gaithersburg has reopened. The restaurant, which first opened in 1978, closed in April 2019 after a fire. Chicken Basket’s menu consist of fried chicken, wings, subs, gyros, salads, wraps, burgers, and seafood. The restaurant is open Mon – Thurs 11am to 8pm, Fri – Sat 11am to 9pm and closed on Sunday. Full menu can be seen below, as well as photos from Chicken Basket’s original 1978 menu.

Chef Tony’s at Amalfi – Rockville
In November we let you know that longtime MoCo restaurant Amalfi Ristorante Italiano at 12307 Wilkins Ave in Rockville was bought by the owners of Chef Tony’s Restaurant in Bethesda. The restaurant, now known as Chef Tony’s at Amalfi, reopened in January.  The menu features a rotation of “Amalfi Classics”, many starters, tapas, salads, and pastas, and a variety of seafood entrees. The promenade location at Pooks Hill in Bethesda is now ‘Chef Tony’s Italian Kitchen’ and most of their seafood menu has moved over to Chef Tony’s at Amalfi. The restaurant is currently only open for dinner service. Additional information can be found via the Facebook page.

Chick-Fil-A – Gaithersburg 
Chick-Fil-A has opened a new location at 700 N. Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg. The restaurant is located in the new Progress Labs, a 44-acre property that directly fronts I-270 at the Montgomery Village Avenue exit. Progress Labs will also be home to Montgomery County’s first Sheetz, which is expected to open on August 10.

Chicken On The Run – Bethesda 
Chicken on the Run, a Peruvian chicken restaurant located 4933 St Elmo Ave in Bethesda, has reopened in the same location after a closure that lasted over a year. The restaurant announced what seemed to be a permanent closure in April 2022, writing “SORRY, AFTER MORE THAN 20 YEARS IN BUSINESS WE ARE CLOSING OUR BUSINESS DUE TO THE LANDLORD NOT RENEWING OUR LEASE.” The restaurant first opened its doors in 2002 and reopened earlier this month. Chicken on the Run opens at 11am daily and closes at 9pm every day except for Sundays, when it closes at 7:30pm.

Citizens & Culture – Silver Spring
Kaldi’s Social House founder Tsega Haile has opened Citizens & Culture at 8113 Georgia Ave – a 15,000 square feet, multi-level fine dining and live DJ and band performance venue located on the border of downtown Silver Spring and Washington, DC. In addition to fine-dining, the music venue brings a unique concept to the DC-area featuring a ground-floor front patio for outdoor seating leading into an expansive, vaulted ceiling main dining room with full length bar and an exclusive new menu by Executive Chef Ryan Hackney (DC-based chef known for appearances on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay and Bite Club) and Chief Chef Consultant and Director for Kaldi’s Social House Jessica Shields.

Colony Grill – Potomac
Colony Grill, a popular Connecticut Pizza restaurant offering “bar pies” opened its newest location today at t 11325 Seven LocksRoad in Potomac’s Cabin John Village. Pricing for Colony Grill’s pies range from $10.50 to $13.50 with options for adding additional toppings or gluten–free crust. The menu also features a “salad pie,” as well as a breakfast pie that features a choice of bacon or sausage, egg, and cheese and is available all day. 

Crave Cafe – Silver Spring
Crave Cafe is now open at 1200 East-West Highway in Silver Spring, according to a report by Source of the Spring.  The coffee shop is located in the space previously occupied by Bump ‘n Grind, which closed in May 2021. Menu items include 16 different blends of coffee, breakfast sandwiches, muffins/bread, soups, paninis, and salads.  The restaurant is part of Jeffeary Miskiri’s Miskiri Hospitality Group, which describes itself as a unique collective of Black, family and woman-owned products and restaurants in the DC area. According to its website, “Situated in the popular and vivacious Downtown Silver Spring, Crave Cafe will offer a lively, energetic, classy comfortable, and intimate environment. We looking forward to serving local coffee blends as well as a selection of healthy food choices to families, the college communities, and the workforce that frequent the area!”

Cuppa Tea – Rockville
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).

Daboba (Bubble Tea) – Rockville
Daboba held its grand opening at 1079 Rockville Pike in Rockville’s Talbott Center on Saturday, July 8th . The bubble tea shop was established in early 2018 in Taiwan and is now based in Malaysia.

Dalia’s Falafel – Bethesda 
Dalia’s Falafel has opened its first brick and mortar location at 7750 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. Dalia’s opened up as a pop-up restaurant at 4223 Howard Avenue in Kensington back in August 2020 serving falafel pita sandwiches and falafel bowls. New items on the menu will include radishes, french fries, rice,  and Moroccan beef kabobs (full menu below.) The Kensington pop up will close once the Bethesda location opens. Last year, the local “Yelp MD Burbs” part of Yelp released its list of “Top 25 Places to Eat in MD Burbs” list and 15 of the 25 restaurants on the list are in Montgomery County, including Dalia’s Falafel, which came in at #21. Yelp is a popular company that publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses with a major focus on restaurants.

Damso Korean BBQ – Rockville 
Damso Korean BBQ is now open in the space previously occupied by Saffron Indian Cuisine at Woodmont Station in Rockville (1319 Rockville Pike).  According to the restaurant, ” Damso is the second restaurant of DANJI in Centreville, VA, which is famous among Koreans for its commitment to serving authentic Korean flavors. We share that same commitment while also offering a unique dining experience. While DANJI is dedicated exclusively to serving authentic Korean dishes, at Damso we offer a menu that includes the same classic Korean flavors as DANJI Korean restaurant, with the addition of our signature Korean BBQ. We believe that food is not just about nourishment, but also about bringing people together. That’s why we take pride in providing warm and welcoming service to each and every one of our guests. Whether you’re a Korean food enthusiast or trying Korean cuisine for the first time, we welcome you to come experience the best of Korean flavors at Damso.”

Downtown Brew’s
“Downtown Brew’s” opened at 5751 Fishers Lane in Rockville on January 26th at the former site of Downtown Beer and Wine. According to the store, “We have on and off premise service so people can come here and enjoy a glass of wine and beer or take them with them.” “Downtown Brew’s” will also offer beer and wine home delivery services and plans to eventually offer charcuteries, gourmet toast and coffee. 
Dunkin’- Silver Spring & Montgomery Village
Dunkin’ is now open at 14328 Layhill Road in Silver Spring and at 20000 Goshen Rd. (former Capital One Bank building) in the Goshen Crossing Shopping Center. Both restaurants held grand opening events where the first 100 customers with “Free Coffee for a Year”.

Eerkin’s Uyghur Cuisine – Rockville (Reopening) 
Eerkin’s Uyghur Cuisine has reopened in its new Rockville location at 6 N Washington Street in Rockville’s Courthouse Center, at the former home of Amici Miei. It was previously located at 1701 Rockville Pike # B1 in The Shops at Congressional Village, which recently auctioned for $44 million. Eerkin’s announced a temporary closure following a kitchen fire that occurred at the restaurant on Mother’s Day last year. Soon after, the restaurant posted a message on social media on announcing a temporary closure, “Dear Loyal Eerkins Customers our Rockville, Location is currently closed until further notice please visit our running locations in Washington DC and Fairfax Virginia thank you for your support ”

Flames & Crepes – Rockville (food truck)
Flames & Crepes, a new halal food truck, recently opened at 801 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Owner Ashraf Said is originally from Egypt and has been a MoCo resident for over 18 years. He is bringing years of experience in restaurant management. His fiancé Marelyn is originally from El Salvador and, also a MoCo resident. They tell us she “brings the flavors of Latin America to many of the foods offered.” The menu features a variety of dishes, including classic American fare like a steak and cheese, chicken sandwich, mango habanero wings, and more. Latin-American fare is also featured, such as yuca frita, pupusas, and tamales. They also offer a variety of crepes– both sweet and savory.

Frank’s Burgers – Wheaton
Frank’s Burgers opened its new location at 11230 Grandview Ave in Wheaton-Glenmont (former site of Umberto’s), on Saturday, October 14. Nicaraguan restaurant El Chante, which currently splits space with Frank’s Burger Place at 11265 Triangle Ln, will now take over that entire space. The new Grandview Ave location will be split into two restaurant concepts, with Frank’s on one side and District Bistro on the other, united by a kitchen in the back. According to owner Pedro Matamoros, District Bistro is a new American concept that is focused on “seasonality and use of local ingredients when permitted.” Menu items at District Bistro will include beef tartare, steak frites, roasted duck and lamb bolognaise, and its bar will focus on classic cocktails like Martinis and Manhattans. We will provide an opening date for District Bistro when it is announced.

Fruver – Wheaton
Fruver, a smoothie, coffee, and snack shop, is now open 11255 Grandview Avenue in Wheaton. It has taken over the space that was previously home to Asesoria Americana and Taxline Services. Fruver opened in late April and offers a variety of smoothies, smoothie bowls, fresh juices, coffee, and other snacks.

Good Ducking Burger – Bethesda 
Good Ducking Burger is now open, replacing Bethesda fine dining staple Duck Duck Goose (7929 Norfolk Ave.) Like its predecessor, Good Ducking Burger is owned and operated by French-trained chef Ashish Alfred.  Times change, tastes change, prices fluctuate and the one who chooses NOT to evolve is the one that sinks. For Duck Duck Goose Bethesda, it all came down to the numbers. Despite having a packed dining room most nights, the rising costs of doing business caused DDG Bethesda’s profit margin to plummet. While Alfred’s four other restaurants in Baltimore and DC are both spacious and busy, Bethesda was just busy. Cozy and intimate at about 1100 square feet total (counting interior and the seasonal outdoor patio), and unable to add any more seating, it became obvious that the business was just no longer sustainable as is and, according to Alfred, he was putting an increasingly unfair demand on his employees.
“Growth can be painful but it’s the right decision for the business,” says Alfred. “I can keep trying to make things work – I mean business is still good – but when it’s time to change, it’s time to change.” Good Ducking Burger isn’t completely a new concept. It has made wildly successful appearances at Alfred’s restaurants in Baltimore and DC as a delivery-only ghost kitchen, focusing on American classics like burgers, chicken and fries… all with a nod to Alfred’s Indian heritage.”

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Grandma’s Ice Cream and Waffles – Rockville
Grandma’s Ice Cream and Waffles at 389 E. Gude Dr in Rockville, next to the former Branded 72/O’Brien’s restaurant space, is now open. Grandma’s is owned and operated by the same owners as “Grandma Kona’s” Kona Ice franchise in Gaithersburg/Germantown. Additional information, as well as a $1 coupon, below:
“Grandma Kona is happy to announce that Grandma’s Ice Cream and Waffles will be opening on Monday January 23, 2023!  We will be opening for breakfast at 7am till 1030am then transitioning to a great lunch till 2pm. The ice cream and waffles dessert menu will be available until 9pm. Offering liege waffles sandwiches with a variety of options including Vegan! Grandma’s Ice Cream will be an experience like non other.  Soft serve ice cream with unbelievable flavor (including dairy free options) with Grandma’s twist of injecting flavor into the ice cream and if wanted dipped in chocolate or caramel. Come use your imagination with all the different combinations you can make.”

Hangry Joe’s Montgomery Village
Hangry Joe’s is now open in the Montgomery Village Shopping Center.  The Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant is located adjacent to the Starbuck’s at 19290 Montgomery Village Ave.  Hangry Joe’s in know for its hot chicken sandwiches, known as the “Chicken Sando”, and allows guests to choose the spice level of the fried chicken (Plain<Mild<Medium<Hot<Angry Hot). The menu also consists of chicken fingers, chicken & waffles, wraps, nuggets, loaded fries, and salads. Sides include cider slaw, waffle fries, and fried okra. Hangry Joe’s has additional Montgomery County locations in Wheaton (2533 Ennals Ave) and Rockville (718-B Rockville Pike and 10050 Darnestown Rd.)

Hong Kong Pearl- Gaithersburg 
Hong Kong Pearl is now open in the Walnut Hill Shopping Center, taking over the location that has been home to New Fortune at 16515 S Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg. New Fortune has operated in Gaithersburg for many years and the dim sum restaurant, known for having over 140 different offerings.
Isaac’s Poultry Market – Gaithersburg
Isaac’s Poultry Market at 12167 Darnestown Rd in Gaithersburg, the former site of Pizza Hut, opened on February 23. The restaurant was opened by Rob Gresham, a lifelong MoCo resident and the former Director of Operations at CAVA and features American roasted chicken, wings, sandwiches, and salads. 

Japong Bakery – Rockville 
Japong Bakery, which opened at 785 Rockville Pike in the Ritchie Center nearly five years ago in October 2018, closed temporarily on April 17th with a plan to reopen  approximately three weeks later at its new location at 765 A Rockville Pike within the same shopping center. After a bit of a delay, the bakery held its soft opening on Sunday, July 16th.

Jersey Mike’s – Aspen Hill
Jersey Mike’s opened at the Northgate Plaza in Aspen Hill on February 15in the location that was formerly home to Body & Brain Tai Chi– between Dunkin’ and Roy Rogers. Jersey Mike’s was founded as Mike’s Submarines in Point Pleasant, New Jersey in 1956. Peter Cancro started working at the restaurant in 1968 when he was 14 and the shop was on its third hour. Three years later the shop went up for sale again and with the help of a local high school football coach who was also a banker, Cancro was able to pull together $125,000 to buy it at age 17. He began to franchise the restaurant in 1987 and now has over 2,000 locations with various locations across Montgomery County, including in Burtonsville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, Rockville, and Wheaton.

Ji Bei Chuan Noodle House – Germantown
Ji Bei Chuan Noodle House is now open at 19520 Waters Road Unit 5 in Germantown, taking over the location that was formerly home to Provisions Cafe closed in January 2022 after just over three years in Germantown. Ji Bei Chuan is a restaurant franchise based in China that was founded in 2018. In just five years it has become one of the fast growing noodle restaurants in China with over 400 locations across the country. There are now several locations in the United States (over 50 in the last two years) with the Germantown location being the first in Maryland. Ji Bei Chuan Noodle House is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11am-9pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am-9:30pm, and Sunday from 11:30am until 9pm (closed on Tuesdays). 

Jolloff Etcetera – White Oak 
Jolloff Etcetera recently opened at 11237 New Hampshire Avenue, which was the longtime home of Hunan Manor (there for 20 years by most recent ownership group) until it closed permanently in February 2022. The restaurant is located in the White Oak Shopping Center near Dollar City and Montgomery County liquor store. Jolloff Etcetera offers Nigerian cuisine and opened its first location in nearby Hyattsville, MD (Prince George’s County). The menu offers a variety of Nigerian cuisine, including Jolloff rice, grilled fish, fried rice, multiple soups, and more.

Kema by Kenaki – Potomac
The long awaited Kema by Kenaki began its soft opening phase on July 15 at 11325 Seven Locks Rd. STE 115 in Cabin John Village. The almost 2,000 square foot restaurant is  similar to what Kenaki in Kentlands offers, but is more “fast paced,” in what is a hybrid between Kenaki and AKO. Kenaki is a full-service restaurant while AKO is a sushi counter at a food hall. Kema will offer signature rolls from Kenaki/AKO such as the Black Magic roll- made with “forbidden rice”, spicy tuna, pickled jalapenos, and truffle oil, the Donkey Kong roll- made with eel, fried plantain, cream cheese, cucumber, tempura flakes, togarashi spice mayo, and sweet shoyu, among others.

Kentlands Baby Bar – Gaithersburg 
Kentlands Baby Bar is now open at 375 Main St. in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. Carolynne Nowrouzi, founder/owner of Baby Bar, was raised in MoCo. She wanted to provide a space where parents can go with their young children to enjoy a space where they can each grab a bite and just play. The space will offer “food, fun, and socializing” where “you enjoy a coffee and a bite, while your little ones get yummy food and a baby-friendly place to play!” Baby Bar Kentlands will offer fresh fruits and veggies and will have options for babies (puréed or chopped), food for kids like grilled cheese, egg bites, croissants, and more, and food for adults like bagels, muffins, fruit bowls, and more.

Kobe Japan Hibachi & Sushi – Montgomery Village
Kobe Japan Hibachi & Sushi has opened at 19226 Montgomery Village Ave, next to Moe’s Southwest Grill in the Montgomery Village Center. Kobe Japan has additional Montgomery County locations at 1163 University Blvd E in Takoma Park and 13623 Georgia Ave. Suit A in Aspen Hill.  The menu features sushi, sashimi, spring rolls, bento boxes and hibachi

KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot – Germantown
KPot is now open in the space previously occupied by Honey Pig at 19727 Frederick Rd #1337. Honey Pig closed permanently in November of 2021 after five years at the location. According to KPot, the restaurant was started by four friends from different backgrounds who decided to share their mixed cuisine over the same table. KPot combines traditional Asian hot pot with Korean BBQ flavors. Hot pot, also known as “soup-food” or “steamboat,” is a communal pot of simmering broth that is stuffed with raw ingredients like meat and vegetables to cook in the pot.

Kung Fu Tea- Olney
Kung Fu Tea is now open at 3128 Olney Sandy Spring Road, in the space that was recently home to Yogi Berry, next to Starbucks in the same shopping center as Cava Mezze, CVS, and Cafe Rio. The Olney Kung Fu Tea also offers TKK Fried Chicken and Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt. TKK Fried Chicken is a Taiwanese chain that specializes in fried chicken. They’ve been around since 1974 and have locations across Taiwan, China, and the United States. The menu consists of fried chicken, chicken tenders, fried chicken sandwiches, and more. Tutti is a frozen yogurt chain that has had several locations in Montgomery County.
Laperaux – Germantown
Laperaux, the Journeymanchef’s Bistro,  is now open at 18056 Mateny Rd in Germantown- the former home of Gumbo Ya Ya, Dickie’s BBQ Pit, and Cafe Mileto (located in the Cloppers Mill shopping center, in the same strip as Shoppers). The French bistro was opened by Chef Gregory Webb, who has earned such accolades and awards as “Chef of the Year 1998” in Houston, Texas, “Winner all Categories” at the Texas Open Wild Game Cookoff, “Top Chefs of Mexico City” and many others. The restaurant offers high casual cuisine created by Webb, who has competed against Bobby Flay on The Food Network, and won numerous ‘chopped style’ competitions put on for various local charity and fund raising events, including DC Central Kitchen’s Chefs Cook Off.

Lil’ Cakes & Creamery – Rockville
Lil’ Cakes & Creamery opened its newest location at 844 Rockville Pike, the former site of Sam’s Cafe & Market, on March 11. Lil’ Cakes & Creamery offers a rotating selection of cupcakes and ice cream, as well as macarons, pupcakes, cookies, cookie sandwiches, pushpops, and milkshakes. Lil’ Cakes & Creamery opened its first location in Gaithersburg Square back in October 2019 and have additional locations in Urbana and White Marsh.

