Chipotle-Owned Asian Restaurant Coming to Columbia

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, a restaurant developed by Chipotle, will open Aug. 25 at The Mall in Columbia, in its open-air plaza.

The eatery will feature noodle bowls with sauces, meats, herbs and vegetables, in a setting with an open kitchen that diners can see into just like Chipotle.

ShopHouse’s menu is inspired by Southeast Asia and contains “assertively spiced dishes that are remarkably light and well balanced,” according to a statement from the company.

Diners select a base (rice, noodle, salad); meat (chicken satay, organic tofu, pork-chicken meatballs, steak laab); vegetable (kale, charred corn, green beans, summer squash); sauce (tamarind vinaigrette, green curry, spicy red curry); and garnish (papaya slaw, pickles, herb salad). Every dish is dairy, wheat and gluten-free.

The restaurant’s name comes from the style of architecture in Southeast Asia where families live upstairs and operate restaurants downstairs, called “shophouses.”

The ShopHouse model is similar to that of Chipotle, with the open kitchen, sustainable food sources, classic preparation techniques and format allowing customers to customize orders.

There are seven other ShopHouse restaurants, with locations in the Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles areas. The only other ShopHouse in Maryland is in Bethesda. One for Rockville is also in the works.

The Columbia restaurant will occupy a nearly 2,500-square-foot space in the open-air plaza.

To celebrate its newest location, ShopHouse will donate 100 percent of proceeds on Monday to the the Community Action Council for its Howard County Food Bank program. Customers must mention the fundraiser.

ShopHouse is opening Aug. 25 at The Mall in Columbia, 10300 Little Patuxent Parkway. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Photo Credit: Georgetown Patch. ShopHouse opened in Georgetown in 2013.