The Surge
A teacher plans a mahjong room above a sushi bar in Vienna
A new American mah jongg social club, The Bamboo Room, is set to open this summer in Vienna, Virginia, built around teaching and company at the table.
A new American mah jongg social club called The Bamboo Room is set to open in Vienna, Virginia in August 2026, according to the local news site FFXnow. The club will sit above the Sushi Yoshi restaurant on Church Street NW.
Founder Jennifer Groves teaches the American version of the game and plans sessions for both beginners and more experienced players, FFXnow reported. The club has its own landing page at bambooroomvienna.com.
Groves described the space around connection rather than competition. "I love watching the connections at the table," she told FFXnow, calling it a place "for people that are feeling lonely, or left out" and adding that "it's kind of like a book club."
Prim's view: a year ago the surge was a magazine headline. Now it is a lease and a sign over a door, opened by someone willing to teach. OOTT is not affiliated with The Bamboo Room, does not sell mah jongg sets, and does not run venues. We just like seeing new tables open.