Editor’s Note: The story, headline and photo caption were updated at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 28 to correct the date of the opening to Sunday, Sept. 1.
Fast-casual Asian restaurant Friendship BBQ will arrive at Rockville Town Square on Sunday, the first of four Asian restaurant tenants expected at the center.
Friendship BBQ will open across from Sushi Damo on Maryland Avenue in the former Miso Fusion space.
Owner James Du packed up his operation in New York and brought it to Rockville, where he now lives. It took Du two years to find a location and put the restaurant together.
“After I had the chance to look at the place, it kind of grew on me,” Du said of the space, through a translator.
The 74-seat restaurant will serve lunch and dinner, with a menu in both English and Chinese.
The Friendship BBQ cuisine is based on food from the Xinjiang region of China, specifically using wood native to the area in the cooking process.
The wood from Xinjiang is skewered into the meat and seafood prepared at the restaurant, creating a unique, smoky flavor, Du said.
The entrees on the menu feed four people. Groups are encouraged to get multiple plates and share the cuisine.
For the first week in business, Du is offering 10% off of all orders. Customers also get a complimentary appetizer or entrée, depending on the group size.
Du said the plan is to open future Friendship BBQ locations in the area once the Rockville spot is up and running.
Gyuzo Japanese BBQ, Kyoto Matcha and Cents Taro Family are expected to arrive at Rockville Town Square in the first quarter 2020.
In a June news release, Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns and operates the center, said the restaurants will provide “an expanded Asian flair to The Square.”
