Gaithersburg approves signage for Kitchen Social

Kitchen Social has received approval for the signage it has proposed for installation at its Downtown Crown location from the City of Gaithersburg. The restaurant chain had to request an exemption, because the dimensions of the signage exceed the standards laid out in the Downtown Crown master plan. Branham Sign designed the signage, which will consist of the main sign above the entrance, and two pedestrian-facing blade signs. The Gaithersburg Planning Commission approved the signage at its meeting last night. Kitchen Social is expected to open this summer at 203 Crown Park Avenue.

Rendering courtesy Branham Sign

Kitchen Social coming soon to Gaithersburg

Kitchen Social is coming soon to Gaithersburg. It is taking over the large space at 203 Crown Park Avenue at Downtown Crown. Kitchen Social has a large presence in the great state of Ohio, and one location in the Sunshine State. This will be its first restaurant in the Mid-Atlantic region. The chain is known for its menu of global cuisine, and its signature Cheddar Scallion Biscuits with honey butter. Kitchen Social is expected to open this summer.

Sixty Vines seeks permission to add retractable screens to pergola

Sixty Vines, the new restaurant at 212 Ellington Boulevard at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg, is seeking permission from the City of Gaithersburg to add retractable screens to its outdoor dining pergola structure. The retractable vinyl curtains will utilize the MagnaTrack Vinyl Screen System. Those screens will be black in color, and will not count as increasing the building footprint under City regulations. Sixty Vines' application will be reviewed by the Gaithersburg Planning Commission at its meeting tonight, December 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM. City planning staff are recommending approval of the application.

Rowan opens at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg

Rowan has opened at 126 Crown Park Avenue at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. The piercing studio is located between Ideal Image and Bath & Body Works. All piercing procedures at Rowan are hypoallergenic and performed by licensed nurses. Rowan has an existing Montgomery County location at the Shoppes of Bethesda.

El Guero Mexicano opening in Gaithersburg

El Guero Mexicano is coming soon to Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. It will be located at 200 Ellington Boulevard, the former home of BurgerIM. If the name sounds familiar, it's because the new restaurant is being opened by the owners of the nearby Taco Bar El Guero. They are keeping the same menu, as well as their famous Salsa Bar.

Sixty Vines opens in Gaithersburg

Sixty Vines has opened at 212 Ellington Boulevard at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. "The winemaker's restaurant" is now the wine drinker's restaurant. Your choice of sixty wines will be poured from the restaurant's "sustainable wine on tap system." Sixty Vines replaces Pour House at the development.

Signage installed at The Crepe Shoppe at Downtown Crown

Permanent signage has been installed for The Crepe Shoppe at 202 Ellington Boulevard at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. Progress on the interior fit-out of the restaurant is blocked from view by window coverings. Maritza Guzman Dotti co-founded the business as a food truck in 2013. The Crepe Shoppe also offers catering services.

Sixty Vines Downtown Crown construction update (Photos)

Sixty Vines, "the winemaker's restaurant," is nearing completion at 212 Ellington Boulevard at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. The interior is looking fairly posh, even compared to some of the other wine-centric restaurants in the area. Outside, signage has been installed, and is already lit up at night. Another sign indicates they are currently interviewing prospective employees. Sixty Vines is expected to open next month.

Rowan opening at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg

Rowan is coming soon to Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. The piercing studio will be located at 126 Crown Park Avenue, between Ideal Image and Bath & Body Works. All piercing procedures at Rowan are performed by "licensed nurses," and are hypoallergenic. Rowan has an existing Montgomery County location at The Shoppes of Bethesda.

Sixty Vines opening in Gaithersburg

Sixty Vines is coming soon to Gaithersburg, according to signage posted at its future storefront. It will be at 212 Ellington Boulevard at Downtown Crown. Sixty Vines calls itself "the winemaker's restaurant," and the concept and menu will be familiar to those who have dined at Vino Volo or Cooper's Hawk. Your choice of sixty wines will be poured from the restaurant's "sustainable wine on tap system," which you can see installed in the photo below. I would estimate construction is about 50% complete inside the space, which was formerly home to Pour House.

"Show me all the blueprints."

Paladar closes at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg

Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar has closed at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. A sign posted at the restaurant calls the closure a "tough decision," but that unspecified "challenges in recent years have made continued operations unsustainable." Paladar was one of the original businesses at the decade-old development, and was successful enough to reach the end of a 10-year lease at the property. However, the chain appears to have been struggling in recent years, closing its North Bethesda Market restaurant in 2018, Annapolis in 2020, and Cleveland, Ohio in 2023. At some point their Tysons location closed, as well.

