Update on Wonder food hall under construction in Rockville (Photos)

Construction is moving quickly on the Wonder food hall, opening this month at 12240 Rockville Pike at Towne Plaza in Rockville. The sign is up over the storefront. Inside, you can see a pick-up window and touchscreen devices. I "wonder" if it would be more accurate to call this a ghost kitchen than a food hall, however. Much like the short-lived Ensemble in Bethesda, the concept is more about pick-up and delivery meals mixed and matched from multiple well-known restaurant brands, as opposed to wandering through a large space and stopping at individual stalls. 

Update on Molly Tea in Rockville (Photos)

Signage is being installed on the future storefront of Molly Tea, opening soon at 860 Festival Street at Twinbrook Quarter in Rockville. See a sneak peek at the interior below, as well. Molly Tea specializes in jasmine tea. 

"Inspired by the Four White Flowers of the East, we select the best mountain tea leaves and scent them with fresh flowers, with focus on Jasmine aromas and Chinese tea," the company's US franchise website states. "Molly Tea aspires to explore all things Jasmine, allowing everyone to see the beauty of Chinese tea culture in their daily lives." Their specialties are Fresh Milk Tea, Snowy Whipped tea beverages topped with jasmine-infused whipped cream, and Fresh Oat Milk Tea.

Panera Bread space marketed for lease in Rockville Town Center

Panera Bread's space at 219 E. Middle Lane in Rockville Town Center is being marketed as available for lease. Prospective tenants and their representatives are warned "Do not disturb" the existing restaurant. Panera Bread remains open for business at this time, but its loss would certainly be a blow to the lunch scene in the Town Center area. A former bank space in the ground floor of the same building, vacant for some time now, also remains available for lease. Panera has two other locations in Rockville, at the Fallsgrove Village Center, and at Federal Plaza on Rockville Pike.

Char'd opens in Rockville, offering Ramadan specials

Char'd has opened at 11881 Grand Park Avenue at the Pike & Rose development on Rockville Pike. The fast-casual burger restaurant is also welcoming those breaking their Ramadan fast each evening. Through the end of Ramadan on March 19, the restaurant is offering complimentary dates and tea during Iftar hour, and will stay open until midnight each night. The Char'd menu is halal, including the grass-fed beef.

Rockville Pike Chick-Fil-A Grand Reopening set for March 5

After major renovations, the Chick-Fil-A at 12001 Rockville Pike at Montrose Crossing will reopen on March 5, 2026. The restaurant will hold a grand reopening event that day to celebrate. It will open at 6:30 AM, and the first 100 customers will receive a gift bag and a chance to win a year of free Chick-Fil-A. From 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, customers who have downloaded the Chick-Fil-A app will be given the opportunity to spin a prize wheel to possibly win free food and merchandise. Customers dressed as cows between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM will get a free Chick-Fil-A "BOG Card" while supplies last. Everyone will have a chance to take a selfie with the Chick-Fil-A Cow all day long.

More signage installed at Char'd burger restaurant in Rockville

The windows are still covered at the future Char'd at 11881 Grand Park Avenue at Pike & Rose. But there's another "sign" of progress outside the highly-anticipated burger restaurant. A new pedestrian-facing blade sign has been installed under the storefront canopy. It joins that tiny logo sign above the storefront. The burgers may literally be bigger than the signs at Char'd! 

Signage installed at Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Rockville

The sign is up at the future Tropical Smoothie Cafe at 835-F Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza. TSC remains mum about the existence of this new location, much less the opening date. However, I searched their website and I see they are accepting employment applications for this store. There are two other Tropical Smoothie Cafes in Rockville, in White Flint and Shady Grove.

Maryland law leaves McDonald's large fries lovers holding the bag

Maryland McDonald's customers ordering medium and large french fries are finding out Ronald has a brand new bag. Instead of the iconic red cardboard medium and large fry containers, those orders are now being handed out in paper bags, at least at some Golden Arches locations in Montgomery County. Some customers say the weight and portion size of the bagged fries are less than those served in the cardboard containers. But it's not simply a shrinkflation attempt alone by McDonald's. It turns out that Maryland passed a law in 2024 that mandated the retirement of cardboard fry sleeves forever.

The George "Walter" Taylor act was presented to the public as a bill almost no one would oppose. It would ban the sale and use of firefighting foam that contained "forever chemicals." This would reduce health risks and impacts for firefighters, and who could disagree with that? Well, it turns out another provision was hidden in the bill, one that applied a similar restriction to food packaging. Cardboard fry containers often are lined with a chemical coating that resists grease, and that supposedly contained a forever chemical. Cardboard was out, and the bill was signed into law by former Governor Larry Hogan.

I found the fry transition has been underway in a few other nanny states for at least a couple of years. Like so many nutty laws paased by the Maryland legislature and Montgomery County Council, this was yet another plagiarized from the great state of California. Now, thanks to both local legislative bodies, we not only have paper straws that melt and ruin the taste of your drink, but potentially smaller fry portions for the same high price.

McDonald's swears that the portion size is the same. Fast food packaging experts have noted that the shape difference, and dimensions of the opening of the new bag, together make it more difficult to stuff the same amount of fries into the bag as filled the cardboard. The jury is out. Your mileage may vary. And it will be something to watch in the coming weeks and months - please share your experience in the comments below.

