Costco (Gaithersburg)
No “worst of” list would be complete without the Gaithersburg Costco. In fact, the original inspiration for this series came from FOX 5’s Jim Lokay, who once asked, “What is the most lawless frontier in the DC region and why is it the parking lot at the Gaithersburg Costco?” As one reader put it, “Gaithersburg Costco makes me want to claw my eyeballs out, but I still go at least twice a month.”

Colesville Center (Colesville)
Located along New Hampshire Avenue, this shopping center is anchored by Giant and has long been a source of parking frustration for shoppers. A busy mix of businesses, tight areas of the lot and steady traffic can make getting in, finding a space and getting back out more difficult than expected.

Germantown Square (Germantown)
This one comes with an important qualifier: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when the extremely popular Lancaster County Dutch Market is open. Located at the intersection of Great Seneca Highway and Wisteria Drive, the center is also home to Dollar General, Ledo Pizza and Dairy Queen. Starbucks is expected to open in a former drive-thru bank space in 2027, potentially adding another busy destination to the center.

Kenwood Station (Bethesda)
Whole Foods anchors this River Road shopping center and generates much of the congestion. The combination of heavy grocery traffic, limited spaces near the most popular businesses and cars constantly circulating through the lot can make even a quick stop more complicated than it should be.

Woodmoor Shopping Center (Silver Spring)
This historic shopping center has plenty of charm, but its triangular front parking lot can be a nightmare. CVS, Chipotle and Starbucks keep demand high, and while additional parking is available in the back, those spaces can fill quickly as well.

Fallsgrove (Rockville)
Traffic flow is the biggest complaint here. With Safeway, Bethesda Bagels, Starbucks and other popular businesses drawing steady crowds, backups can develop around the center’s primary access points. One reader summed up the experience: “Funnel everyone in thru one spot and no one knows who goes first.”

Every Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s and frustrating parking lots have become something of a running joke among shoppers. Montgomery County locations include Bethesda, the Shoppes of Burnt Mills in Silver Spring, Federal Plaza and Travilah Square in Rockville, and Rockville Town Square. Whether intentional or not, finding a convenient space during busy periods can feel like part of the Trader Joe’s experience.

Firstfield Shopping Center (Gaithersburg)
The Starbucks drive-thru is a major source of congestion here, with lines sometimes backing up through the shopping center. The center also includes Einstein Bros. Bagels, Roaming Rooster and Jimmy John’s, creating plenty of traffic in a relatively compact area.

Potomac Village (Potomac)
The parking areas around Giant can be particularly difficult during peak hours, when shoppers compete for spaces close to the grocery store and surrounding businesses.

Rio AMC (Gaithersburg)
The Rio parking garage has earned its own reputation for frustration. The lower level near Guapo’s is a favorite among some regular visitors, but even that area can fill quickly during busy evenings and weekends.

Olney Gardens (Olney)
Narrow driving lanes give this shopping center the edge over Olney Village and Fair Hill when it comes to the most frustrating parking in Olney. The center is home to Cava Mezze, Cafe Rio and CVS, among other businesses.

Chick-fil-A (Germantown)
The Chick-fil-A drive-thru on Century Boulevard can generate enough traffic to clog the surrounding parking lot, with lines sometimes interfering with vehicles trying to navigate through the center. Carrabba’s, Panera, Taco Bell and Walgreens are also nearby, along with the Germantown Transit Center, creating plenty of competing traffic.

Manhattan Pizza/Upcounty Beer & Wine (Clarksburg)
This notoriously tight parking area can make getting in and out challenging, particularly during busy periods. Some locals recommend parking closer to Subway and simply walking over.

Shady Grove Home Depot (Gaithersburg)
Readers made it clear that leaving the Home Depot on Shady Grove Road off previous versions of this list was an oversight. The sprawling parking lot has developed a reputation for bottlenecks and frustrating traffic patterns.

Montgomery Village Center
Once viewed by some as a relatively quiet shopping center, Montgomery Village Center has become much busier. Aldi, Starbucks and the recently opened Burlington draw steady traffic, while nearby residential development and ongoing construction have added even more activity to the area.

Norbeck Center (Rockville)
This parking lot has been infamous for years. Full On Craft Eats, which previously operated at the center, once devoted a portion of its website to explaining the parking situation and directing customers to additional public spaces near White’s Hardware. Maman Joon is expected to take over the former Full On space, while Full On has relocated to Rock Creek Village Center.