Los Amigos – Gaithersburg
Los Amigos opened at 9631 Lost Knife Rd in Gaithersburg on February 14, at the former site of Texas Parillada Texas Parillada had a long run in the Montgomery Village Crossing shopping center, which is home to BLT Grill, Hook & Reel, and Roy Rogers. The restaurant offered menu items that included Tex-Mex staples like burritos, carne asada, enchiladas, and tacos.

Lum Thai – Gaithersburg
Lum Thai is now open in the Muddy Branch Square shopping center in Gaithersburg (video below).The Thai restaurant is located in the space previously occupied by Roggenart and Canela Bakery at 806 Muddy Branch Road. Other restaurants in Muddy Branch Square include First Watch, Paisano’s, and Royal Tandoor. According to its website, the Lum Thai is open daily from 11am until 9pm. The menu features a variety appetizers (all priced below $10), soups, salads, entrees/curries/noodles (all priced at $13.95), chef specialities  (going as high as $20), and desserts.

Mackie’s Barbecue Co. – Olney
Mackie’s Barbecue is now open at 5500 Olney Laytonsville Rd in Olney (most recently Umberto’s). The restaurant is in its soft opening phase with a limited menu for dine in, takeout, and delivery via DoorDash, Ubereats, and GrubHub. A preview and first look video is available below.
Per Mr. MoCo, “The restaurant features a beer cave, similar to the ones found at Shoppers grocery stores, and a wall of retail wine that features local vendors (a wide variety of beer and wine is coming soon, with some already there). The restaurant will also eventually have a full bar.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxtJHHpOnM3/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=85ca128a-ed3b-47d9-9953-af951d585a09

Margarita Bar & Grill – Germantown
Margarita Bar & Grill is now open at 19201 Frederick Rd in Germantown. The restaurant’s menu features a variety of tacos, burritos, chimichangas, pupusas, fajitas, steaks, salad, and seafood. Margarita options include Cadillac, Skinny, Flavored, Diablo, and Crazy. The restaurant is taking over the space that was previously occupied by the Fraternal Order of Eagle #3509 and Captain Mori’s Seafood House. Seafood in the Buff, a mobile steamed crab business, operates out of the parking lot next to this location in the summer months. Margaritas joins Mi Rancho (19725 Germantown Rd), Señor Tequila’s (20021 Century Blvd), La Gula (21030 Frederick Rd), Abi Azteca (11514 Middlebrook Rd), La Mexicana (13016 Middlebrook Rd), and Rio Grande (13541 Clopper Rd) as places to grab a margarita in Germantown.

Mastiha Bakery/Mastiha Taverna – Rockville
Mastiha Bakery, a Kensington favorite (formerly known as Baklava Couture) since 2015, is now openat 2387 Lewis Ave. In July, the restaurant launched Mastiha Taverna, a new food truck that is stationed in front of the bakery. According to Mastiha, the truck will serve pita sandwiches, Greek dessert, drinks, traditional salads, dips, and small bites/sides. Mastiha Taverna will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5-9pm. Per Mastiha Bakery: The word mastiha refers to the sap drippings, or “tears”, from the mastic tree which grows on the north-eastern Aegean Greek island of Chio, where founder and owner, Katerina Georgallas traces her origins. Founded in 2011 with a deep appreciation for heritage, culture, and scratch-made goodness, Mastiha Bakery specializes in assorted sweet and savory pastries, cookies, authentically crafted pita bread, hand stretched rustic phyllo pies and other delectable items. Using local ingredients and old-world craftsmanship you can taste, Katerina is committed to producing quality goods entirely from scratch.

Milk & Honey – Silver Spring
Milk & Honey, a southern inspired brunch and soul food restaurant which has locations across DC, Maryland, and Virginia, has opened in the space that was recently home to Willie T’s Seafood Shack at 9326 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. The news of its opening was first reported by Source of the Spring. Both Milk & Honey and Willie T’s concepts are owned by Thompson Hospitality, the group behind Matchbox (Bethesda, Rockville, and Silver Spring locations in MoCo), Austin Grill and American Tap Room (both previously in MoCo), and Wiseguy Pizza (now open at Wheaton Mall.) Menu items at Milk & Honey include “Chef Sammy’s Award Winning” Shrimp & Grits, Deep Fried Salmon Hash, Chicken & Waffles, and Crab Benedict. According to the restaurant’s website, this Milk & Honey location will be a a uick service restaurant with limited seating available. Food will be served in carry-out containers.

Ming’s Chinese Restaurant – Rockville
Ming’s, a new restaurant serving Chinese cuisine, is now open at 800 Pleasant Dr. Suite 120 in Rockville’s King Farm neighborhood. Ming’s is located in the space that was previously home to Imperial Chinese Gardens.  Menu specialties include Hunan Style Bamboo Shoots, Kongbao Jumbo Shrimp, House Style Cumin Lamb, and Sauteed Beef Intestines.  Full menu can be seen here. The restaurant is open 11am-9:30pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11am-9am Sunday, and closed Tuesdays.

Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen – Gaithersburg
Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen at 229 Boardwalk Pl. in Rio opened on June 9. Miss Toya’s is located in the 2,741SF space that was previously occupied by BGR and will serve southern-influenced dishes such as red beans and rice, macaroni and cheese, and a southern fried chicken sandwich. The restaurant is part of Jeffeary Miskiri’s Miskiri Hospitality Group, which describes itself as a unique collective of Black, family and woman-owned products and restaurants in the DC area. Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen in Rio will be a fast-casual restaurant, while the Miss Toya’s Creole Kitchen at 923 Ellsworth Dr in Downtown Silver Spring is full-service (wait staff, etc.)

Mochinut – Rockville 
Mochinut, a restaurant that serves mochi donuts, Korean rice flour hotdogs, soft serve, and bubble tea drinks has opened at 838 Rockville Pike– inside the current location of Tea-Do. Tea-Do is a “contemporary tea house” that was on the early side of MoCo’s bubble tea explosion in recent years, opening in January of 2016.  Mochinut offers mochi donuts, which is described as “a donut that originated from Hawaii which is a combination of American doughnuts and Japanese mochi.” Up to 25 different flavors are available, but flavors will vary by location. The Mochinut menu also consists savory treats in the form of Korean hotdogs and offers other sweet menu items like soft serve ice cream and bubble tea drinks.

Motorkat – Silver Spring 
Motorkat, the new restaurant from restaurateur Chris Brown (Zinnia, Soko & Takoma Bev Co) and Executive Chef Danny Wells (Republic, Zinnia and Takoma Bev Co.) is now open at 6939 Laurel Ave in Takoma Park. Motorkat’s menu revolves around a seasonally-led, wood-fired culinary experience with a high quality sourced raw bar.

Naz’s Halal – Takoma Park & White Oak
Naz’s Halal has opened new MoCo locations this year at 7671 New Hampshire Ave in Takoma Park and 11209 New Hampshire Ave in White Oak. The restaurant has additional locations in Rockville and Germantown.

Neal’s Bagels – Gaithersburg
Neal’s Bagels is now open at 113 Commerce Square Pl in Gaithersburg. The new shop is located in the Kentlands paseo, next to Burtons and across from RanKen Noodle House. Neal’s Bagels has relocated from its previous location about a mile and a half away at 12141 Darnestown Rd in the Potomac Valley shopping center.

New Grand Mart – Germantown (food court)
Noodles & Friends and Gogi Friends Korean BBQ have opened inside of the food court at New Grand Mart supermarket at 13069 Wisteria Drive in the Germantown Plaza shopping center. Additional vendors, including Tous les Jours (bakery) and Fortune Cha (bubble tea and dessert) are expected to open by the end of the summer. Menu items at Noodles & Friends include JjaJang (noodles with blackbean sauce), Jjampong (seafood soup), KimChi fried rice, and Shrimp Tangsu. Menu items at Gogi Friends includes BulGogi, Bibim Bap, Ramyeon noodles, and dumpling soup. New Grand Mart opened in the space previously occupied by Lotte Plaza on June 8th. According to its website, “New Grand Mart carries a variety of fresh produce, fish, meats, and ethnic specialty items that is hard for other markets to match.”

Nosh Grill House – Rockville 
Nosh Grill House at 11 N Washington Street in Rockville opened in April. The restaurant, which offers contemporary Chinese-style bbq, is the neighbor and sister restaurant of East Grill Karaoke and East Dumpling House. Along with all-you-can-eat bbq, Nosh Grill House will offer karaoke. The soft opening begins on Monday, April 17th and runs Monday-Thursday from 5pm until 1am and Friday-Sunday from 5pm-2am. Full menu available below. Per Nosh Grill House: “NOSH is a contemporary Chinese-style BBQ restaurant and karaoke bar that pays homage to traditional Northern Chinese food culture, while embracing neighboring countries’ influences, including Japan, Korea, and Russia. Forged with skill and passion, this family-owned restaurant has been a years-long journey in the making; the result is a welcoming, eccentric space with a boisterous bar and a 12-foot screen for karaoke, sporting events, and shows.

Oliva’s Kitchen – Bethesda
Oliva’s Kitchen opened February 22 at 4708 Highland Ave in Bethesda, the former home of Taco Fresco. Taco Fresco opened in the location in November of 2021 and was available for sale approximately 6 months later. Breakfast options include egg sandwiches, Belgian waffles, breakfast tortes, Huevos Mexicanas, and more. Lunch sandwiches include the Cubano, Torta Milenasa, Buffalo Chicken, Steak & Cheese, and others.

Paris Baguette – Rockville
Paris Baguette, “the neighborhood bakery café where communities come together over expertly crafted baked and brewed goods,” has opened its Rockville Town Square location at 101 Gibbs Street. Paris Baguette offers cakes, gourmet sandwiches, salads, and an assortment of baked goods such as croissants and donuts.

Pho Nom Nom – Gaithersburg 
Pho Nom Nom is now open 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. Pho Nom Nom has an additional location at 842 Rockville Pike. The restaurant specializes in authentic Vietnamese cuisine, including pho, banh mi, noodles and grilled dishes.

Pizza Hut – Rockville & Silver Spring
Pizza Hut has opened new locations this year at 842-B Rockville Pike in Rockville and 10100 Colesville Rd. in Silver Spring. The new Pizza Hut locations are 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.

Poke Bowl – Aspen Hill/Silver Spring
Maryland-based Poke Bowl, a restaurant serving poke bowls, bubble tea, a variety of appetizers, and more, is now open at 2229 Bel Pre Road in Plaza Del Mercado– replacing Smoothie King, between Pizza Stop and Aldi. Poke Bowl has five locations in Maryland, primarily in the Baltimore region with one location in Frederick. Signage has just been posted on the window informing shoppers of the restaurant’s impending arrival, but an opening date is now available. Smoothie King, which closed permanently last month after four years at Plaza Del Mercado, has additional Montgomery County locations in Bethesda and Rockville (Fallsgrove and Congressional Plaza), and an upcoming location in Olney.

Rakugaki – Bethesda 
Rakugaki at 10223 Georgetown Road, near Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream at the Shops at Wildwood, held its soft opening on March 11. When deciding on a new location, co-owner Marcel The said, “We love the Bethesda community which we have served for the past 25 years. We feel that Wildwood is the perfect choice for our newest restaurant where we will feature favorite menu items as well as introduce new offerings.” Raku’s Bethesda and Cathedral Heights locations as well as Rakuya at Dupont Circle remain open.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Raku team to Wildwood and expect Rakugaki to share the same success as its sister location at Bethesda Row,” said Ralph Ours of Federal Realty. “We are always on the search for delicious exclusive brands to complement our merchant mix and this new dining destination will be an excellent addition to the Montgomery County restaurant scene.”

RASA – Rockville
RASA, a fast-casual Indian restaurant with four locations in DC and Virginia, is now open in the former Slapfish location at 12033 Rockville Pike in the Montrose Crossing shopping center. The restaurant, founded by Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman (combined to create the name, RASA), opened its first location in Navy Yard in 2017 before opening a location in Mt. Vernon Triangle in 2020, Crystal City in 2021, and Fairfax this past summer. The menu offers seven chef-curated bowls under the “We Got You” portion of the menu, that includes their signature bowls like the “Tikka Chance on Me”, “Open Sesame”, “Eat Your Veggies”, “Home Cooking”, “Goa Your Own Way”, “Aloo Need is Love”, and “Caul on Me” or the “You Got It” portion of their menu that allows customers to “DIY” and design their own bowl using the assembly line format of a base, main, sauce, veggies, toppings, and chutneys/dressings.

Red Ribbon Bakeshop – Wheaton
Red Ribbon Bakeshop, a Filipino bakery chain, opened its new Wheaton location on Saturday, September 23 at 9am just as heavy rains moved through the area with Tropical Storm Ophelia. That didn’t  stop hundreds of customers from showing up to support the bakery’s first Maryland location– arriving as early 3:30am. One customer, Mr. Eugie Ariaga of Rockville, became Red Ribbon’s first-ever Maryland customer. He won “one year of sweetness”– a Mango Supreme Cake every month for a year. The bakery is located at 2501 University Blvd W, right next to the Anchor Inn sign that still stands. Currently, Red Ribbon Bakeshop has over 200 locations across the Philippines and 39 in the United States. In 2005 it was acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation, which opened its first D.C. area Jollibee location at Wheaton Mall in 2021.

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken – Gaithersburg/Rockville
Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken at 16248 Frederick Rd (on the border of Gaithersburg/Rockville), opened on February 19. The North Carolina-based biscuit chain is known for their buttermilk-brined chicken and has additional Maryland locations in Columbia and Towson. Menu items include biscuit sandwiches, biscuits & gravy, fried chicken strips, and donuts.

Roaming Rooster – Gaithersburg 
Roaming Rooster at 511 Quince Orchard Rd in Gaithersburg (former Duck Donuts location) opened in the Firstfield Shopping Center in January.  Roaming Rooster is known for its variety of buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches that vary in heat depending on the diner’s preferences – mild, medium or hot. In addition to its free-range, grain-fed, antibiotic-free and Halal chicken, Roaming Rooster offers an all week breakfast menu, salads and sides including wings, chicken tenders and hand-cut fries.

Salt & Vine – Olney
Salt & Vine has opened in the Olney House, which was previously the home of Ricciuti’s at 3308 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. “Salt & Vine Trattoria and Wine Bar is built from the historic Olney house at Olney Maryland. Executive Chef and Owner, Thomas Zippelli has focused on creating local, fresh, and seasonally inspired Italian dishes. As well as building a dining experience that fits everyone . We have outdoor seating, two bars, private dining, and a dining room. Anyone searching for an elevated and authentic dining experience will enjoy Salt and Vine. Search no further.”

The Salt Line – Bethesda
The Salt Line is now open at 4900 Hampden Lane, which was previously home to Greek restaurant Kapnos until 2018.  According to the restaurant, the opening menu at features a selection of beloved New England favorites also found at The Salt Line’s Navy Yard and Ballston locations, as well as additions from Executive Chef Eric McKamey and Long Shot Hospitality Chef/Partner Kyle Bailey. Highlights include the Local Heirloom Tomato Salad, Bucatini and Clams, Maine Peekytoe Crab Roll, and more. In addition to full beer and wine lists, the cocktail program is heavily influenced by the New England lifestyle and showcases imaginative twists on timeless classics such as the Cape Codder G&T, The Blue Cheese Martini, Sbagliato Spritz, and more. The interior evokes a nautical feel, with mahogany paneling, brass fixtures, booths inspired by yacht seats, a huge u-shaped bar, and vintage coastal ephemera throughout.

Sarku Japan – Wheaton
Sarku Japan has reopened in Wheaton Mall in a  new location just outside of Costco, near the relatively new Sydney’s Burger. Sarku Japan is often found inside of malls and has a mall location in Bethesda’s Montgomery Mall. Its other MoCo location can be found a standalone store (located within a strip mall rather than in a food court) in the White Oak shopping center. The chain offers made-to-order teppanyaki-style Japanese dishes cooked on sizzling grills as well as a limited amount of sushi rolls.

Shake Shack – Gaithersburg
Shake Shake is now open at 150 Kentlands Blvd in the Kentlands. Shake Shack has additional MoCo locations at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and Cabin John Village in Potomac.

Sheetz – Gaithersburg
Montgomery County’s first Sheetz opened this summer at 751 Progress Way in Gaithersburg. Sheetz is a gas station/convenience store that offers made to order food and has over 650 locations throughout Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. According to the company, Sheetz provides “kicked-up convenience while being more than just a convenience store. Sheetz is a mecca for people on the go. If you need to refuel your car or refresh your body, we have what you need to keep you moving on to whatever comes next.” Sheetz will also be opening a location in the Walnut Hill shopping center in Gaithersburg in 2024.

Stella Point Grille – Kensington
Stella Point Grill is now open at 3739 University Blvd in Kensington– the former home of China Gourmet. The restaurant is owned by Graham Gursky (former general manager at Quincy’s South) and Stephen Lee (principal owner of China Gourmet). Gursky is a Montgomery County native, who was raised in Germantown and attended Watkins Mill High School. He has worked in the restaurant business since he was in high school, only leaving Montgomery County for a few years while attending college in New Hampshire. Lee is also local, born in Washington DC. He has been in the restaurant industry his whole life and attended college in Kentucky before managing restaurants for decades. He has been married to his wife Christina for 51 years and has two daughters four grandchildren. Much of Lee’s staff from China Gourmet was getting ready to retire so he was ready to change concepts at the location. Gursky has brought along a lot of his former staff from Quincy’s South including the restaurant’s Assistant GM, Gavin Holt, who is also a MoCo native.
Smoothie King – Olney 
Smoothie King is now open in Olney Village Center, taking over the 980 SF space that was previously home to Party USA at 18151 Village Center Drive, between IHOP and Pho & Grill.

Sweetgreen – Gaithersburg
Sweetgreen opened at 299 Copley Place D100 in Downtown Crown on January 20. Sweetgreen currently has three additional MoCo locations, in Bethesda, Downtown Silver Spring, and Pike & Rose. Crown has been without a fast-casual salad restaurant since Chopt closed in early 2020 and has since moved that location to the Kentlands neighborhood.

Tacos El Pariente – Gaithersburg  & Olney (food truck)
Tacos El Pariente opened a new food truck at 18000 Georgia Ave (Exxon) in Olney on February 13 and its first brick and motor location at 7889 Cessna Ave. in Gaithersburg on September 22. Tacos El Pariente also operates its original food truck at 20220 Frederick Rd in Germantown

Menu items include birria tacos with consome (their specialty), tortas, burritos, enchiladas, and esquite.
You will still be able to find the original Tacos El Pariente truck at 20220 Frederick Rd in Germantown. Additional details below courtesy of Tacos El Pariente on Instagram.

