Summer was busy. Like, blink-and-you-missed-it busy. Steakhouses, supper clubs, rooftop rum bars, the DMV did not slow down just because it was 95+ degrees outside. Summer in the DMV moves fast,  one minute you're grabbing patio drinks, and the next there are ninety new places to eat and you haven't been to a single one. So here it is: everything that opened its doors across DC, Maryland, and Virginia in June, July, and August, pulled from TheListAreYouOnIt.com's openings coverage. Grab a pen (or just bookmark this), because you've got some catching up to do. What did you miss? We got you: Agora Bethesda: Betul and Ismail Uslu opened their third and largest Agora yet inside the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, with a private room for 50, semi-private space for up to 120, and patio seating for 100 of Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese mezze.One Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda, MD Bernadette’s  Upstairs from the Oak Room, this champagne-soaked supper club from chef Timothy Hollingsworth and beverage director Julian Cox (the same Ten Five Hospitality team) pours roughly 40 grower Champagnes alongside live piano and jazz most nights — think a Parisian nightclub that never got the memo it's 2026.1218 Wisconsin Avenue NW Bourbon Steak's Lounge: Michael Mina's 18-year-old lounge at the Four Seasons Georgetown relaunched August 15 after a $1.5 million renovation, with head bartender Engidawork "Engi" Alebachew and head sommelier Winn Roberton pouring a truffle-brined dirty martini and a wagyu-fat-washed smoked Manhattan.2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Call Your Mother: Founders Andrew Dana and Daniela Moreira's beloved bagel shop (formerly mobile-trolley-only in Bethesda) opened its first permanent Bethesda storefront in the old Hardwood Artisans space.4828 St. Elmo Ave, Bethesda, MD Croix: Atop the Cambria Hotel in Navy Yard, Corporate Director of Culinary and Concept Design Keem Hughley and Chef de Cuisine Malika King built a rooftop Caribbean concept rooted in St. Croix heritage — breadfruit, callaloo, sorrel — with a "Botanic Bar" anchored by a backlit wall of ten house-infused Caribbean botanicals and a deep rum list, plus an outdoor extension called Croix Veranda.69 Q Street SW Duke's Burgers: Daniel Kramer's Duke's Grocery brought its fast-casual burger offshoot, with Wagyu and Impossible patties, to National Landing, kiosk-ordering style.1621 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA The Grace: Sanjay Mandhaiya (Pappe, Karavaan) pivoted hard into American saloon territory, taking over the old Passenger space and keeping the taxidermy antelope, "Gary," as a mascot. Chef Courtney Evans (a Next Gen Chef alum and former Rose's Luxury sous chef) works Afro-Southern-leaning pub food, while director of beverage Stefan Sokic pours house-pressed-sugarcane daiquiris and a reworked Passenger classic.1539 7th Street NW La Merna: Husband-and-wife team G. Bradley Shorten and Meg Schmitt opened a Chicago tavern-style pizza spot in Dupont Circle, scratch-making their own cheese and pouring classics-rooted cocktails in a room dressed in vintage Chicago and DC finds.2153 P St NW, Washington, DC Little Birdie: Matt Sloan and Eric Brannon's crew (Matt & Tony's All Day Kitchen + Bar) opened a chicken sandwich spot in Alexandria's Del Ray, working with local bakers for Japanese milk buns.Address: 1504B Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA The Oak Room: James Beard-winning chef Timothy Hollingsworth (former chef de cuisine at The French Laundry) brought a Gilded Age steakhouse to Georgetown, all koji-rubbed prime rib, Dover sole, and raw bar plateaus under Ten Five Hospitality. Beverage director Julian Cox runs the cocktail program around five old-fashioned variations and classic martinis, while wine director Taylor Parsons curates the 400-bottle cellar leaning Burgundy and Napa Cab.1218 Wisconsin Avenue NW Oribu: Grand Hyatt Washington's new flagship restaurant chases the Silk Road, blending Japanese precision with Mediterranean warmth under Executive Chef Gerard Spezio and Chef de Cuisine Joevel Magpantay — think jet-fresh sushi under a curved rattan chandelier, with a sake- and Japanese-spirit-driven bar program to match.1000 H St NW Public Interest: Inside the new Tempo by Hilton downtown, this modern American brasserie blends French brasserie tradition with American comfort, with a bar program described as reimagined classics with "a distinct DC edge."1776 K Street NW The Riggsby: Michael Schlow's beloved Riggsby is back after a roughly seven-year hiatus, reopened inside the Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle following a $6 million redesign by Edit Lab by Streetsense. Chopped salad, schnitzel alla Holstein, and Swedish meatballs anchor the menu, with a bar built around Manhattans, martinis, and an off-menu bar burger locals are already whispering about.2121 P Street NW Slice & Pie: Parks at Walter Reed: Giulio Adriani expanded his 14th Street pizzeria with a second, larger location serving pizza, paninis, and smash burgers, seating 26.1155 Dahlia St NW, Washington, DC Sushi Masato: Husband-and-wife team Raymond and Amy Yu opened a family-run Japanese spot with three tiers of omakase ($58/$78/$98) and a sake, beer, and wine list.4914 Hampden Ln, Bethesda, MD The Sweet District: Frost & Flourish's Audrey Angeles and Just Ron Chocolate's Aaron Salvador teamed up on a dessert and gourmet chocolate shop with a Filipino-inspired Halo-Halo, inside Arlington's UPSIDE on Moore food hall.Address: 1700 N Moore St, Arlington, VA Sweetlane by Sweetgreen: The DC area's first Sweetgreen drive-thru — order-ahead salads and grain bowls, no lingering required.6220 Old Dominion Dr, McLean, VA (Chesterbrook Shopping Center) Tam Tam Brunch and Dinner: Thao Tran and Tin Truong elevated Eden Center dining beyond casual pho, serving Southern and Central Vietnamese hot pots and crudo alongside house-made fish sauce from a family recipe — Vietnamese cocktails are "coming soon," but the tea program (kumquat rock sugar, passionfruit honey) is already running.6767 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church, VA (Eden Center) Tenley Provisions: Three concepts! Sofie's (crêpes/breakfast), Bistro Metzger (chef Colin Graham, a Wolfgang Puck alum), and El Jefe Woodfired Pizza (chef/founder Edwin Garcia) all share one roof in the old Steak 'n Egg space, a platform built for independent chef-operators.4700 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC Wheelhouse: Bo Blair's Georgetown Events Hospitality Group (Millie's, Surfside, Jetties) opened a vintage-yacht-club seafood spot on upper Connecticut Avenue under Executive Chef David Scribner, complete with a 33-foot bar slinging yacht-rock-themed cocktails and a Gifford's (Maine) ice-cream takeout window for the boardwalk crowd who never left Chevy Chase. 5714 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC  Xi'an Famous Foods: The NYC noodle chain opened its first full-service DC-area storefront (Rockville to follow in October), pulling hand-pulled noodles and dumplings under a no-tipping policy.2800 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA And Just Like That, September's Already MovingDon't get too comfortable, the DMV didn't take a breath between seasons. We're only a few days into September and several new restaurants have already thrown open their doors across the region. Keep tabs on all of it over at TheListAreYouOnIt.com's openings page, updated constantly with everything new to eat and drink around town, so you're never the last one to know.

