UMD staple Marathon Deli opens in Montgomery County. Can it live up to the college memories?

Nostalgia is served up in the shape of secret-sauce-drenched french fries at Marathon Deli’s new Kensington location.

University of Maryland alums of all ages know Marathon Deli, a casual Greek diner, as one of College Park’s best spots to grab a late-night bite. I can’t tell you — and frankly, don’t want to know — how many gyros and pizza boxes full of Marathon fries I consumed in my undergrad years. What was a night out at Bents or Cornerstone (the new Vous, to my Terp elders) without a quick visit to Marathon on the way home?

So when Marathon Deli announced it would be opening a second location, this time in Montgomery County, I was eager to see if I could relive my college years through food, albeit a little nervous that my favorite UMD snack wouldn’t live up to the memories.

Kensington’s Marathon Deli location, which is open now, does not look like College Park’s. Gone are the bright fluorescent lights and walls covered with a hodgepodge of Marathon- and Terp-themed decor. My friends and I used to love its painting of Testudo, the school’s mascot, sitting up in bed in the middle of the night with a speech bubble reading, “I’ve gotta get me some Marathon Deli NOW!”

I tried to recruit my college friends to join my Marathon pilgrimage. Unfortunately our schedules aren’t as flexible as they were in college, and they all had their own serious work to attend to at 2 p.m. on a Thursday.

Just like me and my fellow former Terps, the new Marathon Deli has done some growing up.

The Kensington spot is more sophisticated, with dim lighting, a full bar, inviting tables meant for sit-down meals.

But there are hints of College Park still: some understated Maryland Terrapins memorabilia and framed photos of Testudo on the walls between vintage Greek photos and postcards from Santorini, plus a few collectible glass Cornerstone beer mugs between pieces of pottery vases behind the bar.

The menu got an upgrade, with new Kensington-only menu items for an unhurried meal, including a generous portion of moussaka, a layered Greek casserole akin to lasagna, with a choice of sides — I went with crispy, lemony potatoes.

But fear not, Terps: The same old favorites are still available and still great, including the Marathon gyro filled to the pita brim with beef, lamb, tomato, red onion and tzatziki.

And, of course, the Marathon fries. They tasted exactly how I hoped they would: crispy, salty fries dipped in a complex sauce that perhaps includes mayo, ketchup, mustard and barbecue sauce.

They also tasted like a 2 a.m. debrief with your dormmates about whatever shenanigans everyone had witnessed and/or taken part in that evening. And like a period of life when you’re learning who you are and preparing for a future that’s now here.

You can’t really ever go home again. But the good news? You can still get Marathon fries.