Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings "coming soon" to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings is "coming soon" to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, according to signage posted in the windows of its future space. It will be hard to miss, as it has exterior frontage at the main entrance to the Dining Terrace food court on Level 2. Nan Xiang is expected to open this fall.

Soup dumplings originated in Nan Xiang, China centuries ago, but Nan Xiang the restaurant was founded in Flushing, New York in 2006. Growing into a significant chain, and picking up Michelin-recommended status along the way, Nan Xiang is currently engaging in a rapid expansion into malls and other retail properties in the northeastern United States.

Subway nears return on Rockville Pike (Photos)

The newly-renovated Subway at 1402 Rockville Pike in Rockville looks very close to opening. Digital menu screens have been installed behind the counter, and are already operational. In fact, the shipping boxes for the screens by the Pennsylvania-based digital sign firm Scala are still visible in front of the counter. The company also manufactures touchscreen ordering systems, but none of those are visible yet inside the restaurant. This Subway store closed last December, and even the signage was stripped off of the building, with no message left for customers. Then this spring, a renovation project began and a Subway logo appeared on one of the interior walls.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana celebrates 100 years at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

This year marks the 100th year of business for Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. The chain's pizza parlor at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda has only been open for a small fraction of that time, but it will be celebrating the milestone as much as the original New Haven, Connecticut restaurant. Through the end of this month, June 2025, dine-in guests can get a large, 18-inch pizza (16 slices) for $19.25. The offer is available exclusively for dine-in guests from Monday through Friday until June 30. It is limited to one redemption per table, and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. Look for Frank Pepe on Level 1, in the Old Navy/Cheesecake Factory wing of the mall.

Photo by Foodies of 617

Sixty Vines opening at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg (Photos)

Sixty Vines is coming soon to Gaithersburg, according to signage posted at its future storefront. It will be at 212 Ellington Boulevard at Downtown Crown. Sixty Vines calls itself "the winemaker's restaurant," and the concept and menu will be familiar to those who have dined at Vino Volo or Cooper's Hawk. Your choice of sixty wines will be poured from the restaurant's "sustainable wine on tap system," which you can see installed in the photo below. I would estimate construction is about 50% complete inside the space, which was formerly home to Pour House.

"Show me all the blueprints."

McDonald's On-the-Go, only the 3rd built in USA, opens in Rockville (Photos)

The new McDonald's On-the-Go restaurant has opened at 11710 Rockville Pike in Rockville. This is only the third of this new restaurant design concept from the chain to open in the United States, with the first two having been in California and Texas. The emphasis is on takeout, delivery, and - above all else - drive-thru service. There is no indoor dining area of the type that you have come to expect from the Golden Arches, and most other traditional fast food restaurants.

However, as you've seen in my ongoing updates during the construction of the building, there is one table in the small lobby. Customers are apparently allowed to dine indoors at that table on a first-come, first-seated basis, and were doing so last evening. All other patrons were standing, awaiting their orders to be handed out from the pickup window, which replaces the traditional open counter. "Fight for $15" touchscreen kiosks likewise replace the cashiers and cash registers of the past.

The two biggest upgrades for nearby residents with this McDonald's are the addition of a drive-thru (the old McDonald's just down the street did not have a drive-thru), and the fact that the drive-thru will be open 24 hours. A 24-hour McDonald's - or a 24-hour fast food restaurant of any brand - is a rare find in moribund Montgomery County. Speaking of which, the new restaurant's debut is being initially hampered by the County's anti-business sign code, which has steadily removed and banned most of the prominent and legible roadside business signage ubiquitous in the rest of the country. There were only four customers in the lobby last night, and few cars using the drive-thru, suggesting that few people driving past were aware the McDonald's was even there or open. A typical McDonald's has a steady line of cars at the drive-thru, even during off hours. Aside from those establishments who still have grandfathered roadside signage, a large percentage of businesses along the Pike are invisible to all but the most careless rubberneckers driving by. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Gaithersburg man dies after assault at Silver Diner in Rockville

A Gaithersburg man was the victim of a fatal assault at Silver Diner at 12276 Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza in Rockville on May 21, 2025, Montgomery County police say. Officers responded to a report of an assault at the popular restaurant at 11:52 PM that evening. When they arrived, they found Fredi Torres, 49, of Gaithersburg to be unresponsive. Officers immediately began lifesaving efforts, until Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services personnel arrived. MCFRS transported Torres to a local hospital, where he tragically later passed away.

Detectives are urging any customers of the restaurant who may have witnessed the incident to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page, or call 1-866-411-8477. Tipsters may remain anonymous. 

