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2021 Year in Review: A look back at some of our most popular (non-COVID) posts and stories from the past year.

2021 Year in Review

Below you’ll find some of our most popular (non-COVID) posts and stories from 2021.

January:

Inauguration Day Bernie

Jon Bernthal hanging out at the Lego Store in Westfield Montgomery

“Originally from MoCo, the actor is popular for his many roles in television series and movies such as The Walking Dead, The Punisher, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Accountant, Ford v Ferrari, and the recent Soprano’s movie The Many Saints of Newark.

He grew up in the Cabin John area and graduated from Sidwell Friends in DC in 1995.

He still has family in the area and is spotted hanging out in MoCo all the time.

Photo courtesy of @e_j_fletch on Instagram”

February:

Good Counsel Alum Plays in Second Straight SuperBowl

Kansas City Chief Dorian O’Daniel played against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at this year’s SuperBowl LV in Tampa, FL.

Dorian attended high school and played football at Good Counsel in Olney, where he was a running back and linebacker. As a senior he was named the Montgomery Sentinal’s Offensive Player of the Year and the Gazette’s Montgomery County Player of the Year.

That year he also made the Washington Post’s All-Met First Team. O’Daniel then graduated from Clemson with a degree in parks, recreation, and tourism management.

In 2018, he was selected 100th overall in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft.

Last year Dorian and the Chief’s won the NFL Championship when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers SuperBowl LIV.

March:

Brian Nicholson, a MoCo Native, is the Youngest Krispy Kreme General Manager in Company History


Krispy Kreme recently opened a new shop at a Columbia Heights in Washington DC with general manager Brian Nicholson leading the way.

Brian is a MoCo native. He was born and raised in the county and graduated from Wootton High School in 2018.

He has worked for Krispy Kreme for five years, starting a the Fallsgrove location in Rockville, where he became a full-time in employee after his high school graduation and served as an assistant general manager.

After just 9 months, he was promoted to general manager of the DuPont Circle location before being asked to open the newest location at 3100 14th Street in Columbia Heights last month.

Brian tells us his experience opening a new store has been “more than fun” and was excited to be able to open the store in February– Black History Month.

We wish Brian the best at Krispy Kreme and look forward to seeing him continue to succeed. Maybe he will bring MoCo a second Krispy Kreme location? We can only hope!

Congratulations, Brian!

Steve Chu, QO alum and owner of Baltimore restaurant Ekiben, Drove 6 Hours to Cook for Customer with Cancer

Steve Chu, QO alum and owner of Baltimore restaurant Ekiben, packed up and headed to Vermont when he learned that one of his customers, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, was craving one of their dishes.

A family member had reached out to the Ekiben team to tell them that her mother-in-law, who lives in Vermont but often visits Maryland, had stage 4 lung cancer and was craving Ekiben’s tempura broccoli. The family member shared that she was planning to drive up from Maryland to Vermont and wanted to surprise her Ekiben-loving relative with the dish.

After asking whether she could either have the recipe or ingredients for the broccoli dish so it would be fresh after the long drive, she got a surprising response from Ekiben’s team. Chu replied by saying “Thanks for reaching out. Ephrem [a co-owner] and I are more than willing to meet you guys in Vermont, and make the food fresh so it will be just like what she remembered.”

As reported by Good News Movement , Steve and his team stayed in the area for a couple of days and turned down the family’s offer to compensate them for their air bnb, food, and gas. Chu was joined by co-owner Ephrem Abebe alongside one other team member.

By: Michelle Katz @pike.and.rozay on Instagram

April:

Good Samaritan in Germantown

Odessa Shannon Middle School Chooses New Colors and Mascot

Back in November, the Montgomery County Board of Education voted to change the name of Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School in Silver Spring to Odessa Shannon Middle School.

The change will take place following this school year and yesterday the school staff unveiled the brand new mascot and school colors in a YouTube video.

Odessa Shannon Middle School has adopted “Wolves” as the new mascot and has chosen blue (the top color from a survey) and light green (Odessa Shannon’s favorite color) as the nee school colors.

