Dave's Hot Chicken opening in Rockville

Dave's Hot Chicken is coming soon to Rockville Pike. It will be at 11564 Rockville Pike in Rockville. That was a McDonald's restaurant until recently; McDonald's is moving into a newly-constructed building on the former Arby's site at 11710 Rockville Pike. Before expanding to Montgomery County, Dave's Hot Chicken was best known to Marylanders as the fast food company that promoted itself via influencer videos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. One location is already open in White Oak, but it looks like the Waldorf restaurant in Charles County has opened before the Rockville location.

Brandy Melville opens in Rockville

Brandy Melville has opened at Pike & Rose on Rockville Pike. The women's fast fashion boutique is located at 11804 Grand Park Avenue. Brandy Melville was founded in Italy, but gained success after taking inspiration from California designs rather than Italian fashions. The label's target audience is comprised of teens and young adults.

Another reason for Brandy Melville's popularity is that their pricing is very reasonable. They're still looking for full-time and weekend employees, if you are seeking a retail fashion position. Scan the QR code pictured in the bottom photo below.

Ace Hardware opening new store in Rockville

Ace Hardware is opening a new location in Rockville. It will be at 835 Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza. That was most recently home to Gold's Gym, so it is a sizeable space. When it opens, this will be the only Ace Hardware store in Rockville.

Thai Express opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Thai Express is now open in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall. If something seems familiar about this, it's because Thai Express has filled the spot just vacated by Ruby Thai Kitchen as 2025 began. Like Ruby Thai, Thai Express features combo meals on the entree menu. Thai Express has a few additional side items, but one less soup option than Ruby Thai offered. Operating hours for Thai Express are 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday; they are closed on Sundays. 

Big Papi's Tacos opens in Rockville

Big Papi's Tacos is now open at 201 E. Middle Lane in Rockville Town Center. They are holding a soft opening this week with a limited menu. A ribbon-cutting will be held this Friday, April 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM with taco samples. Finally, they will close out the week with their grand opening on Saturday, April 19.

Duke's Grocery opening today in Potomac

Duke's Grocery will open its new Potomac location today, April 8, 2025, at 6:00 PM, the Washington, D.C. restaurant announced last evening on Instagram. The East London-inspired pub is located at 10128 River Road, at the Potomac Place shopping center. Duke's boasts the "best burger in D.C.," its Proper Burger. The burger features Creekstone Farms Angus beef patties on a brioche bun from locally-famous Lyon Bakery. You could take a more-authentic British route by ordering the Fish and Chips or a Banger and Mash. But then again, look at this burger:

Photos courtesy Duke's Grocery

Dulce Crepes to open at Park Potomac

Dulce Crepes is coming to Park Potomac in 2025. It will be located at 12525 Park Potomac Avenue in Potomac. The 1595-square-foot restaurant will serve sweet and savory crepes, paninis, all-day breakfast, açaí bowls, and beverages that include coffee, smoothies, and milkshakes. A vegan menu will be available. Dulce Crepes is expected to open this spring.

“We are incredibly excited to bring Dulce Crepes to Park Potomac and introduce our signature crepes to the Maryland community,” Dulce Crepes Manager Francisco Aleman said in a statement. “We look forward to becoming a part of the Park Potomac community and serving our new neighbors.” Dulce Crepes has an existing location in Northern Virginia.

True Spec Golf opens first D.C. location in Clarksburg

True Spec Golf has opened its first Washington, D.C. area location in Clarksburg. The club-fitting studio is located at Little Bennett Golf Course at 25900 Prescott Road, a public course with a view of Sugarloaf Mountain. True Spec's one-bay mobile fitting unit utilizes the industry’s first quadroscopic launch monitor, Foresight GCQuad. True Spec DC Metro also features a "brand-agnostic" fitting matrix of over 70,000 clubhead and shaft combinations. Operating hours are 9:00 AM-6:00 PM on Tuesdays, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM on Wednesdays, 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Thursdays, and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

"Ultimate Wagyu experience" coming soon to Rockville

Beef lovers in Rockville must prepare themselves for "the ultimate Wagyu experience," coming soon to the Twinbrook Quarter development. Genki Wagyu Shabu House will open later this year at 870 Festival Street. Signage posted at the location promises the "ultimate unlimited Wagyu experience" for diners. Wagyu, which is comprised of the four primary breeds of Japanese cattle, is among the most-expensive meats in the world.

Bouboulina steakhouse sets opening date in Rockville

Everything the founders of CAVA touch turns to gold, and Federal Realty is banking on another King Midas moment at Pike & Rose this Friday, March 21, 2025. There are plenty of steakhouses in the region, but here comes a Mediterranean-inspired steakhouse, with the debut of Bouboulina. Named for a heroine of the Greek War of Independence of 1821 who commanded her own fleet, and is believed to be the first woman in world naval history to attain the rank of admiral, Bouboulina will serve premium cuts of steak and fresh seafood from its wood-fired grill. Meals will start with the wonderful aroma, flavor, and texture of house-baked breads.

CAVA founders Ted Xenohristos, Dimitri Moshovitis and Ike Grigoropoulos already have two other restaurants at Pike & Rose, Julli and Melina. Bouboulina joins the neighborhood at 921 Meeting Street. That is in the ground floor of the new 915 Meeting Street office building, and right across from the Trade Street parking garage. 

