"We have been thoughtful about where and how MHG would make its first move into Maryland, and Friendship Heights immediately stood out," Matthew Carlin, president of Metropolitan Hospitality Group, said in the company's announcement of its Chevy Chase restaurants.
The group has been around for two decades. It was founded in 2005, opened CIRCA at Dupont in 2007, and now runs CIRCA, Open Road, Él Bebe, TRIO Grill, SALT, Heirloom and Open Road Distilling Co. All of that is in D.C. and Northern Virginia. Its first Maryland project takes over the two restaurant spaces at The Collection that went dark this summer. That makes 5471 Wisconsin Avenue a single bet by a single operator, and the fourth quarter of 2026 is the only timeline anyone has given.
Two months of that quarter are left as you read this. The rest of the fall calendar is coming from other places.
Two Closings at 5471, Six Days Apart
Junction Bistro, Bar & Bakery served its last meals at 5471 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 206B, on Friday, Aug. 28, as The MoCo Show reported ahead of the closing. Six days later, on Thursday, Sept. 3, The Hunter's Hound closed at the same address. It had been open since December 2021, nearly five years. The MoCo Show reported that a representative for the Irish-themed restaurant said the location was not generating enough business to continue.
Fifteen days after the second closing, on Sept. 18, the Friendship Heights Alliance announced that CCLC, formerly The Chevy Chase Land Company, had signed two leases with Metropolitan Hospitality Group covering both the Junction and Hunter's Hound spaces.
Why One Operator Matters Here
One group planned both concepts for the same building, and both carry the same Q4 2026 target.
| Former tenant | Closed | Incoming concept | What it is | Projected opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junction Bistro, Bar & Bakery | Aug. 28, 2026 | Open Road | MHG's American restaurant and gathering place, with a nautical spin for this location | Q4 2026 |
| The Hunter's Hound | Sept. 3, 2026 | Cove | A new all-day café and wine bar, opening here first | Q4 2026 |
The Alliance announcement doesn't say which concept goes into which space, so the pairing in the table is only the order the release names them in, and the actual layout may differ. The Alliance gives 5471 Wisconsin Avenue as Open Road's address. The Collection's own directory lists Cove at that same 5471 address.
The pairing matters for daily use of the block. Junction's name already covered a bistro, a bar and a bakery. Cove is described as an all-day café and wine bar, so it reaches across the same parts of the day, and Open Road takes the dinner and gathering role next to it. "Bringing both Open Road and an entirely new concept to The Collection gives us an exciting opportunity to introduce the full range of what MHG can offer," Carlin said in the MHG announcement. CCLC President and CEO John Ziegenhein said in the same release that the two concepts "will bring new energy, new experiences and more reasons for people to spend time at The Collection."
Still, no opening day has been set. When Bethesda Magazine covered the leases in September, it said Cove's menu, offerings and hours had not been released. MHG's Oct. 1 post adds no firm date either. Q4 is a forecast, and it runs through Dec. 31. The Collection's directory page for Open Road gives the address as "5741 Wisconsin Ave." MHG and the Alliance both say 5471.
What Is Already New Within a Short Walk
The restaurant spaces are dark, but the rest of the block has been changing. In order of when each one arrived:
- Le Creuset, 5481 Wisconsin Ave., Suite B. The cookware brand opened a full Signature Boutique at The Collection and held a grand-opening celebration Sept. 10 through 13, according to The MoCo Show.
- Just Salad, at the Residences at Mazza. The Alliance listed it as open in its September roundup.
- Rodman's, 5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW. This is the oldest name in this list. On Sept. 25, Mayor Muriel Bowser's administration presented the store with an official mayoral proclamation for its 71st anniversary, per the Alliance and the Ward 3 newsletter.
- Kneads Bakeshop & Café, 5330G Western Ave. This one isn't open yet. PoPville reported "coming soon" signage in September, and the bakery's own locations page still says "Coming Soon" for Western Avenue.
Kneads and Cove are both still "coming soon." Between them, the café and bakery side of Friendship Heights has two openings ahead and no confirmed date for either.
The Fall Calendar Runs Through Two Small Governments and a Few Blocks South
While 5471 is under construction, the next four weeks of plans come mostly from the Town of Chevy Chase, the Village of Friendship Heights, and the Alliance's events on the D.C. blocks of Wisconsin Avenue. In date order from Thursday, Oct. 29:
- Friday, Oct. 30, 5 to 6:30 p.m.: Town of Chevy Chase Halloween party at Lawton Center Playground, 4301 Willow Lane. The Town's calendar lists candy, goody bags and pumpkin painting.
- Friday, Oct. 30, 6:30 to 8 p.m.: Village of Friendship Heights children's Halloween party at the Village Center. It's for children 10 and under and requires registration. The Village's October newsletter set the signup deadline at Wednesday, Oct. 28, the day before this post runs, so families who didn't register in time should contact the Village office directly.
- Sundays Nov. 1, Nov. 8 and Nov. 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Sunday Commons & Market at 5210 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The Alliance's fall series runs through Nov. 22. It skips Nov. 15 because the Makers Market takes over that weekend.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 5:30 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: the Village's Pop-Up Artisan Shop at the Village Center, 4433 South Park Avenue. The Village describes artist-run shopping, demonstrations and Belgian waffles.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Holiday Maker's Market & Street Festival. It runs along the west side of Wisconsin Avenue from Booeymonger's to Rodman's, between Jenifer and Garrison Streets NW, and admission is free on the event listing.
The two artisan events land on back-to-back weekends. The Village's indoor shop at 4433 South Park Avenue comes first. A week later, the Alliance's street market closes part of Wisconsin Avenue and pauses Sunday Commons for that weekend. Anyone shopping locally for the holidays gets two separate chances, about half a mile apart, before Thanksgiving.
One series has already ended. The Alliance's free Thursday Fall Concerts on the Plaza wrapped up Oct. 1 with District Strings at 5310 Western Avenue. No 2026 date has been posted yet for a December tree lighting at The Collection. The listing that turns up is for Dec. 5, 2025.
Two Things Still on Hold
The fall's most unusual event has no dates right now. Bob Bartlett, a Maryland-based playwright and Helen Hayes Award winner, wrote The Living Dead, a site-specific horror play built around George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. It was set to run at the Metro level of Chevy Chase Pavilion, 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The Alliance's event page now says the production "will be rescheduled" for reasons beyond the organizers' control and has crossed out the original Oct. 8 through Nov. 8 run. The page still says the show runs about 85 minutes with no intermission and is recommended for ages 14 and up. It also lists $40 tickets with advance purchase required, but those details date from before the delay and could change with the new dates.
The other delay is a footpath. The Village closed Page Park and its path to Somerset on Aug. 21 for ADA and stormwater work. The October newsletter said the basin and walkway work was done, but a conflict with a water line now needs a separate WSSC permit. The North Park entrance and the Somerset path were still closed when the newsletter went to press, and the mayor's column says the park will "reopen soon" without giving a date.
The restaurants are in the same position. The play, the park path and the two spaces at 5471 Wisconsin Avenue are all waiting on someone else's schedule, and the restaurants' only stated deadline is the end of the quarter.
Before I was a broker, I was a remodeler, so I tend to watch this kind of storefront turnover with a builder's eye: who took the space, what they're planning, and how long it really takes to finish. If you're thinking about how The Collection's next chapter changes your corner of Chevy Chase, or you want a renovation-minded view of a home near Wisconsin Avenue, Dallen Russell would be glad to talk it through. Book a free consultation, and coffee's on me.
