Four new restaurants are set to open at Upton Place: Chopt, Botiwalla, Yu Noodles and Paris Baguette. The restaurant Acqua Bistecca also recently opened at City Ridge on Sept. 8, signaling the beginning of the updates.
Acqua Bistecca is the most recent project of Michelin-starred Chef Michael Mina. The restaurant features Italian cuisine, with house-made pastas, fresh seafood and grilled steaks. Reviews have been positive, yielding a rating of over 4.5 stars on Google.
Chopt, a chain salad restaurant, is also set to open at Upton Place. However, it is not clear when Chopt will open its eighth location in Washington. As of Oct. 19, a sign marks the restaurant’s future location on 4000 Wisconsin Avenue.
“Chopt could be intriguing. It is nice to have an option besides Wegmans pizza and Chipotle,” Dean of Students Darren Speece said.
Botiwalla combines Indian and Iranian cuisines. Founded by Chef Meherwan Irani, the restaurant is famous for its Chicken Tikka Roll. The expansion to Upton Place marks Botiwalla’s first restaurant in Washington, with its other locations spanning the East Coast.
Founded in 2018, Yu Noodles, a popular Chinese restaurant, has expanded to multiple locations around the Washington area. Famous for its Chongqing noodles, a spicy staple Chinese dish, Yu Noodles aims to bring these delicious foods while maintaining an affordable price.
Speece said he is curious about the Yu Noodles, but unsure of its success if it is upscale like Raku.
Sophomore Jayna Agrawal said that she “love[s] Yu Noodles and it provides great comfort food.” She added that “noodle soups [tend to] be expensive, [Yu Noodles] is more reasonably priced and will attract students on a budget.”
Sophomore Cami Green said “I am excited for the noodle place because I love Chinese noodles, but I haven’t been to this specific one.”
Paris Baguette is also scheduled to open a location at Upton Place. Described on its website as a “South Korea-based bakery and cafe,” it entered the United States in 2005 and has since been expanding along the East Coast. Some students expressed excitement that the pastries provided would serve as a rival to the already established Tatte Bakery & Cafe located in City Ridge.
However, Speece said Paris Baguette might not get as much business as the other restaurants, as he is not sure “how much students want a ham and cheese baguette.” Sophomore Kimi Saad disagreed with this and said, “I’m so hyped about Paris Baguette. I want to go after school and get a snack as soon as possible.”
While it is mostly agreed that the new installments provide good additions to Wisconsin Avenue, some still find the selection lacking. Green said she “wish[ed] that there was an ice cream place, or somewhere to get some frozen yogurt that would be added to City Ridge.”
“I have seen signs for the new restaurants, but I was unfamiliar with the brands,” Sophomore Richard Worthing added.
Still, some students remain indifferent about the change,
“I think there is already a wide selection of good places to eat,” Sophomore Richard Worthing said. “The special Mediterranean flavors of Tatte can not be beat. Paris Baguette can not rival their unique flavor profile,” sophomore Livi Lesburg added.
