From Pop-up to Restaurant!
After 6 years as a pop-up we have finally found a place to call home!
We’re excited to say that we have signed a place in the Mission, which is where we got our start many moons ago. The space is big and beautifully lit, and will be a place where you can have pho on the coldest nights and brunch under the hot Mission sun.
The only catch is… it’s not a restaurant yet! It’s a blank slate and we’ll need to do a full restaurant build out. Although it’s daunting, we are thrilled to be building the restaurant we have dreamed of: a slice of Saigon, here is San Francisco. To help make it look and feel extra special, we are running a Kickstarter campaign for the month of March to raise $35,000.
People ask us, all the time, how we met, and it may be surprising, but we met when we started Rice Paper Scissors. We were both selling Vietnamese food at the forageSF Underground Market, a place for small businesses to get their start. I was cooking banh mi inspired by my month long trip to Vietnam, and Valerie was cooking as a way to re-discover her culture and hang out with her grandma. Valerie approached me about collaborating on a Lunar New Year pop up and I said yes. We sat together at Mojo Bicycle Cafe, which would later become our Thursday night pop-up, and crafted a plan. I didn’t know then, that we were embarking on something great together, but we were.
Many times over I have learned this - in our adventures through Vietnam, the night markets we organized, the colorful pop-ups we’ve produced, and our catering program that brings pho to the masses. It’s hard to fathom, but we’ve done this all without a permanent place. Popping up has been great, but now we’re looking for a place that can truly reflects who we are.
Our restaurant is going to be a casual neighborhood place, where our customers can come and eat at least once a week. It will have many of the rice plates and noodles soups that we have served at our Mojo pop-up, as well as street food bites and larger format dishes. Vietnamese iced coffee will flow freely, as will beer and wine.
Donate to our Kickstarter and get rewards!
Spread the word on Facebook and Instagram!
Help us if you think you have a relevant trade!
The adventure has only just begun. See you at our restaurant!
Photos: top and bottom - Andria Lo, middle - Kasia Cieplak-Mayr Von Baldegg