Plaza Del Mercado (Layhill/Silver Spring)
Between Aldi, LA Fitness and CVS, this parking lot stays busy. Narrow spaces, large medians and steady traffic can make navigating the center particularly frustrating during peak periods.

Wheaton Park (Wheaton)
H Mart, Dollar Tree and AutoZone are among the businesses generating traffic here. Narrow lanes and a steady stream of vehicles can quickly make the parking lot feel crowded.

Germantown Plaza (Germantown)
Between New Grand Mart shoppers, Little Caesars customers making quick stops and Planet Fitness traffic, both sides of this shopping center can become chaotic during busy periods.

Aspen Hill Shopping Center (Aspen Hill)
Giant, Panera, Chipotle, Wingstop and other businesses are spread across a large shopping center, meaning simply driving from one end to the other can require some patience. Traffic around McDonald’s adds another wrinkle.

Gaithersburg Square (Gaithersburg)
Chipotle, Panera, Oak Barrel & Vine, Marshalls and Ross help keep this shopping center busy throughout the day. With several popular destinations concentrated in the same center, congestion can be a regular occurrence.

Leisure World (Silver Spring)
The closer you try to park to Giant, the more difficult the experience can become. Several readers have suggested saving yourself the trouble by parking farther away and walking.

Cabin John Village (Potomac)
The concentration of fast-casual restaurants and other popular businesses creates traffic coming from seemingly every direction. Giant, CVS, Colony Grill and the center’s numerous restaurants and shops keep the parking areas busy throughout the day.

Wildwood Shopping Center (Bethesda)
Parking in front can be a gamble, while the lots behind the center can fill quickly as well. The layout and short concrete columns add to the challenge. One Reddit commenter jokingly suggested that if you sat outside CVS or Bethesda Bagels long enough, you would regularly see someone’s grandmother get into an accident.

Angelo’s Pizza Pasta and Deli is coming to 5500 Olney Laytonsville Road in Olney, with the restaurant expected to open towards the end of the year.

The restaurant will be located in the space most recently occupied by Rock Creek Tavern and, before that, Mackie’s BBQ. The Olney location will feature a sit-down Italian restaurant concept along with pizza by the slice. Plans also include a bar and beer and wine carryout.

Angelo’s is also preparing to open a location at North Pointe at Flower Hill, a new 16,000-square-foot retail and restaurant center at 18251 Flower Hill Way in Gaithersburg. That location is expected to open in approximately two and a half months and will introduce a different, more customizable format.

The Gaithersburg restaurant will allow customers to move down a service line and build their own pizzas, pasta dishes, calzones and subs. Pasta options are expected to include choices such as penne and linguine, while subs will include chicken parmesan, eggplant and Italian cold cuts.

Neapolitan-style pizza dough will be stretched in front of customers before being cooked in a brick stone oven, with pizzas expected to cook in under two minutes. Unlike similar fast-casual concepts like &Pizza, the restaurant will not use a conveyor-belt oven.

Angelo’s currently operates at 4011 Norbeck Road in Rockville, but the company has larger expansion plans. Angelo’s intends to expand throughout Montgomery County and eventually franchise the concept to Montgomery County residents specifically. The upcoming Gaithersburg restaurant is being developed as the model location for that future franchise expansion.

Ruan Thai, a longtime family-owned restaurant in Wheaton that won the Taste MoCo tournament for “Best Thai Restaurant” has been named one of “The Best Cheap Eats Around the DC Area” by Washingtonian.

The recently published list highlights 60 restaurants where diners can get what Washingtonian describes as a satisfying meal for less than $25 per person, excluding drinks, tax and tip. More than 200 restaurants throughout the region were considered for the list.

Washingtonian highlighted Ruan Thai for its longevity and family recipes, noting that the restaurant has been serving Thai cuisine for more than 25 years. Among the dishes singled out were red curry with duck, a yellow curry stir-fry with shrimp, fried watercress with seafood and cashews, caramelized pork skewers and fermented pork served with red onion, peanuts and crunchy rice.

Located at 11407 Amherst Avenue, Ruan Thai has been a staple in Wheaton since 1998. The family-owned restaurant has built a longtime following for its traditional Thai dishes, with pad Thai and tom kha soup among its popular offerings.