Maurizio’s Italian Restaurant Set for Potomac Debut, Pasta Fans Watch Menu

Maurizio’s is moving into 10120 River Road in Potomac this summer, with a July or August debut targeted for the former Renato’s space at the Potomac Place shopping center. The new dining room will come with an outdoor patio and a plaza view, putting another full-service Italian restaurant onto a stretch of River Road that already draws steady traffic from Duke’s Grocery, The Market at River Falls and Chipotle.

The project has a familiar local hospitality footprint. Maurizio’s comes from the team behind Cava Mezze in Rockville and Julii, Melina and Bouboulina in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose, and Executive Chef Aris Tsekouras will oversee the kitchen. The restaurant is being positioned as modern Italian with a coastal flair, a sharper angle than a standard red-sauce opening and one that should resonate with diners looking for something a little more specific than the usual pasta-and-parmesan formula.

The pasta lineup is the clearest sign of where Maurizio’s wants to land. Guests can expect spaghetti alla chitarra carbonara, linguine and clams and chiocciole alla vodka, along with whole-wheat and gluten-free pasta options listed on the menu. Small plates such as rosemary focaccia, grilled mortadella, fritto misto and tuna tonnato point to a broader menu built for sharing, while mains including slow-braised beef, chicken parmesan and grilled branzino widen the appeal for mixed groups. That mix suggests a restaurant trying to balance comfort and a little coastal polish, not just pile up bowls of pasta and call it done.

The location also carries more weight than a routine lease change. Renato’s at River Falls had served Potomac for about 25 years before closing on Sept. 30, 2024, so Maurizio’s is inheriting a space locals already associate with Italian dining. The project is personal for Ted Xenohristos, who said the building is owned by his uncle and that he and his business partners worked there growing up. Maurizio’s is named for Maurizio Luise, the longtime Cava Mezze operations leader who died unexpectedly in November 2025, giving the opening a memorial note as well as a business one. After earlier expectations pointed to a spring 2026 launch, the summer target now makes the debut feel even closer for Potomac pasta watchers.