At Vietnam Cafe, it’s not uncommon to see the same familiar faces enjoying bowls of pho regularly.
That’s been true for a long time at the restaurant’s flagship location in Kansas City, Missouri’s Columbus Park neighborhood. And in just its first couple of weeks, it’s already true on the other side of the state line too.
During a recent afternoon lunch rush at Vietnam Cafe’s new Overland Park location, manager Micky Chun gestured to a nearby table, already knowing the customers seated there by name.
“This is the fourth day we’re open, and I saw them today for the fourth day again,” she said. “We’ve had customers since we opened on June 13 that have already been here every single day.”
Customers both familiar and new have made for a busy opening at Vietnam Cafe’s new Overland Park location, which marks the restaurant’s Johnson County debut.
Vietnam Cafe opened at 9500 W. 135th St.
- The restaurant took over a space just off 135th Street and Switzer Road in Overland Park.
- Fast-casual chain Beef-a-Roo previously occupied that space for roughly two years, before closing in early 2025.
- Vietnam Cafe is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
The restaurant serves up a taste of Vietnam
The restaurant is largely known for its bowls of pho, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup served with slow-simmered broth, rice noodles and various meats.
In addition to pho, the restaurant also serves a variety of other Vietnamese dishes like vermicelli noodle bowls, stir-fried noodle dishes, curries and banh mi sandwiches.
The restaurant also offers appetizers like sweet potato fries and banh xeo (Vietnamese pancakes), both of which Chun said have been popular items in Overland Park so far.
“Food is our love language,” Chun said. “With our banh mi, the machine, the flour, the yeast, the bakery, everything is from Vietnam. It’s really homemade from our homeland, from the ingredients to the machines.”
This marks the first Vietnam Cafe in Johnson County
Vietnam Cafe’s Columbus Park location has been open for more than three decades. Chun’s family became a part of that legacy when her aunt and uncle, Ngoc Le and Minh Hoang, acquired the restaurant roughly 12 years ago.
It’s very much a family operation. Chun’s mother, Truc Le, now manages the Columbus Park location while Chun manages the Overland Park location. Chun’s cousins, Emily and Aiden Hoang, keep themselves busy helping at the restaurants during school breaks.
“Our employees are really our foundation as well,” Chun said. “It wouldn’t be here without our employees and our loyal customers and our hardworking chefs.”
Many of Vietnam Cafe’s longtime customers have come to Columbus Park from as far as Overland Park and Lenexa, Chun said. Now that those customers can spend their lunch breaks a little closer to home, Chun said, their excitement has made her family’s hard work getting the new location open pay off.
“It was a process, but we were very happy to open the space,” she said. “We just really want our customers to know that we’re very thankful for their continued love and support. We wouldn’t be here without them.”
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