Taco Loco – Silver Spring
Taco Loco is now open at 8417 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring, the former site of Guavaberry Dominican Restaurant and The Greek Place.  Menu items include tacos, tortas, gorditas, soups, tamales, elote loco, birria pizza, and more. According to a report from Source of the Spring, Taco Loco began in White Oak as a mobile catering business. You can view the restaurant’s Facebook page here.

TaKorean – Gaithersburg
Korean taco grill TaKorean has taken over the recently-closed Nalley Fresh location at 261 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg. The restaurant offers Korean style tacos and bowls with options including chicken/Dak Halbi, steak/Bulgogi, pork/Bo Ssam, and tofu/Hoisin. This will be TaKoreans first location outside of D.C.

Taste of Kabob – Rockville
Taste of Kabab, a new Halal restaurant, opened at 765-E Rockville Pike in the Ritchie Center (Rockville) in September. The restaurant has taken over the space that was previously home to CM Chicken/Gama Chicken. Earlier this year, Choong Man (CM) Chicken rebranded to Gama Chicken & BBQ at 765 Rockville Pike #E. At the time a representative from the restaurant, which specialized in Korean style fried chicken, let us that they made the change in early 2023 and that you can still find many of the same or similar menu items. The restaurant closed earlier this summer. Taste of Kabab menu consists of multiple appetizers, a variety of biryanis, kababs, and drinks.

Third Hill Brewing Co.- Silver Spring
Third Hill Brewing Co., which is located in the former Astro Lab Brewing location at 8216 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring, opened on Saturday, August 19.  Jason Sliter, Third Hill Brewing Co. owner, has spent nearly a decade of craft beer research & development formulating his unique recipes. The new addition to the neighborhood further represents the strength of the official Brewery District in downtown Silver Spring, reinvigorating Silver Spring as the DC area beer destination.”

Quickway Japanese Hibachi – Rockville
Quickway has opened its 7th Montgomery County location right next to Trader Joe’s in the Travilah Square Shopping Center. 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.

Willie T’s Seafood Shack- Silver Spring (now closed)
Willie T’s Seafood Shack opened at 9326 Georgia Avenue, between Islands Tropical Ice Cream and Goldberg’s New York Bagels, in the location that was formerly home to Andy’s Restaurant and closed several months later. The restaurant served a variety of seafood dishes, including hand-breaded fried fish sandwiches and baskets, crab cakes, lobster tails, salads, grilled fish and po boys. The restaurant has been replaced by Mike & Honey.
Wiseguy Pizza – Wheaton
Wiseguy Pizza opened it’s first Montgomery County location in the Wheaton Mall food court on Wednesday, September 20.  Wiseguy serves stone-deck oven baked pizza by the slice that’s made with imported ingredients from Italy, homemade sauces, and dough using a special water filtration system. Pizza options include Cheese, Pepperoni, Paneer Tikki (House Masala, Paneer, Mozzarella, Onions, Tomato, Green & Chili Peppers, Cilantro, Jalapeño Sauce), Nashville Hot Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, and Whitestone (Garlic, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmigiano, Oregano, Oil from Tuscany Italy.)

Zuma By Chef Ninja – Bethesda 
Chef Mitsuhisa Nishio, or “Michu” to his family members and friends and Chef Ninja to many of his followers across social media, opened Zuma By Chef Ninja in the space that was previously home to Brickside at 4866 Cordell Ave in Bethesd on October 6th.

The City of Rockville will hold two meetings in October to present a report on community outreach and engagement for the Town Center Master Plan. An in-person meeting will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 in the Buchanan Room on the second floor of VisArts, 155 Gibbs St. A virtual meeting via WebEx will be held 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. To register, visit engagerockville.com/towncenter.

Rockville staff will present findings from four months of intensive community outreach and engagement on the Rockville Town Center Master Plan. A master plan is a long-range document that establishes a vision for future growth and development. The goal of the master plan is to create a cohesive vision for the Town Center area that meets the city’s goals regarding climate action, bicycle and pedestrian safety, racial equity and social justice, and more.

This will be the last chance for community members and other stakeholders to provide feedback before the team begins drafting the plan.

Per the City of Rockville: The city’s contractor applied final pavement markings on North Washington Street and East Middle Lane in August as part of the city’s Town Center Road Diets Project. New traffic patterns are now in place on North Washington Street and East Middle Lane after the city’s contractor converted the two existing motor vehicle travel lanes into one lane in each direction, creating new bike lanes. New on-street parking spaces were also added.

As a final step in the project, the contractor will install precast concrete curbs for the bike lanes, meter poles and signs. For more information, including the approved construction plans, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/visionzeroprojects.

The City of Rockville will host four interactive listening sessions to kickoff outreach and engagement for the Town Center Master Plan update, which will help guide the area’s success in coming decades.

• 7-9 p.m. Thursday, April 13, Rockville Memorial Library, second-floor meeting room.
• 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, Rockville Memorial Library, first-floor meeting room.
• 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, April 22. WebEx virtual meeting.
• 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, April 25. WebEx virtual meeting.

The same material will be covered at all listening sessions, so only one needs to be attended. Light refreshments and a children’s activity area will be available at the in-person sessions. A master plan is a long-range document that establishes a vision for future growth and development, and makes recommendations for zoning, streetscapes, public infrastructure, and other aspects of land use.

Since the most recent master plan for Rockville Town Center was adopted in 2001, Town Center has evolved into a premier destination and job center. However, retail in the area struggles to compete regionally. Rockville Town Center comprises about 200 acres of the city, generally bounded by properties along Fleet Street to the south, South and North Washington streets along the west, and the railroad tracks to the east.

The goal of the master plan is to create a cohesive vision for the Town Center area that meets the city’s goals regarding climate action, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and racial equity and social justice. For more information and links to the virtual sessions, visit engagerockville.com/towncenter/news_feed/join-a-kick-off-listening-session. Sign up at engagerockville.com/towncenter to join the discussion and receive updates about the project.

Saturday morning, the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department celebrated the housing of their new fire engine, known as Engine 703, and dedicated it in memory of their Past Fire Chief, Scott Eric Emmons.

Past Fire Chief Scott Eric Emmons, who died in 2021, volunteered with the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department for more than 30 years, in every operational rank from Firefighter to Fire Chief. Chief Emmons also was a DC Metropolitan Police Detective, where he served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Chief Emmons’ daughter is now a Rockville Volunteer Firefighter as well.

The new Engine 703 cost over $850,000 with equipment adding another $100,000 according to newly-elected Rockville Volunteer Fire Chief Craig Lazar. Unlike many other Montgomery County fire engines, the new Engine 703 is owned by the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department. Engine 703, capable of pumping 2,000 Gallons (of water) Per Minute, was built by Seagrave Fire Apparatus in Wisconsin.

At the conclusion of the Dedication, Rockville Volunteer Fire Department First Deputy Chief Christopher Hinde officially  placed the new Engine 703 ‘in quarters’, making it available to respond to emergencies. Just moments later, it was dispatched on its first call.

The Rockville Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1921, and has provided vital firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical services to Rockville and Montgomery County for over 100 years. According to the RVFD, “Donations to RVFD are used for volunteer support and operations, purchase of apparatus, such as the [Engine discussed in this article], community fire safety events and activities and towards construction of a new fire station.” Donations can be made online or mailed to the RVFD. Additionally, the RVFD recently announced plans for the launch of an online store, providing another way for supporters to contribute and demonstrate their support.

In 2022, units from Rockville Volunteer Fire Department Station 3, where this new Engine is housed, responded to 13,555 calls, according to MCFRS. This made Rockville’s Station 3 the third busiest station in all of Montgomery County.

Below you’ll find a list of restaurants that have opened in Montgomery County in 2022:
&pizza- Gaithersburg

&pizza is now open in the Gaithersburg Square shopping center at 570 N Frederick Ave, next to Quickway Japanese Hibachi & Chipotle. &pizza is known for its unique, oblong-shaped pizzas which are made with high-quality ingredients and bake in under 2 minutes. &pizza was founded by Michael Lastoria and Steve Salis (Ted’s Bulletin, Federalist Pig, and Ensemble) in 2012 with their first location on H Street in D.C. The growing company now has over 60 locations including MoCo locations in Bethesda, Gaithersburg (Crown), Germantown, Pike & Rose, and Silver Spring. The pizza chain will also be opening a location in the Fair Hill shopping center in Olney later this year.

Bassett’s (Reopened)- Poolesville

Bassett’s Fine Food & Spirits at 19950 Fisher Avenue in Poolesville, which is under new ownership, held its soft opening on Thursday, May 12. The restaurant, which opened in 1993, closed its doors on December 31 of last year. The restaurant is now owned by Erica Myers, who worked at Bassett’s for over 15 years before leaving to open Rio Grande Grille in Germantown in 2020. Bassett’s previous owners, who owned the restaurant the past three years, cited the pandemic and the closing of White’s Ferry as the reason it went out of business. Myers has spent the past several months remodeling and deep cleaning the restaurant. She said that she is keeping a lot of the former menu, as well as adding new items and weekly specials. The restaurant will be open Monday and Tuesday 11am-9pm, Wednesday-Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday 9am-10pm, and Sunday 9am-9pm.

BB.Q Chicken and Beer – Silver Spring

BB.Q Chicken is now open at 2235 Bel Pre Rd in Plaza Del Mercado (Silver Spring).  It has been over a year and a half since we announced that it would replace Fu Lin Restaurant, which closed on February 21st, 2021. BB.Q Chicken, a global chain of restaurants offering Korean fried chicken and more, has another Montgomery County location at 9712 Traville Gateway Dr in Rockville. The “BB.Q” stands for “Best of the Best Quality”. The restaurant’s menu offers a wide variety of starters, including waffle fries with nacho cheese, kimchi chicken sliders, and many different flavors of their olive chicken strips. Entrees include half/whole chicken, boneless chicken, garlic chicken, and many different flavors of wings. They also have sandwiches, soups, salads, and plenty of homemade sides.

Bethesda Bagels -Rockville

Bethesda Bagels opened its Rockville location at 14929-D Shady Grove Rd (formerly GameStop) back in January. The family-owned business started in 1982 and is known for their New York style bagels. Bethesda Bagels closed its Dupont Circle location in Washington DC  on April 24 after failing to come to a lease agreement with the landlord of the property.  Bethesda Bagels currently has two MoCo locations, 4819 Bethesda Ave. and 10241 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, as well as locations in DC and Virginia.

BoBaPoP Tea Bar- Rockville

BoBaPop Tea Bar has opened up inside the Kyoto Matcha location at 33 Maryland Ave Unit A in Rockville Town Center.  According to a post on Kyoto’s Instagram page, “We’re so excited to announce that we have Bobapop-Teabar joining our Rockville location! Come and try our refreshing drinks and pair it with a delicious dessert from Kyo Matcha.” BoBaPoP opened its location at 312 Main Street in the Kentlands in 2018 and was the first of the Vietnamese based company’s stores to open in the United States. BoBaPop opened their second MoCo location at 19847 Century Blvd, Unit J in Germantown, the former site of August 32, back in November.  The company has over 150 stores worldwide.

Kyoto Matcha opened its Rockville location in 2019. Their menu features ice cream, cakes, soba, mochi, and more flavored with matcha, purple sweet potato (ube), rose, maple, and other Japanese delicacies.  According to their website, Kyoto Matcha, is an international chain of Matcha desserts that is “dedicated to creating top-quality raw materials. Due to the influence of the Japanese-style matcha culture, the Kyoto Matcha is based on the brand mission of “Let the Tea Return to the Forest”, rooted in the traditional Japanese tea culture and dedicated to the promotion of Matcha culture.”  Kyoto has an additional MoCo location at 967 Rose Ave in North Bethesda.

Boulangerie Christophe – Potomac

Founded by Christophe Roux, a third-generation baker who grew up near Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera, and his son Benjamin, Boulangerie Chritophe has opened its first Montgomery County. The bakery is located in a new building in Cabin John Village. The first location, in Georgetown, opened in February of 2017. The first floor of that location is a casual cafe, serving light lunch fare and a wide selection of pastries. The second floor of Boulangerie Christophe is more upscale — and offers can enjoy a sit-down meal in a relaxed atmosphere. The menu consists of  a variety of coffee (including cappuccino, lates, and more), egg dishes, baked goods, Southern French delicacies, and more.

BurgerFi- Gaithersburg

BurgerFi, an American fast casual restaurant chain focused on hormone-free and antibiotic-free angus hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, custard, opened its Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg in March. The restaurant is located at 5 Grand Corner Ave, across from Dick’s Sporting Goods and next to Lanzhou Hand Pull Noodles. Since its founding in Florida back in 2011, BurgerFi has been among the nation’s fastest-growing better burger concepts with over 100 restaurants in the United States. Currently, there are BurgerFi locations in Downtown Silver Spring and Pike & Rose.

Burtons- Gaithersburg

Nearly three years after it was first announced, Burtons Grill & Bar, at 109 Commerce Square Pl in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood is now officially open. The restaurant’s opening was delayed several years by the COVID-19 pandemic and later supply chain issues.  The 5,000 square foot restaurant will serve lunch and dinner and has seating capacity for 196 patrons, including a 106 seat dining room, 44-seat bar, and an outdoor patio that seats 46.  Menu items will include braised short ribs, filet mignon, chicken risotto, and market fresh seafood.

In a press release,  President and Chief Operating Officer of Burtons Grill & Bar John Haggai said, “Following all of the success we’ve had in the past year with the Burton’s Grill & Bar brand, we are thrilled to be opening another restaurant, even more so because of its location in Kentlands Market Square. We’re excited to be opening a second location for our loyal customers in the state of Maryland.”  The restaurant will be open Sunday and Monday from 11:30am-9pm, Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30am-10pm, and Friday and Saturday from 11:30am-11pm.

Butter Me Up- Montgomery Mall (Bethesda)

Butter Me Up has taken over the old Aroma Espresso Bar location in Montgomery Mall, which is downstairs near the Old Navy entrance. The breakfast spot, which features “instagrammable” decor, will offer a menu that consists of a variety of breakfast sandwiches, toasts, sides, bowls, smoothies, and juices. A Yelp article named Butter Me Up DC’s best breakfast sandwich, as the restaurant’s first location can be found within HalfSmoke in Florida Ave NW. Butter Me Up’s sister restaurant HalfSmoke will be opening a location in the mall’s food court later this spring. HalfSmoke will be located in a kiosk in the food terrace that was the former home of Coldstone Creamery and more recently Gelato Galaxy.  This will be the first restaurant/bar in the food court to serve alcohol.

Centrado Cafe Shop- Burtonsville 

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.
“Hello Burtonsville! We’re officially open! Thank you for your patience, now offering all our specialty coffee drinks, goods, bites, snacks, and local artisanal items!
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-3pm Sat-Sun 8am-5pm”

Chadol Korean BBQ- Rockville

Korean BBQ restaurant Chadol is now open at 1403 Research Blvd, Suite A-8 in Rockville. It is located next to Robek’s, across from One Life Fitness and the recently opened Grill Kabob. Meat options include brisket, pork bulgogi, LA Galbi, pork jowel, boneless ribeye and boneless prime short rib. Side dishes include dumplings, corn cheese, and white pancakes.  “A never seen before Premium Korean BBQ. Meat the new standard.”

Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings – Gaithersburg

Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings is now open at 405 N Frederick Ave, in the location that was recently home to Teriyaki Express. The new Charleys restaurant is located in the shopping center anchored by Megamart and FedEx Office. We’re told there are no plans at this time to close the nearby Lakeforest location. Charley’s now has over 600 stores nationwide. Newer locations have adopted a new menu concept, offering chicken wings and ice cream in addition to its Philly cheesesteaks. “Tossed-to-order, the wings are made with 10 chef-inspired flavors ranging from Angry Ghost and Nashville Hot to milder options like Zesty Lemon-Lime Rub and Sweet Teriyaki.”

Chopt-Gaithersburg

Fast-casual salad chain Chopt opened its Kentlands location at 141 Commerce Square Pl in Gaithersburg in January. The new restaurant is located next to MOD pizza on Commerce Square.

Corner Pizza- Gaithersburg

Corner Pizza & Subs at 18503 N Frederick Ave. held its soft opening on Saturday, May 14, with the official grand opening scheduled for June 3. The restaurant is located in the former Jasmine Bakery Café location (that was previously home to Classic Bakery) in the Gaithersburg shopping center that is also home to Brewster’s Ice Cream. The restaurant specializes in what’s sometimes referred to as “Maryland Style Pizza“, the rectangular pizza you find at local restaurants like Stained Glass Pub, Continental, Gentleman Jim’s, and 4 Corners Pub. The restaurant makes its dough fresh daily and menu items in addition to pizza include subs, meatballs, and wings, as well as a breakfast menu.

Creek Lodge Bar & Grill – Rockville

The Creek Lodge Bar & Grill at 5566 Norbeck Rd in the Rock Creek Village Center (former Urban BBQ spot) opened on October 17. “The Creek Lodge specializes in serving comfort food with a twist. They offer everything from their signature ribs to cajun pasta. If you’re looking for a cozy, rustic spot to eat, with local live music, then head on over to The Creek Lodge!”

Crown Fried Chicken- Silver Spring

Crown Fried Chicken is now open at 1909 Seminary Rd in Silver Spring, taking over the former location of Krazy Steve’s (and Armand’s Pizza before that.) The restaurant is open 10am-9pm daily.
Crown Fried Chicken opened its first Montgomery County location at 9120 Rothbury Dr. in Montgomery Village (next to Athens Grill) in March of 2021 and closed the location in February of this year. The menufeatures various chicken and waffle combinations, omelets, wings, cheesesteaks, and gyros. The chain is known for using Halal chicken and has locations across the east coast. The closest franchise locations are in Hyattsville, Waldorf, and Washington, DC.

Crumbl Cookies- Gaithersburg & Germantown

Crumbl Cookies opened locations at 277 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg and at 20650 Seneca Meadows Pkwy in Germantown. Crumbl Cookies is a bakery with locations nationwide that sells chocolate chip and sugar cookies every day, but the rest of their offerings rotate. Their flavors range from experimental (watermelon chilled sugar cookie), to cookie twists on classic desserts (peach cobbler cookie), to more traditional cookies (peanut butter brownie cookie.)

Cubasi Bistro- Bethesda 

Cubasi Bistro, a Cuban restaurant with an existing location in Sterling, VA, is now open at 4710 Bethesda Ave. The restaurant is located on the ground level of The Seasons Apartments in the location that was formerly home to Jimmy John’s. Jimmy John’s closed that location in late 2018.

The menu consists of starters like ham croquettes, empanadas, bacalitos, and more. A variety of sandwiches and sides are on the menu, as well as pork. beef, chicken, and seafood entrees. Diners can also create their own bowls that consist of chicken/beef and salad, rice, beans, plantains, and more. The full menu and photos of a few dishes can be seen below.

