March 29, 2024
Business

Noodles 'Pho' U in Lombard celebrates grand reopening of expanded space

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LOMBARD – Trung Truong loves to share his Vietnamese culture and food with Lombard residents at his restaurant, Noodles "Pho" U. And after a major renovation, Truong can't wait to show off his expanded dining room to his customers.

“There are not a lot of Vietnamese places in the area and Americans’ taste buds are becoming more diversified, so they’re open to trying new food,” said Truong, the owner of Noodles “Pho” U. “When I first opened six years ago, we were a lot smaller. But our customer base continues to grow, so it was a great opportunity to expand and serve more people.”

The restaurant, 1239 S. Main St., had a grand-reopening celebration Aug. 4, complete with free food, free drinks and $50 restaurant gift certificate giveaways every hour.

Truong, 50, said he redecorated and tripled the space of his restaurant, which also offers carryout and delivery service.

He said the Aug. 4 event was a way to show his appreciation to Lombard residents.

“Customers are appreciative of my food,” he said. “When I was young, there was only one Mexican restaurant in the area. People didn’t know what sushi was, and now there’s a Chinese restaurant on almost every corner. So this is a good opportunity for us to show off our food and culture.”

Truong said he was very pleased with the Aug. 4 turnout.

“We had village trustees and members from the Chamber of Commerce here, so we did a ribbon cutting,” he said. “The restaurant was packed. Some people came for the free food and some ordered food. We had some new customers, as well as a lot of regular customers.”

Amanda Cecil, restaurant manager, said they put a smoothie bar in the dining room, which she thinks will be a big hit with the customers.

“The new smoothie bar is now right there,” she said. “We only use freshly cut fruit, so they’re really popular.”

Donna Eisner, Lombard Chamber of Commerce membership coordinator, said she’s “thrilled” that Noodles “Pho” U is growing and becoming a strong presence on Main Street.

“It’s important to have a variety of dining options in Lombard, and not many places have Vietnamese restaurants,” she said. “Their new signage looks great, and we’re hoping even more people in the area will come to experience the food.”

Cecil said while the restaurant serves primarily Vietnamese food, there are other cuisines on the menu.

“We have a special niche in the type of food we offer because we also have some Chinese and Pan Asian food that not a lot of other restaurants have,” she said. “It’s a chance for people to try something different. Truong has an interesting history, and he tries to bring his experiences into the restaurant.”

Truong said Vietnamese cuisine tastes a little different than other Asian cuisines. He said it’s based on “pho,” which means “noodles” in Vietnamese. He said his restaurant only cooks with fresh vegetables and doesn’t use MSG. There are plenty of beef, chicken, pork and vegetarian dishes on the menu.

“We don’t precook our food and just reheat it,” he said. “We cook it the way the customer wants it. It comes out fresh, hot, and the flavor is more bountiful. We take a lot of pride in that.”

Truong, who is married with two sons, came to the U.S. more than 30 years ago at age 14. He said his family was living in a refugee camp in South Vietnam when the Archdiocese of Rockford sponsored them to come to the U.S. Truong began working in the food service industry shortly after arriving here when his family began an Asian food importing and distributing business.

“I didn’t know what freedom was like before, so this was paradise to us,” he said. “I am so grateful to be here. This is a great country and it’s been great to me and my family. I want to be a contributor to this society and be a part of the community because America has done so much for me.”