The Japanese restaurant Kura Revolving Sushi Bar and Texas-based Torchy’s Tacos are expected to open in Federal Plaza in Rockville this fall, according to Federal Realty.
Federal Realty, which is based in North Bethesda, owns several shopping centers in the county including Federal Plaza, Pike & Rose, Congressional Plaza and Montrose Crossing in Rockville and The Shops at Wildwood and Bethesda Row in Bethesda.
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, a Japanese dining concept in which food is served using a conveyor belt system wrapped around the restaurant, was originally projected to open this summer. An opening date for Torchy’s Tacos was not provided when the restaurant was first announced in October.
The 3,325-square-foot Japanese restaurant will be at 12266 Rockville Pike in the former location of Chuy’s, a Tex-Mex restaurant chain. The former restaurant will be split into two new dining additions and be home to the sushi bar and taco chain.
When the Japanese eatery opens, it will be the first Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Maryland, according to an October press release announcing the restaurant. There are two locations in the region, one in Washington, D.C. and the other in Tysons, Virginia.
Torchy’s Rockville location will be the first in the Maryland and Virginia, and Washington, D.C., region and one of the chain’s more than 115 locations across 14 states, according to the release.
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar’s menu features a plethora of nigiri, sushi rolls, ramen, udon noodles, mochi and Taiyaki ice cream.
While dining, patrons can enjoy additional entertainment by winning prizes for every 15 sushi plates and having soft drinks delivered to them by the eatery’s food delivery robot, Kur-B the KuraBot, according to the release.
Torchy’s Tacos, whose home base is in Austin, Texas, will take over the other half of the former restaurant–approximately 3,961 square feet of space.
The taco chain features “experimental” tacos, breakfast tacos, bowls, burritos, queso, churros and margaritas “from scratch, made-to-order,” the release said.
Some of Torchy’s more unusual tacos are “The Raj,” a flour tortilla topped with masala fried chicken or avocado, raita, parsi salad and fresh mango, and tacos named after political parties, such as the “Democrat,” a classic barbacoa taco, and the “Republican,” a flour tortilla with a jalapeno cheddar sausage. The menu also includes two vegetarian tacos.