Nycci has 24 years of industry tea, and she's spilling it here.

Nycci Nellis joined WTOP to preview the return of Summer DC Restaurant Week, which features nearly 400 participating restaurants across the DMV. She explained that diners can enjoy three-course lunch and brunch menus priced between $25 and $35, along with three-course dinners ranging from $40 to $65. Nycci encouraged guests to review Restaurant Week menus before dining, make reservations in advance due to high demand, and tip servers based on the full value of the dining experience. She also highlighted several first-time participants, including Malabar, Rosselli, The Grace, Uchi, Catahoula, and Rye Bunny, while recommending the free Let's Eat DC website, which allows diners to easily search every Restaurant Week menu. Beyond DC, Nycci also spotlighted Falls Church's inaugural Summer Restaurant Week and Maxwell Park's annual Lambrusco Week, giving food lovers even more opportunities to explore the region's dining scene.

Gus Constantellis, the comedian behind the viral Greek Mom videos, joins this DC food podcast to talk about the cookbook his mother's death made him write. Four days after she passed, he posted a meatball video that changed everything, and comedy turned out to be the only way he knew how to survive what came next.Gus Constantellis is the Greek American stand up comedian and writer behind the Greek Mom videos, the ones where he becomes his late mother, Julia, on camera with more love than most tributes manage. The character went viral during the pandemic and never really stopped. The real story is what happened after Julia died. Four days later, Gus posted a video making her meatball recipe, the first thing she ever taught him to cook, and that grief turned into My Greek Mom's Recipes, a cookbook with the tagline she died, I wrote this cookbook. On this episode of Industry Night, the DC food podcast hosted by Washington DC restaurant insider Nycci Nellis, Gus talks about the forty years his mother spent in America without learning English, the difference between the edited version of her the internet fell in love with and the real woman who complained about restaurants and got sick from fish, and how he decided which family recipes and stories belonged in the book. It is a conversation about comedy as a coping mechanism, food as a language that outlives the person who spoke it, and what it means to keep someone's voice alive on the page after it is gone from the room.Watch the interview here, or listen to it here.