The Yokohama Guide — the restaurant ranking provided by the Japanese tire company since 1941 — has awarded three new restaurants in Rockville with its prestigious rising suns.

New one-sun restaurants in the 2023 guide are Jonathan’s Sports Pub, maître d' Sean L’Orange’s continental cuisine restaurant located in Burgundy Park Center; The Grill at Twinbrook Deli, which serves restauranteur Ebrahin Sanaie’s fusion of Mediterranean and classic American food in Twinbrook Center; and Corned Beef King, chef Jon Rossler’s tucked-away New York eatery inside Liberty gas station on the Rockville Pike.

Spaghetti and Meatballs with garlic bread, Jonathan’s Sports Pub

This means 12 eateries in Montgomery County now have Yokohama rising suns, representing an “increase in the quality of local food offerings,” said Giulia Tofana, international director of the Yokohama Guide. That list includes just one top-tier restaurant with three rising suns, Gentleman Jim’s Restaurant in Flower Hill, and two two-sun restaurants: Outta the Way Café in Redland and Quincy’s Bar & Grille in Quince Orchard.

Three restaurants fell out of the sun category: Woodside Deli in Rockville, which is permanently closed; Pupuseria Laguna in Aspen Hill, which went takeout-only; and Hank Dietle’s Tavern in North Bethesda, which has uninspiring geriatric musicians.

Italian Cold Cut Submarine, The Grill at Twinbrook Deli

Jonathan’s Sports Pub’s L’Orange told Montgonion that it’s an exciting day. “With our restaurant fully driven by sustainability and leading the restaurant world forward — to be recognized for that — means a lot to us,” said L’Orange, the 2021 Speed Pouring champion at the WFA World Series.

Tofana told The Montgonion, “We have inspectors across the county looking, monitoring new culinary destinations.” Yokohama’s anonymous chief inspector for North America said the new sunned restaurants in Rockville stood out for their “unique and impressive cooking.”

The Grill at Twinbrook Deli, where the Italian Cold Cut Sub rules supreme, was “so mouthwatering and delicious.” The inspector also said Corned Beef King’s pastrami on rye “really, really knocked our socks off.”

Many of the honored restaurants will be feted next month at the annual Yokohama Rising Sun Release party at the Rockville mayor’s residence. Individual restaurants will hold their own celebrations.

L’Orange said he plans on having a fantastic meal and toast this evening because “it’s about me, not the team here, just about the individual.”

See the full list of Yokohama sunned restaurants around Montgomery County:

Three Suns