Overview
Wheaton is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a suburb of Washington D.C.
4 things to do · 17 places to eat · 3 bars & cafés
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Wheaton
Brookside Gardens
Beautiful and expansive botanic gardens. Visit the butterfly pavilion in the summer months—otherwise just take the opportunity for a romantic stroll.
Wheaton Regional Park
Established in 1958, this is a 538-acre regional park with a playground, picnic areas, miniature train rides, carousel rides, stocked lake for fishing, botanical gardens, nature center, hiking trails, riding stables, cam…
Wheaton Veterans Urban Park
Established in 1978, this park was created in remembrance and dedication to veterans.
Taste of Wheaton
Food samples from Wheaton's best restaurants as well as live entertainment. Family-friendly event with activities for all ages, including face painting and balloon sculptures for children while parents can enjoy the sult…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 90°F; winter lows dip to about 30°F. Very hot (Jul) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Jul and Jun. (climate data from nearby Washington, D.C.)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington — 13 mi away (major hub). Directions
- BWI Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore — 22 mi away (major hub). Directions
Coming out of the Wheaton Metro Station on the Red Line, admire that escalator—it's the longest in the Western Hemisphere, and takes almost 3 minutes to ascend!
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Typical meal: about $6 per person at listed restaurants.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Brookside Gardens, Wheaton Regional Park
- Lunch Ruan Thai
- Afternoon Wheaton Veterans Urban Park, Taste of Wheaton
- Dinner Ren's Ramen
- Evening Kefa Cafe
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Wheaton, with a population of just under 50,000 people (2010), is known locally for its ethnic dining scene. Many ethnic restaurants in Wheaton have received awards for best-in-class food in the Washington D.C. area.
History
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the area was settled by the Piscataway. Wheaton got its name from the Wheaton Post Office, which was named after Union General Frank Wheaton, who defended Washington, D.C., from invading forces during the Civil War in July 1864.
Wheaton developed from a business district called Mitchell's Crossroads, named after Mitchell's Tavern. The business district developed at the junction of three roads, which are now called Georgia Avenue, Veirs Mill Road, and University Boulevard.
Before 1947, only 29,000 people were living in Wheaton, mostly on farms and large estates. By 1960, the population had grown tremendously, which led to the widening of Georgia Ave, also known as the "Avenue of Progress". Since then, many businesses have opened including the Wheaton Plaza Shopping Center (now Westfield Wheaton), built in 1959. The massive Wheaton Regional Park (538 acres; 2.2 sq km) was established in 1958.
Get in
By Metrorail
Coming out of the Wheaton Metro Station on the Red Line, admire that escalator—it's the longest in the Western Hemisphere, and takes almost 3 minutes to ascend!
By car
The main streets running through the downtown are Georgia Avenue, Veirs Mill Road, and University Boulevard. The area where they converge is the center of commercial activity and great inexpensive restaurants.
Get around
By foot
Downtown Wheaton is very compact and dense with shops and restaurants. It is easy to walk around from the Metrorail station.
By bus
Metrobus and Ride-on-Bus operate service around Wheaton and to other points in Montgomery County.
Do
Parks and gardens
Do Wheaton Regional Park
Established in 1958, this is a 538-acre regional park with a playground, picnic areas, miniature train rides, carousel rides, stocked lake for fishing, botanical gardens, nature center, hiking trails, riding stables, campground, ice skating (year-round), tennis courts, covered fields, and a dog park.
Festivals and events
Do Taste of Wheaton
Food samples from Wheaton's best restaurants as well as live entertainment. Family-friendly event with activities for all ages, including face painting and balloon sculptures for children while parents can enjoy the sultry music provided by the DJ and live bands ranging from hip hop to jazz to country. There are also performances from organizations in the area, such as the Wheaton Studio of Dance.
Buy
Shop Thomas Market
A gourmet food store specializing in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.
Shop Westfield Wheaton
Large indoor shopping mall that includes Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, Champs Sports, Charlotte Russe, Children's Place, Costco, Dick's Sporting Goods, DSW Shoes, Express, Foot Locker, Forever 21, FYE, GameStop, G by Guess, H&M, Hot Topic, JCPenney, Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts, Kay Jewelers, Lids, Macy's, Target, Vans, Victoria's Secret, and Zales Jewelers. Restaurants include Nando's Peri Peri, Panera Bread, Panda Express, Sarku Japan, Popeye's, and McDonald's. Also has an AMC movie theater.
