Copper Canyon Grill adds a barge to its Rio at Gaithersburg location

The barge, at the boardwalk edge of the 9-acre lake, gives Copper Canyon an additional 58 seats. It has its own separate menu and outdoor bar, and — depending on weather conditions — will be open year round. (Courtesy Blue Ridge Restaurant Group)

Longtime Rio lakefront shopping center restaurant Copper Canyon Grill in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has extended its seating over the Lake Rio water with a barge addition.

It is called The Lake House at Copper Canyon.

The barge doesn’t actually go anywhere now, but it is, nonetheless, a real barge. Rio developer Peterson Companies had used it for some recent construction work.

Copper Canyon had a marine engineer build around the construction barge and add moorings. It is a joint venture between Peterson and Copper Canyon owner Blueridge Restaurant Group.

The barge, at the boardwalk edge of the 9-acre lake, gives Copper Canyon an additional 58 seats. It has its own separate menu and outdoor bar, and — depending on weather conditions — will be open year round.

The barge addition is on the water-facing side of the restaurant.

Copper Canyon, at 100 Boardwalk Place at the Rio Shopping Center, opened the restaurant more than 20 years ago.

Its other locations are in Glenarden, Silver Spring and Arundel Mills. Blueridge Restaurant Group also owns Glenwood’s restaurants, formerly Stanford Kitchen, with locations in Owings Mills, Columbia and Rockville.

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