Photo Courtesy of BBH Singapore via Unsplash
The pandemic has caused an endless amount of problems for businesses all over the US, but not all of these struggles are purely financial. Throughout the past year, many Asian-owned businesses have not only suffered from the start of quarantine, but also from the increase of anti-Asian hate crimes. On Feb. 12th, three Asian-American restaurants were broken into in Columbia, Maryland; Kung Fu Tea, Urban Hot Pot, and Bonchon. Here are some local AAPI-owned businesses to support within Montgomery County, Maryland (MOCO) and its neighboring Maryland counties.
Surrounding Richard Montgomery High School is a community bustling with Asian cafes and restaurants, food courts, and stores. A student favorite spot is an Indian restaurant named Om. Serving Northern Indian dishes at an inexpensive price, Om is always full with students during their lunch hours. Jumbo Jumbo (AKA Hao Ke Lai 好客来) is also a long time favorite cafe. While their Rockville Pike location closed just before the pandemic, Jumbo is most popular for their Taiwanese popcorn chicken and various bubble tea flavors.
The streets of Rockville are densely populated with various East Asian cuisines. To name a few: East Pearl serves a Hong Kong style menu; Tea Do’s menu is centered around bubble tea; Pho Nom Nom serves warm bowls of pho noodles and authentic Vietnamese dishes; and Maki is a sushi and ramen restaurant that provides an authentic Japanese atmosphere. These establishments are all located directly next to each other on Rockville Pike. Rockville Town Center has also been hit with a wave of Asian restaurants (here is the full list of Rockville Town Center’s stores)— Kyoto Matcha is the newest addition. Their menu serves Japanese desserts revolving around a matcha flavor.
Rockville is also home to many Asian markets. Maruichi is a small but charming Japanese store that holds a variety of food, snacks, and gifts. Other grocery stores include the popular Great Wall Supermarket and New York Mart—these supermarkets are located in both the US and China, selling all kinds of Asian produce and necessities. Asian food courts have also grown popular within MOCO. The Spot, Pike Kitchen, and the Block (Bethesda) are all food halls consisting of Asian restaurants.
As 15 percent of MOCO’s population is Asian and 45 percent of MOCO businesses are minority-owned, Montgomery County is truly a home to a melting pot of cultures. These businesses present more than tasty foods and snacks— they act as an outlet to share cultures from all over the world. While the US moves forward from the pandemic, support for these businesses and the AAPI community should continue to flourish as well.