Beloved Vietnamese restaurant opens second location in Johnson County
A beloved Vietnamese eatery in Columbus Park opened its second location over the weekend in Johnson County and features a new menu item.
Vietnam Cafe opened Saturday at 9500 W. 135th St. in Overland Park. The weekend was packed, according to manager Micky Chun, who said there was consistently a line of people out the door.
“We knew that it was going to be busy because we have so many customers from Olathe, Overland Park, Lenexa, but we didn’t know that it was going to be that crazy,“ she said. “We were so blessed for that; we’re so thankful for the loyal customers that keep coming back.”
A big reason for the move, according to Chun, was the number of frequent customers would drive 35 to 45 minutes several times a week to the original location at 522 Campbell St., in Columbus Park. The location was recently awarded best pho by Kansas City Magazine.
Several of the customers inside Vietnam Cafe’s new location Monday afternoon were already return customers.
“We have that table over there,” Chun said, pointing to a table of two people. “We just opened Saturday, but this is their third time here, and this is our third day open. And then that table over there is also their second time already as well. So a lot of people just live down the street on here, and they just really love our food here, and it feels like home to them.”
Vietnam Cafe to offer new sandwich item
Chun’s aunt and uncle, Ngoc Le and Minh Hoang spearheaded the efforts to make banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich. Because they couldn’t find a bakery that could make the bread consistently, the two flew to Vietnam to learn for themselves.
“It’s literally straight from Vietnam,” she said. “Literally, they flew Vietnam to get the equipment. The flour and the yeast, everything is from Vietnam, too.”
Vietnam Cafe has several banh mi options including: deli meats, crispy pork belly, tofu and grilled pork. One sandwich is $7, which Chun said is enough for one. It can be good at any time of the day when customers need a pick-me-up.
“I think banh mi is more like you can get it as like an appetizer, too. A lot of people like to get coffee, Café Sữa Đá, the dripping French press coffee, and the banh mi to go in the morning,” she said.
Vietnam Cafe will try out the new banh mi recipes in Overland Park before moving them over to the Columbus Park location.
Chun said her family is very proud of the food they make and consider it their love language. The key to the heart, according to them, is home-cooked food.
“We really like to see our people happy. That’s just our love language, just making sure you guys are happy with your food, and you’re full, and then you go on about your day,” she said.
Chun’s family purchased Vietnam Cafe in 2015 from another Vietnamese family. They are the third family to own the over 30-year-old establishment.
“W’re very well-known for our big portions, good quality, and the pricing,” Chun said. “As the inflation goes up, we still want to make sure it’s still affordable compared to other people.”
Both Vietnam Cafe locations are open Monday, plus Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
