Charley - Rio Lakefront is the recently opened restaurant from local independent restaurateurs Jackie Greenbaum, Gordon Banks, and Chef Adam Harvey. It is the larger spin off of sister restaurant Bar Charley, a popular DC gastropub and acclaimed cocktail destination, which was its inspiration. The group also owns El Chucho (Columbia Heights), Little Coco’s (Petworth), and Quarry House Tavern (Silver Spring).
Charley aims to be your favorite new spot to eat and drink @ Rio. With a stylish interior and a broad, chef-driven menu including our raw bar, specialty burgers, housemade pastas, fresh seafood and excellent steaks — there’s something for everyone. As a drinking spot we’re unequaled: our extensive cocktail list ranges from modern riffs on Tiki and Coladas to a flight of Crushes—perfect for a casual afternoon or evening on our 100 seat patio. For the more serious cocktail enthusiast, try one of many Old Fashioneds or anything from the cocktail list that Bethesda Magazine calls “dazzling,” from the bar the Washington Post says has “raised the bar for drinking in Montgomery County”. Come see what all the fuss is about and join us for a drink!
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Charley Prime Foods brings D.C. touches to the Maryland suburbs
“The word is out: Gaithersburg has a new place to eat and drink, and it fills whatever role you want it to: date night, family reunion, you name it…Cocktails made as they are in some of Washington’s top-shelf draws — but priced to attract a broad audience…In short, this is a bar that raises the bar for drinking in Montgomery County.”
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Review: Charley Prime Foods is a drinking and dining destination
“Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront gastropub has a steak focus and a dazzling cocktail list.”
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Charley Prime Foods Aims to Be a Steak and Cocktail Destination in Gaithersburg
“The lakefront spinoff of Bar Charley also offers housemade pastas and a kids menu. The owners of steak-centric Bar Charley in Dupont and Italian joint Little Coco’s in Petworth are combining the best of both—plus some—at their just-opened waterfront restaurant and bar, Charley Prime Food, in Gaithersburg. Located in the Rio Lakefront shopping and entertainment complex, the spot offers housemade pastas, steaks, cheffy family-friendly fare, plus a huge list of cocktails.”
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Charley Prime Foods Brings Lakefront Pastas and Wagyu to Gaithersburg
“The team behind Little Coco’s and Bar Charley put out their greatest hits — and much more — at their scenic new spot in suburbia. D.C. restaurant vets Jackie Greenbaum and Gordon Banks (Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) unveil a modern American restaurant at Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront Mall.”
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Tom Sietsema’s 6 favorite places to eat in July 2023
“Designed as a fancier version of Bar Charley in Washington, Charley Prime Foods actually joins ideas from all the owners’ establishments. The pastas, for instance, will be familiar to fans of Little Coco’s in the District, as will the happy hour burger, borrowed from Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring… The dining room looks nothing like the competition in sprawling Rio Lakefront. Flowery wallpaper, paintings from Greenbaum’s own brushes, forest-green booths and a raised bar make a more personal statement, and how cool that more than half the seats are on a (covered) patio overlooking water.”
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2023 FALL DINING GUIDE
“…Set sail with stumps of crisp sticky rice plied with shredded roast pork, finished with Korean barbecue sauce, or a salad so big and beautiful, it ought to be in pictures. Ask for “Ode to Spago,” a happy fusion of cabbage, wonton crisps, chicken poached in coconut milk and lemongrass and … you get the idea. The bounty is delicious.”