When the Red Boat Asian Fusion restaurant in College Park replaced Pizza Mart last year, it was symbolic of major changes underway in the area’s dining scene.
But it was also a sign of where the country is headed.
Between 1999 and 2015, Asian restaurant fare soared 135 percent, outpacing Mexican food, chicken, burgers and pizza to become the fastest-growing cuisine in the U.S., according to the global market research company Euromonitor International.
That can be seen in College Park, which has experienced significant growth in the number of Asian restaurants opening just in the last year:
Qù Japan: The ramen and hibachi shop opened next to Nando’s in October of 2018.
Seoul Spice: The organic Korean chain opened near the Amazon store in November of 2018.
CB Chinese Grill: The grill specializing in chun bing, sometimes described as a sort of Chinese burrito, opened in February of 2019.
The Spot Mini: The scaled-down food hall, which includes Gong Cha Taiwanese tea, a Poki D.C. poke and sushi spot and the Akira Japanese restaurant, opened in the summer of 2019.
Là Tao: The Chinese hotpot restaurant, which also has a sushi bar and several karaoke rooms, opened in August.
Class520: The newest Asian eatery, which opened in early December, sells handmade Thai rolled ice cream as well as classic Thai iced tea, fruit teas and its own specialty drinks, the Genji.
They joined Japanese Kiyoko, Hanami and Wasabi Bistro; Chinese/Taiwanese Northwest Chinese, Ivy Noodles and Ten Ren; Shanghai Tokyo Japanese-Chinese; Kung Fu bubble tea shop; Kangnam Korean barbecue; Aroy Thai; and Vietnamese Pho Thom and Pho D’Lite.
Several factors are driving the popularity of Asian food nationally: Asian Americans are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States; also, more Americans are cutting back on meat for environmental and health reasons, boosting vegetable-oriented Asian dishes; and younger Americans are particularly interested in regional cuisine and hot and spicy foods.
That last factor is a major reason behind the boom in College Park. As ground zero for Generation Z, the local dining scene is even more sensitive to this generation’s changes in dining habits. In addition, there are nearly 7,000 international students at the University of Maryland, with the top countries of origin including China, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia.
That’s why the future of dining in the U.S. looks a lot like College Park.
This was an interesting read as a Terp, and I agree with the reasons the writer has listed for the increase in diverse dining choices in the College Park area. However, I wonder why South Asian countries were left off the list of both food places and international students at UMD. That’s a glaring gap in the story and seems to feed into (pun unintended) the stereotype of Asians being from central and Southeast Asia only. Asia is a huge and diverse continent after all.
What about Shang Hai cafe? I realize they are losing their current location. But my family has ordered from them oh…gosh for over 15 years
Thanks for reading Rashi and we appreciate you sharing your comment. The story was not intended to mention all the Asian restaurants, including Southeast Asian restaurants, in College Park, but rather point out a trend in the number of new Asian restaurants opening. If there is an eatery you feel we overlooked, please let us know. And regarding the UMD international students referenced in the piece, we were just citing a few of the top ten countries represented in the international student population using data from this UMD report. https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/sites/default/files/Fall_2018_Infographic_Student.pdf. Hope this clarifies. Please feel free to email us at news@hyattsvillewire.com to chat further about this.
Thanks Jane for reading and for sharing your comment. In this piece we were mainly talking about newer Asian establishments. It was not meant to me a comprehensive list of every Asian restaurant in College Park.