An unusual new destination for coffee lovers has arrived in Montgomery County, as Cafecito is now open inside the new Whip Clean Car Wash at the Festival at Muddy Branch shopping center in Gaithersburg.

Whip Clean also officially opened this week, offering a state-of-the-art car wash with free exterior washes during its grand opening weekend.

Cafecito serves handcrafted specialty coffee, premium matcha and seasonal signature drinks. The shop says its mission is to create a welcoming space where customers can slow down, connect and enjoy quality coffee instead of simply grabbing a drink on the go.

Cafecito was founded by Michael Funes, a former professional soccer player who represented both the United States and El Salvador. After discovering a passion for espresso during a trip to Italy in 2019, Funes spent several years learning the craft before launching Cafecito as a coffee cart in 2025. The business sources its coffee from Latin American countries including Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala, with a mission centered on hospitality, culture and community.

The new Whip Clean location is located on Muddy Branch Road across from Lotte Plaza Market and next to Best Friends Pet Resort. The 11,378-square-foot facility features a modern wash tunnel and an assembly line-style finish bay designed to streamline the drying and detailing process.

The annual Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival returns to Rockville Town Square on Saturday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The free, family-friendly event will celebrate Taiwanese culture through food, music, art and community while also commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary with this year’s theme, “Steeping Joy for the USA’s 250th!”

Festival organizers say attendees can enjoy authentic Taiwanese bubble tea, traditional snacks and specialty foods, live music and cultural performances, and activities highlighting Taiwan’s rich heritage. The event also aims to bring together families, friends and members of the DMV community through cultural exchange and shared experiences.

Admission is free, and all ages are welcome. The festival is sponsored by EVA Air and will be held at Rockville Town Square.

Kareem’s Lebanese Kitchen is hiring as it prepares to open its first Washington metropolitan area location at 212 Boardwalk Place in Rio. While an exact opening date has not yet been announced, the restaurant is targeting an August debut. Exterior and interior construction both appear to be nearing completion.

The menu for the Gaithersburg restaurant is expected to closely resemble the one offered at Kareem’s Naples, Florida location, featuring a wide selection of authentic Lebanese dishes. Guests can expect traditional mezze including hummus, baba ghanoush, grape leaves, falafel, kibbeh, labneh, and moussaka, along with shawarma wraps, grilled kabobs, kafta, lamb shank, stuffed vegetables, and Chef Rachid’s signature platters. Entrées include Chicken Farrouj, Salmon Harra, Mixed Grilled Mashawi, Shish Taouk, Chef’s Lamb Mouzat, and Ovzi with Grape Leaves. Desserts include baklava, Beirut qatayef, and chocolate lava cake.

According to the restaurant, Kareem’s is led by Chef Rachid, whose culinary roots trace back generations in Beirut, Lebanon. Growing up in a family where cooking was both a tradition and a way of bringing people together, he later attended the prestigious Culinary School of Beirut before beginning his career at the InterContinental Hotel in Beirut. He eventually moved to the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington DC, where he became known for his authentic Lebanese cuisine and personalized approach to hospitality.

The restaurant says Kareem’s was created to honor Chef Rachid’s family heritage while sharing the vibrant flavors and hospitality of Lebanon. “For years, Kareem’s has offered residents and visitors in Southwest Florida an authentic taste of Lebanese cuisine, earning a reputation for exceptional food, warm hospitality, and a welcoming atmosphere,” the restaurant says on its website. “Now, the same commitment to quality and tradition is coming to the Washington metropolitan area.”

K2 Cafe has announced it will close its original Poolesville location later this month as the owners consolidate operations at their newer Clarksburg cafe.

In a heartfelt message shared with customers, owners Ashar Abbasi and Nichole Hodges-Abbasi thanked the Poolesville community for embracing the cafe since it opened in 2021. “There was never an us without you,” the couple wrote. “We love you with our whole hearts.”

The cafe’s final day at 17610 W. Willard Road will be July 30. Going forward, K2 Cafe will operate exclusively from its Clarksburg location at 23329 Frederick Road, which opened earlier this year.

