Kickz closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Kickz has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The streetwear and sporting goods boutique has been cleared out inside. Empty shelves and packing boxes are all that remain on the sales floor. Kickz has also been removed from the tenant directory on the mall's official website. Two area locations remain, at Potomac Mills Mall and Francis Scott Key Mall.

Old Georgetown Grille closes in Bethesda

Old Georgetown Grille has closed at 7755 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. The American diner operated for over 20 years. Their building is going to be demolished to clear the way for a new apartment tower. Smaller buildings on adjacent lots are already being taken down by a demolition crew. 

Luke's Lobster closes at Bethesda Row

Luke's Lobster has permanently closed at 7129 Bethesda Lane at Bethesda Row. Signage has been stripped from the storefront, and the interior appears cleared out. It's the end of an era, as Luke's was one of the highest profile additions of the previous decade at the Federal Realty development. Luke's was also one of the biggest names in the lobster roll fad, which never actually ended, but became such a popular item that it wound up on many restaurant menus beyond the trucks and eateries that only sold those mayonnaise and butter drenched sandwiches. Perhaps the ubiquity of the lobster roll cut into demand for the OG specialty shops.

Pollo Campero closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Pollo Campero has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, according to a sign posted at their stall in the Dining Terrace food court. The Guatemalan chicken chain opened this location in July 2024. From what I can tell, this is one of the rare closures we can't necessarily blame the Montgomery County Council for. I see that quite a few Pollo Campero restaurants have closed elsewhere across the country this year.

I recall that the chain went through a major expansion push in 2024, after celebrating record sales growth the previous year. Several of the planned 45 new locations were here in Montgomery County. I notice that a recurring theme in news articles about the other closures is that they all opened during that heady expansion year of 2024. 

Colony Grill closes in Potomac

Colony Grill has closed at 11325 Seven Locks Road at Cabin John Village in Potomac. Signage for the restaurant has been stripped from the building. Colony Grill opened this location in June 2023, but the chain says it has "decided not to continue our lease at this location." Apparently, a high score from Dave Portnoy wasn't enough to impress diners in Potomac. An 8.4! 

Gold Bunny Donut closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Gold Bunny Donut has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Their space was dark today during their typical operating hours. The owner says they are seeking a new location and hope to reopen soon. Gold Bunny was a huge success after it opened at the mall, regularly selling out of donuts, so one has to wonder if the anti-business policies of the Montgomery County Council have claimed yet another victim.

Zbounce closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Zbounce has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been removed from their space next to Hallmark. The children's moon bounce and play center first opened at the mall in the fall of 2016, so this could be a ten-year lease ending. Or an unannounced move within the mall, but Zbounce has not posted any message to customers regarding such plans.

Pike El Diamante, Smoke BBQ buildings marketed for lease in Bethesda [UPDATED]

UPDATE - 7:39 PM: The CEO of Pike El Diamante provided the following statement:

"Pike El Diamante is not closed and will be operating as usual. We value the support we have received throughout these two years and look forward to continue serving the community.

If you're looking for a great way to spend your evening, join us tonight 06/26/2026 starting at 6:00 PM for our $7 Margaritas special. We'd be delighted to welcome you in for great food, drinks, and hospitality.

Mario Terrazas

CEO

Pike El Diamante"

Original story:

One restaurant has closed in downtown Bethesda, and the future of a second is undetermined. Pike El Diamante has shut down at 4906 St. Elmo Avenue. The property owner has posted signs warning the business ownership or other parties not to attempt to gain entry to the building, in which the contents of the restaurant remain under lock and key. An online listing indicates the space is available for lease immediately.

Also being marketed as available for "immediate" lease is the building at 4858 Cordell Avenue. That is currently home to Smoke BBQ, which is still open for business at last check. Both properties have not had much difficulty attracting tenants, as both are highly visible storefronts in the Woodmont Triangle with lots of lunch and after-work foot traffic.

Signature Cigars closes in Bethesda

Signature Cigars has closed at 4919 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The shop's last day was Sunday, and there is already a for-lease sign in the window. Cigar aficionados seeking the traditional shopping experience still have the nearby Capitol Cigar & Tobacco at 4916 Del Ray Avenue. But the loss of another longtime Bethesda business still stings, as the moribund Montgomery County economy claims another victim. But, hell, let's go ahead and vote for the same people who did this to us again! "Smarter than the average bear!"

Ideal Image closes at Bethesda Row

Ideal Image has closed at 4930 Elm Street at Bethesda Row. The medspa is the first of a wave of similar businesses along Elm Street to fail. Heyday, OVME Medical Spa, and Prime IV Hydration Wellness are still going strong. Ideal Image started the trend when it signed a lease for the former Boloco space in December 2019, and Heyday and OVME followed in early 2020. All four businesses remained surprisingly resilient in opening and thriving amid the pandemic. Ideal Image has ceased to exist as a corporation, but it has tried to sell its individual clinics to new operators where possible, and that apparently wasn't in the cards here.

