The block food hall in Rockville will be larger than the Block in Annandale, but it will share a similar vibe and feature vendors with similar foods.
Wong is working with partners Vivian Zhu and Gary Ngo to create the Spot, which is expected to open next summer at the Metropolitan, a mixed-use development near Rockville Town Square. Ngo is also a founding partner of Poki District, one of the many Hawaiian-style poke purveyors that have recently popped up in the Washington area.
Poki District
will hold down a spot at the Spot, along with two Taiwanese newcomers to the area: Gong Cha, a purveyor of bubble tea, and Cheers Cut, a specialist in fried chicken and seafood. Wong, the founder behind Akira Ramen and Izakaya in Rockville, also expects to develop his own bar as well as a dessert concept featuring Thai ice creams and bubble waffles, the trendy Hong Kong street food.
“We still have a couple more spots open,” Wong says. “I am looking for people to join us.”
By comparison, the Block features Pokeworks, a poke vendor, as well as Balo Kitchen (which specializes in “Asian comfort food”), Roots Thai Street Food, Snocream Company (a Taiwanese-style desserts concept), Munch Ice Cream (whose ice creams feature some Asian flavors and ingredients) and the Block Bar . A smaller version of the Spot, tentatively named Mini-Spot, will open next spring in College Park. Like the Block, the Spot will feature an open seating area and a shared kitchen for vendors. But Wong promises the Spot will feel “more modern” than the Annandale food hall
