BT’s Bethesda, a family-friendly American bar and restaurant, is opening Friday night in downtown Bethesda, the restaurant said in a social media post this week.
“We are so excited to announce that we will be opening this Friday for dinner starting at 4:00 PM. We will be open for dinner daily, and brunch and lunch coming soon!” the post said. “Our staff has been working very hard to get our space perfect!”
BT’s is opening at 4866 Cordell Ave. in the former space of Zuma by Chef Ninja, an Asian-Latin fusion eatery, which closed in January. Before that, Brickside Food & Drink occupied the site, closing in 2022. BT’s owner, Brian “BT” Lacy, was born and raised in Bethesda, and told MoCo360 in October that he decided to open the restaurant after nearly 30 years of working in the hospitality business in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Lacey, who worked at notable and now-defunct restaurants such as Durty Nellies in Bethesda and J. Paul’s in Georgetown, said he always dreamed of opening a restaurant in the area.
The Walt Whitman High School graduate also has worked as a liquor distributor in the District, for Clyde’s Restaurant Group, and with a small energy consulting company with his brother. With BT’s, Lacey makes his return to the restaurant world.
BT’s will serve classic American fare, such as burgers, grilled and spicy fried chicken sandwiches, flatbreads, salads and Maryland-style crab and clam chowder, according to the upcoming menu. Other dishes include bacon cheeseburger spring rolls and soft pretzels with beer cheese and crab dip.
For main plates, the restaurant will offer options such as bourbon-glazed pork chops, steak frites, and baby spinach and mushroom rigatoni pasta, according to the menu.
Lacey said the 3,500-square-foot restaurant, which is decorated with a color scheme of blue, white and black, will offer seating including couches and cushioned chairs in a lounge area at the front, four-top tables and booths in the main dining area, and other seating and high-top tables near the bar.
The lounge area is situated next to garage door-style windows that can be opened and provide an elevated view of Cordell Avenue.
“We are so excited to be a part of the community and to see our friends in here, to make new friends and to introduce ourselves to everybody in the area,” Catherine Lacey, Lacey’s wife who has been involved in bringing the restaurant to life, said in October.