Shannon was the first African-American Board of Education member and a lifelong activist. She worked tirelessly to help close the achievement gap for minority families and was the recipient of numerous awards, such as the Human Rights Hall of Fame, the African American Living Legend Award, and Hornbook Award for Outstanding Service to Education.

Shannon’s name will replace Col. E Brooke Lee, a Maryland politician whose policies shaped Montgomery County’s zoning and land use in the 1920s. These laws barred African-Americans from living in Silver Spring, with the exception as domestic servants. It wasn’t until 1968 that Montgomery County enacted fair housing policies.

May:

Police Search for a Raccoon After Attacks in Rockville

Per Rockville City Police:

“The Rockville City Police Department is asking community members to be on the lookout for a raccoon that attacked a dog and a child in Rockville on Monday morning.

Anyone who sees a raccoon acting aggressively should leave the scene and call 911.

A dog was attacked and bitten Monday morning near College Gardens Park, 615 College Parkway.

Later in the morning, around 11 a.m., a child was bitten in Kinship Park, 254 N. Washington Street.

Officers from the Rockville City Police Department are actively searching for the raccoon.”

The Last Arby’s in MoCo Closes

A few of the reactions from twitter:


June:

2021 High School Graduation Season

July: 

I<3U Jenny

Former Damascus Student-Athlete Bikes Across the Country Raising Money for ALS

 

“On Saturday, June 26th Wil Armstrong, a 2016 Damascus High School graduate, commenced his cross-country bike ride “Against the Wind” from Rehoboth Beach, DE. He is expected to finish 2.5 months later in Seattle, Washington. Throughout this journey, Wil is updating his daily blog with his progress, experiences, and updates on his banana consumption count. During his cross-country journey, he is crowdfunding for the ALS Association after seeing his mentor and former basketball coach, Rodney Lapp, go through it.

Wil played football for his high school’s state champion team and later played rugby at the University of Maryland. What started off as a high school job at Jimmie Cone carried over into his time at the University of Maryland, where he got his Master’s in Quantitative Finance through the Robert H. Smith School of Business through their Plus One program. With eight years under his belt, he was the Damascus Jimmie Cone’s longest tenured employee! How much more Damascus can you get?

When people ask Wil why he is taking on such an adventure he says, “Touring is a way to use my gifts to make a difference in the world, the stars are aligned, and nothing makes me feel more clear, focused, and alive.”

August:

Rockville’s Helen Louise Maroulis Becomes The First American Woman to Win Two Olympic Medals in Wrestling

Helen Louise Maroulis is a Rockville-born freestyle wrestler who competes in the women’s 55-kg 53-kg and 57-kg categories. She was the first-ever American to win a gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling back at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

In August, she became the first American woman to win two Olympic medals in wrestling when she beat khongorzul Boldsaikhan from Mongolia for the Bronze medal.

She attended Magruder High School for three years, where as a freshman she became the first female wrestler to place at the Maryland state wrestling championships. She has been a great spokesperson for mental health awareness after suffering many physical injuries, brain trauma and the effects of prescription medicines.

2021 Montgomery County AG Fair

September: 

Glenmont then and now (60s and 2021)

Katie Ledecky visits Little Flower School in Bethesda

Ledecky provided words of encouragement to current students at the school while proudly wearing her most recent gold and silver medals from the recent 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held this summer).

She and her Team USA Swimming teammate Phoebe Bacon both attended the school while growing up right here in MoCo.

Ledecky has won 7 Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. She is also the world record holder in the women’s 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle (long course), and holds the fastest-ever times in the women’s 500-, 1000-, 1500-, and 1650-yard freestyle events.

The school posted the following message and pictures on its social media:

“Little Flower School Alumna KATIE LEDECKY came back for a visit! Thank you Katie for being an amazing role model and inspiration to our entire Cardinal Community. We are so proud of you! 🥇🏊‍♀️🇺🇸”

October:

Red Light/Green Light

Post Guapo’s Workout

November:

Local P.E. Teacher Recognized at Washington Football Team Game

On-field recognition for Lenny Myers, Kennedy High School P.E. Teacher, who was named educator of the month by Washington Football Team earlier this year.

Lenny Myers was awarded Educator of the Month by The Washington Football Team‘s Black Engagement Network earlier this year.

