The restaurant and craft alcohol scene has really flourished along the Route 1 corridor in recent years, so it’s been hit particularly hard by new restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With Maryland now under a stay-at-home order as of March 31, restaurants and craft alcohol producers along the Route 1 corridor are continuing to adapt, with many having moved from takeout to curbside pickup to delivery, offering customers news ways to get their favorite food and drinks.
Here’s an update on some of the latest developments:
Banana Blossom Bistro in Riverdale Park now does entirely contactless orders and pickups, and started offering delivery as well, with all payments online and takeout bags available on a table near the entrance to minimize the risk of transmission. They also started offering family meals for delivery as well. And local resident has already created a GoFundMe page for the bistro to help support it during this uncertain time.
District Taco out of Riverdale Park now offers a catering service where they will provide several days worth of meals for families. Order via their app and get free delivery over $20.
Foodhini, the Woodridge, D.C., food service that highlights immigrant chefs, is now temporarily offering same-day delivery if you order online by 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. They have expanded their delivery to also include Mount Rainier.
Franklins in Hyattsville is now offering delivery of its food, mason jar beers, growlers and wine, in addition to takeout and curbside pickup. Deliveries will be made to Hyattsville, Riverdale Park and University Park. They also began offering family meal specials. Call between 4 and 7 p.m. to order, and there’s a $5 fee.
Jersey Mikes also out of Riverdale Park now offers free delivery when you order through their app.
La Prima Catering in College Park offers its organic, locally grown food for home meal delivery and individual boxed meals with no minimum order, with no-contact delivery and curbside pickup available on request.
Maryland Meadworks is open daily from 4 to 7 p.m. for growler pickup and has free contactless delivery in Hyattsville, Riverdale Park, North Brentwood, Brentwood, Mt. Rainier, Cheverly, Cottage City, Bladensburg, Colmar Manor, Edmonston, University Park and College Park.
Seoul Spice in College Park, in addition to offering curbside pickup and delivery, has set up a bodega, partnering with local farmers markets, and is delivering basic items including milk, eggs and and fresh vegetables along with household items like toilet taper and cleaning supplies.
Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. also in Hyattsville, now offers curbside pickup and delivery to addresses in Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Riverdale Park, College Park and Cheverly with online ordering. They are also offering delivery of non-alcoholic drinks like kombucha and Boylan sodas.
Taqueria Habanero in College Park closed temporarily for a few days but then announced on March 31 that they will reopen for carry-out orders including alcohol Thursday-Sunday, 12 to 8pm. Meanwhile, they have set up a GoFundMe to help staff during this difficult time.
The New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt is offering contactless pickup and delivery for $5 to addresses in Greenbelt from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. They are accepting only online orders and payment.
Town Center Market in Riverdale Park is also now offering produce boxes for $25 for curbside pickup, as an alternative to going to the grocery store. The box includes lettuce or bagged salad, a gallon of milk, a fresh vegetable, a dozen eggs, two onions, fruit, a lemon or a lime and a starch like potatoes.
And Sangfroid Distilling in Hyattsville, is temporarily open for online pickups on the weekends, while during the week they have started producing hand sanitizer with the help of Mike Franklin.
Another distillery up the street in Beltsville, Shmidt Spirits, that makes whiskey and gin, has also started producing hand sanitizer for sale, receiving interest from local health care facilities and utility companies. It has set up a GoFundMe page with the hopes of offering the hand sanitizer for free to anyone in the College Park area who needs it. Master Distiller Brian Roan, who is also a resident of College Park, told the Hyattsville Wire they are making hand sanitizer in accordance with directives from the TTB, state government, and according to a formula provided by the World Health Organization. Shmidt Spirits is also offering curbside pickup of their craft whisky and gin.
Though some restaurants along the corridor, however, have closed temporarily because of the coronavirus including Provost in Woodridge, D.C., Cafe Azul – Caracas de Ayer in Hyattsville, Burtons Bar & Grill in Riverdale Park, and College Park Grill.
But it’s not just restaurants adapting, either.
As the Washington Post noted in a story, the popular local band Paint Branch Creek had to cancel its traditional St. Patrick’s Day show at the Old Parish House in College Park, so the band spent $100 on a microphone and livestreamed a two-hour show on Facebook. The Post also noted the recent car safari in Hyattsville that took place where it linked to our story about it.
Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville is now holding an online version of its popular weekly Rise and Rhyme event for children on Facebook with Culture Queen on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 p.m.
And Big Planet Comics in College Park is moving to 100 percent mail-order business for the next few weeks, although you can email to pick up your comics in person.
Three Little Birds Sewing Co. in Hyattsville is still shipping out orders mailing fabrics and craft kits. More details are available on their Instagram page.
You can find our regularly updated comprehensive list of area restaurants currently offering takeout, curbside pickup and delivery here. And please let us know in the comments if we missed anything.