Rockville is "REDI" for Global Bites Restaurant Week June 1-14

Dining out in Rockville between June 1 and June 14, 2025 will have additional rewards. Rockville Economic Development, Inc. will be sponsoring Global Bites Restaurant Week during that time period, and 20% of your receipt (or $20, whichever is higher), will be donated to local nonprofits that participate in REDI's Rockville Rewards program. There might be a reward for you as well: REDI will be giving away three VISA gift cards, worth $50, $100, or $200.

All you have to do to participate and be entered to win, is to dine at any participating restaurant within the City of Rockville between June 1 and 14. Note that national chains are excluded. Upload a copy of your receipt, and you will be entered in the gift card contest, and a donation will be made to local nonprofits. Each receipt counts as one entry; you can enter multiple times, but each receipt must represent a separate transaction. Photos of receipts must be uploaded by 11:59 PM on June 15, 2025.

REDI's goal, beyond assisting community organizations, is to highlight the international cuisines of Rockville's restaurants, which include those that have made the city a regional destination for the best Asian dining experiences. “Rockville is home to an amazing variety of restaurants offering a world of flavor,” REDI CEO Cynthia Rivarde said in a statement. “Global Bites highlights this culinary and cultural vibrancy while creating meaningful local impact.”

Wetzel's Pretzels "baking soon" at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

I can almost smell the pretzels on the larger than life signage posted by Wetzel's Pretzels, opening this fall at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Sometimes, Auntie Anne's just isn't enough. Now, Westfield will give you the chance to compare both, and declare a winner, without leaving the premises. Look for Wetzel's Pretzels this fall on Level 2 of the mall, next to The FIX, in the corridor between Macy's and the Dining Terrace food court.

Rockville Pike McDonald's construction update (Photos)

Construction of the new McDonald's restaurant at 11710 Rockville Pike is nearing the finish line. The Golden Arches are now in place on the front facade of the building, as are the ordering screens in the two drive-thru lanes - which are currently blocked off with tape. Last week I broke the news that this will be only the third of the chain's "McDonald's On-the-Go" store concept to open in the U.S., with a focus on drive-thru, takeout, and delivery orders only, and no indoor dining room. That means you will be one of the first to experience the new concept outside of Los Angeles and Fort Worth, when this location opens.

Jonathan's Sports Pub changes hands in Rockville

Jonathan's Sports Pub at 820 Baltimore Road in Rockville is under new ownership. The popular restaurant and bar at the Burgundy Park Shopping Center was acquired yesterday by Amy Shin Huang, who also owns Fusion Bar & Grill at the Cloverly Village Center in Silver Spring. While she plans to keep the general "dive bar" aesthetic longtime patrons have come to know and love, upgrades to the menu and decor are planned. High ratings on Yelp and Google for Fusion Bar & Grill - also termed a "dive bar" by customers - suggest she has a recipe for success in this dining and nightlife category.

The establishment will also get a new name, although forty customers have signed a petition asking the new owner to keep the Jonathan's moniker. Other patrons have expressed openness to a name change. Despite its dive bar reputation, venerable strip mall location, and dated decor, it should be noted that the quality of the food at Jonathan's is high. According to Yelp, Montgomery County health inspectors found no violations at the restaurant during their last visit.

Fork & Kitchen opening in Rockville

Fork & Kitchen is coming soon to Rockville. The restaurant will be located at 150 Gibbs Street at Rockville Town Square, according to a liquor license notice posted there. That fairly large space was most memorably home to Bar Louie. Fork & Kitchen does not appear to have a website or social media presence yet, but it does have a liquor license hearing scheduled for June 5 at 10:30 AM.

McDonald's opening prototype store design in Rockville (Photos)

The new McDonald's at 11710 Rockville Pike in Rockville will be the third of the company's prototype store design that focuses entirely on drive-thru and takeout orders, and entirely dispenses with indoor dining. Two previous variations on the "On-the-Go" store model have opened in Forth Worth, Texas in 2022, and in Los Angeles in 2024. The Rockville store will have two drive-thru lanes outside. But inside, there is only a small lobby with touchscreen kiosks for ordering purposes. Orders are placed via the kiosks, or in advance using the McDonald's app. Instead of a wide counter with multiple cashier stations, there is only a small window cut out of the kitchen wall, where a crew member will hand out your order when it is ready, using the pickup number you received when placing the order.

This new store model solves many problems at once. It streamlines ordering, and gets pickup and delivery orders out faster. Fewer employees are needed to operate the restaurant. And the issue of loitering is virtually eliminated, since there is no place to "hang out" inside the building. While bulletproof glass would be necessary to fully "crime-proof" the restaurant, it would be more difficult for robbers and other criminals to gain direct access to the employees than at a traditional McDonald's store.

The new McDonald's was already expected to be an improvement over the nearby location that closed last year, simply because this one will have drive-thru service. But the opening will be even more exciting now that the interior construction reveals that this is a rare and new McDonald's store design that few around the country have experienced yet, and the performance of which will influence future McDonald's store designs around the country.