Big Greek Cafe’s annual Big Greek Gyro Eating Competition returns at 5pm on Saturday, September 12, during the Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Festival at 721 Norwood Rd. in Silver Spring and will once again be hosted by our very own “Mr. MoCo” Alex Tsironis along with Mr. 8 That.

This year, Big Greek Cafe, whose gyro was named the best in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia by The Washington Post, has selected one loyal customer from each of its 15 locations across Maryland and Virginia to represent their local community. The new format shifts the spotlight to loyal customers after previous competitions welcomed members of the public and professional eaters.

The theme, “One Community. One Champion.,” celebrates the neighborhoods that have supported Big Greek Café’s growth from a single family-owned restaurant in Silver Spring in 2009 to 15 locations across two states.

The winner will receive the official championship belt, a $500 cash prize, one free gyro every week for a year, and recognition at their home Big Greek Café location, along with bragging rights as the 2026 Big Greek Gyro Eating Champion.

The competition will once again be part of the Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Festival, which features Greek food, live music, traditional dancing, and family-friendly activities.

Here’s a look at the latest openings and upcoming projects at Rio in Gaithersburg.

• Kareem’s Lebanese Kitchen is now open at 212 Boardwalk Place, taking over the former Bach to Rock space. Led by Chef Rachid, whose culinary roots trace back to Beirut, the restaurant serves Lebanese favorites including hummus, mezze, shawarma, falafel, grilled entrées and flatbreads. The menu also features Lebanese wines, cocktails, zero-proof drinks and desserts such as baklava and pistachio ice cream.
• Sip, a family-owned dirty soda and mocktail stand, recently opened next to Bear’s Shaved Ice near the carousel and playground, offering a menu of customizable dirty sodas, mocktails, energy drink mixes, sparkling water refreshers, and specialty beverages. Owned and operated by Mindy Merrill, Sip is the result of what she describes as a true family effort. Her husband, Tyler Merrill, helps with the business, while their teenage children, Cameron and Jane, assist with management and social media. Even their two younger children have played a role through extensive taste-testing duties. The family moved to Montgomery County in 2013 after spending time in Oregon, Utah, Alabama, Texas, and California. Mindy noted that their oldest child, who started kindergarten in Montgomery County, recently graduated from Quince Orchard High School. Mindy said the idea for Sip came after years of working from home in tax and financial services while raising four children. Once her youngest started kindergarten, she decided it was time to pursue something more ambitious.
• Orange Pocket, a new Japanese and Korean-inspired pop culture and lifestyle store is coming soon to 30 Grand Corner Ave. The shop will feature gashapon machines, claw machines, blind boxes, snacks, beauty products, collectibles, stationery, and home goods.
• The 4th Annual Taste of Rio will return to Rio in Gaithersburg this September, with this year’s event expanding into a 10-day celebration of the development’s dining scene. Taste of Rio will run from Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 27, beginning with Rio Taste Week from September 18-26. The celebration will culminate with the annual Taste of Rio event on Sunday, September 27 from 2-6pm along the lakefront. Participating restaurants and eateries will offer chef-crafted menus, happy hour specials, signature cocktails, desserts, and other limited-time offers throughout the week. The event will feature tasting bites from Rio restaurants, handcrafted cocktails, live music, interactive entertainment, and waterfront activities. Organizers describe the event as an opportunity for guests to discover new restaurants while also enjoying favorites from throughout Rio. Participating restaurants will be announced, and advance ticket sales are expected to become available soon.
• Possibly Coming Soon: Peterson Cos. has requested schematic development plan approval for up to 500 multi-family residential units and 43,000 SF of retail uses in four buildings located throughout the Washingtonian Center at Rio in Gaithersburg. Additional information on the proposal can be found here.

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.