Pho 68 Honors Family and Tradition

For several years, Tom Nguyen has longed to find the traditional dishes he grew up with in Vietnam, and while some have come close, he always felt they didn’t quite live up to his expectations. Nguyen comes from a restaurant family, so it’s not surprising that his expectations are high.

When his parents decided to relocate from Vietnam to join him in Wilmington last year, Nguyen, who was studying business at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and working as a nail technician, decided to put his studies on hold and open a family restaurant.

At just 22 years old, with the help of his parents and a friend in real estate, Nguyen secured the lease of 7134 Market St., a space located in front of Publix in Ogden.

“I looked at a few places, but this is a very busy area right here, and this location was already set up as a restaurant,” Nguyen said.

Although the space was previously occupied by a restaurant (Point Break, which closed last July), the Nguyens had to fully outfit the kitchen with new equipment and redesign the dining area. The dining room features two large murals – one depicting Nguyen’s mother wearing Ao dai, the traditional Vietnamese dress, and another of the Truong Tien Bridge in Hue, where the family is from.

“I think my first restaurant should respect the history and culture of my family,” Nguyen said.

The menu also pays homage to some of Vietnam’s most popular dishes. In addition to several varieties of Pho, guests will find crab and asparagus soup, skillets of sizzling steak and eggs, steamed egg cakes, fried rice, stir-fried egg noodles and Banh Mi sandwiches on homemade French bread.

Nguyen said the only way to get the baguettes right was to make them in-house along with all of the condiments, sauces and marinades used in Pho 68’s dishes. These recipes have been passed down through the generations and the Nguyens source many of the ingredients, as well as the coffee they serve, directly from Vietnam.

Nguyen said some of the dishes, such as steak and eggs, are traditionally eaten for breakfast or brunch, which is why the restaurant opens before lunchtime. He points out, however, that these are comfort foods that can be enjoyed at any time of day.

Tom’s father, Six, is working closely with kitchen manager Toan Do to impart his knowledge of traditional Vietnamese cooking while Do keeps the kitchen running smoothly.

“My parents are chefs in Vietnam, but the way kitchens operate there is completely different from here,” Nguyen explained. “Our first day was rough, but luckily, a close friend (Do) who has been a high-level manager at a franchise restaurant for years flew in from California to help us manage the kitchen while I took care of the paperwork and front-of-house operations.”

Nguyen said he’s proud to invite the community to the restaurant and to share his family’s recipes, not only for the savory dishes, but for the coffees and teas as well, which are a large part of Vietnamese culture. Pho 86 serves Vietnamese iced coffees along with peach, kiwi and Thai tea and several types of boba.

“My mother is a barista and Vietnam’s coffee is undoubtably some of the best in the world,” Nguyen said. “I’m not trying to brag, but you can’t find coffee like this anywhere else.”

The name Pho 68 comes from Vietnamese words for wealth and success that rhyme with the numbers six and eight, as well as the fact that Nguyen’s father is named Six.

The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The early Sunday opening is a deliberate choice made with the local Vietnamese community in mind.

“As a former nail technician, I remember how hard it was to find a good meal early in the morning before work,” Nguyen said. “Since most nail salons open later on Sundays, we decided to open at 9 a.m. to give our community a place to enjoy a nice meal at least once a week before starting their day.”