The Velvet Room opening June 17 in Bethesda

The Velvet Room will open at 8020 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda this Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Reservations for an opening week table at the speakeasy are now being accepted online. You can also view the cocktail menu for opening night, which includes many drinks with hyperlocal names. Operating hours will be 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM Tuesday through Thursday, 4:00 PM to midnight Friday through Sunday, and closed on Mondays.

The Velvet Room aiming for June opening in Bethesda

After a long permitting and construction process, The Velvet Room is finally looking forward to opening next month at 8020 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The speakeasy is aiming for June 10, 2026 as opening night, according to the website. However, a sign in the window allows for some wiggle room with a pronouncement of "opening around June 10."

"Opening its doors on June 10, 2026, The Velvet Room is set to become Bethesda's newest destination for sophisticated nightlife," the venue said in a statement. "This elegant lounge bar, located at 8020 Norfolk Ave, promises an unforgettable experience. Step into a world of luxurious ambiance, where every detail is crafted to provide a serene and exclusive escape from the everyday. The Velvet Room offers a curated selection of premium beverages in a stylish setting, perfect for unwinding after a long day or celebrating a special occasion. Prepare to indulge in an atmosphere of refined comfort and timeless glamour."

Signage installed at The Velvet Room speakeasy in Bethesda

The sign is up at The Velvet Room at 8020 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda. It's another "sign" of work on the speakeasy now proceeding at a much faster pace, after over a year of delays. There is now a website for the establishment, where you can get on their mailing list ahead of the opening. With the demise of Turncoat in the ongoing Friendship Heights crashout at the hands of our bumbling, stumbling Montgomery County Council, The Velvet Room will be the only dedicated speakeasy in Montgomery County.

Assault at Bethesda bar

Montgomery County police were called to a bar in downtown Bethesda after an individual reported being the victim of a 2nd-degree assault there Tuesday night, July 11, 2023. The assault was reported at a bar in the 4900 block of Cordell Avenue at 8:37 PM.

A look back at the Saphire Cafe in Bethesda (Photos)

The Saphire Cafe closed last year at 7940 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Its building stands on one of several parcels of land that will one day be the long-delayed Artena Bethesda development. Opened in June of 2002 by founders Danny Lopes and Charles Ly, the business was named in honor of Lopes' mother. 

The cafe and lounge had a rear deck facing Woodmont Avenue, which it turned into a tiki bar in 2004. After closing exactly twenty years after opening, the cafe's contents were auctioned off last summer. By December, the building was suffering from some of the same vandalism as the abandoned properties at the site of the also-delayed 8008 Wisconsin Avenue redevelopment up the street. Here is a look back at the last year in photos that may spur some memories of times spent here, in chronological order:

June 2022

December 2022

A last look at the tiki bar

December 2022 vandalism

Caddies adds new canopy to outdoor dining patio in Bethesda (Photos)

Just in time for the early spring weather, Caddies at 4922 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda has upgraded its outdoor dining patio out front. A new canopy has been erected over the patio. It has lights in the "ceiling," and fans for hot weather. This will expand the number of days out of the year the patio can be used for outdoor dining, and also block direct sunlight that might be too harsh during the lunch period on summer days. 

Hip Flask rooftop bar in Bethesda now offering private igloos

Hip Flask, the rooftop bar in the Marriott Bethesda Downtown hotel at 7707 Woodmont Avenue, is now offering private rooftop igloos by reservation only. The heated outdoor igloos seat up to 8 people, and come with blankets if you need them. They can be reserved for 1.5 hours at a time Tuesday through Thursday for a $300 minimum food and beverage purchase. On Fridays and Saturdays, a private igloo will go for a $500 minimum for 2 hours. You can reserve an igloo online.

Photo courtesy Marriott International

Hello Betty boat bar opens at Pike & Rose

The boat bar has opened for summer at Hello Betty, the new seafood restaurant at Pike & Rose. It is located inside the Canopy by Hilton hotel at 940 Rose Avenue. But you can take a short cut right to the bar through the blue and yellow door on the Grand Park Avenue side of the hotel. A christening ceremony will be held for the boat bar - and, yes, it is a real boat - on May 26, 2022 at 7:00 PM, and will include a complimentary champagne toast.

Photos by Alison Tremblay