By LILLIAN GLAROS
Dozens of community members, University of Maryland (UMD) students and local politicians attended the grand opening of Li Chun Café on March 8.
The café, located on the first floor of College Park City Hall, at 7401 Baltimore Ave., opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, punctuated by the sound of confetti poppers.
“It’s really a … wonderful addition and a really unique place,” College Park City Councilmember Maria Mackie (District 4) said of owner and chef Hua Wang’s latest venture. “I’m excited.”
Wang opened another restaurant, Northwest Chinese Food, at 7313 Baltimore Ave., in 2015. The restaurant consistently makes the “best places to eat” lists published by Washingtonian Magazine and The Washington Post.
That location, part of a strip of restaurants and stores, is slated to close to make room for a new student apartment building. The demolition date has not been announced.
Mackie said she decided to attend the Li Chun opening because of how proud she is of the café. Mackie was part of the committee that voted for Northwest Chinese Food to be the 2024 College Park Business of the Year.
As streams of confetti fluttered down onto City Hall Plaza, lion dancers from UMD dance group Terp Lions performed a special ceremony to bless the restaurant, and then entered the café.
Attendees then crowded into the café and enjoyed free samples of some of Li Chun’s dishes, such as Yanji-style dried beancurd strips and tea-smoked chicken.
Xue Ling, Li Chun’s brand manager and the owner’s daughter, said Wang opened the café in part to bring back the Chinese wraps that one of her previous restaurants, CB Chinese Grill—once located at 4370 Knox Road—featured on its menu.
After the grill closed, Wang was still passionate about the wrap dish, and customers frequently asked her if she was going to bring it back, according to Ling.
“She really wants to pick a food item from her hometown to … bring its delicious flavors to College Park,” Ling said of Wang, who is from Shenyang in northeastern China.
These chun bing wraps are among the most popular items on the menu at the café, which soft-opened on Feb. 25, Ling said. The four variations include ingredients such as bean sprouts, cucumbers, eggplant or beancurd, depending on the option. Customers are also able to select their protein of choice.
The menu, which features meals from northeastern China, also includes dishes such as fried rice, salad and the option to create a bento box with a choice of protein, hot side and salad.
Li Chun also features a plethora of drinks, from matcha to coffee and more, as well as sweet treats like Basque burnt cheesecake.
Ling said the café has been popular with customers already.
“They like the vibes, and they like being here to enjoy healthy food and teas in between work and studies,” Ling said.
Natalie Horton, a UMD student who works at Northwest Chinese Food, said she likes the café’s cucumber salad and other dishes, including the matcha red bean mochi brownie.
Horton also said she likes the atmosphere of the eatery.
“It’s very welcoming. They play upbeat music, and the owner and the manager are super nice people,” Horton said. “They always go out of their way to make sure everything is good.”
Andy Guo, another UMD student, said he likes the restaurant’s interior design and the excitement of the staff.
Although Guo has only tried a couple of menu items, he said he enjoys the teas.
“I’m really optimistic. Hopefully, I can come here more,” Guo said.
