From Bethesda Magazine: Where ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’ really go

The cast of Bravo’s hit reality TV show The Real Housewives of Potomac is known for indulgent lifestyles, over-the-top fashion, cutting one-liners—and the occasional squabble. Since the series’ 2016 debut, viewers nationwide have traveled first class with the ladies of Potomac (and its environs) throughout Montgomery County, vicariously enjoying the finest restaurants, shopping and experiences that the area has to offer.  

Fortunately, you don’t need to be a Bravolebrity to enjoy the in-town A-list treatment. Anyone can experience housewife life at these local establishments that made cameos during the Potomac housewives’ nine seasons as county ambassadors. 

The Potomac housewives wrapped their most recent season (Season 9) in February, but you can always see the ladies frequenting your favorite local spots by streaming past seasons on Peacock. 

Diner Drama 

In the Season 9 premiere, Karen Huger, the self-appointed “grande dame of Potomac,” took fellow housewife Gizelle Bryant for breakfast at Tally Ho, the casual Potomac restaurant that Huger has frequented for more than a decade. According to Tally Ho manager Andreas Vellios, whose family has been in business since 1968, Huger orders takeout from the local institution at least twice a week, often opting for omelets or soups, though her go-to order is “the Karen special”: French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon. The episode featured the two housewives in matching denim tops enjoying Huger’s signature breakfast alongside Tally Ho’s doughnuts as they discussed Huger’s ongoing legal issues (she was found guilty of driving under the influence this past December) and the other ladies’ whereabouts since the previous season wrapped. According to Vellios, who made a cameo as the ladies’ server, the Bravo coverage brought Tally Ho a surge of new diners, some of whom now order the Karen special.  

9923 Falls Road, Potomac, tallyhorestaurant.com

Retail Therapy 

In Season 8, Robyn Dixon, Mia Thornton and Nneka Ihim, stopped by Gaithersburg’s Clover boutique for a shopping spree ahead of a cast trip to the Dominican Republic. “They were really down-to-earth … though they all look like models and are 6 feet tall in heels,” says Clover owner Jenn O’Brien, who described the in-store shoot as largely unscripted as the Bravo cameras captured the three women organically enjoying some retail therapy. They perused Clover’s racks of designer clothes, bags and accessories while gossiping about the other housewives and the upcoming vacation. The scene ended with O’Brien chatting with the housewives as she rang up a haul that included a jean jacket, a blazer and some lingerie. “I have major stage fright, but they were so nice,” O’Brien says of the Bravo experience that brought the boutique a wave of new customers, including the housewives, who first came to the store for the shoot, but have since become repeat customers.  

502 Main St., Gaithersburg, shopclover.com 

Seafood Fave 

Silver Spring’s All Set Restaurant & Bar has seen its share of screen time during the Potomac housewives’ reign: In Season 2, Bryant chose the seasonal contemporary restaurant for a second date; in Season 7, beauty queen-turned-singer Candiace Dillard Bassett, her husband, Chris, and Dixon dissected accusations of his inappropriate behavior on All Set’s patio; and in Season 9, Bryant and political commentator Wendy Osefo forged a path forward over a meal in the main dining room after many seasons of conflict. Despite the tense topics, the housewives have always kept their cool at All Set, according to managing partner Jennifer Meltzer: “As much as you want that table-flipping scene to happen, it hasn’t.” Instead, the heat stayed in the kitchen as Meltzer says the housewives have enjoyed some of All Set’s most popular menu items on camera, including oysters on the half shell, New England clam chowder and Maine lobster rolls served with lemon butter and chives.  

8630 Fenton St., Plaza 5, Silver Spring, allsetrestaurant.com 

Cuban Cocktails 

Colada Shop is another of the housewives’ favorite haunts. In Season 7, Thornton and her husband, Gordon, chose the Potomac location of the Cuban-themed restaurant chain as the backdrop for the series introduction of her best friend, Jacqueline Blake, an HR consultant who becomes a Housewives’ regular. The episode spotlights Colada Shop’s mojito and signature Cuban sandwich as well as the trio’s server, who was “thrilled about the experience,” according to Colada Shop founder and CEO Daniella Senior. “It’s not every day you get to serve food and drinks on a Bravo set.” In Season 8, Dixon, who hosts the “Reasonably Shady” podcast with Bryant, brings new housewife Ihim to the Potomac Colada Shop’s patio to discuss Ihim’s welcome—or lack thereof—to the group over cocktails (a Chinola spritz for Dixon; a margarita for Ihim). “It was so fun to see Colada Shop on screen,” Senior says. “I think what delighted me most was how vibrant and welcoming the space looked.”  

7993 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Village), Potomac, coladashop.com 

Gala Theatrics 

Housewife Katie Rost attended Imagination Stage classes as a child, and her mother served on its board, so the children’s theater company in Bethesda was a natural choice for Rost’s charitable efforts in Seasons 1 and 2. Though the other housewives doubted the model-turned-philanthropist’s fundraising capabilities, a Casino Royale-themed gala is showcased in Season 2, featuring several scenes with Imagination Stage founder Bonnie Fogel as well as a performance from cast members of the theater’s Looking for Roberto Clemente production. “I thought the whole experience was great fun, but I’m not sure we came across that well,” Fogel says, referring to the catty comments of a few evening gown-clad housewives who were at odds with Rost. “They were expecting [Broadway legend Bob] Fosse and didn’t want to see [the performance] as anything other than awful.” Despite the heckling, Fogel says the actors “were thrilled to be on camera,” and Imagination Stage enjoyed the Bravo publicity as well as the gala’s proceeds. 

4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, imaginationstage.org 

Sugar Rush 

According to Henry’s Sweet Retreat owner Patty Craver, Bryant and her daughters (who are now in college) used to pay weekly visits to the Bethesda candy shop for a sweet treat after music lessons next door at Bach to Rock Bethesda. “Gizelle is very, very nice and always very engaging. And she loves fudge,” Craver says of the clothing designer who still pops into the sweet shop for the occasional sugar rush. Bryant and the other housewives have filmed four times at Henry’s to the delight of store employees and patrons. “Everyone gets excited when the housewives come to film, and we always have people standing at the door watching,” Craver says. Most recently, in Season 7, Bryant brought her three daughters to Henry’s for a heart-to-heart about her upcoming surgery over cups of black raspberry and toffee chocolate chip ice cream and bags of gummy candy.

4823 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda, henryssweetretreat.com  

Also Scene Here 

Need more A-list inspiration? Other Montgomery County haunts that have been featured on The Real Housewives of Potomac include: 

This appears in the March/April 2025 issue of Bethesda Magazine.