”Mr. Myers leads from the front. He is an amazing teacher in the classroom at John F. Kennedy High School and his students love and respect him.

His best work is in his community; Mr. Myers has a program for children looking to gain new basketball skills through his program, “Reach Beyond Basketball.” This program provides financial help to to children in the community with scholarships in order to take the burden off of struggling families.”

Tower Records in Rockville

Read our full article about the history of Tower Records in Rockville here.

December: 

Happy 100th Birthday to Kensington man! 

Thai Tanium in Gaithersburg

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Hocus Pocus: MoCo Connection

Hocus Pocus has been a Halloween favorite for a couple decades now, but did you know there’s a MoCo connection in the 1993 film?

Not quite as big of a connection as the Sanderson sisters graduating from a local high school, but something fun nonetheless.

Sean Murray, the actor who portrayed Thackery Binx (as a cat and later as a human), was born at Bethesda Navy Hospital.

He grew up on several military bases, so he didn’t spend too much time in MoCo aside from his very early years.

In addition to his role as Thackery Binx, Murray is known for his role as Special Agent Timothy McGee on NCIS and his role as Danny Walden in the military drama series JAG.

Halloweentown star, Kimberly J. Brown, is also from MoCo. Read about that here.

 

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Who Am I? MoCo Edition

This young man grew up in the Woodside Forest neighborhood of Silver Spring. He attended Montgomery Hills Junior High with Sylvester Stallone in the late 50s. He then moved on to Blair High School, where he was a year ahead of Goldie Hawn and graduated with journalist, Carl Bernstein (teamed with Bob Woodward to do much of the original reporting on the Watergate Scandal, which led to the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon).

He majored in economics at Columbia University’s Columbia College and graduated with honors before graduating as valedictorian from Yale Law School. After a stint as a lawyer in Connecticut and Washington D.C., he became a college professor at American University, Cal, and Pepperdine. He jumped into politics as a speechwriter and lasers for President Richard Nixon and President Gerald Ford. Time magazine even speculated that he could be Deep Throat, but it was later revealed to not be the case.

His acting career took off when he portrayed a teacher who spoke in monotone in the 80s hit Comedy, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, with Matthew Broderick. He played a similar monotonous character in for a decade or so in Clear Eyes commercials before landing his own game Show, Win Ben Stein’s Money, on Comedy Central. Though He currently lives in California, he still owns an apartment at Watergate building in Washington D.C. He is Ben Stein.

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How Black Hill Park Got its Name– Was There Ever Gold There?

Many people have wondered how Black Hill Park got its name. Well, it was named after the Black Hills of South Dakota, famous for its gold mines in the 1870s. Was there gold in what is now Black Hill Park?

By Susan Soderberg (President, Germantown Historical Society)

When George Chadwick bought a farm north of Germantown in 1947, the last thing he expected to find was gold. But as he surveyed his new property he found numerous deep pits, which he found out after talking to his neighbors, were gold mines. The locals also said that they never heard of any amount of gold coming out of these mines.

Nevertheless Chadwick named his place Goldmine Farm.

The land had been in the Waters family since the 1790s and was named William and Mary for William and Mary Waters, parents of the Waters brothers who settled here.

George was more interested in dairy farming than in mining for gold, so he filled in all the holes, except for one, which he turned into a bomb shelter. This surviving gold mine now sits opposite the house that he built from local fieldstone that now serves as the Park Office for Black Hill Regional Park. Montgomery County purchased Goldmine Farm from Mr. Chadwick in 1965 and it now makes up almost half of the park.

Gold fever hit Montgomery County after the Civil War. A group of Union soldiers from California discovered flecks of gold in the sand near their camp at Great Falls while washing their dishes. They did not tell anyone about their find at the time, but came back to the area after the war and quietly bought up land and formed the Maryland Mining Company. This first company never found much gold with its single shaft, but later shafts dug by other companies in the area produced a fair amount of gold. There was also a gold mine over in the eastern part of the county near Olney – on Gold Mine Road.

