One year after celebrating its 50th anniversary, Armand’s Pizzeria & Grille in Rockville has announced it will permanently close. In a message shared with customers, owners Chris Sappe and Jim Hrozencik said the restaurant’s final day of operation will be June 20, 2026, ending a more than five-decade run serving DMV and Montgomery County residents in various locations.
Founded in 1975, Armand’s began as a small pizzeria near Tenley Circle in Washington, D.C., after founder Lew Newmyer was inspired by Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. The concept quickly grew into a regional favorite, eventually expanding to more than 25 locations throughout the Washington area, including several in Montgomery County.
The Newmyer family played a major role in the chain’s growth for decades, operating multiple locations before their final Montgomery County restaurant in Silver Spring closed in 2018. While the Rockville location has continued under separate family ownership, it maintained the recipes and traditions that made Armand’s a local institution. The restaurant earned renewed recognition in recent years, winning Taste MoCo’s 2021 pizza tournament and being named WTOP’s Best Pizza in 2022…