EUG Apparel closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

EUG Apparel has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The sportswear and streetwear boutique launched a thousand discussions about its name, which appeared as Embrace Ur Greatness on the storefront, but which Westfield listed as EUG Apparel in its directories. Was the latter simply 3 initials - and if so, what did they stand for? - or a Trumpesque "Yuuuuuuuuge"? But as Jesse Jackson once declared, "The question is moot." The signage is gone, the space is cleared out, and the storefront windows are now blacked out. EUG opened here for the holiday shopping season in November 2024, and that's a pretty impressive run to last almost two years in Montgomery County's anti-business climate and moribund economy.

Francesca's closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Francesca's has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. They had one of the longest closing sales I've seen outside of some of those rug shops. Then again, the demise of the fashion boutique chain was also a long one. Francesca's filed for bankruptcy over five years ago. Westfield is probably not losing sleep over this closure, as it has recently agreed to leases with a number of tenants that would be considered an upgrade from Francesca's.

Mayflower Chinese Food closes in Bethesda

Mayflower Chinese Food has officially closed at 7925 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The restaurant has been cleared out over the last few days. It operated for over 23 years, an impressive run amid Montgomery County's moribund economy and the County Council's anti-business policies. Ultimately, the property was sold and an agreement on a new lease could not be reached.

V Nails closes in Bethesda

V Nails has closed at 4903 Auburn Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Their space has been cleared out. V Nails began operating in an expanded location here in 2016, and is well-rated in online reviews. So I don't know if this is merely a 10-year lease ending, or the end for V Nails. Only that 7-Eleven coffee cup knows for sure, as there is no website or official social media account for the salon.

Indigo Octopus closes at Bethesda Row

Indigo Octopus has closed at 7126 Bethesda Lane at Bethesda Row. The women's boutique, which opened this location about a year ago, carries a curated collection of designer women's clothing, denim, jewelry, accessories, and swimwear. While they have closed here, the good news for those who travel to Ocean City and the Delaware coast is that their Fenwick Island shop opens for the season tomorrow, April 4, 2026. You can also continue to shop from home on their website at indigooctopus.com.

Baruch Cafe closes in Bethesda

Baruch Cafe has closed at 4841 Del Ray Avenue in the ground floor of the Gallery Bethesda apartment tower. The restaurant opened in December 2024, replacing the convenience store that had occupied the space since the building opened a decade earlier. It's a double whammy of a closure, as Lifestyle Corner had begun operating out of the cafe just a few months ago. Hopefully the new attention to the Gallery Bethesda plaza generated by the recently-opened BabyCat Brewery will help draw another winning tenant to this space.

Matchbox closes at Bethesda Row

Matchbox has closed its Bethesda location at 7278 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. A note in the window states the restaurant has "moved" to Rockville and Silver Spring. Of course, this is false, as the chain has had both locations for many years. Signage has been stripped from the exterior. Matchbox will be replaced by Prato, an Italian restaurant.

Joy by Seven Reasons closes in Friendship Heights; contents to be auctioned off

Joy by Seven Reasons has closed at 5471 Wisconsin Avenue at the Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights. The contents of the restaurant will be auctioned off beginning on March 25, 2026. Conceived as a more-affordable spinoff of Seven Reasons in Washington, D.C. to better match the sinking median income level and stagnant economy of Friendship Heights, online reviewers noted that prices were still too high for their wallets, and that the restaurant was not exactly packing in the crowds. 

With empty storefronts ticking upward again at the Collection, and Saks Fifth Avenue departing by summer, property owner CCLC could look to reimagine this massive and prime site as a mixed-use "town center" development. As the Montgomery County Council damaged the area once known as "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive" by encouraging the very wealthy to flee to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region, high-end retail and restaurants suddenly began vanishing in Friendship Heights. The collapse would give CCLC an argument to go big with a redevelopment plan, likely starting with the Saks end of the property.

Anine Bing closes at Bethesda Row

Anine Bing has closed at 7243 Woodmont Avenue at Bethesda Row. The windows have been covered with brown paper. Anine Bing is the latest victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy, the flight of the rich from MoCo, and the anti-business policies of the Montgomery County Council. This is the only Anine Bing boutique closing in America. In fact, the brand is currently expanding, with new locations opening soon on Long Island and at the Ala Moana Center in Hawaii, as well as two boutiques in China.

The Bethesda location was already showing some signs of struggling by 2023. That July, the boutique reduced its operating hours. It had only been open for a few months at that point.

Federal Realty already has a solid replacement lined up for Anine Bing's space, however. Southern California lifestyle brand Johnnie-O will open there this spring. Johnnie-O is considered a premium apparel brand, but its prices are typically half or a third of Anine Bing's, and therefore may be a better fit for the changing demographics of Montgomery County. 

Za'Atar Shawarma & Pizza closes in Bethesda

Za'Atar Shawarma & Pizza at 8021 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda has closed. Signage has been removed from inside the front windows, which are now obscured. The restaurant only opened three months ago. Replacing Cheesy Pizzi, which closed last August, Za'Atar is the latest victim of Montgomery County's moribund economy and anti-business climate.