MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Two restaurants with locations in Montgomery County were honored Sunday night with the Washington, D.C., region’s top food industry award, the RAMMY.

The 42nd annual RAMMY awards held by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington celebrates excellence in the DC region’s restaurant industry. Members of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington were eligible to be nominated for the awards. An anonymous panel of judges decided awards, except the five publicly-voted categories — Favorite Gathering Place, Best Brunch, Best Bar, Favorite Fast Bites and Hottest Sandwich Shop. For the Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year category, finalists were decided by peers, and Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s executive committee selected the winner.

Here are the two Montgomery County award winners:

Hottest Sandwich Shop: Colada Shop, Potomac. A Cuban cafe started in D.C. with other locations in Potomac, Maryland, Arlington’s Clarendon, and Fairfax’s Mosiac District. The award was decided by a public vote.

The Potomac restaurant is located at 7993 Tuckerman Lane and is open Sunday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Here’s how the venue describes its vibe: “Colada Shop was born from a love of the Cuban coffee tradition. We opened our first storefront in 2016 with the goal of spreading the Cuban coffee and social tradition to the DC community. Colada has since expanded to multiple stores in the DMV area, serving as a gathering space for good, food, coffee, cocktails and conversation.”

Beer Program of the Year: Zinnia, Silver Spring: Located at 9201 Colesville Road, Silver Spring.

Here’s the description of its offerings: Our goal for Zinnia is to bring an all-day concept to the Historic Mrs. K’s grounds. In The Gardens, you will find elevated pub and picnic fare, accompanied by an extensive beer, wine, and cocktails list.

In The Tavern, you will find an intimate setting surrounded by stone and brick walls, in the well-known barrel room.

The dining rooms upstairs have been newly renovated and feature ingredients source from our organic raised beds right here at Zinnia.

The Cafe is now open and serving freshly roasted Counter Culture Coffee.

GARDENS

Reservations available
Weds-Fri: 4pm-8pm
Sat & Sun: Garden Brunch 10am-2pm & Dinner 4pm-8pm

TAVERN

Mon & Tues: Closed
Weds & Thurs: 4pm-10pm
Fri, Sat, & Sun: 2pm-10pm

RESTAURANT

Mon & Tues: Closed
Weds – Sun: 4pm – 10pm
CAFE

Mon-Fri: 8am-2pm

BRUNCH

Sat & Sun: 10am-2:30pm

Other RAMMY winners in 2024 include:

• Favorite Fast Bites: Fava Pot, which has locations in Falls Church, Virginia and D.C.
• Cocktail Program of the Year: Silver Lyan, northwest D.C.
• Rising Culinary Star of the Year presented by LINK Strategic Partners: Masako Morishita, Perry’s, northwest D.C.
• Wine Program of the Year presented by Père Wine Bar: Apero, northwest D.C.
• Favorite Gathering Place presented by BN Commercial Hood Cleaning and Fire Protection: Mi Vida, northwest and southwest D.C.
• Best Brunch: Duke’s Counter, northwest D.C.
• Best Bar: Bar Chinois, northwest D.C.
• Employee of the Year: Michael Wyatt, Annabelle Restaurant, northwest D.C.
• Manager of the Year: Victoria Gradia, KNEAD Hospitality + Design, various locations in D.C.
• Service Program of the Year presented by Ecolab: Reveler’s Hour, northwest D.C.
• Casual Restaurant of the Year: La Famosa, southeast D.C.
• Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Lutèce
• Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year: Rochelle Cooper, The Duck & The Peach, southeast D.C.
• Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Causa/Amazonia, northwest D.C.
• Chef of the Year presented by Pepco, an Exelon Company: Angel Barreto, Anju, northwest D.C.
• Restaurateur of the Year presented by Pepco, an Exelon Company: Kyle Bailey, Jon Ball, Jeremy Carman, Gavin Coleman, and Paul Holder, Long Shot Hospitality, restaurants in D.C., Virginia and Maryland
• Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year: Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, northwest and northeast D.C.