Esvin's Bagels and Cafe opening soon at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

And here we thought Bethesda was reaching peak bagel with the impending arrival of Call Your Mother Deli and PopUp Bagels in downtown Bethesda. But wait - there's more! Westfield Montgomery Mall is getting in on the act with Esvin's Bagels and Cafe. Founded by a father-son duo, Esvin's will serve artisanal bagels and Guatemalan coffee. Specialty sandwiches, healthy bowls, and a variety of baked goods will round out the menu, which also includes milkshakes. When it opens, look for Esvin's right inside Entrance 4 on Level 1 of the mall, in the Cheesecake Factory wing.

Update on Shiki Fusion at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

New signage for Shiki Fusion has been installed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. An updated construction wall displays items from the menu of the Japanese-Thai fusion restaurant, and a spring 2026 opening date. Behind the wall, construction on the dining area appears nearly complete. See below for a sneak peek. Finally, there will be no misunderstanding that Shiki Fusion is located on Level 3 of the mall with the AMC Montgomery 16 cineplex. Massive Trumpian gold letters and a directional arrow have been attached to a panel high above the Dining Terrace food court below to hammer this home.

Fork & Kitchen opens in Rockville

Fork & Kitchen has opened at 150 Gibbs Street at The Square at Rockville. The American restaurant has garnered the most attention for its weekend brunch, and specifically the incredibly fluffy pancakes shown in its promotional pictures. Yes, the actual pancakes are pretty close to those in the photos. That brunch menu also includes Sinful Eggs, Garlic Parm Wings, a lobster taco, seafood grits, a mocha martini, and a Black Angus Sunday Burger. The biggest challenge for Fork & Kitchen may be its location on Gibbs Street, which has been closed to automobile traffic for about five years. But the restaurant features a light, clean, and airy interior design, and you can never have too many brunch options in the Town Center area.

Wild Bean Coffee opens in Rockville

Wild Bean Coffee has opened at 1532 Rockville Pike. The coffee shop and smoothie cafe roasts its own beans in-house daily. It appears this weekend was a soft-opening, with the shop scheduled to reopen again Monday morning at 6:00 AM, according to their website - complete with countdown clock. In addition to beverages, Wild Bean offers a variety of build-your-own sweet bowls and baked goods.

Potbelly temporarily closed in Rockville, 5 years after mocking Panera Bread closure

Remember when Potbelly at 199 E. Montgomery Avenue in Rockville Town Center mocked nearby competitor Panera Bread for its "temporary closure" in December 2020? Now the mayo is on the other sandwich, as Potbelly is now "temporarily closed" itself. A sign in the window apologizes for the inconvenience, but does not disclose the reason for the closure. It also does not provide an estimated reopening date.

Anthony Bourdain favorite Xi'an Famous Foods "coming soon" to Rockville

Xi'an Famous Foods is "coming soon" to 12031 Rockville Pike at Montrose Crossing, new signage posted at its future storefront advertises. The 1,718 square-foot western Chinese restaurant will be located next to RASA and Five Guys Burger and Fries. Xi’an Famous Foods was founded in 2005 as a 200 square foot basement stall in the Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing, N.Y. It claimed to have been the first restaurant to bring the little-known cuisine of Xi’an to the United States. Over the last twenty years, it has grown into 20 locations across the Big Apple, and was a favorite of the late Anthony Bourdain.

Signage installed at Char'd in Rockville

The sign is up at Char'd at 11881 Grand Park Avenue at Pike & Rose. It's already hooked up and lit after dark. However, it looks a bit undersized for the amount of space available above the storefront. What's not undersized is the steady popularity of burger startups in Montgomery County, with the Char'd announcement generating immediate enthusiasm among hamburger lovers familiar with the brand. The burger fad has remained strong for over a decade, with a Steeze Burger and Z-Burger entering for every Kraze Burger and Bobby's Burger Palace that has exited. Let's have a moment of silence for Hamburger Hamlet and Fuddruckers, though.

Update on Wild Bean Coffee in Rockville (Photos)

Wild Bean Coffee has certainly taken the scenic route to opening at 1532 Rockville Pike in Rockville. Announced way back in 2024, only now are we seeing "signs" that the opening may be finally approaching. Menu item signs are now posted in the windows, which are still papered over. Limited outdoor patio seating is in place outside. Inside, workers were moving furniture about last evening. Stay tuned for an opening date.

Wonder food hall expanding to Rockville

Just when it looked like the food hall fad was cratering in Montgomery County, a behemoth of a new entry has announced its impending arrival in Rockville this spring. Wonder, a national chain promising dine-in, pick-up, and delivery cuisine "from James Beard Award winners, Michelin star recipients, and Food Network stars," will open this April at 12240 Rockville Pike at Towne Plaza. The food hall will allow you to mix and match dishes from more than 15 restaurants operating out of its kitchen. Big names on board include Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Jonathan Waxman, Marc Murphy, José Andrés, and Marcus Samuelsson. A more-dubious name on board is "North Bethesda." North Bethesda? Mmm...not quite.