District Falafel – Bethesda

District Falafel opened on November 1, taking over the spot that was most recently home to The Wok Chinese Kitchen and previously home to longtime favorite Fu Shing Cafe at 10315 Westlake Drive in the Westlake Crossing shopping center, located next to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. District Falafel started in 2015 as a food truck serving the D.C. area. Many customers may remember District Falafel from its appearances at Windridge Vineyard, Doc Waters Cidery, and more in Montgomery County. Per the restaurant, “We believe Falafel should contain fresh ingredients and bold flavor worth celebrating. So we set out thinking outside ‘the jar’ to find a way to bring this to the people of DC. In 2015, we started a falafel truck serving only freshly made falafel, crisp on the outside and tender from within, served with warm pita and fresh vegetables to offer our customers a completely
authentic experience.”

Donutchew- Gaithersburg

Donutchew, a mochi donut shop, is now open in the Rio Lakefront, taking over the location that was formerly home to Starbucks next to Fantasticks at 213 Boardwalk Place. The menu features donuts, coffee, fruit and milk teas, and croffles, a hybrid crossaint/waffle. The store is open from 10:3am-10pm during the soft opening.

Dunkin’ – Cloverly, Gaithersburg (Shady Grove Rd), & Silver Spring (Four Corners)

Dunkin’ Donuts is now open at 15509 New Hampshire Ave in Cloverly, located in the spot that was formerly home to BB&T Bank. This new location includes a drive-thru, which has seemed to be the aim for a lot of the new Dunkin’ locations in the area that are taking over former bank locations. Dunkin’ also opened a new Dunkin/Baskin Robbins store in the recently renovated Rock Grove Center on the corner of 355 and Shady Grove in Gaithersburg and at 115 University Blvd W, in the Four Corners area of Silver Spring.

Edith’s Pizza- Bethesda

Edith’s Pizza at 6910 Arlington Rd in Bethesda held its grand opening on February 16. Edith’s is the new pizza restaurant from Breads Unlimited, located just a few doors down at 6914 Arlington Rd. Roberto, whose family opened Breads Unlimited, tells us, “growing up, Saturday nights for me was renting a movie, and eating my dad’s homemade pizza that he made from scratch in his mini bakery he had in our basement. My father had commercial kitchen equipment downstairs, so he was always working on creations down there when he was home. He would always make sure to get the best quality ingredients to make each pizza, so we were used to eating a good slice. Over the years his pizza’s got better and better and my family and neighbors couldn’t have enough”

When the opportunity came of the old Pilates studio going out of business in the shopping center, my father wanted to use that space to expand the bakery operations by adding a space that would be dedicated to the production of cakes! It was an item that the bakery was missing. Literally the icing on top of the cake haha. With this opportunity to expand the business, it also gave him the chance to establish his other passion that he began working on so many years ago, pizza! Now with Edith’s Pizza, my father can continue to build on the success of Breads Unlimited by offering more to our community.” In addition to standards like pepperoni and cheese, other options will include the Garden Pizza with with artichoke, olives, peppers, onions, spinach, and arugula and Edith’s Paradise with red onion, pineapple, and capicola. You can view the full menu at www.edithspizzas.com.

Effoi Restaurant- Silver Spring

Effoi Restaurant held a grand opening this past July in the building that was previously home to the iconic Addis Ababa restaurant at 8233 Fenton Street in Downtown Silver Spring. The new restaurant primarily serves Ethiopian cuisine and boasts of “spacious downstairs and upstairs seating areas, parking for guests, and high-quality delicious food prepared by our experienced chef.” The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 11am until 2am. The menu consists of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items, including popular Ethiopian dishes, vegetarian offerings, some traditional breakfast items, a kids menu, and more. The restaurant transforms into Effoi Lounge in the later hours and offers music, food, drink, and hookah.

Èkó House – Rockville

Èkó House, named after the local southwestern Nigerian dialect, Yoruba, is a Pan-African restaurant now open in the space formerly occupied by Bar Louie at 150 Gibbs St.  The restaurant offers authentic and delicious fusions of well known and loved Nigerian food. The restaurant seats 250 people and includes a private room for special events and celebrations. Featured photo of catfish pepper soup courtesy of @EkoHouseDMV on Instagram.

Ela Mesa Taste of Greece- Gaithersburg

Ela Mesa Taste of Greece held their grand opening on May 2nd. The new Greek restaurant is located at 109 Paramount Park Drive in the Spectrum Town Center in Gaithersburg, which is currently home to restaurants like Barking Mad Cafe, California Tortilla, Hot Pot Hero, and Firebirds.  The restaurant offers traditional Greek fare and also has a full bar that seats 10 people. Menu items include Pastitsio, Thalassina (seafood pasta), Kanelonia (veggie cannelloni), Kebabs, Lamb Chops, and Seafood Risotto.

El Catrachito- Olney 

El Catrachito has opened its fourth MoCo location in Olney, taking over the location that was formerly home to Milk & Cheese at 18050 Georgia Avenue. Back in November, we were able to confirmed that Milk & Cheese closed permanently after operating for approximately 6 months in the location that was also the former site of Thai Cuisine. The restaurant opened its most recent location at 211. N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg just over a year ago. The menu features popular Honduran dishes such as baleadas and pollo can tajadas, as well as Salvadoran dishes like Pupusas and Mexican cuisine like fajitas, and a lot more. El Catrachito has additional locations in Wheaton (2408 University Blvd.) and Takoma Park (940 East-West Highway).

El Mercat Bar De Tapas – Rockville

El Mercat Bar De Tapas is now open in the spot that was most recently home to Gumbo Ya Ya at 101 Gibbs Street Unit C in Rockville Town Square. El Mercat Bar de Tapas is owned by Brazilian chef George Rodrigues, the former chef de cuisine at revered tapas chain Boqueria in Penn Quarter. Rodrigues is a Rockville resident who started cooking in Brazil and has since spent time under various celebrity chefs across the country. Rodrigues even “beat Bobby Flay” on the chef’s television series. The restaurant features traditional Spanish tapas that will include escalivada, papas bravas, calamares, pulpo con patatas, and pollo rostizado. Four different paellas, Tortilla Española as well as sangria, wines and beer. The 2,307-square-foot El Mercat will have dining for 60 people and planning on opening its patio this spring.

Eternal Love and Pizza- Darnestown

After a successful soft opening, Eternal Love and Pizza is rolling full steam ahead at its location at Windridge Vineyards in Darnestown (15700 Darnestown Rd). “I finally opened. After 2 years and 15 different dough recipes!” wrote owner Neil Dundee on Reddit. While some of us have experienced a garlic dip for our crusts, Eternal Love and Pizza provided you with a garlic whip to help you finish your crusts. MoCo native Tod Fishman shared his love for the new pizza place via social media. “This place is good and they give you this garlic whip to dip your crust that’s insane!” Fishman wrote to us in his message. Currently, Eternal Love and Pizza will be at Windridge Wednesday through Sunday. Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, the hours are Noon-6pm, and Friday/Saturday will have Noon-8pm hours.  Follow Eternal Love and Pizza on Instagram for changes to that schedule. Pies, which include “Get That Cheese”, “Pep Pep Hooray”, and more, go for $15-$20.

Frank Pepe’s – Bethesda

After much anticipation, Frank Pepe’s opened its Montgomery Mall location on March 28. The restaurant is located in the old Bobby’s Burger Palace location on the lower level across from Cheesecake Factory. The Daily Meal has referred to Frank Pepe’s as “America’s finest pizzeria” and many publications have tabbed the pizza joints as a must-try in the New England area. Per its website, Frank Pepe originated the New Haven-style thin crust pizza which he baked in bread ovens fired by coke. Coke is a byproduct of coal and it was used extensively until the late 1960’s when it became unavailable and hence coal was then put into use to fire the oven.
Photo courtesy of TasteMoCo.

Feasty Crab – Derwood

Feasty Crab opened at 16811 Crabbs Branch Way (the former location of Red, Hot, & Blue) in Derwood on June 1. 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.

Fidel’s Peruvian Chicken- Colesville

Fidel’s Peruvian Chicken has opened in Colesville at 13439 New Hampshire Ave in the same shopping center as Quench Craft Beer & Wine. In addition to Peruvian chicken, the restaurant offers a variety of dishes off the grill (pork chops, shrimp, carne asada, etc.) and a Tex-Mex portion of the menu.

Filo Cafe-

Filo Cafe, a self-described “mom and pop restaurant” that offers Filipino cuisine, is now open at 4836 Boiling Brook Pkwy, taking over the storefront that was previously home to NYC Pizza and Subs. The restaurant offers all-day breakfast, noodles, “Filo Faves”, combos, and more. New tentative hours are 10am-4:30pm Tuesday through Sunday, and closed on Mondays. The full menu can be seen here.

Flip’d by IHOP

Flip’d by IHOP opened on September 20 at the old Asian Bistro Cafe spot at 8537 Georgia Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring) between Panera and Red Lobster. The restaurant features a “Build Your Own Pancake Bar” with a choice of made-in-house pancakes or oatmeal as a base and a variety of mix-ins and toppings from the Top It Off bar, such as fresh blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple; fruit compotes; chocolate chips; caramel sauce and more

Galito’s Flame-Grilled Chicken- Gaithersburg

Galito’s Flame-Grilled Chicken is now open in the spot that was formerly home to Nirvana Reflexology Spa at 15918 Shady Grove Road in the Shady Grove Center (shopping center that is home to The Melting Pot). The restaurant offers chicken with “bold African flavors” and has been compared to international fast-casual restaurant Nando’s Peri Peri.

Greek Aroma Mediterranean Grill

Greek Aroma Grill is now open in the Montgomery Mall food terrace. Menu items include dolma, gyros, kababs, salads, souvlaki, and baklava. Greek Aroma has an additional location at 177 D Thomas Johnson Dr. in Frederick, MD. For a full list of recent openings at Montgomery Mall, see: What’s New and What’s Coming Soon to Montgomery Mall (November 2022 Edition) According to Greek Aroma, “every dish is created using only the freshest and finest ingredients. We serve only the finest meats, freshest vegetables, and desserts that are baked fresh daily. Our authentic menu and atmosphere create a truly enjoyable dining experience. Every dish is made to order.”

The Green Rooster- Takoma Park

According to Main Street Takoma, “The Green Rooster is now open in Takoma Park. The mostly plant-based food truck sits permanently in the parking lot of The Still Point Spa and complements both the spa and other Takoma Junction offerings. The truck provides tasty and nutritious options for both clients and the community. Working with local purveyors, The Green Rooster Truck offers froths, fizzes, salads, soups and toasts on their evolving healthy menu. Online ordering is coming soon.

Grace Street Coffee- Bethesda 

Georgetown based Grace Street Coffee will held the soft opening for its new location at 5021 Wilson Lane in Bethesdain July. Grace Street Coffee offers a variety of coffees, matcha based products, lemonades, and more.
In a message on their Instagram page, the company wrote, “Grace Street Coffee Roasters enters Maryland! We’re so excited to offer our specialty coffee to the Bethesda area and be a part of this new community. Our window location on Wilson Lane aims to deliver specialty coffee beverages in a bite-sized location! Be sure to also check out our tea selection from our partners @mem_tea!” You can view the shop’s menu here. 

Guavaberry- Silver Spring

Guavaberry Dominican Restaurant is now open at 8417 Georgia Ave, the former site of The Greek Place. The Greek Place closed this past December. The restaurant is open everyday of the week from from 8am-11pm and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu features fish, stews, and mofongo, a dish made with mashed fried green plantains. Dominican cuisine is influenced by Spanish, indigenous Taíno, Middle-Eastern and African dishes. Feature photo courtesy of @guavaberryrestaurantdmv

HalfSmoke- Montgomery Mall

HalfSmoke is now open in Montgomery Mall. The restaurant is located in a kiosk in the food terrace that was the former home of Coldstone Creamery and more recently Gelato Galaxy. Though there have been separate restaurants off of the food court that served alcohol (ex: Slade’s), this is the first restaurant/bar that’s actually located in the food court to serve alcohol. The menu consists of the best selling sausages and sides from their DC location, as well as boozy milkshakes and a funnel cake bar. HalfSmokes sister restaurant Butter Me Up opened its Montgomery Mall location in May.

Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken- Rockville & Wheaton 

Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken is now open at 2533 Ennals Ave in Wheaton, in the spot that was formerly home to El Pollo Kiki Riki, and at 10050 Darnestown Rd in the Travilah Square shopping center. The restaurant offers crispy chicken sandwiches where you’re able to choose the spice level (Plain<Mild<Medium<Hot<Angry Hot).  In addition to the hot chicken sandwiches, known as “Chicken Sando”, the small menu consists of chicken fingers, chicken & waffles, Korean Chicken Nuggets, loaded fries, and salad with chicken breast. Sides include cider slaw, waffle fries, and fried okra.

Hello Betty-North Bethesda

Hello Betty at 940 Rose Ave (inside of Canopy by Hilton) at Pike & Rose is seafood-focused restaurant that aims to bring California beach, surf, and skate ambiance to their establishment. The menu features a variety of seafood including, “sustainably sourced Peel and Eat Shrimp and a bucket of crabs fire-roasted in our open flame oven and tossed in Old Bay vinegar”, Fish and Chips, as well as beer from 7 Locks Brewing.

Hip Flask Rooftop Bar- Bethesda

Hip Flask, the rooftop bar that’s inside of The Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ, is now open. Hip Flask serves small plates and craft cocktails and is located at 7707 Woodmont Ave in Bethesda. The new hotel also features a 360 degree lobby bar. Seventh State, the hotel’s restaurant, which includes a built-in Italian wood oven and indoor/outdoor seating opened earlier this year. The rooftop bar is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5pm until 11pm and Friday/Saturday from 5pm until Midnight. It’s closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Hook & Reel- Wheaton

Hook & Reel is open at 11160 Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton, located between Party City and the old Bar Louie.  The menu consists of clams, crawfish, black/New Zealand mussels, shrimp, snow crab legs, Dungeness crab, lobster, King crab legs, blue crabs, scallops, calamari, and more. This is Hook & Reel’s second Montgomery County location, the other being in Gaithersburg. The first Hook & Reel Restaurant was opened in Lanham, Maryland in 2013. The restaurant chain has seen a massive expansion with over 20 current locations and 30 new locations on the way across the country. Feature photo courtesy of the Hook & Reel Wheaton Facebook.

Ikura Asian Sushi- Gaithersburg

Ikura Asian Sushi at 18212 Flower Hill Way (Flower Hill Shopping Center) in Gaithersburg held its grand opening on March 25. It replaces Hunan Best, which was in that location for the last 30 years. Ikura Asian Sushi features Japanese themed cuisine and is owned by Micky Zheng, who is also the owner of Micky’s Chinese Restaurant at 18204 Contour Rd in Gaithersburg. The menu includes sushi, bobba tea, hibachi, noodle soup, and more.

Jongro BBQ- Wheaton

Jangro opened its long-awaited Wheaton mall location in February. The restaurant is known for its wide variety of cuts that are not  found in most other Korean restaurants. According to their website, their “beef and pork are produced with only natural feeds.” Jongro took over the location that was going to be home to Tilted Kilt a few years back, near DSW and the UPS store.

Josephine Gluten Free Bakery – Bethesda

Josephine Gluten Free Bakery officially opened on October 22 at 4927A Saint Elmo Ave in Bethesda. The bakery specialize in gluten-free, savory, and sweet waffles and pastries. Josephine also offers a wide range of gluten-free dishes, snacks, drinks, and coffee. The treats at Josephine are made with exclusive gluten-free recipes, using ancient grains and flours, organic ingredients, and robust flavors and textures, according to its website. The product mix is strictly made in a 100% gluten-and allergen-free facilities for the safety of our customer highly sensitive customers.

Junction Bakery & Bistro- Chevy Chase 

Junction Bakery & Bistro, an American bistro boasting fresh-baked breads and pastries, unique and flavorful breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner offerings, is now open at 5471 Wisconsin Ave Suite 206B in Chevy Chase. The restaurant opened its first location in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, VA and has since opened another location in Capitol Hill. Per the Junction Bakery website: “Our simple food paired with homemade breads and baked goods makes our kitchen an extension of your kitchen. Whether you are grabbing Commonwealth Joe espresso and a pastry to go on your way to work or stopping in for lunch or dinner with friends, you will find a warm, comfortable and beautiful environment to welcome you.” Featured photo courtesy of Junction Bakery on Instagram.

Kong Dog Korean Corn Dogs- Glenmont

The Korean corn dog restaurant has been opening up shop across the country and the location at 12335 Georgia Ave in Glenmont is the chain’s first Maryland MoCo location. It is located at the storefront that was previously home to El Encanto, next to Subway. The menu offers unique corn dog combinations that include churro kong dogs, rainbow kong dogs (made with what looks to be Fruity Pebbles), ramen kong dogs, and a lot more.

Kumbia- Rockville

Kumbia, a South American restaurant focusing on cuisine from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador, is open at 100 B Gibbs Street in Rockville Town Square, the former location of Spice Xing.  “We are excited to bring a unique Latin offering, to include exciting cocktails, beloved dishes and live music inspired by the variety of cuisines that represent South American food culture,” said Steven Tobar, co-owner of Kumbia. “We look forward to joining the diverse collection of restaurants that make the neighborhood a great community dining destination.”
Photo courtesy of Kumbia’s Facebook page.

Kung Fu Tea- Gaithersburg

The former Tutti Frutti at 200 Kentlands Boulevard in Gaithersburg transitioned into Kung Fu Tea in March. The store is connected to neighboring restaurant, Bonchon. It has been offering both Tutti Frutti and Kung Fu Tea products, but in January we were told that it will be transitioning to be only a Kung Fu Tea in the coming weeks. Kung Fu Tea is a bubble tea beverage franchise headquartered in New York. It was founder in 2010 and the company has over 250 locations across the U.S., including one less than 3 miles away in Rio. Kung Fu Tea is also opening a new location in Olney.

Kusshi- Silver Spring

Kusshi, a popular sushi restaurant in Pike & Rose, opened a new location called Kusshi.ko in Downtown Silver Spring, taking over the location that was formerly occupied by Gusto in Downtown Silver Spring (8512 Fenton Street). Originally going to be called Kusshi Ko., the restaurant dropped the “ko” from its name due to approval issues with the signage. This location will have a similar, but slightly more limited, menu as Kusshi in Pike & Rose. Kusshi’s Arlington location opened this summer at 1201 S Joyce St. A Vienna location is also planned for later this year.

Lapu Lapu – Gaithersburg

Lapu Lapu at 216 Market St W. in Gaithersburg held their soft opening on June 5.  The new restaurant is 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.

About: “Chef Ja’s dream has always been to bring the Philippines to you, one dish at a time. He kicked off his first concept, Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly, in Rockville, Maryland which spotlights the famous Cebu-style Lechon belly. After receiving recognition and many accolades, he now wishes to help start your day off right with Filipino breakfast to go!

