Cabin John construction update, new food & new Starbucks at Pike & Rose

The new restaurant row at Cabin John Village is really beginning to take shape. Construction crews have been busy at the intersection of Tuckerman Lane and Seven Locks Road, where Sisters Thai, Shake Shack, CAVA and Le Pain Quotidien are all scheduled to open later this year. On the parking lot side where the restaurant entrances will be (shown here), we hear there’s going to be a spacious outdoor seating area with shade trees. For more on all the new eateries heading to Cabin John, click here. For details on the center’s new spin studio/barre fitness gym, click here.

Nando’s Peri-Peri opens at Pike & Rose on Monday April 23rd, just down the street from the new Canopy Hotel (Click here for more sneak-peek photos on our Facebook page.) The fast-growing restaurant chain offers a South African/Portuguese menu that showcases spicy sauces and flame-grilled chicken. And in other Pike & Rose news: As we predicted in our Jan. 18 issue, Starbucks has posted signs for a new location next to H&M in the middle of all the new stores and restaurants. For now, it’s unclear whether the older Starbucks on Rockville Pike will close or the two locations will coexist.

What’s next for Pike & Rose? Just in time for warmer weather, The Baked Bear is set to open May 19th next to L.L.Bean. The California-based chain is known for its overstuffed ice cream sandwiches featuring mix-and-match combos of cookies, brownies and donuts. For a look at the menu, click here. For more on all the new restaurants coming to Pike & Rose, click here.

The Game Gym, a new tenant at Cabin John Village, is set to open next month in the offices across from Dunkin’ Donuts. Owner Josh Hafkin, a Potomac native who spent his teens as a competitive athlete, says kids and young teens can learn some of same skills through video gaming as they do in physical sports. “The ability to communicate, to receive criticism, to learn how to win and how to lose — all of it can be learned through ‘esports,’” Hafkin says. The first round of afternoon programs will focus on the games League of Legends and Super Smash Bros. 4. Click here for details.