Maurizio’s Italian restaurant slated to open this summer in Potomac
Eatery led by team behind MoCo’s Cava Mezza, Julii, Melina and Bouboulina
By
Elia GriffinMay 6, 2026 11:38 a.m.
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Italian restaurant Maurizio’s is expected to launch this summer in Potomac with an expected opening in July or August, according to the restaurant.
The modern Italian eatery is opening at 10120 River Road in the former space of Renato’s, a longtime Italian staple at the Potomac Place shopping center. The restaurant was sold and closed in September 2024.
The restaurant said in an email to Bethesda Today, the full-service restaurant is the next concept from the team behind Cava Mezze in Rockville and Julii, Melina and Bouboulina in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose.
Ted Xenohristos, co-founder of and chief concept officer at CAVA, said Wednesday morning in a statement to Bethesda Today that the restaurant team’s goal has “always been to bring upscale, chef-driven restaurants to our own backyard.”
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Maurizio’s will stay true to the Italian cuisine offered by Renato’s but add its own “coastal” flair to the menu, the restaurant said.
Maurizio’s will join restaurants including Duke’s Grocery, The Market at River Falls and Chipotle in the Potomac Place shopping center. The Italian restaurant will face an outdoor dining patio and plaza.
The shopping center is across River Road from the Potomac Village Shopping Center, which is home to Tally Ho. The diner is owned by Xenohristos’s uncle and was where he and his business partners worked growing up, he said.
“Opening our next restaurant in the Village is incredibly meaningful to us,” Xenohristos added. “We look forward to being a part of the community with Maurizio’s, where we’ll celebrate coastal Italian cuisine and hopefully become a place that regulars, both old and new, can make their own.”
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Executive Chef Aris Tsekouras, who leads kitchens at the Cava Mezze group’s eateries in Pike & Rose, will also oversee the kitchen at Maurizio’s, the restaurant said.
Maurizio’s menu is expected to offer small plates, pasta dishes, main courses and classic cocktails, according to the restaurant. Small plates will consist of rosemary focaccia, grilled mortadella, fritto misto and tuna tonnato. For pasta, guests can expect dishes such as spaghetti alla chitarra carbonara, linguine and clams and chiocciole alla vodka. In addition, main course options include slow-braised beef, chicken parmesan and grilled branzino.
The restaurant space is undergoing renovations and is expected to include booth and table seating as well as a dark green bar, according to the restaurant. The bar will offer cocktails, spritzes and variations of a Negroni, a classic Italian cocktail. On Thursday, the Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services’ Board of License Commissioners is expected to review the restaurant’s liquor license application to serve beer, wine and liquor.
According to the application, Maurizio’s anticipated hours of operation are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday.
Rendering of bar at Maurizio’s in Potomac. Photo credit: Courtesy of Maurizio’s 
Rendering of Maurizio’s restaurant in Potomac. Photo credit: Courtesy of Maurizio’s
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine