HalfSmoke, a Washington, D.C., restaurant that specializes in the smoked sausage delicacy, is coming to Rockville Town Center at 36A Maryland Ave. this fall, the restaurant announced Thursday.
The restaurant specializes in half-smokes, which are sausages served on brioche buns and dressed with a variety of toppings. HalfSmoke is a competitor to Ben’s Chili Bowl — an iconic D.C. restaurant that has been around since 1958 and hosted a number of celebrities and politicians.
According to its D.C. menu, HalfSmoke’s signature sandwich is the Briggs & Co, a half-smoke sausage with chili, mustard slaw, bacon, onion crisps and beer cheese. There are also sandwiches with Italian, beef, chicken and plant-based sausages. The sausage sandwiches are each $12.
The menu also lists entrees for $20 that include shrimp and grits, jambalaya, and lobster macaroni and cheese. These are ideal for two people, the menu states.
Specific to the Rockville restaurant will be a milkshake bar. Customers can make their own milkshakes with “boozy add-ons” for adults, according to the press release.
At night, the milkshake bar will become a “high-end craft mixology bar” and can be used for private events. There will also be a private dining room for events, the press release stated.
HalfSmoke is opening the Rockville location and one in Baltimore as part of its expansion effort beyond D.C., the press release states. CEO Andre McCain wrote that the COVID-19 pandemic has not prevented the expansion.
“The outpouring of support from our community and the resiliency of our hardworking team has been overwhelming,” McCain wrote.
The Washington Business Journal first reported on HalfSmoke’s expansion Thursday, noting that the Rockville restaurant will employ 50 and seat 150 at full capacity.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@bethesdasmagazine.com