From 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, guests are invited to enjoy giveaways from the Dunkin’ Prize Wheel, photo opportunities with Dunkin’ mascot Cuppy and more! At 10:00 AM, local Dunkin’ franchisee Jesse Luis of the Luis Group will host the store’s official ribbon cutting.
The new Next Gen restaurant offers Silver Spring a first-hand look at Dunkin’s enhanced store experience, with a ern look that provides a fresh, friendly, vibrant, and engaging environment.
“For Sale” signage is up at the Olney Ale House at 2000 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd in Olney. Owner John Roach tells us that he is looking to sell the 99-year-old building to someone that will continue to run it as the Olney Ale House restaurant. A kitchen fire caused the restaurant to shut down in 2019 and COVID-19 only compounded the issues for the restaurant. There will be additional information regarding the potential sale/reopening of the Olney Ale House in the next few weeks, according to Roach.
Back in July of 2021 it was announced that the Montgomery County Green Bank and Sandy Spring Bank would be teaming up to provide flexible financing to help the Olney Ale House re-open. Roach tells us that both financial institutions are still committed to helping the Ale House reopen. As we wait for the reopening, we wanted to share with you its history, courtesy of the Olney Ale House website:
Using family recipes passed down from generation to generation and a fried chicken recipe that is considered a national treasure of Guatemala, Pollo Campero offers tender, juicy, hand-breaded fried chicken and slow-marinated, citrus-infused grilled chicken that is always fresh and prepared daily. Pollo Campero also offers hand-selected, farm-to-restaurant sides inspired by the brand’s roots in Latin America.
The Gaithersburg location is moving from Lakeforest Mall and will now be located at 426 N. Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD. The fun-filled grand opening celebration will feature an appearance from Pollito, a variety of on-site activities including a spinning wheel for giveaways, Central American music, free samples of Pollo Campero’s flavorful chicken and drinks, desserts, and more.
A big loss was felt in the community when Ichiban Restaurant at 637 N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg closed its doors on September 12, 2021 after over 35 years in business. Ichiban specialized in Korean BBQ and sushi, and was known for their popular lunch buffet. But did you know that the former owners, which took over the restaurant in 2005, also own two other locations that offer many of the items found on the Ichiban menu?
The restaurants are Aery Food and Ichiban Mikoshi Sushi, both located inside the LOTTE Market at 221 Muddy Branch Rd Gaithersburg. Menu items at Ichiban Mikoshi Sushi include the Spider Roll (Deep-fried soft-shell crab, avocado, cucumber, crab, tobiko) and the Flying Dragon (California roll, dressed in a half sheet of whole baked eel, eel sauce, crunch, and masago) while Aery features items like Jok Bal (Korean pig trotters cooked in soy and other spices, served with a salted shrimp paste) and Soon Dae (Sliced Korean blood sausage). Items from both restaurants can be ordered online here.
Rio Grande Grill at 13541 Clopper Rd in the Seneca Plaza shopping center in Germantown has been sold. Former owner Erika Myers tells us that the new owners will be keeping the same name and menu. The restaurant is currently closed for renovations and is expected to reopen in a few weeks.
Rio Grande opened in December 2020, in the location that was previously home to the Mistik Taverna, Germantown Kabob & Sweets, Bhima’s Kitchen & Bakery, and Arirang Korean restaurant. The restaurant offers an extensive menu that goes beyond Tex-Mex cuisine. Menu items consist of “bar food” such as crab pretzels, spinach dip, mozzarella sticks, etc., various salads, build-your-own burgers, fried chicken and pasta dishes, tacos al carbon, bowls, and a wide variety of entrees.
Popular local food truck My Cup Runneth Over Southern Cuisine has announced it will be opening a brick and mortar location at 8405 Snouffer School Rd in Gaithersburg, the former site of Jazzy Seafood. No opening date has been announced but the owners tell us they hope to open in about a month. You can find their food truck at 9801 Centerway Rd in Montgomery Village every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1-6pm.