The Container Store opening in March at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg

The Container Store is opening a new location at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg in March 2024. It is one of five new "small format" stores the chain expects to open nationwide this year.  The company says it will house a Custom Spaces Studio featuring the Preston, Avera and Elfa lines, as well as a curated selection of merchandise. The store will also market the brand's in-home services to customers. Look for The Container Store when it opens at 201 Ellington Boulevard.

Old Town Pour House permanently closing tonight in Gaithersburg

Last call at Old Town Pour House tonight will really be the last call ever at the Downtown Crown restaurant and bar, located at 212 Ellington Boulevard in Gaithersburg. The establishment was one of the highlights, along with Coastal Flats and Ted's Bulletin, in the early years of the new development. Old Town Pour House was open for 10 years. In a farewell message to customers, parent company Bottleneck said its lease was up, and it had decided not to renew it.

Car stolen in Downtown Crown

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg Sunday evening. The vehicle was stolen from a parking garage in the 300 block of Copley Place sometime between 5:30 and 8:15 PM, according to crime data.

Rebel's Hot Chicken opening ghost kitchen at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg

The latest ghost kitchen to open in Montgomery County will be Rebel's Hot Chicken at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. It is operating as a delivery-oriented virtual restaurant out of the Old Town Pour House at 212 Ellington Boulevard, with which it shares corporate ownership. OTPH already has a Secret Sauce BBQ ghost kitchen. This will be the third Rebel's Hot Chicken in America; two others opened in Illinois on November 30 last year. 

Rebel's Hot Chicken's menu is focused on several Nashville Hot Chicken-style dishes, including Hot Chicken Nachos (crispy popcorn chicken, Nashville hot sauce, pepper jack cheese sauce, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, white beans, avocado, cilantro lime cream, tortilla chips, micro cilantro), Rebel’s Inferno Fried Chicken Sandwich, Rebel's Hot Chicken Tenders, Rebel’s Hot Chicken Chopped Salad (crispy popcorn chicken, Nashville hot sauce, romaine, iceberg, red leaf, tomatoes, cucumbers, black beans, roasted corn, jicama, crispy buttermilk onion strings, ranch dressing), and Spicy Mac N’ Cheese  (crispy popcorn chicken, Nashville hot sauce, bacon lardons, IPA cheese sauce, cavatappi pasta).

Orders will be placed through the Bottleneck Rewards app for iPhone and Android, through the chain's website, or through Grubhub, Uber Eats, or DoorDash.

Photos courtesy Bottleneck Management

Sweetgreen coming to Gaithersburg

Sweetgreen is finally moving upcounty. The upscale salad chain will open its first restaurant north of Montrose Parkway in Gaithersburg. It will located at 299 Copley Place at Downtown Crown. That's a prime spot near Starbucks and Harris Teeter. Sweetgreen: It's not just for Bethesda anymore!

New development proposed for Downtown Crown

More homes will be added to the Downtown Crown development if a new project is approved by the City of Gaithersburg. Applicant Byan Condie of FRH Realty, LLC has proposed constructing a 244-unit residential building called Fairfield at Crown at 333 Ellington Boulevard. That property is at the rear of an existing parking garage.

The building will be 70' tall, and have 43 studio apartments, 147 one-bedrooms, 50 two-bedrooms and 4 three-bedroom units. An expansion of the adjacent garage will add 313 additional parking spaces for the new residents, and for patrons of the existing businesses in the area.

Existing trees along Diamondback Drive will be retained, and nine Willow Oak trees will be planted along Ellington.The applicant will have to obtain approval from Washington Gas in order to allow the building's balconies to encroach above an existing public utility easement adjacent to the property.

City planning staff has recommended approval of the project's site plan, with conditions relating to resident parking, the aforementioned Washington Gas approval (without which, staff says the balconies will have to be Juliet-style balconies), approval of temporary construction and access easements with adjoining properties, and submittal of traffic plans and any plan revisions required to address staff comments. The application will be taken up by the Gaithersburg Planning Commission at its virtual meeting tonight, June 16, 2021.

Car stolen from garage at Downtown Crown

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen car at Downtown Crown yesterday morning. The vehicle was taken from a parking garage in the 100 block of Ellington Boulevard, and was reported stolen around 11:00 AM Sunday morning, according to crime data.

Dining in a bubble to avoid Covid at Downtown Crown

Diners trying to reduce their chances of catching Covid-19 while eating out have a new option at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. Ted's Bulletin is now offering bubble seating outdoors. The dining pods offer semi-isolated seating for solo diners, couples and very small parties.

Ideal Image coming to Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg

Ideal Image, a medspa offering a variety of non-invasive aesthetic treatment services, is coming to Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. It will be located next to Zagg on Crown Park Avenue. Ideal Image is also opening a previously-announced location at Bethesda Row.