Germantown: Curry Z Opens Indian-Himalayan Kitchen as Library Book Controversy Stirs Community
Germantown, Maryland welcomed a new South Asian dining destination this summer as Curry Z opened at 13525 Clopper Road, serving momos, curries, and tandoori dishes to a community with deep Indian roots. Across town, a public debate is unfolding over library holdings, with activists calling on Montgomery County Public Libraries to remove books they say are connected to a controversial Hindu organization. The two stories together reflect the vitality and complexity of Germantown's growing South Asian community.
🍛 Curry Z Brings Indian and Himalayan Flavors to Clopper Road
A new family-owned restaurant serving Indian and Himalayan cuisine has officially opened in Germantown, Maryland. Curry Z is now open at 13525 Clopper Rd., Germantown, MD 20874, taking over the space previously occupied by Bitez, a halal eatery that operated there from July 2025 until it closed in January 2026. The restaurant is located in the same shopping center as Mamma Lena and Rio Grande Bar and Grill. According to the restaurant, Curry Z combines traditional Indian favorites with dishes inspired by the Himalayan region, alongside Indo-Chinese specialties. The menu features classic curries, tandoori specialties, handmade momos, street food, and a storefront-exclusive build-your-own bowl option for lunch. The opening fills a gap that had been in place since Bitez closed at the start of 2026. Momos, the steamed or fried dumplings popular across Nepal, Tibet, and the northeastern Indian states, stand alongside tandoori classics as a centerpiece of the Curry Z offering. The restaurant's blend of traditional Indian cooking and Himalayan regional dishes reflects the breadth of South Asian culinary traditions increasingly available to Germantown diners. Curry Z's arrival promises a distinctive fusion of Indian and Himalayan cooking for Montgomery County's diverse dining public, underscoring the neighborhood's continued growth as a hub for South Asian food and culture. [1]
🤝 Activists Call for Removal of Books Linked to Hindu Nationalist Group from Germantown Library
The Baltimore Banner reported that community activists are calling on Montgomery County Public Libraries, with the Germantown branch specifically named, to remove books linked to a controversial Hindu group. The report frames the issue as a community advocacy effort, with activists raising concerns about library holdings connected to a Hindu organization that critics describe as nationalist in character. Montgomery County is home to one of the largest South Asian communities on the East Coast, encompassing a wide range of political and religious viewpoints within the Indian and broader South Asian diaspora. Debates over the presence of materials connected to Hindu nationalist movements in public institutions have grown more prominent across the United States in recent years, as diaspora communities grapple with competing visions of religious identity and political ideology. Activists pressing for removal argue that public libraries should not carry materials associated with organizations whose views they consider extremist or divisive. The controversy in Germantown reflects a broader national conversation about public institutions, South Asian community representation, and the diverse perspectives held by Indian Americans on matters of religion and politics. The Baltimore Banner, which covers the Montgomery and Prince George's Counties region of Maryland, reported the story as a local community advocacy issue with implications for how public libraries respond to residents' concerns about specific holdings and the organizations connected to those materials. [2]
Sources: [1] The MoCo Show - · [2] The Baltimore Banner