The underground rock formation that the gold was found in is called the Appalachian Gold Belt and extends all the way from Georgia to Maryland. Fingers of this formation extend throughout Montgomery County. No commercial mines like those at Great Falls and Olney were established in this area, but there are several places where people tried panning for gold in the streams or digging pits with picks and shovels wherever the right type of rock was found.

The right type of rock is schist mixed with veins of quartz. This is the kind of rock making up the walls of the walls, 10 feet by 10 feet, of the 20-foot deep pit in front of the Chadwick house. It is not known how far back the gold mining pits at Black Hill Park were dug, but, judging by the size and evidence that they were dug without machinery, they may date back to the late 1800s or early 1900s. Many people have searched, but no one has been able to find any gold recently at Black Hill Park. If there ever was any gold, it has long since been found and taken away.

You can see the historic marker and the sealed opening of the last mine at Black Hill Park across from the Park Office off the main entrance road.

After retiring from farming George A. “Jay” Chadwick lived in Boyds until his death in 2001. He was intensely involved with the Boyds community, helping to found Boyds Credit Union, a day care center and a local organization for underprivileged youths. A former lawyer, he donated many hours of service to the Boyds Civic Association.

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Montgomery County Fair to Host COVID Vaccination Site

Montgomery County Fair to Host COVID Vaccination Site

Along with the carnival rides and funnel cakes, fairgoers will have an opportunity to get the COVID-19 vaccination at this year’s Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. The fair has announced that it is working with the Montgomery County Government to host a free COVID vaccination site at the event daily.

The vaccination site will be located next to the ticket booth at 501 Perry Parkway. There will be people there to help people to make arrangements for the second shot since it is 30 days apart and the vaccination site won’t be here. For more information on where you can get the COVID-19 vaccine, visit the County’s COVID-19 website.

Vaccine Site Schedule:
August 13 – Vaccine open for customers 3PM-9 PM  +/-
August 14 to August 21 – Vaccine site open for customers 12PM-7:00 PM

After COVID caused last year’s fair to be cancelled for the first time in it’s 70 plus year history, the Montgomery County Fair returns on Friday, August 13th at 3PM and will run through August 21st.

Tickets are available here and don’t forget, children 11 and under are free everyday.

The MoCo Show is proud to be an official sponsor of the 2021 Montgomery County Agricultural Fair!

For more information on where you can get the COVID-19 vaccine, visit the County’s COVID-19 website.

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Eight Olympians with MoCo Ties

At least eight athletes with MoCo ties qualified for the 2020 Olympics!

Andrew Wilson:

Andrew Wilson, became the first ever D-III swimmer to qualify for US Olympic team. He moved to Bethesda at 3 1/2 when his family moved from London. He started swimming as a child at Kenwood Golf and Country Club. Wilson attended Norwood School in Bethesda until eighth grade where he then transferred to a boarding school in Massachusetts.

At 17, Wilson transferred to Emory University in Atlanta, GA where he persuaded the coach to give him a spot on the team. Wilson didn’t even place on the travel team for the Division III program in his freshman year. Ten years later, Andrew finish second in the final of the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic trials, securing a place on the team. His mother was a gymnast at Yale and his sister swam at Northwestern.

 

Helen Maroulis:

Helen Louise Maroulis is a Rockville-born freestyle wrestler who competes in the women’s 55-kg 53-kg and 57-kg categories.At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil she became the first-ever American to win a gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling at the Olympic Games.

She attended Magruder High School for three years, where as a freshman she became the first female wrestler to place at the Maryland state wrestling championships. She has been a great spokesperson for mental health awareness after suffering many physical injuries, brain trauma and the effects of prescription medicines.

 

Phoebe Bacon:

(Pictured: Inside the Germantown Indoor Pool)

Phoebe Bacon is a Chevy Chase born Olympian swimmer and recent Stone Ridge of Sacred Heart high school School Graduate. She holds the 5th fastest 100 m backstroke swim in the world for the 2019 calendar. She qualified for the US Olympic Swimming Team, placing second in the 200m backstroke at the Olympic Team Trials.