The question you should really be asking is WHO is Lapu Lapu? The name Lapu Lapu takes reference from a national hero of the Philippines. Lapu Lapu and his warriors famously defied and defeated the foreign invaders (such as Ferdinand Magellan) who were seeking to colonize the Philippines back in April of 1521. This was called the Battle of Mactan, which occured in the Visayas where our Chef/Owner Javier was born. Inspired by Lapu Lapu’s great feat, Chef Javier set his heart on a mission to help everyone win their own battles each and every day – starting with breakfast, the most important meal of the day!”

Ladurée Paris – Bethesda

Ladurée Paris, located at 4808 Bethesda Ave, is now open. 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 is located in the space 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 also features chocolates, pastries, teas and more.

La Pizza- Derwood

La Pizza recently opened at 17609 Redland Rd in Derwood. The location was recently home to California Bistro and previously home to Hungry Howie’s, a popular pizza chain that operated one of its MoCo restaurants in Derwood for many years. La Pizza is owned and operated by MoCo resident Ali Zaidi, who has over 30 years experience in the restaurant industry primarily in the Baltimore area. He was recently the mind behind BITES food court in Langley Park, bringing together multiple restaurants like Charley’s Cheesesteaks, Halal the Rice Bowl, Mini’s Pizza, Smoothie Fresh, and La Cantina Bites Bar to form a food hall just across the MoCo border in Prince George’s County.
Zaidi tells us he’s excited to have the opportunity to do good things in MoCo. The menu remains large (seen below) and offers pizza, wings, sandwiches, salads, dinner entrees and more. He plans to add tables to offer the option of dining in, something that hasn’t previously been available at the location. A brand new computer system has also been installed to ensure order accuracy, something Zaidi tells us is very important to him.

Lazzaro’s Authentic Italian Deli- Montgomery Mall (Bethesda)|

Update: Lazzaro’s has permanently closed.
Lazzaro’s Authentic Italian Deli is now open in the Montgomery Mall Food Court, located in the space recently occupied by Big Al’s Sub Shop. The restaurant features imported cold cuts that are cut fresh daily, homemade meatballs, cannolis, and more. Owner Larry tells us his family owned Lucia’s Deli on University Blvd in Wheaton back in the 80’s. The business was eventually sold and the company became what is now Mama Lucia’s. He’s wanted to open a deli for as long as he can remember and felt the food court location was a good fit. He plans to bring the same work ethic and authenticity that has mother brought to Lucia’s when he was growing up. enu items have pop culture inspired names like the Donnie Brasko, Frank Sinatra, and the Joe Pesci Pizza Steak.

Luchador Bar & Eats- Burtonsville

Luchador Bar & Eats is now open in the former bar space of Chapala Tex-Mex Grill at 15530 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. The lucha libre themed cantina, a new concept by the owners of Chapala, is now open for fast casual dine in and carryout, according to social media posts. Chapala permanently closed on February 15. Photo courtesy Luchador’s Facebook page.

MacGuffins Bar- Bethesda (Montgomery Mall)

MacGuffins Bar opened earlier this summer inside of AMC Theaters at Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda). MacGuffins is AMC’s in-house bar that offers beer, wine, and mixed drinks to moviegoers. According to AMC, “the term “macguffin,” coined by Alfred Hitchcock, refers to a plot device that propels a movie forward. Our specialty cocktails, craft beers and premium wines will be just the thing to turn this movie experience into a story worth remembering.” AMC theater opened in Montgomery Mall on March 2nd, 2022, replacing ArcLight, but MacGuffins Bar had remained dark. ArcLight announced back in April of 2021 that due to losses during the pandemic, it would not be reopening any of its locations, including the one at Montgomery Mall.
Featured photo is a stock photo of MacGuffins Bar

Macondo Food Express – Gaithersburg 

Macondo Food Express opened in September at 811 Russell Ave in Gaithersburg. The Colombian restaurant has taken the space that was formerly home to Perroloco (also Colombian), which closed in the spring of 2020. The menu offers items such as empanadas, pastel de yuca, a variety of arepas, twice-fried smashed green plantains, meat skewers, many different types of perros calientes (hotdogs), burgers, and a lot more. The restaurant is currently offering 10% off of your first order if you order online.

Malia’s Kitchen- Bethesda (Montgomery Mall)

Malia’s Kitchen held the grand opening of its new Montgomery Mall food court location on Thursday, September 1. Malia’s is taking over the space that was previously occupied by Lazzaro’s Authentic Italian Deli and Big Al’s Sub Shop. Malia’s Kitchen serves soul food and seafood, which they describe as the best “homemade” down home cooking in the DMV. Items on their menu includes crab cakes, fried chicken, fried fish, and BBQ.

Mandalay- Silver Spring (Reopened)

Popular Burmese restaurant Mandalay reopened at 930 Bonifant Street in Silver Springon July 15.

Mandalay Customers

We did it! We’re ready to REopen and serve your favorite meals. You’ve been waiting too long for this, so here it is. We’ll be REopening our doors on July 15th YEAH, with our Grand Opening scheduled for August 13 and 14. Please call us at

301-250-4078 for reservation. ( only for the Grand Opening )

We can’t wait to see all of you again and thank you SO very much for all your support.

Mandalay 
930 Bonifant Street
Silver Spring MD 20910

Mandalay first announced in 2019 that it would be moving to a new location in Washington, DC., but and closed the restaurant in Silver Spring on October 31 of 2021.

Mexicue- Bethesda

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 opened its MoCo location on Tuesday, June 7th. The menu features tacos, bowls, shareable platters, margaritas and weekend brunch.
Per Mexicue:
“It all started with a passion for real, made-from-scratch cooking in a food truck that traversed Manhattan and Brooklyn, embracing the vibrant culture of the city. Today, Mexicue has evolved into a restaurant — and lively bar scene — that does things a little differently than the other guys. A little more boldly, and with a lot more flavor and fun.

Miss Toya’s Creole House- Silver Spring

Miss Toya’s Creole House is now open at 923 Ellsworth Dr in Silver Spring. Menu items include Catfish & Grits, Garlic Butter Clams, Gumbo, Jambalaya, Oysters, Rib Eye, and Seafood Po Boy. According to a post on the restaurant’s Instagram page, “Downtown Silver Spring, are you ready for the heat? Miss Toyas Creole House is finally open. It’s time for some great southern creole food, incredible drinks, friendly vibes, and a good time. Who’s ready? Miss Toyas is finally here. Let’s eat.” Back in July we reported that Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen will be taking over the space recently occupied by BGR at 229 Boardwalk in Rio. We’re told the Rio location will be a fast-casual restaurant, while Miss Toya’s Creole Kitchen in Downtown Silver Spring is full-service (wait staff, etc.).
Miskiri is the founder and owner of Miskiri Hospitality Group, which describes itself as a unique collective of Black, family and woman-owned products and restaurants in the DC area. The group’s restaurants include Creole on 14th and Po Boy Jim’s in DC, as well as Suga & Spice, listed as coming soon to Hyattsville. Miskiri told Source of the Spring last year that “Miss Toya’s is the sister restaurant to my full-service restaurant, Creole on 14^th, the reason behind it being to expand on Creole and Cajun food” and  “The diversity and the body of language that that cuisine presents is so large that I knew that I could something similar, but totally different at the same time,” and that he’s “just really excited to bring that Cajun-Creole flair and twist to the neighborhood.”

MiyaJi Kebab & Rumali Rolls- Gaithersburg

MiyaJi Kebab & Rumali Rolls is now open at 674 Quince Orchard Road, the location that was home to Pho Eatery in Gaithersburg’s Quince Orchard Plaza. MiyaJi is being opened by the same owners as Commonwealth Indian at 11610 Old Georgetown Rd in Pike & Rose. Pho Eatery and neighboring/sister restaurant Urban Crawfish closed permanently in September of 2021. Taco Bamba is expected to open in the Urban Crawfish space this summer.

Moe’s Southwest Grill – Montgomery Village

Moe’s Southwest Grill is now open at 19222 Montgomery Village Ave in the Montgomery Village Center. Back in March the restaurant gave away free burritos for a year to 25 customers as part of its grand opening celebration. Currently the only other Moe’s in Montgomery County is located in the Westfield Wheaton Food Court.

My Cup Runneth Over Southern Cuisine – Gaithersburg 

My Cup Runneth Over Southern Cuisine is now open at 8405 Snouffer School Rd in Gaithersburg. The restaurant is located at the former site of Jazzy Seafood. My Cup Runneth Over had previously been running a food truck at 9801 Centerway Rd in Montgomery Village. The restaurant is currently open Tuesday-Thursday 11am to 7pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-8pm, and Sunday 11am-6pm. According to their website, “Established in 2010, we started out in Jackson, MS where​ we owned a coffee shop/bakery & our Downtown location was full scale. We relocated back to Maryland in 2016 where we now cater & operate a mobile food truck. We specialize in southern Soul Food; Smoked BBQ ribs, Fried catfish, pulled pork, shrimp po-boy, buffalo wings, fried chicken, mac n cheese, collard greens, candied yams, bbq baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw a variety of cakes & desserts.”

Naz’s Halal- Germantown & Rockville

Naz’s Halal is now open at 13025 Wisteria Drive in Germantown and at 1040 Rockville Pike in Edmonston Crossing in Rockville. Naz’s menu includes rice platters, sandwiches, gyros, wings, salads, and more. The New York based chain is also planning to open in Takoma Park (7653 New Hampshire Ave) and White Oak (11209 New Hampshire Ave). We will post opening information for those locations as soon as it becomes available.

Olney Crab House- Olney

Approximately 2.5 years after we first reported that Olney Crab House was coming to Olney, the restaurant finally opened earlier this month. It’s located at 18200 Georgia Avenue, the former site of the Olney Tavern in the Hillcrest Center in Olney. We are told the menu will consist of “steamed crab, steamed shrimp, crab soup, and a lot more.” For a little background, renovations on the building began in the summer of 2020. The previous owners ended up backing out at some point in 2021, and the building remained dormant until the new tenants took over. In February, we were informed by the property management of the center that new owners had recently taken over the lease. It didn’t take long for them to get everything ready, as the restaurant is now open.

On Top – Rockville

On Top, a new restaurant offering Korean and Japanese fusion cuisine, opened its stall in October at Pike Kitchen food hall in Rockville (1066 Rockville Pike). The restaurant has shared photographs of yubu, which is a fried tofu pocket filled with rice and various toppings “On Top.” Our featured photo, courtesy of @ontop_pike on Instagram, shows Masago, Spicy Crab, Spicy Pork, Spicy Chicken, Unagi (Eel), and Mentaiko Mayo yubu. Donburi, a Japanese rice bowl dish consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients served together over rice, is also on the menu. We do not have a website for the restaurant at this moment.

OTC Bar & Grille (formerly Olde Towne Cafe)- Gaithersburg

OTC Bar & Grille is now open in the former Olde Towne Cafe restaurant space at 226 E Diamond Ave in Gaithersburg, as well as the adjacent space that was previously home to Diamond Drugs. Last year the owners of the Olde Towne Cafe knocked down the wall that separates the two locations to create the new restaurant/bar space. Olde Towne Cafe has been a staple in Olde Towne Gaithersburg for decades, serving pancakes, waffles, and breakfast platters, as well as lunch sandwiches. The new restaurant features many favorites from the Old Towne Cafe’s menu, and will also be open for dinner and serve alcohol once the restaurant is open for dine-in customers.

Pama Thai – Potomac

Pama Thai is now open at the former Wine Harvest location at 12525 Park Potomac Ave B. The new Thai restaurant comes from the owners of Kruba Thai, which has a location at 301 Water St. near Nationals Park in Washington, DC. Their menu offers traditional Thai dishes, but we are told will not offer sushi like DC”s Kruba Thai (aside from one appetizer roll). The menu offers a variety of appetizers ranging from $7-$13, that includes chicken satay, chive dumplings, curry puffs, and more. Pama signature dishes range from $18-$20, and include pineapple fried rice (featured photo), clay pot shrimp, crispy eggplant, and more. Entrees, curries, noodles, and fried rice dishes all come in at $15 a piece, and four different desserts are available, ranging from $5.95-$9.95.

Paris in Town- Bethesda

Paris in Town, a French bakery and Cafe based in Florida is located at 4903 Cordell Avenue in the spot that was formerly home to Smashburger, Fuse Taco, and more.  According to its website they offer, “Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Homemade soups, Crepes and Pastries, Cafe au Lait, Espresso, Organic Teas. Imported Wine and Cheese, Escargots, Salads and Sandwiches, Smoked Salmon, European beers, Cappuccino, and a lot more.” Paris in Town has its only other location in N. Palm Beach, Florida.

PizzaTBD (Ensemble)- Bethesda

Pizza TBD, a new pizza concept from Steve Salis and Catalog restaurants (Ted’s Bulletin, Federalist Pig), is now available from Ensemble Digital Kitchen at 4856 Cordell Ave in Bethesda. Pizza TBD serves a hybrid style pizza that combines the light and airy texture of Roman-style pizza with the pan cooking technique synonymous with Detroit Style pizza. Ensemble is a digital food hall that serves top selling menu items from several Catalogue restaurants, including the Michelin Bib Gourmand winning concepts Honeymoon Chicken and Federalist Pig, that can be mixed and matched, and are all made in one kitchen.  Food from Ensemble is only available for pickup or delivery and can be ordered through their mobile app and at www.ensemble.co.  Ensemble opened in March 2021. 

“We look forward to the launch of Pizza TBD, expanding the already wide range of options that our guests have to choose from when they order at Ensemble,” said Steve Salis, founder & CEO of the Catalogue house of consumer brands. “One of our values is the spirit of discovery, we never want to stop experimenting, creating and elevating our items to make them better. We wanted to tap into our roots and provide an authentic pizza product using unique methods and natural ingredients to bring a premium experience at an approachable price point. This isn’t your average slice.”

Pizza Rosa – Gaithersburg

Pizza Rosa, a pop-up pizza shop located inside of Open Hand Pasta & Provisions (220 Girard St. Suite B) in Gaithersburg, opened in October. Open Hand, who are a staple at local farmers markets, specialize in handmade Italian foods like pasta, cheeses, bread, sauces, and desserts.  The new store eventually plans to sell beer and wine and has a hearing with the Montgomery County ABS scheduled for next month. Open Hand’s hours are 12-9pm Tuesday through Sunday, and Pizza Rosa is available each day after 4pm.

According to their website, “Our pizza is built for what we do – carryout and delivery.  It has a thicker crust than what you might find in most pizza shops, but not as thick as a pan pie.  We mix our dough by hand and use a slow fermentation at room temperature to make a light and airy crust.  Of course we only use the best ingredients available – spring water, artisan flours, organic san marzanos, mediterranean sea salt, and the mozz that we make daily.  Our not so secret ingredient is the nixtamal we make from local corn. We add a little nixtamal to the dough for flavor, nutrition, and to help it hold up better in a box. Please don’t ask silly questions like what style pizza this is (Neopolitan, Roman, Detroit, NY, NJ, Chicago, Sicilian, etc). Imitation is is best left to chains and hacks. This is pizza OUR style – you won’t find it anywhere else.”

Planta (vegan) – Bethesda

Upscale plant-based restaurant Planta, which features a menu by Chef David Lee, is open at 4910 Elm St at Bethesda Row, in the location formerly occupied by Cafe Deluxe (Cafe Deluxe closed permanently back in March of last year). Planta was founded in 2016 and currently has several locations in Florida, New York, and Toronto. The Bethesda Row location seats approximately 140 people inside, as well as an additional 50 people on an outdoor patio, per the restaurant’s January press release. Menu items include various ceviche dishes, plant-based sushi, Baja Mushroom Tacos, Poke Bowls, dumplings, pizzas, a selection of burgers, wraps and pastas, and more.

The Pretzel Bakery- Potomac

Back in November we let you know that The Pretzel Bakery, which opened it’s DC location at 257 15th Street SE in DC back in 2012, was coming to Cabin John Village in Potomac. The bakery opened in April and is located in the space formerly occupied by the Hair Cuttery at 7961 Tuckerman Ln. According to its website, the Pretzel Bakery serves small batch, hand-rolled, Philadelphia-style soft pretzels fresh-out-of-the-oven all day.  In addition to traditional pretzels, they also sell pretzel dogs, pretzel calzones, stuffed pretzel “bombs”, and pretzel sliders.

Pollo Campero – Gaithersburg

Pollo Campero at 426 N Frederick Rd (former site of of KFC) held its grand opening on September 15. This location replaced the one previously located inside Lakeforest Mall. The company has additional Montgomery County locations in Takoma Park and Wheaton. The Downtown Silver Spring location closed in December, 2021.

Pupuseria Mama Emilia- Rockville

Pupuseria Mama Emilia at 785-H Rockville Pike in the Ritchie Center is now open at the location that was formerly home to Dokiya Ramen and Pho 95. Pupuseria Mama Emilia comes to you from the owners of Pupuseria La Familiar, which has locations in Beltsville, College Park, Falls Church (Virginia), and Wheaton in MoCo and boast of Mama Emilia’s family recipe. The menu at the existing restaurants consists of a variety of beverages, Pupusas, soups, and a multitude of Salvadoran dishes.

Qdoba- Gaithersburg

The fast-casual burrito chain opened its newest location at 16260 Frederick Road in the location that was formerly home to Jerry’s Subs and Pizza  this past February. Qdoba has two other Montgomery County locations– one on Rollins Ave in Rockville and another on Tech Road in Silver Spring.

Q’Padre Cantina- Wheaton

Q’Padre Cantina is now open at 2312 Price Avenue in Wheaton. The location was formerly home to El Equetzal and Hollywood East Cafe prior to its move to Wheaton Mall. The restaurant offers Mexican cuisine and has received a already review stating the following, “Gorgeous interior, generous margaritas and really delicious food.” on a Montgomery County restaurant support group.

Quickway Japanese Hibachi – Olney

Located at 3116 Olney Sandy Spring Rd, the space formerly home to Fashion Cleaners in the Shoppes of Olney shopping center, between CVS and Bubbles Hair Salon, Quickway describes itself as bringing the Teppanyaki cooking technique to a quick service restaurant setting with cooked to order hibachi dishes. This is the regional chain’s sixth MoCo location, with over 30 restaurants across the DMV. The latest MoCo location opened just under a year ago in Stone Mill Square (Korean Korner shopping center).

Restaurant 198- Burtonsville

Restaurant 198 at 15540 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville, the former location of Seibel’s, opened on March 27. The restaurant offers “Nuevo American” food and will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as cocktails. Some of the menu items include Texas French Toast, Beef Picadillo Breakfast Tacos, Oysters, and Honey Marinated Buttermilk Fried Chicken.  “198 is the intersection of food & community. Our Nuevo American Menu is fun, relaxed and a fresh perspective on American-ish cuisine. We are not just a restaurant, 198 is a neighborhood connector and lively familiar spot served with a spoonful of nostalgia. Think: All-Day Nuevo-American flavors, unique cocktails, and Burtonsville energy. 198 is brought to you by Centrado Food Group as a family-owned company focused on providing quality customer service every day to become our customers favorite place to eat and drink.  We will provide support for our team and encourage them to be self-starters.  We will always work to source ingredients from local suppliers and work with vendors, musicians, and artists from our community.”

