Bibibop expansion means 7 new restaurants for the D.C. area — and soon
Fast casual restaurant concept Bibibop Asian Grill is entering the D.C. market with seven locations.
Columbus, Ohio-based Bibibop Development LLC, which owns the chain, will open four of its Korean-inspired restaurants in Maryland and three in the District, the company announced. The company is also expanding to Cleveland, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Locally, they’re coming fast. We’ll first see Bibibop open at 11584 Old Georgetown Road at Pike & Rose in Rockville May 24; 4820 Bethesda Ave. in downtown Bethesda on May 24; 2805 M St. NW in Georgetown on May 31; and 1516 Connecticut Ave. NW in Dupont Circle on June 1.
The next three locations — Chinatown, Silver Spring and Columbia — are on deck to open by the summer.
All were previously ShopHouse Asian Kitchen restaurants, which Bibibop took over from Chipotle Mexican Grill earlier this year.
The Bibibop website also lists a Union Station location as coming Soon, but no other information was available.
The restaurant’s model is inspired by a traditional Korean dish called bibimbap, which means mixed rice. Patrons can choose a base, vegetables, proteins and sauces to create their dishes. The new stores will add noodles as a base option and new sauces like cucumber wasabi, as well as its staples like spicy chicken, daikon and purple rice.
Bibibop launched in August 2013 and had 12 locations across Ohio by 2016.