Bacon began swimming during the summer at the age of 3 for the Tallyho Foxes. When Phoebe Bacon was 4 or 5 years old at the Little Flower School in Bethesda, she was assigned an older “buddy” who was more advanced and could teach her; she happened to be paired with at the time 10 or 11 year old Katie Ledecky who ended up becoming her mentor and Olympic teammate.

She swims for the Nations Capital Swim Club (NCAP-MD) at the American University site, just as Katie Ledecky did. At the age of 14 she qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials, but didn’t secure a spot on the team. In 2020 Phoebe set a National High School Record at the D.C. Metros and became the first woman to swim under 51 seconds at a high school meet with a time of 50.89 seconds.

Kayla DiCello:

Northwest High School’s rising senior Kayla DiCello secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic team as an alternate. She is now a six time USA National Team member.

As a sophomore, DiCello accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Florida.

Kayla and her two sisters practice gymnastics at Gaithersburg’s Hills Gym off of Lindbergh Drive.

On the Final night of the trials her scores were:

Vault: 29.433
Uneven Bars: 26.766
Balance Beam: 27.566
Floor: 27.466
AA: 111.231

Katie Ledecky:

Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky was born in D.C. and raised in Bethesda. She attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge of Sacred Heart high school in 2015. Ledecky finished her high-school career as the holder of the Stone Ridge school record in every swimming event except the 100-meter breaststroke.

Influenced by her mother and brother, she began swimming when she was 6, they swam for the University of New Mexico. Instead of following those footsteps she swam and studied at  Stanford University.

At the moment, she is considered the worlds greatest swimmer. She is the current world record holder in the women’s 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle. Ledecky has won five Olympic gold medals, one silver and 15 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. She has been named world Swimmer of the Year five times.

Kyle Snyder:

Our Lady Of Good Councol High School graduate, Kyle Snyder is returning to the olympics. Kyle Snyder is a freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 97 kilograms. In his junior year he was ranked as the #1 pound-for-pound high school wrestler in America by Flowrestling and named the national high school wrestler of the year by both Intermat, and ASICS. During his first three years of high school, he held an impressive record of 179–0. Senior year, he spent his time training at the Olympic Center and competed internationally for Team U.S.A. Winning America’s first Junior World Championship in over 20 years while becoming the youngest two-time Junior World medalist in American history.

After Good Council he attended Ohio State University to Wrestle D-1.

He currently holds the distinction of being the youngest Olympic Gold medalist and the youngest World Champion in American wrestling history (all before his 21st birthday)!

Thea LaFond:

Kennedy graduate Thea LaFond is a long-term substitute teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools and triple jumper representing Dominica. After her time at Kennedy, she continued her athletic and educational career at the University of Maryland in College Park where she set the highest ever women’s triple jump score in school history (44-02.75), a record that still stands today.

She became the first Dominican athlete,to ever win a medal for her country in the competition, earning a bronze medal in the Triple Jump at the 2018 Commonwealth games.

Nicole Enabosi:

Nicloe Enabosi is a Germantown-based Power forward for Nigerian Olympic team. She graduated from Our Lady Of Good Councol High School where she was a decorated track & field and basketball athlete. She averaged 18 points per game and was a member of Best Buddies, Key Club, President Club and Honor Roll.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in May 2019 from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and a Master’s in International Business in May of 2020. She was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) player of the year for the 2017–18 season. During the 2018-19 season she tore her ACL and missed the season. Enabosi resumed playing for Delaware in the 2019–20 season as a graduate Student.

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Could Fuddruckers be Coming Back to MoCo?

Could Fuddruckers be Coming Back to MoCo?

Fuddruckers franchisee Nicholas Perkins and his newly formed Black Titan Holdings group has reached an agreement to buy the restaurant chain for $18.5 million.

“We’re excited to be purchasing Fuddruckers and look forward to working with Fuddruckers’ many dedicated, highly capable franchisees to further build this brand. As a Fuddruckers franchisee, I have a vested interest in ensuring that all Fuddruckers franchisees have the resources, infrastructure, and operational and marketing support they need to maximize their return on investment. This strategic alignment, when combined with the fact that we sell the ‘World’s Greatest Hamburgers’, will ensure the long-term success of the brand and our franchisees.”, said Perkins.

