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The City of Bowie’s own 2026 restaurant guide counts 139 places to eat, and they are sorted not by cuisine but by shopping center, which tells you how this city really eats. On July 30, 2026, the newest of them opened at 15443 Excelsior Drive in Bowie Town Center: a Wonder food hall where one order can pull from 20 restaurant brands at once.
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Here is where Bowie actually shops and eats, corridor by corridor, with what has opened recently, what is still coming, and what the old Sears site could become.
What is the Wonder food hall at Bowie Town Center?
Wonder is a digital food hall. You place one order, mix brands in it, and choose dine-in, pickup or delivery. The Bowie location opened July 30, 2026 with 20 concepts, including Bobby Flay Steak, Tejas Barbecue, Yasas by Michael Symon, Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson, Di Fara Pizza and Detroit Brick Pizza Co., and it is open 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily.
It is Wonder’s second Prince George’s County location after College Park, with a third planned at Largo Plaza. The county’s economic development corporation pointed to it as a sign of retail and dining momentum in Bowie, and for a Town Center that lost its Sears anchor in 2019, new traffic matters.
Bowie Town Center: what is there now?
Bowie Town Center opened in November 2001 as an open-air center on Emerald Way, near where Route 50, MD 197 and Route 301 meet. Its anchors are Macy’s, Safeway, LA Fitness and United Furniture Warehouse, which arrived in 2024. The City’s development outline counts 944,184 square feet of commercial space and 1,406 homes completed across the 274 acre Bowie Town Center planned community.
The restaurant row runs along Town Center Boulevard, Excelsior Drive and Emerald Way: Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, Red Robin, First Watch, The Twisted Crab, Mezeh, Chipotle, Panera, Crumbl and Bruster’s, among others. Barnes and Noble has its cafe at 15455 Emerald Way. On Evergreen Parkway, the Shoppes at Bowie Town Center add California Tortilla and Asian Bistro.
What is happening with the old Sears at Bowie Town Center?
Sears closed in January 2019. The 10.8 acre parcel at 15606 Emerald Way belongs to Seritage, which sought a basic plan amendment to replace the store with housing. The City’s 2025 development outline says the District Council approved the amendment in 2021 for up to 800 residential units (multifamily, townhouses and assisted living), plus retail, office and a hotel of up to 150 rooms.
The same City outline lists the Sears site as “No recent activity.” For now the lot hosts food trucks; the City’s restaurant guide lists two at that address.
Where to eat and shop on Annapolis Road (MD 450)
Route 450 is the Belair side’s main street, and most of its retail sits in four clusters:
| Center | Where | Grocery and anchors | Sample dining (City 2026 guide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free State Shopping Center | 15470 to 15754 Annapolis Rd | Mixed retail | IHOP, CAVA, Rock and Toss Crab House, Anthony’s New York Pizza, Cold Stone |
| Bowie Marketplace | 15475 to 15511 Annapolis Rd | Harris Teeter | Honeygrow, MOD Pizza, Chick-fil-A, Firehouse Subs, Ramoun’s Kitchen |
| Hilltop Plaza | Race Track Rd at Route 450 | Mixed retail | Jersey Mike’s, Mac Pho, Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken, Mi Pueblito Bakery |
| West Bowie Village | 13635 Annapolis Rd | Neighborhood retail | Queensway Carry Out |
Bowie Marketplace is also changing. The City lists the 26 acre center with plans for a three-story building and a four-story building plus a car wash; a site plan for self storage and a car wash was approved in 2023 and Phase 1 is under construction. Further north on Laurel Bowie Road (MD 197), Bowie Plaza has Ledo Pizza and Pub, Buffalo Wild Wings and Golden Pavilion, and the Whitehall Shopping Center is home to the Crab Galley of Bowie at 7410 Laurel Bowie Road.
Route 301 and South Bowie: the growth corridor
Crain Highway is where Bowie’s newest retail is landing. Bowie Gateway, around Heritage Boulevard and Mitchellville Road, has Raising Cane’s, Chessie’s Chesapeake Grille and Ruby’s Southern Kitchen. Collington Plaza and Pointer Ridge Plaza cover other stretches of Crain Highway, with carryout, pizza and hibachi spots.
At South Lake, which the City annexed in 2019, a new Giant opened March 28, 2025 at 810 Fairmont Drive, with a full pharmacy, sushi, a Starbucks and Giant’s 50th in-store Ledo Pizza. The City’s 2026 guide lists more South Lake Marketplace restaurants as coming soon, including Panera Bread, Panda Express, Jersey Mike’s and Ledo Pizza. Mill Branch Crossing, a 74 acre project in the City’s pipeline, is planned for 77,635 square feet of retail and a 150 room hotel, with a Popeye’s site plan approved and a Chipotle submitted.
Is Old Town Bowie still the antiques district?
Old Town Bowie, the original railroad town along Chestnut Avenue and the tracks, was known for decades for antiques. A few antique shops remain along the brick sidewalks, but in October 2025 Inncuvate Community Development Partners announced a rebrand to “Crafted in Bowie,” with plans for The Foundry, a maker space for artists and craftspeople in a former antique store, and The Stove House, a shared commercial kitchen for food startups.
Old Town is also where the City holds Old Bowie Arts on the Ave in early October, and where the Bowie Railroad Station and Huntington Museum sit beside the tracks. Verache! Lounge at 8700 Chestnut Avenue is the restaurant the City’s guide lists there today.
When is the Bowie Farmers Market?
Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Bowie High School parking lot at 15200 Annapolis Road. The 2026 season opened May 17 and runs through October. Expect produce, breads and pastries, beef and goat meat, cut flowers, bedding plants, coffee and handmade goods, with some vendors every week and others on alternating Sundays. The market runs a tote loyalty program: collect 80 “Tote Points” for a free market tote.
How shopping centers shape home prices
Across Bowie’s four ZIP codes, the median sale was $500,000 in Bright MLS data, April to September 2026, with a median of 19 days on market. ZIP 20716, which includes Bowie Town Center, had a median of $473,500 and many of the area’s townhomes. ZIP 20715, the Annapolis Road and Belair side, came in at $500,000 and sold fastest, in a median of 15 days. 20720 and 20721, which include more of the newer, larger subdivisions, posted medians of $535,700 and $557,000.
See how each part of town compares in our Bowie neighborhoods comparison, or check this month’s Bowie events. New to the area? Start with our new to Bowie page.
Find a home near the places you will actually use
Tell us where you shop, eat and commute, and the Bowie neighborhood match will point you to the right sections. Or call or text Bruno at (240) 418-3809, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and he will pull current listings near your shortlist.
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Sources: City of Bowie 2026 Restaurant Guide, City of Bowie 2025 Development Sites and Transportation Projects Outline, Patch: Wonder Bowie officially opens, Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, UrbanTurf: Bowie Town Center Sears Redevelopment, Daily Voice: Giant opens at South Lake, WTOP: Old Town Bowie rebrand, City of Bowie Farmers Market, Bright MLS data, April to September 2026.
