The Cordell taking over long-vacant Bethesda restaurant space

The Cordell is taking over the former Lucy Ethiopian and Grapeseed restaurant space at 4865 Cordell Avenue. It won't be a standard restaurant, however. The Cordell is described as a rental hall and event venue with commercial kitchen facilities. A dedicated dining event space is a bit of a rarity, especially in downtown Bethesda. Events like wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs, or pharmaceutical companies wining-and-dining doctors, etc., are often handled in the private dining rooms of conventional restaurants and bars. Some have spacious private rooms or even a whole second floor for this purpose. 

Events can be a very lucrative business for those who can perform that service well, so it's good to see something viable going into a storefront that has been dark for four years. Lucy closed in July 2020, a very tough summer for restaurants in the midst of the pandemic.