Roaming Rooster- Pike & Rose

The grand opening for Roaming Rooster at 11586 Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda was held on June 21. The Pike & Rose location is Roaming Rooster’s first restaurant in Maryland and Montgomery County, and 9th overall. The company has also announced plans to open a Gaithersburg location later this year. We’re told an official announcement on the exact location will be made once the previous tenant has completely vacated. In addition to its famous buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches, the 1,843 square-foot restaurant also serves homemade frozen custard scoops and hand-spun milkshakes and says it anticipates employing up to 30 people there.
About:
The Black-owned, Washington-based business started in 2015 as a food truck operating in the District and opened its first brick-and-mortar in 2018. Having won a RAMMY for the “Hottest New Sandwich Shop” in 2021, an award presented by The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) to honor the exceptional
accomplishments of the region’s restaurants and food service community, Roaming Roosters’ recipes are sure to
spark an appetite in every lover of fried chicken.

Sabor Express Grill – Silver Spring

The Sabor Express Grill food truck is now open at 9336 Georgia Avenue (Exxon parking lot) in Silver Spring. The truck is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am-7pm. Menu items include tacos, pupusas, and carne asada,  cheesesteaks, and a variety of different styles of fries. “We are two Honduran families with four beautiful daughters and have lived in Wheaton for many years. Through hard work and passion to cook we were able to start our business with authentic Latin flavor.

Saints Row Brewing/Hallowed Grounds Coffee- Gaithersburg

Saints Row Brewing is now open at 15 Fulks Corner Ave, Suite 101, the former site of Brawling Bear Brewery. Saints Row was previously located on Taft St. in Rockville.  The new location gives Saints Row twice the brewing capacity than at their previous location, as well as a “more robust customer experience with enhanced and improved taproom functionality.” The breweries expansion will include wholesale distribution throughout Montgomery County.  Like their previous location, they will have a rotating schedule of food trucks and special events.
The brewery also purchased additional space in the new building to launch Hallowed Grounds Coffee Co, a boutique coffee roaster and cafe. They tell us, “our production team will be focused on small batch artisanally roasted coffee. We will be providing a range of regions and roast profiles, as well as experimenting with new and unique processes such as barrel aging green and roasted coffee. Working together with the brewery, we have high hopes for packaging cold brew to stock our shelves. Our small scale flexibility will also allow us to offer custom blends and roasts for customers.”

Scratch Kitchen- Olney

Scratch Kitchen is now open at 18062 Georgia Ave in Olney.  At the start of 2022, owner Bernie Rousseau decided she would lease the space formerly occupied by CB Acai for her daughter, who shared Bernie’s passion of cooking, to operate starting April– when the restaurant initially hoped to open. Tragedy struck, as Bernie’s daughter passed away on February 1st– the same day Bernie got the keys to the new location. The decision was made to push forward and continue with the plans to open the the restaurant to create a legacy for her daughter and two younger children. Bernie was planning a funeral and putting a restaurant together. She continued to forge ahead while grieving– ordering signage and restaurant equipment. “It was like so arrived at my destination and lost my why.”,  she told us. She decided she was going to make the most of this tragic situation– creating jobs, bringing healthier food to the community, using local products, and opening a place the community is proud of.

The Scoop- Potomac

The Scoop at 7909 Tuckerman Ln in Potomac (the former Baskin-Robbins location in Cabin John Village), held its grand opening on August 24. The creamery is being opened by Timothy and Mitch Ryoo, Potomac natives and Winston Churchill High School Graduates (2010 and 2006). The Scoop is open 11am-9pm Sunday through Thursday and 11am-10pm Friday and Saturdays. The Scoop will feature 24-30 permanent flavors and 8-10 seasonal options (photo of their current selections below). All of the ice cream is made in house with natural ingredients, staying away from products like simple syrup. The owners tell us they are working with local distributors and are in talks with local farms to purchase ingredients from.

Seventh State- Bethesda

Located in the Bethesda Marriot, Seventh State offers a locally curated menu with items such as the Panuozzo, a wood-fired folded sandwich handmade with pizza dough and locally sourced ingredients. Floor-to-ceiling retractable glass walls open seasonally to outdoor seating, while a custom Italian wood-fire oven clad in bronze is a focal point of the open kitchen indoors. Per Marriot, “Seventh State features indoor and outdoor seating and approachable cuisine with Mediterranean influences. With a custom designed Italian open hearth oven, crisp and delicious pizzas are our specialty. Open for breakfast and dinner only.”

Sharetea- Germantown

Sharetea, a bubble tea cafe located at 13012 Middlebrook Road in Germantown Commons opened on March 6. The international bubble tea brand was established in Taiwan in 1992 and has since grown to over 300 stores worldwide. The Germantown location is the chain’s first Montgomery County location and first in Maryland.

Shouk – Bethesda 

Back in April 2021, Shouk announced that it would be opening two new locations this fall– one in Westwood Shopping Center in Bethesda, and another in Rockville’s Montrose Shopping Center. The Rockville location opened in November and the newest location at 5436 Westbard Avenue in the Westwood shopping center is now open and you can view the menu or place an order here. Shouk’s offerings include stuffed pitas, homemade veggie burgers (known as “Shouk Burgers”), eggplant burgers, mushroom shawarma, different flavors of hummus, salads with mediterranean ingredients, plant based side dishes (shouk’n nuggets, red lentil soup, cashew labneh), desserts, and more.

Shouk is best known for its plant-based, Kosher street food. Per their website, their menu is “Inspired by the bold flavors of the world’s liveliest street markets, we craft our food from real ingredients you can pronounce. Fresh vegetables, beans, grains, and lots of spices.”

Sides BBQ & Catering- Derwood

Sides BBQ & Catering will be holding its soft opening this weekend from 11am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday.  Sides is a “ghost kitchen” operating inside of Sam’s Pizza at 15855 Redland Rd in Derwood.  The restaurant tells us, “Chef Jackson loves BBQ, loves to cook, and was frustrated with good entrees that came with lackluster sides. It’s as if restaurants put all their focus on the meat and the sides get whatever time is left. We treat everyone equally! Our SIDES are part of the main cast and not just understudies!”
Sides will be available for pick up, curbside, and delivery. The menu features fried fish, fried chicken, pork chops, ribs and pulled pork. Side dishes include candied yams, garlic mashed potatoes, baked beans, mac & cheese, and green beans & cabbage.

South Block- Pike & Rose

South Block, a smoothie and juice bar best known for their acai bowls, has opened in the space that was formerly occupied by the Residences At Pike & Rose leasing office, right next to the recently opened Call Your Mother Deli (The leasing office has moved to the spot formerly occupied by Nava Health.)

Along with their acai bowls, South Block offers other fruit and vegetable-based bowls, a range of smoothies, and cold pressed juices. They currently have eleven locations throughout DC and Virginia– their Pike & Rose spot will be their first location in Maryland. In addition to their brick and mortar locations, South Block has an online storefront where they sell pre-blended smoothie bowl kits that they deliver throughout the continental United States. South Block places an emphasis on giving back and doing good– they donate a portion of all juice sales to Fruitful Planet, an organization created by South Block’s founder that brings fruits and vegetables to underserved communities. Per their website, they also use organic, fair trade acai in order to help fight deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest.

Starbucks- Montgomery Village

The brand new Starbucks in the Montgomery Village Shopping Center opened for business on Thursday, August 25. The Starbucks is located at the former site of the Montgomery Village Denny’s at 19290 Montgomery Village Ave.

Suki Hana- Montgomery Mall & Wheaton Mall

Suki Hana has opened up locations in both the Montgomery and Wheaton mall food courts, although the two locations appear to have completely different menus. The Montgomery Mall kiosk menu features sushi, rolls, salads, and bowls. Selections include Spicy Tuna Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Black Dragon Roll, Seaweed Salad, and Green Poke Bowl. The Wheaton Mall location features chicken, beef, and shrimp Teryaki platters, as well as fried dumplings and tempura.

The signage at the Montgomery Mall location originally referred to the restaurant as “Sarku Hana,” but was quickly updated to ‘Suki Hana’, since there is no connection between the restaurant and Sarku Japan, which is also located in the Montgomery Mall food court.

Sweet Block- Colesville

Sweet Block at 24 Vital Way in Silver Spring (Colesville) held its grand opening on Monday, October 17.  Sweet Block offers tropical desserts along with traditional treats only found in the streets of various Latin countries. The “one stop dessert shop” will feature Latin food, art, and culture from countries such as Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Peru. Some of the menu items include Mangonadas, Esquites (corn in a cup), in-house ice cream, carved/prepared fruits, and juices/smoothies. Sweet Block originally planned planned to open in the fall of 2021, according to the initial opening announcement in June of 2021, but had to deal with a few delays in the last year. The dessert spot posted the following on social media regarding the opening: “We are finally excited to announce our grand opening date. It was a long journey but we know one thing for sure; Gods timing is always perfect. Thank you for patiently waiting! Grand opening date: Monday, October 17th!  Hello Tropical State of Mind ”

Tacombi- Bethesda

Tacombi is now open at 4749 Bethesda Ave. in downtown Bethesda. Tacombi got its start in 2006 selling tacos in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico after they purchased a 1963 Volkswagen bus and converted it into a food stand. The restaurant made its move to New York in 2010. The menu features tacos, quesadillas, and burritas (their take on burritos). The website states, “prepared from scratch everyday, Tacombi takes the diversity of home-style Mexican cuisine from its distinct culinary regions and serves it up in the simplicity of a taco.”

Terra Mare- Wheaton

Angel Mendoza, who was the chef behind the recently closed Baronessa in Rockville and Angel’s Pizza and Pasta in Wheaton Mall, is back with a new restaurant. His newest venture, an Italian restaurant named Terra Mare, is located at 2504 Ennals Ave in Wheaton– the former location of Intipuqueño Restaurant.  Terra Mare features pasta, pizza, “a la parilla” which means “on the grill” and features various steaks as well as fajitas, seafood, chicken dishes, soups, and salads. The restaurant will be open Sunday-Thursday from 11am until midnight, and Friday/Saturday from 11am until 1am.

Trippy Tacos- Glenmont

Popular food truck Trippy Tacos has opened its first restaurant at 12134 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring/Glenmont.  Trippy Tacos specializes in tacos with freshly made corn tortillas, quesadillas, burritos, nachos and mulitas. The restaurant also plans to offers an expanded menu that includes breakfast (breakfast tacos, burritos and other breakfast plates), loaded nacho fries, pupusa pizza, and more.

According to Trippy Tacos, the grand opening of the restaurant coincides with the 3-year anniversary of the food truck. “It’s all come full circle. This is the first-ever restaurant location of Trippy Tacos, and we have plans to expand in the DMV,” said Chris Robles, the 26-year old Founder and Executive Chef. Chris perfected his technique for making tacos in South Central Los Angeles. His unique spin on al pastor combines family recipes with LA inspiration.

Tropical Smoothie Café – Colesville & Rockville

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is now open at 10141 Colesville Rd in Silver Spring, at the Woodmoor Shopping Center, in the space formerly occupied by Hoover-Fisher Florists., as well as at 11620 Rockville Pike, next to Pho Eatery and two stores down from Ize’s Deli and Bagelry. Tropical Smoothie’s has additional locations in Aspen Hill , Bethesda, 2 in Gaithersburg, Travilah, and White Oak. The café offers more than just smoothies as the menu contains flatbreads, wraps, quesadillas, sandwiches, bowls, breakfast, and a lot more.

True Food Kitchen- Gaithersburg

True Food Kitchen, the award-winning, seasonally-inspired restaurant and scratch bar, opened April 25 at 221 Rio Blvd, Suite 221 in Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront. This marks the second Montgomery County location (Bethesda), third Maryland location for True Food Kitchen, and the 41st nationwide. The full-service restaurant features a spacious dining room with 171 seats, an open kitchen designed to bring guests closer to the restaurant’s culinary craft and a full-service bar joining the dining room. An outdoor covered patio overlooking rio’s lake seats an additional 124 guests. A private dining room accommodates 12 guests. Natural woods and vibrant, locally inspired artwork add a contemporary touch to the restaurant’s earthy color scheme, natural elements and greenery, including indoor and outdoor garden basins filled with fresh herbs and spices. Eco-friendly materials are utilized throughout, and dining chairs are made of recycled soda bottles.

Two Hands Seoul Fresh Corn Dogs- Wheaton Mall

We first let you know that Two Hands Seoul Fresh Corn Dogs would be coming to Westfield Wheaton Mall all the way back in November, 2020. The restaurant is now officially open in Wheaton Mall (11160 Veirs Mill Rd)- it opened on April 1st. The Korean Corn Dog restaurant is located in the former Teavana space in the mall’s upper level. Two Hands currently has locations in Arizona, California, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Virginia (Centreville). Topping you can choose from include Hot Cheetos, Sweet Ranch, Rice Puffs, and Potato Cubes, as well as traditional hot dog condiments.

Underground Pizza Co.- Silver Spring

Underground Pizza Company opened at 8235 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring, the former site of Olazzo. Owner Evan Weinstein, a concert promoter and founder of Steez Promo, started Underground Pizza Company (UPC) in 2020 after concert venues in the area closed their doors due to the pandemic. Underground Pizza started selling their Detroit-style pizzas at local “pop-up” events that were marketed through social media. Costumers would pre-order pizzas and then meet at a designated location at specific times to pick up their order. UPC opened their first brick & mortar location inside of Power Plant Live! in Downtown Baltimore in December 2020. In addition to pizza, UPC serves over-stuffed sandwiches, salads, hot honey bacon, and mozzarella sticks. You can see their full menu here.

Vine Alley- Gaithersburg

Vine Alley opened at 114 Market. St in Gaithersburg, the former home of the Kentlands Wine Harvest. Vine Alley is being opened by the restaurant group that owns Brew & Barrels (also located in Kentlands), Royal Tandoor (820 Muddy Branch Rd, Gaithersburg), and Taco Daddy (Frederick and formerly at 555 Quince Orchard Rd, Gaithersburg.) The Gaithersburg Wine Harvest closed in June of 2019 after 23 years. The Park Potomac Wine Harvest closed back in November 2020.

XO Pho & Grill

XO Pho & Grill has recently joined T-swirl Crepe at 313 N Washington St in Rockville. T-swirl Crepe has been at the location since April of 2019 with XO Pho & Grill joining a few weeks back. The XO Pho & Grill menu offers unique pho pairings such as the Pho XO Live Lobster Raptor T Rex (featured photo), a dish made to be shared that includes “Live Lobster, Shrimp Balls, and Prime Beef Ribs”. The Pho XO Snow Crab Legs Prime Beef Ribs is another dish to be shared that includes “Alaska Snow Crab Legs, Shrimp Balls, Prime Beef Ribs”.

Yirasai Sushi- Potomac

Yirasai Sushi has opened their new location at 12525 Park Potomac Ave. Building G in Potomac on Friday, April 15. The restaurant is located in the space formerly occupied by Elevation Burger. Yirasai was previously located at 5110 Ridgefield Road in the Westwood Shipping Center in Bethesda.  Per the Yirasai website, “Kim’s Yirasai Sushi and Café is owned and operated by Mr. Kim. He took over the restaurant from the previous owner in 2004 and has worked hard to make Yirasai a neighborhood gem.”

Zinnia Café- Silver Spring 

Zinnia, which opened the tavern portion of its restaurant back in October, opened Zinnia Café on July 6.  The café features 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.
Per Zinnia: “The Zinnia Team is finally ready to share with you the Zinnia Cafe. Their Grand Opening is Wednesday July 6th and they will be open during the week from 8am-2pm and on the weekends from 8am-12pm. They will be serving freshly roasted Counter Culture Coffee and a full breakfast and lunch menu. Grab a cappuccino in one of their dining rooms or have a breakfast sandwich in their gardens. They have wifi throughout the entire property, and plenty of space to meet with friends or colleagues. Their full food and beverage menu is also available to go. With any questions, please reach out to [email protected]”

Below is a list of restaurants and businesses that will be coming soon to Rockville, MD
Mochinut
Mochinut, a restaurant that serves mochi donuts, Korean rice flour hotdogs, soft serve, and bubble tea drinks (menu available below), is coming to 838 Rockville Pike– the current location of Tea-Do. Tea-Do is a “contemporary tea house” that was on the early side of MoCo’s bubble tea explosion in recent years, opening in January of 2016. Mochinut offers mochi donuts, which is described as “a donut that originated from Hawaii which is a combination of American doughnuts and Japanese mochi.” Up to 25 different flavors are available, but flavors will vary by location. The Mochinut menu also consists savory treats in the form of Korean hotdogs and offers other sweet menu items like soft serve ice cream and bubble tea drinks. An opening date is not yet available.

Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken
Hangry Joe’s will be opening its latest restaurant at 718-B Rockville Pike. The chain has additional MoCo locations at 10050 Darnestown Road (previously El Mexicano) in the Travilah Square shopping center and at 2533 Ennals Ave in Wheaton. Per our previous report: In collaboration with partner, Mike Kim, the pair visited many successful Nashville-style chicken restaurants in LA, Nashville, and San Francisco, that inspired them develop their “secret chicken recipe to have the most juicy and crispy sandwich.”

Not a fan of too much spice? You’re able to choose the spice level of the fried chicken (Plain<Mild<Medium<Hot<Angry Hot). In addition to the hot chicken sandwiches, known as “Chicken Sando”, the small menu consists of chicken fingers, chicken & waffles, Korean Chicken Nuggets, loaded fries, and salad with chicken breast. Sides include cider slaw, waffle fries, and fried okra.

 Dick’s Warehouse Sale
In September we let you know that Dick’s Warehouse Sale was coming to Congressional Plaza in Rockville, taking over the space previously occupied by Saks OFF 5th, which closed in 2019, at 1675 Rockville Pike. According to its Google listing, the store will open on Friday, November 4 (after an initial opening date listed as Friday, October 28). Dick’s Warehouse Sale is an outlet/warehouse version of Dick’s Sporting Goods that offers merchandise at clearance prices. Dick’s Sporting Goods currently has Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg (Rio) and Wheaton. Per Dick’s:
“Save Big at DICK’S Sporting Goods Warehouse Sale Store
Our outlet stores have a great assortment of apparel and footwear at discounted prices. Find products from the biggest brands, including Nike, adidas, Under Armour and more. At DICK’S Sporting Goods Warehouse Sale store, we add new markdowns throughout the year, so check back often for the newest savings. For incredible prices and savings you don’t want to miss, keep checking to see if a DICK’S Sporting Goods Warehouse Sale store is opening near you!”

