A matcha brand that launched inside a Rockville juice bar is getting its own storefront in Bethesda. Dear Matcha will open its first brick-and-mortar location at 4928 Cordell Ave. on October 10, taking over a space that spent roughly a decade as the Italian restaurant Alatri Brothers before it closed this past July.
The opening caps a fast rise for the brand. According to MoCo Show, Dear Matcha launched inside Rockville's Mia Cane Juicery and has spent recent months building a following through pop-ups and farmers markets across the area before landing this permanent home in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. The grand opening celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 10 and will include the full matcha menu, exclusive drinks, giveaways, merchandise, and R&B music courtesy of DJ Xaje, per the same report.
Dear Matcha's roots trace back to Mia Cane Juicery & Açaí Bar, which Jack Nhu and his partners opened at the Ritchie Center at 785-I Rockville Pike in September 2024, serving cold-pressed sugarcane juice, Vietnamese coffee, and açaí bowls, according to The Tide. The Tide described sugarcane juice as hydrating and containing natural antioxidants, and quoted Nhu saying he felt Rockville was missing a Vietnamese-cultured place.
From Pop-Up to Permanent Address
Dear Matcha's public debut came in May, when it soft-launched its signature drink line at Solaire before expanding pop-ups across the D.C. area, according to a video posted to Mia Cane Juicery and Açaí Bar's Facebook page. Ahead of the storefront launch, the brand continued building a following through pop-ups across the D.C. area.
A Decade-Old Italian Restaurant Makes Way
The space Dear Matcha is moving into carries its own history. Alatri Brothers had operated at 4928 Cordell Ave. for roughly ten years before closing in July, run by the Pietrobono family, who also operate nearby Woodmont Triangle staples Olazzo and Gringos & Mariachis, according to Beltway Limousine. That family has helped shape the neighborhood's dining identity for years, making the shift from a sit-down Italian kitchen to a fast-casual matcha bar a notable changing of the guard on the block.
Dear Matcha's new location is at 4928 Cordell Ave. in Bethesda. The corridor has become the go-to landing spot for independent food and beverage concepts as nearby Bethesda Row leans further into apparel and wellness retail, a shift detailed by Advisory Partners. Recent additions along Fairmont and Norfolk avenues, including Six Ways to Sunday and Rosetta Bakery, have only added to the culinary density taking shape a few blocks north of Bethesda Row. Call Your Mother's Bethesda location is at 4828 St. Elmo Avenue, per Advisory Partners.
Dear Matcha's move from pop-ups to a Bethesda storefront marks the brand's shift into a permanent location after launching inside a Rockville juice bar.
