The mall is dying, we’re often told. As someone who spent many a Saturday growing up walking laps around the nearest local shopping center with an Auntie Anne’s pretzel in hand, this makes me sad. Malls are so soothing in their sameness, with their chlorinated fountains and Build-A-Bear workshops.
But amid the decline in traditional retail, the Mall in Columbia may have found a way forward.
The 53-year-old Howard County shopping center is a haven, not just for shoppers, but for foodies. While you can find many anchor retail stores — including a Nordstrom and a J.C. Penney that still offers portraits (!) — you’ll also find Restaurant Row, a string of outward-facing eateries that include places like Chicken + Whiskey, Seasons 52 and now, a high-end sushi spot called Takumi Japanese Bistro and Bar.
Like me, owner Zong Chen spent his youth at the mall. In his high school years, he and his friends would come to Columbia mall to hang out whenever one of them had a car. The restaurateur owns around 20 businesses, including multiple branches of Kung Fu Tea, Luna Hall and a string of quick-service soup dumpling eateries called Dumpling District, formerly Nan Xiang Express. Each concept is either inside or near a shopping center.
Chen grew up in Montgomery County, while his parents worked long hours operating a takeout restaurant in Prince George’s County. Seeing how hard they worked to execute a seemingly endless menu of Chinese dishes made their son determined to chart his own path in the industry. He invested everything he had in Chipotle stock — he loved the business model — and used the returns to open a Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt.
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Chen’s newest restaurant takes the place of a previous Starbucks and an adjacent Verizon retailer. During renovations, Takumi received a full overhaul, complete with sleek décor and lighting. It’s the type of eatery you might expect to see in Harbor East, in view of the water; instead, Takumi has a view of the mall’s merry-go-round.
Out with the pumpkin spice latte, in with the uni nigiri. In addition to the more typical sushi menu, the restaurant offers options like A5-wagyu fried rice, or a selection of special proteins flown in from the Japanese fish market twice a week. Customers seeking the freshest, fanciest stuff should come in Tuesdays and Fridays. On a recent visit, chef David Pan presented a tray full of just-swimming suzuki and black snapper fresh from Japan and amberjack from Hawaii.
Pan, who is also a partner in the restaurant, previously worked at Ogawa in Philadelphia, an elevated sushi restaurant that offers a 23-course omakase menu. He and Chen share a hometown of Fuzhou, China, though Chen came to the U.S. when he was 9 years old.
At Takumi, Chen says they offer delicacies similar to what you might expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant. But he wants Howard County to know: “You don’t have to go to big cities and downtown to get high-quality sushi.”
Chen credits Brookfield Properties, who purchased the Mall in Columbia in 2017, with putting the shopping center on its current upward trajectory and attracting new tenants, like the forthcoming PJ’s Coffee and Pollo Campero. Tapville Social, a self-pour wine kiosk, opened earlier this year in the food court.
“The reason why Columbia [Mall] is doing so well now, from my own experience, is the food,” Chen said. In an era when customers can order just about everything they want online, “food can really bring people out from their home.”
And for those of you who prefer more familiar standbys, don’t fret: The mall has three Auntie Anne’s stands.
