By Anwar Boutayba
Raised in Vietnam, Andy Hoang, the owner and operator of Franklin Street’s Pho Happiness, immigrated to California in his late teens with his mother.
Growing up, he had always dreamed of owning a restaurant where he could expose people to the wonders of Vietnamese food. When asked to talk about what makes Vietnamese food special, Hoang said: “Vietnamese food is really fresh and has a lot of vegetables. You don’t feel bad eating it and it always felt like home to me.”
Hoang turned this dream into a reality when he opened his first restaurant – Tamarind Bay – in California. But after a year, Hoang declared bankruptcy and decided to join the military. After his initial military training in Fort Bragg, Hoang traveled the world training other soldiers for eight years. Despite being an instrumental part of Hoang’s life, one thing was missing: Vietnamese food.
“When I was stationed in Germany, I could not find Vietnamese food so I had to cook it myself,” Hoang said.
Other than self-enhancing his Vietnamese cooking repertoire, Hoang trained under a slew of chefs during his military tenure. When asked to describe his most memorable shadowing experience, Hoang said: “When I was in Germany, I shadowed a French chef which was really important to me because Vietnamese cooking employs a lot of French techniques.”
After the military, Hoang transitioned to a string of corporate jobs but, after a while, he decided to reignite his dream of becoming a restaurateur. With a strong circle of friends in the Triangle Area, Hoang wanted North Carolina to be the home of his new restaurant: Pho Happiness.
“It took a long time for me to get the space but I did the whole nine yards because I knew it would be worth it.” Hoang said when asked about Pho Happiness’ initial arrival to Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street.
The menu features Vietnamese classics like pho (where broth is simmered for an incredible 24 to36 hours) and banh mi – a Vietnamese take on a French classic: the baguette. However, after a couple of glances at their menu, Pho Happiness becomes a marriage between Vietnamese classics and Japanese street-food staples like Tonkotsu Ramen and the Katsu burger – a Japanese take on an American dish.
When asked about his diverse menu, Hoang credited Yuki Hirose, his wife and business partner:
“My wife is 100 percent Japanese and her culture inspires me a lot, especially since we visit quite often,” he said. “In fact, the Tonkotsu Ramen would not be on our menu if it wasn’t for her.”
Although his menu is full of delicious options, Hoang is looking to scale down his menu in response to COVID-19.
“I want to focus on what Chapel Hill likes,” he said. “Also, I want to start experimenting with injecting Southern influences into some of the Vietnamese classics that we offer.”
Outside of reworking his menu, Hoang is looking to relocate to a smaller space around the corner of his current 508 W. Franklin St. location. The reason behind his relocation is the Chapel Hill community.
“Chapel Hill knows their food and I’m really happy that I am contributing to bringing more diversity to Franklin street.”
Serving carefully-crafted Vietnamese and Japanese classics, Pho Happiness offers an affordable escape from the mundane – making it a rapidly approaching Franklin Street staple. Currently, they are open and willing to accept take-out orders in person (508 W. Franklin St.), through the GrubHub app or on their website: PhoHappiness.com.
I LOVE Pho Happiness and at one point in the summer, I ate a banh mi from there at least once a week. Keep up the wonderful work, and I hope to see you in “the yellow house” soon!