RUTA Ukrainian Restaurant has closed its Bethesda location at 4862 Cordell Avenue after operating for slightly more than two years. A representative from the restaurant’s Washington, D.C., location confirmed that the Bethesda establishment will not reopen, and it has already been removed from the business’s official website.
The Bethesda spot initially opened in August 2024, taking over the former Momo Chicken space and establishing itself as Maryland’s first Ukrainian restaurant. This was RUTA’s second location, following its original restaurant at 327 7th Street SE in Washington, D.C., which marked the city’s first Ukrainian restaurant and remains open for business.
The restaurant’s menu highlights traditional Ukrainian cuisine, offering dishes such as varenyky (Ukrainian dumplings), Chicken Kyiv, and meat holubtsi (stuffed cabbage served with sour cream). The name RUTA is derived from the Ruta flower of Ukrainian folklore. According to Carpathian legends, this yellow flower turns flaming red for only a few brief minutes on the magical night of Ivana Kupala, and anyone who manages to find and pick it during that short time is believed to find true love.