Grandma’s Ice Cream and Waffles
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. Grandma’s is being opened by the same owners as the “Grandma Kona’s” Kona Ice franchise in Gaithersburg/Germantown. Permanent signage was recently installed and the new ice cream shop is expected to open very soon.

Korean BBQ
A new Korean barbecue restaurant has signed on to take over the space previously occupied by Saffron Indian Cuisine at Woodmont Station in Rockville (1319 Rockville Pike), Danny Rubin of WashUrban tells us. We are told the restaurant has an existing location in Centerville, VA, but a name for the restaurant has not yet been provided. Construction is expected to begin soon with a 2023 opening likely for the restaurant. Saffron Indian Cuisine occupied the space from 2014 until it closed earlier this year in May.

Paris Baguette
Paris Baguette, “the neighborhood bakery café where communities come together over expertly crafted baked and brewed goods”, announced that the brand is on track to open a projected 40 new locations by the end of 2022, reaching nearly 150 locations across the United States and reinforcing its status as one of the fastest growing franchises in the country. One of those location will be in Rockville Town Square with another location (currently unknown) coming to the area soon, according to a report by Bethesda Magazine. The Rockville Town Square location will be located at 101 Gibbs Street and will offer Korean and French baked goods. Doors may open by the end of 2022.
In addition to the upcoming Montgomery County locations, the growth of the bakery/cafe will accelerate in 2023 with 96 slated bakery café openings and increased interest from franchise partners. Paris Baguette currently operates in 14 states with a focus on expanding to a nationwide footprint in top-tier markets through a combined strategic approach of corporate-owned and franchise locations; franchise agreements have been signed to expand across 25 states. “The increased interest we’ve seen in franchise agreements and rapid expansion through new store openings at Paris Baguette is a testament to the success we’ve seen by focusing on the elevated bakery café experience and creating an emotional connection with our guests,” said Darren Tipton, Chief Executive Officer, Paris Baguette America. “We set an aggressive goal to open 1,000 locations in the U.S. by 2030 and we’re on track to exceed this plan with strategic direction on growth, quality products, customer experience, and innovation.”

HalfSmoke
Back in August of 2020 we let you know that HalfSmoke would be opening a location in Rockville Town Square, taking over the spot that was previously  home to Pandora, American Tap Room, and Austin Grill.  The latest update we received is that the restaurant is now scheduled to open in 2023. Back in May we were told that construction and supply chain issues have been the cause for the delay. In July, HalfSmoke opened a kiosk in the Montgomery Mall food terrac. The kiosk menu consists of the best selling sausages and sides from their DC location, as well as boozy milkshakes and a funnel cake bar. HalfSmokes sister restaurant Butter Me Up opened its Montgomery Mall location in May.According to the Washington Business Journal, “the  50-employee Rockville location will be 6,000 square feet with 150 seats inside under normal capacity and seating for 30 outside. Baltimore will have 4,000 square feet, with 80 seats inside and 40 outside, and 30 employees.” HalfSmoke was the first restaurant of its kind to serve gourmet sausages via an assembly line format. Its sausages and toppings can be fully customized to create over 50,000 variations. The HalfSmoke menu also features craft beer, mac and cheese balls, tater tots, milkshakes, funnel cakes, wine, cocktails, and more.

Planet Fitness
In July we let you know that Planet Fitness will be opening a new location at 5520 Randolph Rd in Rockville (Montrose Shopping Center) in the space that was formerly occupied by Gold’s Gym. Though an opening date has not yet been set, we were told today that the current Rockville location at 1776 E Jefferson St in Federal Plaza will close when the new location opens. The new location is currently under construction.Planet Fitness currently has MoCo locations in Germantown, Rockville, and two in Silver Spring. In June, Planet Fitness at 255 Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg  announced it would no longer be open 24 hours, seven days a week.  The gym now closes on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights at 9pm and reopens the following morning.  The other MoCo locations will remain 24-7 according to a representative at the Gaithersburg gym.
Wegmans
Work continues on Twinbrook Quarter, the upcoming development located on the southwest corner of the property at Rockville Pike and Halpine Road. It includes residential, office and commercial space, and will include Montgomery County’s second Wegmans. The framework is now two stories above ground level on the side facing the Metro parking garage (photo below). Though progress continues to be made, construction on the actual Wegmans grocery store isn’t expected to begin for at least another year, according to a representative from the Germantown location.

PetWellClinic
PetWellClinic, which recently opened at 11802 Rockville Pike Suite D in Pike & Rose, will be having its grand opening party and pet costume contest on Saturday, October 29th from 3pm-5pm. The pet costume contest will involve prizes from PetWellClinic, Bark Social, Dogtopia of Bethesda, OrangeTheory, and more.
Per PetWellClinic: “Join us at our Grand Opening Party on Saturday, October 29th from 3PM to 5PM! Hang out with other pets, meet our staff, make homemade dog treats, participate in our agility course, enter costume contest, take pictures in our photo booth, and hang out with our friends from @rescuepetconnect . Prizes include daily passes to @bark_social_bethesda , ONE MONTH FREE @orangetheory, Spa service @dogtopiaofbethesda , YETI cooler, Complete dog or cat package from @petwellclinic_md and MORE! RSVP using QR code (below) and receive $25 off visit!”

The City of Rockville has announced that this Saturday’s Rocktobierfest has been cancelled due to the forecast of inclement weather. The event was scheduled to take place on October 1, from 11am-5pm at Rockville Town Center (originally scheduled to take place at RedGate Park). Last year’s Rocktobierfest was cancelled shortly before the event due to Covid-19 concerns.  There is no makeup date for the event, according to a post on the City of Rockville’s Instagram page.  The annual event attracts more than 3,000 people each year to Rockville Town Center.

Rocktobierfest was scheduled to feature two stages of entertainment, including German and rock music. Vendors that were scheduled to appear at the event included 7 Locks Brewing, Butterfly Spirits, Crooked Crab Brewing Company, Dawson’s Market, Denizens Brewing Co., Lone Oak Farm Brewing, True Respite Brewing Company, Twin Valley Distillers, Waredaca Brewing Company, and World of Beer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjGdkm4DSut/

The paddle boats at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg have decided to take advantage of the nice weather and have opened for the season.

Starting today (March 18th, 2022), they’ll be open every weekend from noon to 7pm, weather permitting.

Boats go for $20-$25 per half hour and hold up to 4 people, or 5 if one is a small child.

Washingtonian Paddle Boats was open daily during the heightened Covid-19 restrictions, but has not yet made a decision about this opening beyond the weekends for this season.

Washingtonian Paddle Boats has been in business since 2001.

Below you’ll find a list of restaurants that unfortunately closed in 2021. Please let us know of any restaurants we may have missed.

Angel’s Pizza & Pasta – Wheaton (Wheaton Mall)

Angel’s Pizza & Pasta at Wheaton Mall closed in March. The owners of Baronessa in Rockville opened the restaurant in mid-2019 in the food court of the mall.

They focused on Neapolitan style pizza and pasta dishes, which brought a unique type of cuisine to the food court.

Chef Angel Mendoza is a certified Pizzaiolo, and has spent decades honing his craft at 2Amy’s and RedRocks Pizzeria. You can still have his pizza at Baronessa on East Gude Drive in Rockville, as we were told there are no plans for it to close.

Arby’s – Rockville
The last Arby’s in MoCo, located at 11710 Rockville Pike in North Bethesda, closed in May. Originally it was announced that Shake Shack would be coming to that location but that deal apparently fell through.

Click here to read Twitter’s reaction to the closing of Arby’s.

August 32
August 32 opened its first MoCo location in October of 2019 in the Germantown Town Center. After just under two years, the restaurant had closed permanently. They specialized in “tea, tea drinks, bubble tea, and tea-related products.”

BoBaPop Tea has sine taken over the location.

Batik Dumpling Bar – Gaithersburg (Kentlands)

Batik Dumpling Bar at 200 Main St. in Gaithersburg closed this past June and the location is now home to the Grilled Oyster Company.

“Thank you for 12 wonderful years!

We’re sad to announce that our brick and mortar location is closing after our last service on Saturday, June 12, 2021. We are taking the time to redevelop our brand to deliver Bundles of Joy, our signature dumplings, in a different way. Although we plan on operating in a new capacity, our commitment to you remains unchanged.

We are grateful for the support of the community, especially the warm friendships we’ve made throughout the years. It’s been a pleasure to be a part of so many memorable milestones, such as graduations, Valentine’s Days, bridal showers, birthdays, first dates, baby showers, company holiday parties, and book club gatherings. To us, Batik has always been a home that we shared with our customers and dedicated staff. We will miss you all! But be assured we will be back soon.

In the meantime, stay tuned and connected through our website, Facebook, and Instagram.”

Bangkok Garden – Bethesda
Bangkok Garden at 4906 St Elmo Ave in Bethesda closed on August 29. The Rockville location at 891 Rockville Pike remains open.

Bangkok Garden posted the following message to their Facebook account:

“Bangkok Garden started back in 1984 by two Thai immigrants Visith and Yupin Laohapant who came to America in hopes of being able to share a part of their culture through Thai Food. Fast forward 37 years later Bangkok Garden has been proudly serving the Bethesda community. But today we are sad to announce that we will no longer be a part of this wonderful community and will be shutting down our Bethesda location.

We, the Bangkok Garden family would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the people in the community who have made our journey possible and delightful by supporting Bangkok Garden. We have seen many generations walk through this door and we couldn’t have been more grateful to have been given this opportunity.

Now it is time for us to say goodbye and move on. Our last day serving our customers will be August 29, 2021. We hope that you will continue your support at our Rockville and future locations.

With much gratitude and appreciation,
Bangkok Garden Family“

Bangkok Garden was the runner up in last year’s TasteMoco Best Thai Cuisine tournament.

Bassett’s – Poolesville (Closing December 31)
Bassett’s Fine Food & Spirits in Poolesville (19950 Fisher Ave) announced on its social media that the will cease operations on December 31. The full statement can be seen below:

“To our friends and our community –

Over the past 3 years, we have had the utmost honor of becoming part of the Poolesville community. We have done our best to support this town, and in return we have become part of the incredible family that Poolesville is so well known for.

Like so many other restaurants struggling to survive during the COVID era, we too took a hard hit in more ways than one. We have done our absolute best to keep our doors open, we have fought against all odds, including the closing of Whites Ferry, and we have appreciated all of the support of the community we have gotten. But it is with the heaviest hearts we must announce that as of December 31, 2021, Bassett’s will no longer be in business.

This has not been an easy decision to come to by any means, and we are so sorry for this devastating loss to the community. We truly cannot thank this town enough for the support over the years, and we hope that as time goes on, we will find ourselves living in a time where restaurants like Bassetts have a shot at survival. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, to each and every one of you, for being our friends, our family, our support system, and more. There truly are no words to encompass the sadness we feel making this decision. Thank you, Poolesville. We truly love you all.”

Broadway Pizza – Potomac

Broadway Pizza at 7965 Tuckerman Ln in Potomac (Cabin John Village) has announced that the shopping center has decided not to renew the restaurant’s lease. Cabin John Village is managed by the retail real estate company EDENS, who purchased the center in 2016.

Broadway Pizza’s last day is on Christmas Eve 2021.

Bump ‘n Grind – Silver Spring
Bump ‘n Grind closed its coffee shop / record store at 1200 East-West Highway in Silver Spring on May 26th.

Bump ‘n Grind has since opened a spot at the Silver Spring Library and they can also be found at Moorenko’s Ice Cream at 8030 Georgia Ave.

You can order Bump ‘n Grind coffee at bumpngrind.co

CB Açaí – Olney
CB Açaí at 18062 Georgia Avenue announced in November that they had closed their Olney storefront. They will continue to operate their catering business and food truck.

According to the owner, “CB Açaí still plans on being a major presence in the community along with the great people and partnerships we have formed. Our truck is booked for the month of November, please check out the website to where will be and what’s on the menu! Once again thank you so much for all of the support!”

Chef Tony’s St – Bethesda
Chef Tony’s at 4926 St Elmo Ave in Bethesda had it’s last day of service on May 23rd.  The closing did not come as a surprise, as the area is currently being redeveloped into apartment buildings.

The restaurant plans to reopen in a new location. In a letter on their website, the owners wrote, “some time ago, we realized this date was nearing, and we needed to see what other opportunities were out there…and we have been looking and looking at neighboring spots, trying to find the best space that would be suitable to move our business in Bethesda…and we’re happy to say we’ve found it!”

The Chef Tony’s Promenade Restaurant at 5225 Pooks Hill Road remains open.

China Gourmet Bistro – Potomac
China Gourmet Bistro at Cabin John Village (7945 Tuckerman Ln) closed in October.

This was part of the redevelopment of the shopping center that involves creating a new corridor in the middle of the center where the restaurant was located. It is not know at this time if China Gourmet Bistro will be relocating to a new location.

Curry Place – Gaithersburg
Curry Place at 385 Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg permanently closed in October. Grocery store India Bazaar, which is located next door at 383 Muddy Branch Rd, will be expanding into the space formerly occupied by the restaurant.

The Curry Place locations at 12951 Wisteria Dr in Germantown and 11229 New Hampshire Ave in White Oak are still open. The restaurant said they don’t have plans at this time to open another location in Germantown.

Elevation Burger – Potomac
The last Elevation Burger in MoCo, located at 12525 Park Potomac Ave Bldg G in Potomac, closed after 12 years in June.

Elevation Burger specializes in organic burgers and originated out of Falls Church, VA. The company uses 100% organic, grass-fed, free-range beef burgers and cook their fries in olive oil.

The chain also had a location in Germantown that closed in 2012.

Flor De Luna – Rockville 
The Peruvian/Tex-Mex restaurant at 11417 Woodglen Drive closed it’s doors after five years in business in July.

“After 5 years since we first opened our doors, it saddens us to inform that this Friday, July 23rd we will be closing our doors permanently.
We would like to thank everyone who visited us and was part of this 5 years project.
We take with us all the wonderful memories and fond moments made with new and old friends alike.
Thank you all for allowing our family be part of yours. God bless”

Fu Lin – Silver Spring
Fu Lin Restaurant, located at 2235 Bel Pre Rd in Silver Spring, closed their doors permanently in February. The restaurant listed the pandemic, as well as the owners retiring, as the reasons.

A staple at the Plaza del Mercado for many years, Fu Lin specialized in family style Cantonese cuisine.

“We are sorry to inform you that we will be closing our doors on Sunday, February 21, 2021 due to Pandemic and owners have decided to finally retire. Thank you all for your many years of support coming to enjoy our Chinese Cantonese Cuisine dining in and carry out.”

Gusto Farm to Street – Bethesda (Montgomey Mall) & Silver Spring
Gusto’s location at 8512 Fenton St. in Downtown Silver Spring and its location in Montgomeru Mall both closed in 2021.

A message on Gusto’s Facebook page read:

“We’re incredibly grateful to the Silver Spring community for supporting Gusto Farm to Street since we first opened our doors in 2015,” the Facebook post reads. “We’ve made the difficult decision to close our Silver Spring location given the ongoing challenges COVID-19 has presented us and the restaurant industry at large. We thank our loyal Silver Spring guests again for all of your support over the years! Stay safe and be well.”

Godiva- Montgomery Mall
Gourmet chocolatier Godiva closed all of its 128 U.S. retail stores in 2021, including the one located inside Westfield Montgomery Mall.

The company says its decision is directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A statement put out by Godiva’s CEO Nurtac Afridi stated, “Our brick-and-mortar locations in North America have had a clear purpose since we first opened our doors in this market, to provide an in-person experience for consumers to enjoy the world’s most exquisite chocolates,” and “We have always been focused on what consumers need and how they want to experience our brand, which is why we have made this decision.”

Haagen Dazs – Bethesda
The Bethesda Row Haagen Dazs closed on July 31. The ice cream shop, which had been there for about a decade, was replaced by a Chaia Tacos pop-up. Chaia currently has two locations in D.C. and is known for vagan tacos.

A few of the taco varieties Chaia serves include braised mushroom, kale & potato, roasted eggplant, and chipotle sweet potato hash. The menu does not feature Impossible/Beyond style meat substitutes.

Haagen Dazs has another MoCo location, also in Bethesda– at Montgomery Mall.

Honey Pig Korean BBQ – Germantown
Honey Pig Korean BBQ at 19727 Frederick Rd #1337 in Germantown closed permanently in November. The Rockville location will remain open.

Signage on the front door reads, “Honey Pig in Germantown will be permanently closing on Monday, November 29th, 2021. Please join us at our Rockville location (12015-G Rockville Pike) Thank you for your loyalty.”

Ichiban Restaurant – Gaithersburg 
Ichiban Restaurant at 637 N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg closed after over 35 years in business in September. The current owners, which took over in the business in 2005, also own two other local restaurants that will remain open, Aery and Ichiban Mikoshi Sushi, both located inside the LOTTE Market at 221 Muddy Branch Rd Gaithersburg.

The restaurant posted the following message on their website:

“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce today that our beloved Ichiban Restaurant will be closing its doors after 16 years. Ichiban has been in the Gaithersburg community since 1985 and our home since 2005. We are forever grateful and blessed by our community who have been with us since the beginning and our new customers that found us during this pandemic.

We have never felt so much love during the last year from our staff to our patrons and we will always remember how much you have supported us. We will remember the good times. The birthdays, weddings, engagements and the random meet ups you all have had here. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for trusting us in all the events we catered and the kind words that were spread on our behalf.

Though we are not at this location anymore. We are still making good food for this community. Our new restaurants, AERY and ICHIBAN MIKOSHI SUSHI are here to serve you and fulfill your Korean food and Sushi desires. Suzy, the original owner will be around, but Nicole and Jonathan will be heading up these two shops. Come in for a fresh new look and some new menu items.
Our official closing date is September 12, 2021.

Thank you again, fam. See you at our other locations. Stay safe.

xo,
-Suzy, Nicole, Jon and the ICHIBAN team
www.aeryfood.com
www.ichibanmikoshi.com
@aery.food”

Krazy Steve’s – Silver Spring 
Krazy Steve’s was the purple restaurant that took over the old location of Armand’s pizza in Silver Spring, at 1909 Seminary Rd, around two years ago.

Krazy Steve told us earlier this year that he hopes to relocate and that they were looking into potential locations in the Rockville area.

The restaurant was owned by MoCo native Stephen Adelson, who also owns multiple Carnivore BBQ food trucks. Krazy Steve’s is described as a “neighborhood joint” that offers bbq, mac-n-cheese, salads, pizza, and more.

Light House Tofu & BBQ – Rockville 
Light House Tofu & BBQ on Twinbrook Pkwy in Rockville closed in March after approximately 15 years of being in business.

The restaurant focused on traditional Korean cooking, ranging from BBQ ribs to specialty tofu stews.