Eat
Eat Ben Yehuda Cafe & Pizzeria
Kosher dairy restaurant with pizza and vegetarian mock meat.
Eat Cam Ranh Bay Pho & Grill
Vietnamese food.
Eat El Pollo Rico
Universally acclaimed in local, national, and international food circles is Wheaton's El Pollo Rico, serving unbeatable pollo a la brasa—Peruvian chicken roasted over smoky wood charcoals to just the perfect point at which a slight crisp falls upon the skin, over succulent, moist white and dark meat, and the spice fiesta of salt 'n pepper, huacatay, aji, cumin, achiote, garlic, and lemon magically penetrates the meat straight into the bone. EPR for a long time ran out of a can't-see-your-hand smoky little take-out only shack, but that burned down, and it's now in a cheery little eatery with tables for the few who aren't taking the bird home to the family. Lines are long, but move fast. Placing your order is simple: yell whole, half, or quarter, and then enjoy the sound of the lady's meat cleaver hitting the counter through the meat.
Eat Ertale Ethiopian Restaurant
Eat Filippo's Italian Specialties
Popular Italian deli.
Eat Full Key Restaurant
An unassuming but pleasant little eatery, offering Hong Kong cuisine into the wee hours of the night—wonderful noodle soups, soup dumplings, congee, and barbecued meats—the roast duck tends to run out, but you can call ahead to reserve a portion for a late night visit.
Eat Gourmet Inspirations Chinese Restaurant
Eat Kantuta's
Latin American diner.
Eat Moby Dick Sushi
Odd name for a Korean-run Japanese place. Korean-run Japanese restaurants are usually a lesson in cross-cultural misunderstanding, but this is an exception, run by an eminently competent and seasoned preparer of Japanese cuisine. Three reasons to come: great tempura, good sushi, and impressively low prices.
Eat Nava Thai
Served in a space that is comically and unmistakably a former cheesy Tex-Mex restaurant, Nava Thai's food is incredible, with a menu full of items Thai food lovers of the Western variety will not recognize. Dishes range from those ablaze with chilis, garlic, and curries, to those with a more subtle cilantro or perhaps pig's blood. The sweet and sour squid is famous, but if you want to play it safer, the husband and wife team here are experts with the noodle dishes, and you'd have trouble finding a better pad thai anywhere, except Ruan, of course.
Eat Nick's Diner
Old-school family-run diner with Greek menu options. Breakfast and lunch only.
Eat Nut House Pizza
Voted the best kosher pizza by Washingtonian Magazine.
Eat Paul Kee Restaurant
Delicious, authentic Cantonese food served to a mostly Cantonese clientele. The service and ambiance are also authentically Cantonese, but they are also hallmarks of a place that serves great food at low prices. The roast and crispy meat dishes tend to be especially good bets.
Eat Ren's Ramen
D.C.'s ramen scene is not as well-developed as New York, but this place comes pretty close. Very flavorful broth and delicious chewy noodles, no matter which variant of ramen you choose. The dumplings are also tasty.
Eat Ruan Thai
Trying to decide whether to eat at Nava or Ruan is best decided by a coin flip—they are both fantastic, small, and as authentic as they come. Aside from walking distance, Ruan is a little divier and marginally less expensive, which is either a plus or minus depending on your outlook. It also serves an incredible smoked eggplant salad, a fiery crispy whole red snapper, and killer larb.
Eat Thai Taste by Kob
Street-style Thai food.
Eat Woomi Garden
Korean barbecue, hot pot, sushi, and Japanese food.
Drink
Most restaurants serve alcohol.
Try the various exotic drinks at international restaurants and markets. The Asian markets usually carry great loose-leaf teas at bargain prices; Thai restaurants serve Thai iced coffee and tea; the Latino places have tasty tamarindo juice, horchata, and even delicious atoles, the fabled warm, thick corn drink of the Mayas; the Ethiopian restaurants have honey wine and great coffee; Middle Eastern markets have great Turkish and Iraqi pomegranate juice; etc.
Drink Legends Billards
A sports bar and pool hall. The bar offers specials on certain nights. Hosts parties for all sporting events year round such as March Madness, and Superbowl Sunday.
Drink Limerick Pub
Irish pub with live folk music and Irish food.
Drink Kefa Cafe
Delightful coffee shop with excellent coffee and a few snacks, run by two Ethiopian sisters.
Sleep
Wheaton does not have any hotels. There are many hotels in downtown Silver Spring, just two stations away on Metrorail's Red Line.
Go next
Nearby
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