Photos by Deb Lindsey

Big Papi's Tacos opening soon in Rockville

Big Papi's Tacos is "opening soon" in Rockville, according to signage posted in the windows of its future storefront in Rockville Town Center. The Mexican restaurant will be located at 201 E. Middle Lane, in the ground floor of the BLVD 44/Cambria Hotel. Big Papi's has two existing locations in Maryland, in Frederick and Hagerstown. The growing chain was founded by Victor Alvarez and Carlos Jimenez, two disc jockeys who found themselves idled when the pandemic lockdown happened in 2020.

The specialty of Big Papi's is their quesabirria, which they describe as a "crispy, meaty taco that’s made when chili-spiced corn tortillas are cooked on a smoking hot flat top grill and topped with tender carne asada, melted cheese, diced onion and a bit of cilantro. The crispy taco is then served alongside a savory, chili-tinged consomme broth." They suggest you "think of it like the spicy Mexican equivalent of a French dip."

Chef Wang Kitchen opens in Rockville

Chef Wang Kitchen is now open at 199-E E. Montgomery Avenue at Regal Row in Rockville. The Chinese restaurant's menu features a wide selection of tapas-sized entrees at very reasonable prices ($3.99 to $5.49), as well as bigger combo plates that offer a lot of food for a little price ($8.98 to $11.98). Chef Wang can also whip up noodle, ramen, and deep-fried dishes, and you'll want to try the dim sum and "secret menu." Operating hours for Chef Wang Kitchen are 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

Below Zero opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Below Zero is coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The cold therapy skincare boutique is targeted at those who want to look younger and extend their lives. That's a pretty large potential clientele for their "Swiss Science" skincare products and devices.

"Many animal species live longer at lower temperatures than at higher temperatures," Below Zero notes. "Researchers found that the sense of cold activates a genetic program that enhances lifespan. The research shows that enzymes and hormonal frameworks have a role in reactions to low temperatures, which affects aging and lifespan." Below Zero will open this spring on Level 2 of the mall, next to California Pizza Kitchen.

Garage opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Garage will open its first store in Montgomery County this summer at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The women's apparel boutique is one of two brands founded by parent company GDI in Montreal in 1975. "We're a casual clothing brand for young women who are fun and effortlessly sexy," the company marketing spiel declares. When it opens, look for Garage in the former Aeropostale space on Level 1 of the mall, next to JD Sports.

Chef Wang Kitchen opening soon in Rockville

Chef Wang is getting ready to open his kitchen in Rockville Town Center. Awning signage for Chef Wang Kitchen has been installed at 199 E. Montgomery Avenue at Regal Row. It is located in the former California Tortilla space. Operating hours of Chef Wang Kitchen will be 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

Thai Express opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Thai food aficionados distraught by the recent departure of Ruby Thai Kitchen from Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda can dry their tears. Westfield is bringing in Thai Express, which will open this summer. You'll have no trouble finding your new Thai spot at the mall when it opens. Thai Express will be in Ruby Thai Kitchen's former space in the Dining Terrace food court, next to Charleys Philly Steaks. "Coming soon" signage has been posted in front of that stall ahead of construction.

Nothing Bundt Cakes opens in Rockville

Nothing Bundt Cakes is now open at 1032 Rockville Pike at Edmonston Crossing. The popular cake appeared in America back in the 1950s, but the innovation was really the pan that molds the cake's shape. Nordic Ware added a "t" to the German word "bund" for a pan that was designed to help a Jewish women's group in Minneapolis replicate a traditional, ring-shaped kugelhopf cake. Success on that effort was followed by wider adoption of the shape and recipe after a Bundt cake won the Pillsbury Bake-Off competition in 1966.

Thirty-one years later, Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz founded Nothing Bundt Cakes in Las Vegas. Today, it is the top specialty cake company in America, with over 600 locations. The Rockville location is open from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM from Monday through Saturday, and from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Sundays. The opening here is great timing, as the chain is currently featuring a Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter cake "while supplies last." It doesn't get any better than that!

Bartaco opening Rockville restaurant

Tacos will soon be back on the menu at Pike & Rose on Rockville Pike. Bartaco has just signed to open its first Maryland location in the former Nada space at 11886 Grand Park Avenue, according to signage posted in the windows. The national chain currently has restaurants in our region in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. A mostly-Mexican menu will have a few Korean dishes mixed in.

"With a white-washed interior, wanderlust-inspiring photography on the walls, woven basket light fixtures, and a sprawling bar at the center, [Bartaco] feels like it might belong on a beach in South America," Nashville Lifestyles wrote of its dining experience. The Reston Bartaco has a 4.2 out of 5 stars rating on Yelp, and the Bartaco at The Wharf holds a 3.8 star average.

Pelicana Chicken opens in Rockville

The King of Chicken has ascended the throne in Rockville. Pelicana Chicken is now open at 4 N. Washington Street at the Courthouse Center shopping center. The Korean chicken restaurant has already racked up 17 reviews on Google, with a perfect 5-star score. Many reviewers declared this is the best Korean chicken spot in town. Diners also praised the other authentic Korean dishes on the menu, as well as the atmosphere with K-pop music, a photo booth, and ample television screens.

Subway "coming soon" to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Subway is "coming soon" to Westfield Montgomery Mall, signage just installed at its future space in the Dining Terrace food court promises. I broke the news that sandwich artists will soon be preparing America's favorite sub sandwiches at the mall back in September 2024. Subway replaces longtime tenant J. Chow in the food court. Construction on the conversion of J. Chow to Subway is now getting started behind the wall, and the signage promises a spring 2025 opening.