Little Caesars Pizza – Briggs Chaney 
The Little Caesars Pizza at 13801 Outlet Dr in Briggs Chaneyhas closed in June.

The “hot n ready” pizza chain, which is the third largest in the United States, had multiple Montgomery County locations in the late eighties and early 90’s but all had closed by 1998.

Little Caesars franchises started opening back up in the area in 2010 and currently has MoCo locations in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park. There was a location in Wheaton for several years but that has gone out of business as well.

Lolli & Pops – Bethesda (Montgomery Mall)
Candy and gift store Lolli & Pops closed its location in Montgomery Mall this past April has since been replaced by OFFLINE by Aerie.

According to its website, “OFFLINE by Aerie is activewear for your REAL life! These leggings, sports bras, tops, workout dresses, skirts and more are made for movement. Soft is in our DNA: these pieces are made with the softest, luxe fabrics. OFFLINE is created for real good, too—so we offer pieces made with sustainable fabrics which support causes we care about. Good for you, good for the world!”

Mandalay – Silver Spring
Burmese restaurant Mandalay at 930 Bonifant Street in Silver Spring permanently closed the location on October 31.

The closing of this location had been expected for several years as Mandalay first announced in 2019 that they were moving to a new location in Washington, DC.

Their new location at 7302 Georgia Avenue is expected to open in 2022.

Mandalay posted the following message on their Facebook page on Friday:

“As many things in life at some point things has to come to an end! With hearts full of emotions and sadness we have to announce the bad news about Mandalay!Sad to say that the end of Mandalay at this location will be coming to an end! October 31st will be the end of Mandalay at 930 Bonifant St, Silver Spring, MD 20910. The past 20 years has been nothing short of a blessing for the family and so many things to be thankful for. First and foremost the amazing customers that supported us from day one are actually the reasons we have lasted this long. One of the thing we sure will miss is seeing our regulars come through the place. I want to say so many things and most of it is not coming out! Mandalay has been a big factor and part of the family for so long that adjusting will be very hard! The news is sad but we do have some news is that Mandalay will still live though a few locations in DC! As many of you know the Salads that are produce at Bandoola Bowl ( second location opening soon at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW )are the same salads with more salads options ( please go see bandoolabowl.com for details )! Also we will be announcing details about a new Burmese inspired concept that will be opening very soon. Thank you so much for all the support though out the years from the bottom of our hearts.

Mandalay Family“

Mahshad Modern Persian Kitchen – Rockville (King Farm)
Mahshad Modern Persian Kitchen at 404 King Farm Blvd in Rockville closed after less than a year in business. They opened in June 2020, early on in the pandemic, and served “healthy cuisine with a Persian twist”.

The menu featured specialty bowls, in a Chipotle-style assembly line format, with selections like filet mignon, ground beef kabob (kubideh), lamb chops, basmati rice, green frittata, eggplant caviar, and hummus.

McDonald’s – Germantown (Walmart)
The McDonald’s located inside of the Germantown Walmart at 20910 Frederick Rd closed in April. It has since been used as a storage area by the store and at one point was used as a COVID-19 testing station. No word on if something will eventually replace it.

Milk & Cheese – Olney
Milk & Cheese at 18050 Georgia Ave in Olney, the former site of Thai Cuisine, closed in November after six months in business. The restaurant featured cheesesteaks, po’ boys, milkshakes, and cheesecakes.

The restaurant was opened by Chef Sammy Davis, a former winner of the show Chopped on the Food Network, who is also behind Milk & Honey, which currently has locations in DC (1245 H St. NE) and Atlanta.

Music Cafe – Damacus
Music Cafe, a restaurant that offers quality crafted sandwiches, gourmet coffee, local craft beer, and live music, closed on December 11 after 15 years in Damascus.

The cafe posted the following message on its Facebook page:

“Well Damascus….It’s been over 15 wonderful years of “Letting the good times Roll”.
Our lease is up, and we’ve decided not to renew, as we do not agree with the new terms, as well as a few other things.

Pre-Covid we were gung-ho. Re-doing the lobby, stage area, artwork, menus, patio, etc.
After almost two years of dealing with repercussions from the Pandemic such as the increase in food cost, as well as labor, and just finding good reliable employees who want to work, we’ve decided to close our doors.

Yes, this has been a very difficult decision for us. The Music Café has been a big part of our lives for many years. We’ve gone through many ups, downs, and crossroads so-to-speak. We’ve learned what to do, and “of course” what not to do. We’ve accumulated so many wonderful memories that will never be erased.

We’ve made so many close friends, and have met so many amazing beautiful people along the way.
We’ve seen many come to the Café for marriage proposals, first dates, funerals, birthdays, showers, etc. We’ve heard much laughter, seen many smiles, and have joined in on shedding tears with many as well. We literally watched our children grow up there. It was a place where they, and many others called home.

Long story short, the Café touched many lives. Especially the lives of myself and my loving wife. Therefore we are grateful, and feel so very blessed to have received the ongoing support, love and prayers that our community has given us over the years. We’d like to thank each and every one of you on this post, but there are literally too many of you. You all know who you are!

I am going to just slip in a very special thank you to my partner in crime..my “again” loving, beautiful and amazing wife Christine Anderson, my amazing children Jordan and Trevor. My one-of a-kind perfect parents who’ve been coming to the Café weekly (almost) and supporting live music and hunger for 15 years straight. Of course the rest of my entire family as well.

We’ll never forget the (oh-so-many) larger events we held. Led Zepplica at the Weinburg Center, Big Funky Blues Festival, County Western Bluegrass Festival, all concerts at Carroll Arts Center, our 10 year anniversary and all tribute concerts, as well as some very large fundraising events for various people in need. Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts for every single musician who has ever stepped foot on that stage, and for every patron who has entered our establishment. We are appreciative and grateful for your contribution.”

Nando’s Peri Peri – Bethesda
Nando’s Peri Peri at 4839 Bethesda Ave had their last day of business on December 18th.

Nando’s is a South African fast-casual chain that specializes in flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken. The restaurant was founded in Johannesburg in 1987, and now operates over 1,200 outlets in 30 countries.

Nando’s has additional MoCo locations in North Bethesda, Wheaton, Silver Spring, and Gaithersburg.

Nick’s Chophouse – Rockville (King Farm)
Nick’s Chophouse, located at 700 King Farm Blvd in Rockville closed at the beginning of the year. Bethesda Beat reported that an email from the restaurant stated the indoor dining ban had made it “impossible for us to continue in business.”

Nick’s Chophouse was a “business casual” steakhouse and lounge that featured an extensive steak and seafood menu.

The restaurant had been at the location since 2001.

Olazzo – Silver Spring
Olazzo at 8235 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring closed on May 1. Olazzo’s Bethesda location at 7921 Norfolk Ave will remain open.

Underground Pizza Company announced in October that they would be opening their first Montgomery County restaurant at this location in 2022.

“Just this Fifteen years ago my family decided on our hometown of Silver Spring, Maryland to open the 2nd location of Olazzo.

We would like to take this time to thank all of our loyal friends and customers for the overwhelming support through the years.

It was always a dream of ours to bring our passion and hospitality to the area. Words cannot describe how appreciative we are to the community for allowing us to operate for 15 great years, but it’s time for us to focus on other pursuits and dedicate our passions evenly.

This week will be the last week for operations for Olazzo in Silver Spring. It truly has been a pleasure to serve our local community and feel a part of something great. For those with the understandable cravings of Chicken Cardinale or our homemade meatballs….we are still operating at the original Olazzo in Bethesda. We would love to see you there!”

Papi’s Chicken & Grill – Damascus
Located at 26400 Ridge Rd., Papi’s offered Peruvian chicken and other Peruvian specialties like lomo saltado, and a variety of specialties that included gyros, tacos, lobster rolls, and more. The restaurant had rebranded from “Peruvian Chicken & Grill” in September of 2019.

Patisserie Manuel – Bethesda (Montgomery Mall)
French Bakery Patisserie Manuel, located inside of the Montgomery Mall food court closed it’s doors on March 28th.

Their bakery located at 8810 Brookville Rd in Silver Spring will remain open for pickup and delivery.

The food court location opened in December, 2019.

Chef Claudia wrote, “It is very sad to have to close after years of hard work and effort that we put in to get there, but as many of you know, our business opened a few months before this pandemic began and although we have done the impossible to keep going, our effort has been in vain and COVID has ended up destroying our store.”

Chef Claudia named her bakery in honor of her late father Manuel Olea. His face is in the bakery’s official logo.

Pho Eatery – Gaithersburg
Pho Eatery at 670 Quince Orchard Rd in Gaithersburg, and its sister restaurant Urban Crawfish, both closed in September.

The Vietnamese restaurant was located next to Beers & Cheers Too in the Quince Orchard Shopping Center. No word yet on what could be taking its place.

Roti – N. Bethesda (Pike & Rose)
Roti, a fast casual Mediterranean restaurant, closed their Pike & Rose location in February.  Roti’s Pike & Rose location first opened in early 2015, during the first phase of the area’s development.

The Chevy Chase location at 4461 Willard Ave remains open.

Roti is best known for serving customizable pita wraps and bowls with Mediterranean flair. The chain, headquartered in Chicago, currently has two locations in DC that are open at this time.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House – Bethesda (Closing December 24, 2021)
Ruth’s Chris Steak House at 7315 Wisconsin Ave in Bethesda is scheduled to permanently close on Christmas Eve. The decision to close was made after the restaurant determined the sales volume did not justify the expense of a needed remodel, according to the report.

Ruth’s Chris Downtown Crown location at 106 Crown Park Ave in Gaithersburg, which opened in 2014, will remain in business.

Seibel’s – Burtonsville
Seibel’s Restaurant and UpTown Pub at 15540 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville, served the community for over 82 years before closing its doors on Sunday, November 28th. The announcement was made in a letter to customers by the family who has owned and operated the restaurant since the 60s.

“I pray my message finds all of you, our Seibel’s family, well.

March was the last time I sent a message. It has been 36 years since we served our first Thanksgiving Dinner for our Seibel’s customers. When I first had the idea, my dad thought I was crazy. That first year, we roasted about 20 Turkeys, and now we are serving over 1,500 pounds of Turkey! For me, Thanksgiving was about family first and food second. If I could help our extended Seibel’s family create lasting Thanksgiving memories by keeping them out of the kitchen, I would do it!
We are forever thankful to the Iager Family for raising such wonderful Turkeys for all these years.
It is with sadness that I announce this year, 2021 will be our final Thanksgiving.

If you read the paper or listen to the news, it is no surprise to hear that staffing is challenging and the supply chain is crazy. With that being said, we are asking that you order early this year. We will stop taking orders on Sunday, November 14. We want to be sure that we have all we need to fill your requests.

The pandemic has opened our eyes to so much. There has been sadness, but there have been loads of joy as well. Our new hours enabled us to have quality family time and helped us remember what is important in life. My adventure out west created a sense of wanderlust. There are so many great places in our wonderful country that I want to see!

When Karen and I continued the business from our parents, we decided that it would be a ministry. Our faith in God has not let us down. God saw us through the pandemic and so much more. We are thankful we were able to be here for so many. You, our customers, and our incredible employees have done so much for us. For that, and so much more, we want to say THANK YOU!

After much consideration, we have made the decision to start a new chapter. Sunday, November 28, will be the final day we turn on the burners and open our doors.

There will be many tears and many stories to tell. You have all been a part of raising our families, and we have watched your families grow as well. We are thankful for each and every customer and employee, past and present. All of you have so blessed us. Some days there wasn’t enough family to open the doors, and some days there were way too many. No matter the case, we opened them for you, anyway. And we, of course, never charged extra for the family entertainment! 😊

We are very thankful for our current staff that will see us to the final day; Anita, Angie, Annie, Amelia, Carol, Debbie, George, Jonah, Jones, Katie, Lauren, Lexi, Melissa, Nicolette, Rick, Sharon, Tracey, and Xavier. *Watch for guest visits from past employees and family! *

I know the question will be, “what are you going to do now?” But I’m not sure any of us really know, except Karen, who will go into full retirement. The rest of us will surely let you know when we know. I will certainly keep the emails rolling with any updates. Meanwhile, we will continue to serve you to the best of our ability.

In January, I asked, “What is God saying?” We stopped and listened. The answer:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

With more Love than we could ever express, Lynn, Karen, and all the family- Chad, Casey, Lauren, Scott, Randi Lynn, our mother, Joyce, and of course our father Harry, who may not be with us now but has never stopped guiding us”

Slice of Rockville – Rockville 
The popular pizza spot at Woodley Gardens in Rockville (1111 Nelson St.) closed it’s doors in June.

“Dear friends and neighbors, I can’t believe it’s been 11 years since I opened the doors to Slice and you welcomed me into this amazing neighborhood. These years have been some of the best for me with so many of you becoming near and dear to my heart. So it is with an especially heavy heart that I must say goodbye. Slice will remain open through June 25th so please make sure to come and say goodbye. I want to say goodbye and thank you to each and every one of you who has helped make Slice the amazing place it has been. I hope you will give the new owners the same chance and welcome them like you did me. Thank you again for your patronage, support and friendship. Truly, it has meant the world to me.”

Spice Xing – Rockville

Spice Xing closed it’s door early this fall.

Kumbia, a South American restaurant focusing on cuisine from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador, is coming to 100 B Gibbs Street in Rockville Town Square, in the location.

Signage is now up in the window, as the restaurant is expected to open this winter.

Quizno’s – Bethesda
Quiznos in Bethesda closed in April, leaving the Rockville location at 1611 East Gude Drive as MoCo’s last remaining Quiznos.

Many Quiznos locations closed across the country when the company filed for bankruptcy back in 2014.

Sbarro – Gaithersburg (Lakeforest Mall)
Sbarro, one of the few remaining restaurants at the “Cafe’s in the Forest” food court at Lakeforest mall closed in July.

This leaves only Charlie’s Cheesesteaks and Kelly’s Cajun Grill open in the food court. Pollo Campero and Nori Japan both remain open at Lakeforest but are not technically inside the food court.

Longtime visitors of Lakeforest will remember that Sbarro’s originally had a location on the upper level of the mall in the 1990’s, before the food court existed.

Sugo – Potomac
At the end of July, Sugo Pizza at 12505 Park Potomac Ave in Potomac posted signage on its doors announcing that they would be closed for a remodel/renovations. In August, the restaurant announced that is was closing permanently.

Sugo specialized in wood fired oven pizza and pasta dishes.

Gregorio’s Trattoria has announced they will be opening up its third MoCo restaurant at this location.

Tandoori Nights – Bethesda
Tandoori Nights at located at 7236 Woodmont Ave in Bethesda closed in March and has since been replaced by furniture store Room & Board  .

The original location at 106 Market St. in Gaithersburg, remains open.

Tandoori Nights specializes in North Indian Cuisine and its Gaithersburg location has been a staple in the Kentlands for over 20 years. The Bethesda location location opened back in 2010.

In July 2020, Tandoori Nights won the TasteMoCo tournament for best Indian cuisine in Montgomery County.

TTT – Silver Spring
TTT (Tacos, Tortas, and Tequila) at 8407 Ramsey Ave in Silver Spring closed on November 29.

The location was previously split between TTT and Mexican sit-down restaurant Buena Vida, which were both owned by the same hospitality group (Street Guys Hospitality). Buena Vida closed in August, 2020 and TTT took over the remaining portion as a way of offering more delivery and carryout options, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Owner Ivan Iricanin told Washingtonian Magazine that Buena Vide/TTT had struggled ever since Discovery left Downstown Silver Spring in 2018, saying “Our lunch and happy hour was all Discovery. We had that loss, which was hard to recover, and then we got Covid. And now we have some expansion plans and I needed to narrow my focus”.

Urban BBQ – Rockville
The last Urban BBQ in Moco, at 5566 Norbeck Rd, closed in October. The restaurant posted the following message on their social media:

“Our lease has come to an end and after thoughtful consideration we have decided to not renew. We’ve enjoyed being your local BBQ joint for almost 20 years.  We want to thank you for your passionate support and all of the fond memories.

We will be officially closing Sunday, October 3rd until food runs out! Come grab your last Soul Roll or Pulled Pork Sandwich. “Every new beginning comes from some other’s beginnings end”- Semisonic”

Urban Crawfish – Gaithersburg
Urban Crawfish at 674 Quince Orchard Rd closed in September after five years in business. Urban Crawfish described itself as being, “all about seafood the traditions of New Orlean’s seasons. CRAWFISH, CRAB, SHRIMP and OYSTERS.”

Urban Plates – Bethesda (Montgomery Mall)
Urban Plates in Montgomery Mall closed after almost two and a half years in the location. The Southern California-based assembly line style fast casual restaurant took over the Naples Ristorante location in the mall’s food court and opened in March of 2019.

Nearby locations in Columbia and Tyson’s Corner have also closed.

Vie de France – Rockville 
Vie De France in Rockville Town Square closed permanently on October 23. The bakery had been in Rockville Town Square for approximately ten years.

The French bakery chain, owned by Yamazaki Baking of Chiyoda, Japan with its US division headquartered in Tyson’s Corner,  said they would be “moving operations to their other locations in White Flint and Potomac.”

VÜK -Bethesda
VÜK, the pinball arcade and pizza parlor at 4924 St Elmo Ave in Bethesda, closed in May. Similar to Chef Tony’s, the arcade’s five year lease is came to an end and construction will soon begin on a new high-rise apartment complex that will be replacing VÜK and the surrounding building.

A message on their Facebook stated,  “VUK’s last day open is Sunday, May 16th. Our 5 year lease ends- and the bulldozers are coming to make way for a high rise apartment building. Our Cylon, pizza recipes, autographed Slayer setlist, Warriors poster, LOTR sword, various skulls, etc. will lay dormant in storage until further notice. Games will be disbursed to MOM’s College Park & MOM’s Abington, PA. It has been a pleasure- a wonderful experiment- and we’ll post a farewell message here later…”

VÜK was opened by MOM’s Organic Market CEO Scott Nash back in 2016.

Wildwood Kitchen – Bethesda
Wildwood Kitchen at 10223 Old Georgetown Rd in Bethesda announced in June that their lease had ended in the Shops at Wildwood center and are looking to relocate the restaurant.

Wildwood Kitchen was opened by Robert Wiedamier and RW Restaurant Group back in 2012. RW Restaurant Group also owns Marcel’s by Robert Wiedamier in DC, Mussel Bar & Grille in Arlington and Bethesda, Lock 72 in Potomac and Keystone Korner Baltimore.

The restaurant posted the following message on their social media accounts on July 6:

“Wildwood Kitchen is temporarily closed as we’ve ended our lease at the Shops at Wildwood. The RW Restaurant Group is looking for another location that is larger and located in the local area. Thank you for all of your support since opening in November, 2012 and we will be in touch when we find a new home.”