The closest Fuddruckers location to Montgomery County right now is in Ashburn, VA.

Former MoCo locations included Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Downtown Silver Spring.

 

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How to Get Your Free Slurpee Today, 7.11.21

How to Get Your Free Slurpee Today, 7.11.21

Beginning in 2002, 7-Eleven has given away free Slurpees on July 11th. This year, similar to last year, they are extending the deal throughout the entire month of July.  The free Slurpee will available to new and current members of their 7Rewards loyalty program.

Because of the ongoing pandemic, 7-Eleven says they are changing up the birthday celebration to “avoid having millions of Americans crowded around Slurpee machines on a single day”.

Full details below per 7-Eleven:

You might think, after 94 years, anyone would have learned that your birthday lasts only one day and that you are supposed to get gifts on that day. But not 7-Eleven. Once again, we’re kicking off our birthday by giving things away. And not just on the actual date, July 11 (aka 7/11 aka 7-Eleven Day). No, we’re gonna party all month long this July to mark our 94th birthday and our invention of convenience retailing.

A birthday encore from last year’s celebration is a special birthday gift of helping to provide1 million meals* from 7-Eleven to Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the country, building on its 21-year history of support. Even as life begins to get back to pre-COVID normal, many families are still feeling its effects with lost jobs and incomes contributing to the current hunger crisis in America.

On July 1, 7-Eleven will drop one FREE SMALL Slurpee drink coupon into the wallets of all 7REWARDS members. The personalized offer is redeemable the entire month of July, so customers can get their birthday present (from us) when it’s convenient for them.

Slurpee-lovers will have 30 more days in July to visit their favorite 7-Eleven store or order through the 7NOW® delivery app on July 11th to use your coupon for one FREE small Slurpee® drink. Even after the FREE Slurpee coupon is redeemed, we have no intention of bringing the party to an end – customers can snag their favorite small Slurpee for just $1 in the new Slurpee stay cold cup all month long at participating 7-Eleven stores. Choose from vitaminwater® zero sugar Gutsy, Pineapple Whip, vitaminwater® blueberry lemonade and other options varying by region.

Other great deals happening during our birthday month include $1 Roller Grill items like Big Bite® hot dogs, tasty taquitos and a variety of other scrumptious rollers. We’ve even got a birthday cake donut for 50¢ for 7REWARDS members (at participating stores) and delivery deals like large pizzas for only $5. It might be our birthday but to us, it’s a month-long celebration that’s all about giving back.

The 7-Eleven app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting 7Rewards.com. The 7NOW delivery app can be downloaded from Google Play, the App Store or by visiting 7NOW.com.

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Remembering Shakey’s Pizza Parlor

Remembering Shakey’s Pizza Parlor

Shakey’s Pizza Parlor had multiple locations in MoCo back in the 70’s and 80’s, including in Gaithersburg on Beauru Dr. and in Rockville on 355.

Shakey’s was founded in 1954 by Sherwood “Shakey” Johnson and Ed Plummer in Sacramento, CA. According to wikipedia, Johnson’s nickname resulted from nerve damage following a bout of malaria during World War II.  As the first franchise pizza chain in the United States, the company expanded to as many as 500 stores worldwide at the height of it’s popularity.

Photo courtesy of Steve Michaels.

Shakey’s was popular with both children and adults. Parents could drink pitchers of beer while the kids played Pac-Man or watched the chef’s prepare the pizza through their open kitchen.

After multiple ownership changes in the 80’s, most of the U.S. locations were closed by the 1990’s. Currently you can only find Shakey’s in California (47 locations) and Washington (2 locations).

Here’s a look at some current day menu items from the chain:



We did a Facebook post about Shakey’s back in 2015, here were some of the best replies:

Who’s up for a road trip to the West Coast?

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Top Ten BEST Restaurants in MoCo According to Trip Advisor

Top Ten BEST Restaurants in MoCo According to Trip Advisor

Below is a list of the top ten best restaurants in Montgomery County, as determined by ratings on Trip Advisor.  Trip Advisor is an online travel company that features user-generated content and reviews.

