Authentic Vietnamese restaurant soon to celebrate 10 years open and exciting plans are in the works
An authentic Vietnamese restaurant is soon to celebrate 10 years open in Northampton, and there are exciting plans in the works as the owners look to the future of the business.
Oren Pho not only has a restaurant space, but a function room that caters to parties, weddings and occasions of all kinds – and the business will reach its decade milestone in May.
The restaurant, located in Gas Street, is run by husband and wife duo Minh To and Tran Ta, and it was Tran’s father who first discovered the location and encouraged them to go for it.
The pair had recently moved from London to Brackley and were looking to open a baguette shop in Northampton, but they decided they had nothing to lose in opening a restaurant.
Tran shared that they began by offering burgers and evolved to authentic Vietnamese food. The team now specialises in broths and soups, and are pleased that bone broths have been particularly popular in recent years.
“It’s crazy,” said Tran, talking about the 10-year milestone. “We wanted to make it to six months when we first opened and now it’s been 10 years. There’s been ups and downs but we’re still here.”
Tran believes their customers like the fact they offer simple and authentic Vietnamese food which is not made to fit a Western palette.
There were three other Vietnamese restaurants in the town when they first opened and Oren Pho is the only one remaining. Tran puts their success down to the authenticity of their menu and their popular bone broths.
Among their proudest achievements is surviving the pandemic, as well as winning at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2021/22 and the Muddy Stilettos Awards 2022.
The venue was named World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year and Best Restaurant in Northamptonshire at the two ceremonies.
Looking to the future of Oren Pho, the team wants to utilise and open the upstairs of their building. They hope to split it between a Korean and Vietnamese grill and a dessert house, and the team is currently looking into the equipment they need to make this a reality.