Last summer we let you know that the folks who brought you Kenaki Sushi to the Kentlands neighborhood of Gaithersburg and Aki to The Roost food hall at Capitol Hill would be bringing Kema by Kenaki to Cabin Village in Potomac. Initially the hope was for a late winter/early spring 2022 opening, but we spoke with sibling founders Ken and Aki Ballogdajan, who told us that some additional work was needed on the space and that it won’t be delivered until later this spring. The hope is now for the restaurant to open in October or November of this year.

The almost 2,000 square foot restaurant will be very similar to what Kenaki in Kentlands offers, but will be more “fast paced,” in what will be a hybrid between Kenaki and Aki. Kenaki is a full-service restaurant while Aki is a sushi counter at a food hall. Kema will offer signature rolls from Kenaki/Aki such as the Black Magic roll- made with “forbidden rice”, spicy tuna, pickled jalapenos, and truffle oil, the Donkey Kong roll- made with eel, fried plantain, cream cheese, cucumber, tempura flakes, togarashi spice mayo, and sweet shoyu, among others.