Food

90-Year-Old Silver Spring Restaurant Mrs. K’s Toll House Has Closed

The restaurant first shut down at the start of the pandemic—it is now up for lease.

Photograph by Flickr user cranberries

Mrs. K’s Toll House is one of the oldest restaurants in the DC area. But the Silver Spring fixture is now the latest victim of the pandemic. For the first time in 90 years, the building is up for lease. A leasing agent for the property told Source of the Spring that the owners hope to find an operator to “take it to the next level”—but the Mrs. K’s name may not live on.

The restaurant first closed when Governor Larry Hogan announced a state of emergency in March, but was holding out hope to reopen and eventually celebrate its centennial, Montgomery County Media reported back August. The owner told the outlet that the small rooms made social distancing difficult, and takeout wouldn’t be enough to sustain the business.

Located in a historic Tudor house, Mrs. K’s opened in 1930 at the corner of what’s now Colesville Road and Dale Drive. The first part of the name came from original owner Olive Blanche Kreuzburg, who operated the restaurant with her husband Harvey until around 1950 when she retired due to illness, according to a history published in Source of the Spring. The latter part came from a tollhouse that had operated out of the tavern on what was a privately owned road at the turn of the 20th century. Other members of the Kreuzburg family operated the restaurant until 1996, when new owners took over.

Mrs. K’s was known for its frilly, antique-filled dining rooms and picturesque gardens. In 2008, it underwent a $1 million renovation, which included a cavernous stone-and-brick wine cellar in the basement. The menu featured affordable comfort foods, and weekends attracted crowds for epic buffet brunches.

Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.