HalfSmoke opens Bethesda outpost

HalfSmoke, the eight-year-old restaurant in D.C’s Shaw neighborhood, has opened a sister location in Bethesda, Maryland, at Westfield Montgomery Mall.

The new location is in the mall’s food court.

The new HalfSmoke location is in the food court of the mall. (Courtesy HalfSmoke)


HalfSmoke is known for housemade sausages and wood grilled dishes. It’s bestseller is called Pinky & The Brian, a Carnival funnel cake topped with buttermilk-brined fried chicken.

The Bethesda menu includes snacks, sandwiches, entrees and sausages. Menu prices range from $5 to $16.

Owner Andre McCain launched HalfSmoke as a hybrid version of today’s restaurant, part quick-service, part cafe and part gastro pub. There is another location in Baltimore as well.

It will be the second venue at Montgomery Mall for McCain.

Earlier this summer he opened a second location for his Butter Me Up breakfast sandwich restaurant, a concept McCain originally started as a pop-up during the pandemic to provide jobs for his furloughed employees.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up