The Rice Shop Debuts In A Brand New Space

Anthony Zappola does an awful lot with just a little. That’s the idea behind the Rice Shop, Zappola’s latest restaurant to open in his former Lox, Stock and Brisket space in University Heights in June. The new spot delivers on an old idea — Southern cooking with an Asian twist — carried over from Zappola’s first restaurant he opened in Las Vegas in 2015 and then brought to Ohio City Galley in 2018.

“The original restaurant in Vegas had eight seats, one little wok and a fryer,” says Zappola. “That was it.” And you don’t need much more when cooking up just six different rice bowls jampacked with flavor such as the BBQ Pork Belly ($11). Brined for two days in salt, water and vinegar, then braised for two hours and fried to order, the pork belly is so crisp and tender that you only need just a little of the Indonesian sambal and sour cream sauce drizzled on top to finish it. “We’re doing a lot of different techniques you don’t see in typical takeout food,” says Zappola. 13892 Cedar Road, University Heights, 216-785-9490, riceshopcleveland.com