This was the scene at Bibibop last Wednesday. It will look quite different tomorrow. Photo by Mike Diegel.
Bibibop Asian Grill, a Korean-style fast casual restaurant, will open tomorrow at 11 a.m. and offer free food until 2 p.m., according to an announcement on the store’s Facebook page.
The location at 935 Ellsworth Dr. replaces Shophouse Asian Kitchen, which closed in March.
The chain, based in Columbus, Ohio and founded in 2013, also operates stores in Bethesda, Rockville, Columbia and three locations in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the original Ohio stores, Bibibop also has restaurants in Illinois and will soon open in California.
The company was recently awarded one of five annual “Hot Concepts” awards from Nation’s Restaurant News.
The restaurants features dishes inspired by the traditional Korean dish bibimbap, meaning “mixed rice.”
Customers select between white rice, purple wild rice, lettuce or tortilla wraps. They add a selection of proteins and vegetables including grilled chicken, steak, or tofu, as well as bean sprouts, black beans, sauteéd potatoes, cucumber, shaved carrots, cheese, eggs and corn.
Choosing from sauces including sriracha, Korean red sauce, teriyaki, and “yum yum” sauce can finish the dish.
Side dishes include edamane, kimchi and miso soup.
The Silver Spring location had been home to Cake Love bakery and a Fro-Yo frozen yogurt shop prior to Shophouse taking it over.