Chevy Chase cafe known for burgers, salads expanding to new Lexington shopping center
A Lexington restaurant that has won many fans in Chevy Chase is expanding to the south side of town.
Bella Cafe & Grille opened in December 2020 in the former Le Matin bakery space and quickly won fans for delicious burgers and fries and amazing salads.
Now, owner Kuni Toyoda is bringing Bella Cafe & Grille to the Fountains at Palomar. He said that the new restaurant will be at 3901 Fountain Blue Lane, Suite 130, next to Jersey Mike’s Subs in the new shopping area. Construction work began this month.
The new restaurant will have the same menu with different daily specials, he said. It’s expected to open in August.
What restaurants, stores are at Fountains at Palomar?
Toyoda is known as an innovative restaurateur who came up with unlimited breadsticks at his five Fazoli’s franchises in the early 1990s. He also developed Bella Notte and other restaurants.
“I always liked the Palomar area and have been looking for a site for a while. We hope the people there will enjoy our menu, service and ambiance that we offer at Bella Café,” Toyoda said.
He said that the demographics of the Palomar area on the south side of Lexington on Harrodsburg Road are particularly strong. The shopping area also is where Lexington’s first Publix grocery store is scheduled to open in late 2024. The shopping center also includes Papi’s Mexican Restaurant, Orange Theory Fitness, Limestone Bank, Results Physiotherapy and Nail Bar at Fountains.
“I opened the first freestanding Fazoli’s in Palomar Center about 30 years ago,” Toyoda said. “There were only McDonald’s and Fazoli’s at that time, but that Fazoli’s became one of the highest sales restaurants soon. I hope we will be as successful as the original Bella Café in Chevy Chase.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
