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.