Pitango, a coffee and gelato shop with locations throughout the Washington, D.C., area and Baltimore, has opened in Woodmont Triangle.
Pitango, at 4901 Fairmont Ave., offers more than 20 flavors of gelato according to its website. It also sells coffee and baked goods. The gelato is made from organic milk that comes from a farm in Pennsylvania.
Owner Noah Dan, a Potomac resident, told Bethesda Beat in December that he would be opening a store in Bethesda after searching for a location there for 12 years. Pitango has five other locations, including two in D.C. and one in Reston, Va.
Dan told Bethesda Beat in an interview Monday morning that the shop had its soft opening on Thursday, then officially opened on Friday.
“The experience was really nice,” he said. “All the people around here saw us building, so we had a nice reception. There were no mishaps. For me, it’s kind of feeling at home. I’ve lived in Bethesda for many years, and now I live in Potomac.”
Dan said the shop was open for takeout service only this weekend because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Montgomery County began its first phase of reopening on Monday, with outdoor seating allowed.
Dan said the outdoor seating in adjacent Woodmont Triangle will provide a convenient place for customers to sit.
“We have the square, so that’s the perfect combination. People just take their gelato and sit in the square,” he said.
Dan said he is taking similar precautions to what others in the restaurant industry are doing during the pandemic.
“You talk to other people in the industry and everybody has advice. It’s pretty simple. You’re being super careful. You have gloves and face masks,” he said.
Pitango will be closed Monday and Tuesday and will probably reopen on Wednesday, Dan said. He isn’t sure what the hours will be yet, but said eventually the shop will operate seven days a week.
He said that generally, the shop will only offer gelato in the afternoons.
“It’s going to take a little while to get the lay of the land,” he said.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media