Coffee Republic opens in Bethesda (Photos)

Coffee Republic opened yesterday, March 22, 2026, at 7629 Old Georgetown Road in the Bethesda Place apartments. Grand opening customers enjoyed giveaways, and a day of springlike weather. The bad news is that temperatures will plunge overnight to 33 degrees by sunrise Tuesday morning. The good news is that you can still get one free cup of hot drip coffee today, March 23, only at Coffee Republic.

Bethesda Coffee Republic opening Sunday, March 22

Coffee Republic will open at 7629 Old Georgetown Road in the Bethesda Place apartments this Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 7:00 AM. The first 100 customers in line will receive a free drink of their choice, and the first 300 will get a swag bag. Every customer Sunday and Monday will enjoy one free hot-drip coffee all day long, if they download the Coffee Republic app. According to a new sign in the window, the coffee shop's menu includes all-day breakfast. Outdoor patio seating is in place; all that's needed is for the weather to cooperate.

Sneak peek: Coffee Republic in Bethesda (Photos)

Coffee Republic looks like it could open any day now at 7701 Woodmont Avenue in the ground floor of the Bethesda Place apartments. Seating is in place, or stacked in some cases. In terms of decor, neon artworks join a painting of Jesus Christ as Superman on the interior walls. No opening date has been announced yet for the coffee shop, which connects to the Lidl grocery store in the building. Coffee Republic has two locations in Washington, D.C. and one in Rockville. Their Crystal City shop abruptly closed on March 5, but the chain told ARLnow that it is finalizing a deal to move into another space nearby. Back here in Bethesda, here is a sneak peek inside:

Coffee Republic "coming soon" to downtown Bethesda (Photos)

Coming-soon signage has been installed in the windows of the future Coffee Republic coffee shop, which will be in the ground floor of the Bethesda Place apartments at 7701 Woodmont Avenue. The shop be connected to the adjacent Lidl grocery store. All of Coffee Republic's globally-sourced beans are roasted at its flagship Mooresville, North Carolina location. In addition to signature coffee drinks, their shops also serve a variety of baked goods, wraps, quiche, and breakfast burritos. Construction is now underway, as evidenced by the Tyvek wrap on the storefront.

KaFean Koffee closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

KaFean Koffee has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Their kiosk was cleared out last night, and signage was removed. KaFean Koffee opened here in August of 2024, but apparently could not withstand the competition with Starbucks upstairs. I don't think we can necessarily blame the Montgomery County Council for this closure, as unless you are Auntie Anne's, these kiosks can be rough sailing.

Coffee Fi Roastery opens in Bethesda

Coffee Fi Roastery is now open in downtown Bethesda. It is located at 4929 St. Elmo Avenue, in the St. Elmo's Cove shopping center. Coffee Fi specializes in single-origin Ethiopian coffee "from our farm to your cup." Operating hours on Saturdays are 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Hours on other days are 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Fridays, and 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Sundays.

Coffee Fi Roastery close to opening in Bethesda

Coffee Fi Roastery looks like it is very close to opening at 4929 St. Elmo Avenue at the St. Elmo's Cove shopping center in downtown Bethesda. All the equipment seems to be in place, though it's unclear how much seating there will ultimately be inside. There are many, many competitors in the area, including the new Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe that just opened on the same block. Coffee Fi's angle is offering single-origin Ethiopian coffee "from our farm to your cup."

Signage installed at Coffee Fi in Bethesda

Permanent signage was installed above the future storefront of Coffee Fi in downtown Bethesda yesterday.  Located at 4929 St. Elmo Avenue, the coffee shop will offer single-origin Ethiopian coffee "from our farm to your cup." It is taking over the space recently vacated by Scorpio Tattoo Studio in the St. Elmo's Cove shopping center. Coffee Fi will have to compete with several other existing coffee shops now open, or opening soon, on St. Elmo and the surrounding blocks.

Bethesda construction update: Simona Cafe (Photos)

Here's a look at the progress at the latest location of Simona Cafe, at 4520 East-West Highway in downtown Bethesda. As you can see, the interior fit-out is close to complete, with tables and chairs now being moved into place. Kitchen and counter equipment are both visible, as is a logo blade sign on the building exterior. The local coffee shop chain has existing locations in Arlington and NoMa, but this is their largest store so far.

Coffee Fi opening in downtown Bethesda

Coffee Fi will be "brewing soon" at 4929 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda, according to signage posted in the window of its future storefront. The coffee shop will offer single-origin Ethiopian coffee "from our farm to your cup." It is taking over the space recently vacated by Scorpio Tattoo Studio in the St. Elmo's Cove shopping center. Coffee Fi will have to compete with several other existing coffee shops now open, or opening soon, on St. Elmo and the surrounding blocks.

KaFean Koffee opening soon at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

KaFean Koffee is opening soon at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been installed at the kiosk, and virtually all of the equipment seems to be in place. KaFean Koffee will serve coffee from the Austrian coffee roaster Julius Meinl. The kiosk also has a Rancilio Silvia espresso machine. When it starts percolating, look for KaFean Koffee on Level 1 of the mall, near the Lego store and Kiehl's.

French Press sets opening date in Bethesda

French Press, a new coffee shop at 4918 St. Elmo Avenue in the Bainbridge Bethesda apartment tower, has set an opening date. The cafe will open tomorrow morning, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Final preparations are being made inside the space, which was previously home to Clove & Cedar Coffeebar. Complimentary drip coffee will be served all day Tuesday for the grand opening. The French Press menu includes breakfast items in the morning, as well as soups, salads and sandwiches later for lunch and the afternoon.

Update on new French Press coffee shop in Bethesda (Photos)

Permanent signage has been installed over the storefront at French Press, the new coffee shop opening soon at 4918 St. Elmo Avenue, in the Bainbridge Bethesda apartments. The logo presents an interesting juxtaposition of a coffee invention that is over 100 years old with the modern takeaway coffee cup of more recent times. It's a clever way of appealing to both the coffee purist and the Starbucks crowd at once. In addition to morning coffee, breakfast items and baked goods, French Press will also serve the lunch crowd with soup, salads, and sandwiches. It will certainly be a new perk for residents of the apartment tower.

French Press opening in downtown Bethesda

French Press, a coffee shop and bakery, has leased the storefront at 4918 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The space has sat vacant for over two years, since the closure of the previous coffee shop tenant, Clove & Cedar Coffeebar. In addition to the breakfast coffee and baked goods standards, French Press will also aim for the lunch hour crowd with soup, salads and sandwiches. The coffee shop will be the third enterprise to make a go of the apartment tower's St. Elmo Avenue ground floor space since the building opened in 2014.