Eater: A Master Tapas Chef in D.C. Breaks Out With His Own Rockville Restaurant

Rockville’s dining scene gets a major boost this weekend with the arrival of El Mercat Bar De Tapas, a polished paella place from a D.C. chef with superb Spanish cooking skills.

Rockville Town Center’s anticipated El Mercat Bar De Tapas comes from George Rodrigues, the former chef de cuisine at revered tapas chain Boqueria in Penn Quarter. His breakout project up I-270 makes use of a modern space that housed short-lived Cajun and Puerto Rican restaurant Gumbo Ya Ya (101 Gibbs Street, Rockville, Maryland).