If you've driven down South Drake Road recently and noticed something new next to Nonla Burger, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you.

There's a new restaurant in town.

And the people behind it probably aren't new to you.

Johnny and Kelly Nguyen, the founders behind Nonla Burger, have opened Hotbox, a new Asian-inspired build-your-own bowl restaurant at 1700 S. Drake Road.

And when we say it's next to Nonla Burger, we mean NEXT to it.

Nonla occupies Suite A.

Hotbox is Suite B.

Apparently the commute between restaurants is going to be pretty manageable. 😂

An Idea That Had Been Simmering

Here's the part that makes the story more interesting than simply another restaurant opening.

The space that became Hotbox was originally intended to be an expansion of Nonla Burger. Instead, the Nguyens decided to turn it into an entirely different concept.

Hotbox officially opened September 11, giving them a chance to move from the burgers and chicken sandwiches Nonla fans already know into something lighter and much more customizable.

The basic idea is simple.

Build a bowl.

Choose your base, add a protein, pick a sauce and make it your own.

Protein choices include grilled chicken, sirloin steak, tempura chicken, tempura shrimp, glazed pork belly and organic tofu.

Sauces range from a sweet soy glaze to Vietnamese peanut sauce, sweet chili citrus and a few combinations we're going to have to taste before attempting to adequately describe them.

But Then We Found the Side Menu...

This is where our healthy bowl story took an unexpected turn.

Giant crab rangoon.

Truffle furikake fries.

Pork and vegetable egg rolls.

Mango sticky rice wontons.

Cream puffs.

And...

Apple pie egg rolls.

Okay. You have our attention.

Hotbox is open seven days a week from 10:30 AM–9 PM, so it's positioned as an easy lunch, dinner or takeout option rather than a special-occasion restaurant.

Another Chapter for a Local Restaurant Family.

What we like most about this one is the local connection.

Rather than a national chain dropping another location into Kalamazoo, this is a new idea from a family that has already built a recognizable restaurant brand here.

The Nguyens' restaurant story actually predates Nonla Burger. They opened Nonla Vietnamese Street Food in 2015 before launching the burger concept in 2017. Now they're experimenting again—this time with bowls.

Will Hotbox develop the kind of following Nonla Burger has?

We'll let Kalamazoo decide that.

But if you drive past 1700 S. Drake and notice two restaurants sitting side by side, now you know the story.

Burgers in Suite A. Bowls in Suite B.

And apparently apple pie egg rolls waiting inside.

That seems worth investigating.

Official menu: Hotbox