PROJECTED OPENING: Late July 2025 20964 Southbank Street, Sterling, VA Activate, the world’s first active gaming facility and viral social media sensation, will open its first Virginia location in Sterling’s Cascade Marketplace this July. The 9,212-square-foot location will deliver a mix of action-packed fun designed for players of all ages. Activate transforms group entertainment into an interactive, adrenaline-fueled experience. The Sterling location will feature 11 high-tech game rooms – including the TikTok viral Mega Grid, Laser, Scan and Control, to name a few – designed to react in real time, keeping players engaged at every turn. For more information, click here.

PROJECTED OPENING: August 2025 1850 K Street NW Nuli, a first-of-its kind health-forward, fast-casual restaurant showcasing African superfoods and locally grown produce founded by Ada Osakwe, will be making its United States debut this August in The Square. Driven by a mission to energize healthier lifestyles through better nutrition, Nuli directly sources fresh farm produce from local growers across the region, combining this with highly nutritious African superfoods to create innovative wraps, stir-fried bowls, salads, juices and smoothies. The thoughtfully curated Nuli menu not only reflects the culinary traditions from various regions across Africa’s 54 countries but also honors the confluence of cultures within the continent, including elements of Mediterranean and Indian culinary traditions. Some menu highlights guests can get excited for include toasted wraps, stir-fried bowls, Moin-Moin, and more. Nuli’s iconic cold-pressed juices will round out the menu and feature nutrient-packed African superfoods like hibiscus (‘Zobo’), tigernut, moringa, and tamarind. For more information, visit their Instagram here.

PROJECTED OPENING: August 2025 10207 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD A new King Arthur Baking Company pop-up will be coming to Bethesda’s Wildwood Shopping Center this Summer. The Bethesda store will offer a wide range of baking essentials, including ingredients, mixes, tools, accessories, and kitchen appliances, and will be opening through the holidays, making it the perfect spot for holiday shopping. For more information, click here.

PROJECTED OPENING: Fall 2025 25001 Burnt Hill Road, Clarksburg, MD Chef Tae Strain has partnered with the sibling team behind Old Westminster Winery on a new food and wine destination in Clarksburg, Burnt Hill Farm. The Tasting Room at Burnt Hill is expected to open this Fall, followed by a more casual lounge, then a full tasting menu/chefs counter early next year that will serve Tae’s food in a multi-course dining experience. Burnt Hill will fuse together regenerative agriculture, grand cru–caliber winemaking, and Asian-American heritage cuisine. For more information, visit their Instagram @burnt_hill. 

PROJECTED OPENING: Late 2025 14 Ridge Square NW Chef Michael Mina will be opening a new vibrant Italian dining destination in DC’s City Ridge development this year. Lunara’s menu is expected to blend classic Italian flavors with local flair. Guests can look forward to a refined yet inviting atmosphere at this new concept. More information to come. For more information, visit their website here.

PROJECTED OPENING: Summer 2025 1301 South Joyce Street, Arlington, VA This summer, the team behind El Mercat Bar de Tapas in Rockville, Maryland will be bringing their vibrant Spanish flavors to Arlington with a brand-new location opening in late July. Located in West Post at National Landing, the new outpost combines bold culinary technique, an open kitchen format, and an ambitious beverage program to create a high-energy, welcoming dining experience. A signature highlight of the new Arlington location will be tableside service featuring a Jamónero cart—adding an interactive and authentic touch to the experience. Guests can expect the same beloved menu as the Rockville location at launch, with plans to debut a refreshed lunch menu and a reimagined brunch offering about four weeks after opening. For more information, click here.

PROJECTED OPENING: Summer 2025 1309 5th Street NE Chef Giulio Adriani will be opening a second location of Slice & Pie and Taste of Lucy, an abbreviated version of his popular Italian cocktail bar, Lucy, in DC’s Union Market this Summer. Slice & Pie is known for its NY and Detroit-style slices. Taste of Lucy, will serve highlights of the original location’s menu including Neapolitan pizzas, a rotating pasta option, and select appetizers. An edited selection of Lucy’s cocktail menu, featuring about five cocktails and four to six wines by the glass will also be available, and the new location will offer a Happy Hour menu daily from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. The two concepts will be separated by a wall spanning the 800 square foot space, with Slice & Pie featured on the left and Taste of Lucy on the right. Taste of Lucy will accommodate roughly 20 guests at booths and a bar covered by an Italian-style awning, and Slice & Pie’s space will offer guests a direct view into the kitchen where pizzas are prepared and cooked in the pizza oven. For more information, click here.

PROJECTED OPENING: Late 2025 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD Uchiko will be opening in Bethesda later this year, making it Maryland’s first location of the concept. Uchiko will bring a taste of elevated Japanese cuisine to the suburb from its James Beard Award-winning Chef Tyson Cole. Guests can expect Uchiko’s signature smoke and char grill alongside hot and cold tastings, sushi, sashimi and a seasonal omakase. Uchiko’s space 9,000 square-foot space features a 200 -seat dining room with a dedicated sushi bar where guests can watch master sushi chefs work, a separate cocktail bar, and two private dining rooms. The menu will emphasize shared plates and robust flavors – from freshly flown-in fish to wood-grilled branzino, wagyu beef ribs and yakitori-style skewers – alongside a refined selection of nigiri, hot and cold tastings, and an omakase offering. The beverage program will complement the menu with a notable collection of Japanese whisky, sake and seasonal cocktails. For more information, click here.

PROJECTED OPENING: Fall 2025 3504 Connecticut Avenue NW Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, owners of Cork Wine Bar, will be the expanding their wine bar and market to Cleveland Park this Fall, making it Cork’s third location. Cork Cleveland Park will have 20 seats in its street-level wine bar and retail area, a mezzanine-level tasting room with an additional 15 seats for wine classes, tastings, and private events, as well as storefront outdoor seating for 8. While this location will be a smaller operation than its 14th Street predecessor, Cork Cleveland Park will still have approximately 350 retail bottles of wine, and guests can enjoy any bottle on the shelf on site, plus a weekly revolving list of wines by-the-glass, an extensive curated selection of cheese, charcuterie, tinned fish, and small plates, and wine centric programming such as tastings, classes, pairing dinners, and special events. For more information, click here.

PROJECTED OPENING: Summer 2025 1802 14th Street NW Pitango Gelato, known for artisanal Italian gelato in the DC region, will be opening its eighth gelato and coffee shop along DC’s 14th Street corridor this Summer. Guests will be able to enjoy coffee, Italian baked goods and fresh, hand-spun, gelato made with high quality, organic ingredients. The 1,027 square foot space will also feature indoor seating for up to 10 guests. Pitango has prided itself on making gelato with organic milk from grass-fed cows and sorbet from fresh fruit. Every batch is made from scratch with simple, natural ingredients and all products are free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Unique to many gelato or ice cream stores, each flavor at Pitango is churned on-site at each location to ensure peak freshness. In total, the 14th Street store will carry 20 flavors, 10 of which will be dedicated to sorbets and other dairy-free options. The shop will also offer a rotating selection of Pitango’s house-made gelato flavors. The new Pitango outpost will also offer an extensive coffee menu with custom blends from local roaster, Vigilante Coffee, and a selection of sweet and savory baked goods.