L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, a fast-casual chain from Hawaii, is slated to open its first Maryland location in Rockville in January, according to franchise owner Michael Wu.
In an email to MoCo360, Wu said the grand opening for the eatery at 785 Rockville Pike in the Ritchie Center will be held from Jan. 3 to 5. He did not provide details about the eatery’s hours. Wu said he expects to have a soft opening for the shop as well but has not set an official date.
To celebrate the opening, the eatery is raffling off a new iPhone 16, according to the Rockville eatery’s Instagram account.
The 1,500-square-foot restaurant replaces Super Bowl Noodle House, which closed in late March. The location is near Richard Montgomery High School at 250 Richard Montgomery Drive.
In October, Wu told MoCo360 he hopes high school students will come to the restaurant during lunch or after school.
“There’s a huge high school population that’s released around lunchtime. I want the kids to come and eat lunch here. I’m going to be making specific deals just for students,” he said.
L&L’s specialty is a combination of Hawaiian comfort food served as a lunch plate. Plate lunches are considered to be the state dish of Hawaii and consist of two servings of rice, one serving of macaroni salad, a serving of fried fish, plus a chicken entrée and another protein. At L&L, customers can choose from proteins including barbecue chicken, fried chicken katsu, shredded kalua pork and fried shrimp.
In addition, L&L serves Spam Musubi, a popular snack in Hawaii consisting of cooked Spam and rice wrapped in nori (roasted seaweed).
First L&L Hawaiian Barbecue in Maryland
Wu said he believes L&L will be the first Hawaiian barbecue restaurant of its kind in Montgomery County. The only style of Hawaiian food showcased locally is poke bowl eateries, which serve rice bowls topped with raw fish, vegetables and sauces.
Plate lunches originated from the meals that wage laborers would eat while working in 19th-century sugar plantations and pineapple fields in Hawaii, according to the L&L website. “Lunches were often shared, resulting in a harmonious mix of home recipes from Japan, China, the Philippines, Portugal, Korea, and even New England,” the website states.
In addition to plate lunches, the eatery is expected to offer barbecue meat and rice bowls; a barbecue cheeseburger; loco moco, a dish of hamburger patties topped with fried eggs and served with rice and gravy; and Spam Saimin, a Hawaiian noodle soup.
The L&L chain operates locations across Hawaii and in 14 other states including Virginia.
