Route 1 to welcome two more Asian restaurants in May

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Two new restaurants Phở D’Lite and District Dumpling will soon be opening their doors on Route 1, offering a particularly unique variety of Asian cuisine.

Across from the Varsity in the Campus Village Shopping Center at 8147 Baltimore Ave., Irene Song, owner of Hanami Japanese Restaurant, will unveil her second Asian eatery in May. Phở D’Lite will offer phở, a popular Vietnamese beef or chicken noodle soup, as well as Southeast Asian delicacies.

This full service restaurant will have an Asian fusion concept with a cafeteria style serving line that will emphasize simple, healthy ingredients, according to Michael Stiefvater, economic development coordinator of College Park.

“[Song] must be doing well if [she] wants to open another restaurant,” Stiefvater said. “It’s an easier process for [her] since [she] already knows what to expect from the College Park community.”

Freshman business major Melanie Tran said, despite the home-cooked meal options at the campus diners, having a restaurant such as Phở D’Lite would become a new hot spot for students.

“A lot of college students should like phở because it’s a hot meal that fills you up,” Tran said.

Also in May, District Dumpling, located downtown in the Terrapin Station Strip at 7313-G Baltimore Ave., will be the first restaurant in College Park to be devoted completely to dumplings.

Although there is not a lot of further information about the restaurant and owner, their location is not a big space. It will be a fast, casual concept, according to Stiefvater.

“[The owners] probably were drawn by the university and were drawn to bring something different that we don’t necessarily have here yet,” he said. “Any Asian restaurant has dumplings, but this one sounds more than interesting.”

“I think District Dumpling will bring something new to College Park,” said Marissa Goon, a sophomore finance and psychology double major. “Who doesn’t like dumplings? It’ll be the new sushi.”

With an increase of restaurants coming into College Park, District Dumpling and Phở D’Lite certainly will bring competition to other existing Asian restaurants.

According to Tran, she believes these restaurants will be relatively cheaper, whereas Goon thinks their food will offer more than your typical Asian cuisine.

“Shanghai Café, Shanghai Tokyo and Panda Express all offer the same thing,” Goon said. “These restaurants will be different.”

Other Asian restaurants have been opening up in College Park. Four have opened along Route 1 in the past year: Shanghai Tokyo, Phở Thom, Sakura Seafood & Supreme Buffet and Asian Fusion & Varsity Lounge Restaurant, according to Stiefvater.

“It definitely is a trend,” he said. “It can create competition, and every new place seems to be crowded, but we will see if it divides.”