Chipotle’s Asian concept ShopHouse soft-opens in D.C.
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Chipotle’s Asian spin-off ShopHouse seems to have opened – softly – in Washington, D.C.
The burrito chain has been tight-lipped about the project, but widely divergent reviews are starting to appear on Yelp about the restaurant, housed in a two-story building near Dupont Circle.
Some diners were given tickets for a free lunch in advance of ShopHouse’s opening, expected to be sometime this week. Several praised the freshness and spiciness of the ingredients, while one called the meal “leftovers in a bowl.”
ShopHouse will use a format similar to Chiptole’s: with customers moving down an assembly line customizing their meals. The look appears to be much the same, with industrial elements such as steel light fixtures and dark wood.
Reviews say that for about $8, patrons can get a bowl of rice or noodles with their choice of vegetable, garnish, protein, sauce and topping. The restaurant, customers said, also serves Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches.
When announcing the restaurant concept in April, Chipotle said ShopHouse was inspired by cuisine in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, where many families live in the same buildings as the restaurants or markets that they operate.
ShopHouse will launch without any advertising and no plans yet for a second location, according to Fortune. Among the offerings: grilled steak with chili-jam marmalade, roast corn with scallions, pickled vegetables and green papaya salad.
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-- Tiffany Hsu
