Saturday, December 22, 2018

Kapnos Kouzina closing at Bethesda Row

Kapnos Kouzina has closed at Bethesda Row, in a reversal of expectations that the successful Greek restaurant would survive the implosion of celebrity chef Mike Isabella's dining empire. I noticed an odd sign taped up in the window tonight, which noted Kapnos would close early at 8:00 PM. It also advised to check the Kapnos website "for our future operating hours."

I've now confirmed that the Bethesda Row location is permanently closed. This is, at least temporarily, a significant loss for Federal Realty. Kapnos was in a space that struggled to attract foot traffic for years. Only the then-positive notoriety of Mike Isabella was able to fill seats in a quiet, hidden corner of the Bethesda Row development. At least the recipe for success here is now known, and another celebrity chef concept can be brought in to fill the void.

9 comments:

  1. Maloney Concrete7:37 PM

    Big Greek breaking restaurant news!

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  2. Anonymous8:32 PM

    The black glass at Kapnos was horrible. It always looked closed. They need to open up that place with more transparent glass.

    It would fun to get Vapiano back...

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  3. Oscar Van Helsing8:59 PM

    Like Papa John's, I could never go back to Kapnos after learning about isabella's sexual harassment of employees.

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  4. Skippy1:18 PM

    Regal Cinema closing up the street didn't help. Amazing the closures since Regal shut down.

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  5. These restaurants just have to be better.

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  6. Anonymous8:59 PM

    Replacing these places with chains will be a big mistake.

    There's a Matchbox in all directions from Bethesda: Rockville, soon in Silver Spring, Fairfax, DC

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  7. Anonymous5:36 AM

    The sign, supposedly in Greek letters, actually says "Karios Komziia". No wonder people didn't go there.

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  8. Anonymous6:33 AM

    Been looking forward to this!

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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