Syracuse, N.Y. — Armory Square’s newest dining option is a mom-and-pop restaurant, Vietnamese-style.
Mr. Pho Vietnamese Noodle House opened on New Year’s Day at 216 Walton St. As the name implies, husband-and-wife owners Danny Huang and Ada Lin serve several variations of pho, the traditional Vietnamese soup of noodles and meat in an aromatic herb-accented broth.
But there’s much more, including several rice and noodle dishes, Vietnamese curries, vegetarian specials, egg rolls, spring rolls and other appetizers and entrees like Lemongrass Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, and Seafood Stir Fry. Drinks include both Thai and Vietnamese teas, and Vietnamese coffee, plus bubble tea, coconut water and more.
They also serve versions of the sandwich called banh mi, which the menu describes as “Vietnamese hoagie topped with jalapeños, cilantro and pickled veggies,” with various meat, seafood or tofu combinations,
That description makes sense because Huang and Lin have been living and working for several years at restaurants in the Philadelphia area, where hoagie is the preferred term for a sandwich on a long bun or roll.
Huang and Lin chose to open their first restaurant in Syracuse because of the large Southeast Asian population here, which includes some friends who own local restaurants, such as the China Cafe, also in Armory Square.
“It’s been the dream of my parents to have a place of their own,” said their daughter, Joanna Huang, who is helping them get started before returning to Philadelphia to finish college.
Mr. Pho, located in the spot that was most recently Danny’s Steaks, offers dine-in and takeout. It is open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Mr. Pho is offering a grand-opening 15% discount off menu prices through Jan. 15.
“It looks like it’s going to be a great addition to Armory Square,” said Bob Leonard, who was in line for lunch at Mr. Pho on Thursday.
Leonard is a partner in two nearby Armory Square businesses, Nobody’s Wine Bar on Walton Street and the recently-opened Touché, a French bistro on Fayette Street.
“It’s always good to have more variety in the area,” Leonard said.
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.