Owen's Ordinary Tavern & Beer Garden

By Anya Kroupnik

Rockville has always had the edge when it came to having the best area concentration of authentic Asian restaurants, within the past few years, the area (now known in some parts as "North Bethesda") has started getting new options opened by seasoned players who were investing serious money in helping create a new restaurant scene north of the beltway. Count Owen’s Ordinary as one of these--a unique addition from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, this beer garden meets local sports bar meets open kitchen restaurant is fun with a steampunk decor.

With a focus on local ingredients, veggies and meats are sourced from the DMV area while half of the 150 beer selection comes from Maryland alone. Phil, one of the bartenders, said their unique beer list “was created with a focus on freshness” and their multi-temperature tap system allows various beers to be served at their most enjoyable temperatures. We sampled some of those on tap, including selections from Silver Spring’s Denizens Brewing and Rockville’s 7 Locks Brewing.

 For those not into beer (although from such a vast selection of flavors SOMETHING should stand out to you), the small cocktail selection is well curated. My favorite was the Red Line Rickey which uses organic Art in the Age Rhubarb Tea Spirits. We got to sample some of their food- a crispy fried pork belly topped with pickles and their brioche bun sliders was a flavor explosion. Those pickles must be local too... their crunch was the finishing touch on both dishes.

 As a "North Bethesdan", this is sure to become my new go-to spot!