The announcement included special messages to the Poolesville High School students and cyclists who helped make the cafe a local gathering place. “Students: that hour of massive chaos during lunch was so wonderful. You give us hope for the future,” they wrote. “Cyclists: we loved being your oasis and getting to know so many friends.”

We’ve previously shared the story of K2 Cafe, involving the husband-and-wife team that had transformed a pandemic-era dream into one of Poolesville’s most popular lunch destinations. The cafe became known for its American menu with Himalayan influences, serving bowls, wraps, specialty coffee drinks, and homemade treats. Long lunch lines regularly stretched outside the door as Poolesville High School students chose K2 over nearby fast food, while weekend cyclists made it a favorite stop during rides through western Montgomery County.

The couple’s story has been as memorable as the cafe itself. Nichole, a Montgomery County Public Schools teacher, and Ashar, whom she met during a chance taxi ride in Washington, D.C. in 2003, built K2 Cafe around their shared passion for food, community, and hospitality. Their dream, launched with little more than pandemic stimulus funds, quickly found a loyal following.

While the decision marks the end of an era for Poolesville, customers will still be able to enjoy K2 Cafe’s menu and welcoming atmosphere at its Clarksburg location. “We are excited to get to know our Clarksburg community but we will never forget our first roots in Poolesville,” the owners wrote. “We thank this community for everything that we are. Much love. See you in Clarksburg!”

After earning a No. 13 worldwide ranking in its population category among more than 17,000 participating National Night Out communities, Olney’s National Night Out is set to return for its 31st annual celebration on Tuesday, August 4.

Hosted by the Olney Chamber of Commerce, the free community event will take place from 5pm to 8pm in the parking lots of The Fair Hill Shops and Olney Village Center, bringing together residents, local businesses, first responders, and elected officials for an evening focused on community engagement, public safety, and family fun.

The evening will begin with an Opening Ceremony at 5pm, featuring a motorcade of elected officials and community leaders. Olney is traditionally their first stop of the evening and has become one of Montgomery County’s most recognized National Night Out celebrations.

Now in its 31st year, the event has grown into one of Olney’s signature community traditions, drawing thousands of attendees annually while earning national recognition for strengthening relationships between residents and public safety agencies.

“Being ranked #13 among more than 17,000 National Night Out events is an incredible honor because it reflects the commitment of our entire community,” said Terri Hogan, executive director of the Olney Chamber of Commerce. “National Night Out showcases what makes Olney special, strong partnerships between residents, businesses, first responders, and local leaders working together to build a safer, more connected community.”

This year’s event will feature several new interactive experiences, including a live vehicle extrication demonstration, a Narcan demonstration showing how the medication is used to reverse opioid overdoses, and impairment goggles that simulate the effects of drunk driving.

Returning attractions include police horses, K-9 units, police vehicles and motorcycles, fire engines and rescue apparatus, a drone demonstration, the interactive Fire Safety House, U.S. Secret Service child fingerprinting, an obstacle course, dunk tank, face painting, crafts, children’s activities, a live DJ, dance and martial arts performances, and dozens of exhibits from local businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies.

“For years, I thought National Night Out was simply a night to shop local in Olney,” said Sarah Formichelli, events coordinator for the Olney Chamber of Commerce. “Now that I’m involved in planning the event, I realize I couldn’t have been more wrong. National Night Out is about bringing neighbors together with the police officers, firefighters, first responders, and public servants who work every day to keep our community safe. It reminds us that these aren’t just uniforms, they’re our neighbors, our friends, and our local heroes.”

Attendees can also purchase food and drinks from a variety of local vendors, including Olney Ale House, Carmen’s Italian Ice, Dumplings 88, Grubbing Hard Barbecue, Kona Ice, Palmetto Bay Cuisine, Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department Canteen, Tacos el Pariente, Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, and The Greene Turtle.

National Night Out is a nationwide campaign designed to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve while promoting crime prevention and public safety. Proceeds from Olney’s event benefit the Officer Noah Leotta Olney Police Satellite Station, Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department, Maryland-National Capital Park Police, and the Officer Noah Leotta “Act Responsibly” Scholarship Fund.

For more information, visit www.olneymd.org