Two of the restaurants on this list have unfortunately closed in the past year. We kept them on the list because A. as a show respect for the fallen businesses, and B. because they are still technically listed on the site’s top ten.

If we took out the two closed restaurants, Mandalay in Silver Spring and Gregorio’s Trattoria in Potomac would have made the list.

10. Picca Pollo A La Brasa: 13000 Middlebrook Rd, Germantown
Coming in at #10, Picca is a Peruvian restaurant opened by the Sardelis cousins of the famous Sardi’s Pollo a la Brasa. In addition to chicken, the menu also features items like ceviche and stews. Picca also ranked as the best restaurant in Germantown on Trip Advisor.

Photo from Facebook

9. Mythos Mediterranean Grill: 8371 Snouffer School Rd, Gaithersburg CLOSED
Mythos unfortunately closed back in January of this year. The family owned Greek restaurant was a popular spot in Gaithersburg for over ten years.


Photo from Facebook

8. Mykonos Grill: 121 Congressional Ln Ste 104, Rockville
Mykonos is ranked as the #2 restaurant in Rockville. From their website: “Mykonos Grill welcomes you and invites you to experience the Aegean, the tranquility of our island, our beautiful colors and our rich heritage. We bring it all together, put it on a plate and serve it to our guests.”

Photo from Facebook

7. Raku: 7240 Woodmont Ave, Bethesda
This fine Asian dining spot, which also has two locations in DC, serves sushi, sashimi, and bento boxes. Ranked #2 restaurant in Bethesda.

Photo from Facebook

6. Coastal Flats: 135 Crown Park Ave, Gaithersburg
Coastal Flats, which ranked as the #1 restaurant in Gaithersburg, is a GAR owned seafood restaurant in Downtown Crown.

Photo from coastalflats.net

5. Parkway Deli: 8317 Grubb Rd, Silver Spring
Ranked number #2 in Silver Spring, Parkway Deli is a New York style deli that’s been serving MoCo since 1963. Great sandwiches and desserts.

Photo from Facebook

4. Jewel of India: 10151 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring
Jewel of India is a modern, gourmet North Indian restaurant in Silver Spring.  Considered by many to be the best Indian food in Montgomery County.

Photo from Facebook

3. Sergio Ristorante Italiano: 8727 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring CLOSED
This cozy Italian restaurant had been serving the area for 37 years before closing its doors back at the start of the pandemic.

Photo from Facebook

2. Il Pizzico: 15209 Frederick Rd, Rockville
Known for their handmade pasta, when you ask someone from the area who has the best authentic Italian, Il Pizzico is usually the first place that comes up.  The restaurant celebrated their 30th anniversary in June of 2020.

1. Chef Tony’s: 4926 Saint Elmo Ave, Bethesda
As of the publishing of this article (May 20, 2021), Chef Tony’s in Bethesda is still open at their St. Elmo location. Due to redevelopment, the location is scheduled to close on Sunday, May 23rd.  The owners have announced that they will move to a new location in the area and hope to be open in September. Chef Tony’s, the best rated restaurant in all of Montgomery County, is known for their fresh seafood and large wine selection.

Who do you think should have been on the list?
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The Tallest Building in MoCo

The Tallest Building in MoCo

Standing at 289 feet, North Bethesda Market is the tallest building in Montgomery County.

North Bethesda Market is located along Rockville Pike, about two blocks from the White Flint Metro station– It was completed in 2010 and took the crown as MoCo’s tallest building from Gaithersburg’s Washingtonian Tower, which stands at 275 feet.

Per Montgomery Planning, “it’s a mixed-use, transit oriented development comprised of residential and commercial retail uses. It is envisioned as a vibrant new component of the larger, mixed-use live, work, play environment toward which Rockville Pike and the White Flint neighborhood are evolving.”

The mixed-use property includes a 24-story, 289-foot-tall residential tower and 183,000 square feet of retail spaces that house a Whole Foods Market, Seasons 52 restaurant and LA Fitness.

There have been plans for a neighboring North Bethesda Market II that include a 335 foot building, but those plans have stalled and it’s unclear when and if it will ever happen.

The tallest building in the DC area is 1812 North Moore Street in Arlington, which is 412 feet tall.

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