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.”
Common Plate Hospitality (CPH) has announced the restaurants that will be featured at the upcoming The Heights Food Hall at Wisconsin Place in Chevy Chase. The new food hall will be opening in the space formerly occupied by Anthropologie and PF Chang’s on the 5400 block of Wisconsin Ave. The food hall will offer both indoor and outdoor patio dining and will be open seven days a week from 11am-Midnight. According to the group, the following “culinary partners” are in the lineup:
CPH will also be holding a “Stall Wars” competition, where one food hall stall will be awarded to an “enthusiastic culinary aficionado and entrepreneur” who otherwise would not have the means to open a location. According to CPH, “the top three finalists will have the chance to tell their story and display their culinary talent in a 30-minute ABC7/WJLA Good Morning Washington segment. The winner will be announced on television and offered the opportunity to open their own culinary business at The Heights Food Hall.”
Charleys Cheesesteaks will be opening a location inside of the Germantown Walmart (20910 Frederick Rd), in the space formerly occupied by McDonald’s. The company has created a Facebook page for the new store and representatives from Charleys tell us they expect to open in early November. The upcoming Charleys located at 405 N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg, in the location that was recently home to Teriyaki Express, is scheduled to open sometime this month. We were told by employees of the Lakeforest location that the Lakeforest location will close when the new Gaithersburg restaurant opens, but a specific date has not yet been provided.
In August we reported that Charleys would also be coming to 19877 Century Blvd in Germantown, taking over the location that was previously home to Roll by Goodyear and Yogi Castle in the Shops at Town Center & Century Station shopping center, according to the shopping center’s leasing company.
Filippo’s Italian Specialties at 1226 Triangle Ln in Wheaton has been listed for sale. The store tells us that the deli is in great standing and the reason for the sale is that “Filippo is just ready to retire.” Filippo’s, which operated as Marchone’s until 2014, opened in 1955. Current owner Filippo Leo has worked at the deli for over 35 years and took over ownership back in 2012, a year after founder Thomas Marchone passed away. In 2020, Filippo’s won the TasteMoCo tournament for “Best Deli” in Montgomery County, beating out 31 other delis that had all been nominated by readers of the MoCoShow to win the award.
From the listing: “An Absolute gem in the Wheaton community! A well known sub shop/deli that has an amazing and loyal customer base. The deli has stood the test of time with their famous subs and grocery section. The winner of the “Best Deli in Montgomery County” in 2020 by the MoCo Show, they strive to have continual excellence and give the best service they can. With a sizable walk-in fridge and walk-in freezer there is plenty of space for supplies. The store is always left clean and is in good standing with all vendors.”
Taffer’s Tavern, a new restaurant from Bar Rescue’s Jon Taffer, is now open at 700 6th St NW in DC, next to the Capital One Arena. Known for turning “money pits into money makers” on his reality television series, Taffer promises to bring mouth-watering food, excellent customer service, and the “highest safety standards in the industry” to Taffer’s Tavern. Jon Taffer is known locally for featuring Piratz Tavern on his show in 2012. Piratz Tavern (8402 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring), which closed in 2015, was a pirate-themed dive bar where the staff dressed and acted like pirates (video below).
According to the restaurant’s website, “Taffer’s Tavern features unbelievably delicious comfort and elevated tavern foods with some surprises that are prepared using innovative cooking technologies that drastically improve the quality, flavor and consistency of every dish. Our approach is to provide our customers high-quality menu selections in the safest dining environment possible. That is why Taffer’s Tavern is home to the ‘Kitchen of the Future.’ On the way to creating this new concept, Jon recognized the advances in innovative cooking technology that could drastically improve the quality, flavor and consistency compared to the standard restaurant’s kitchen. The kitchen we have designed and created is truly revolutionary.”
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 […]