ATLANTA — "‘If you build it, they will come."
This familiar film quote has become something of a mantra to an increasingly larger number of residents, entrepreneurs, artists — and more importantly, restaurants migrating South of I-20.
From the West End to the Tri-Cities, the Southwest quadrant of metro Atlanta continues to blossom as the city’s best-kept secret and keeps on attracting the kaleidoscope of exciting new cultural diversity that’s inexorably bound to exceed the sum of its growing parts in the coming years.
Enter Phở King Express.
Mai Duong, the owner-operator of the popular Vietnamese eatery, well-known for its authentic, affordable, and - most importantly - scrumptious cuisine has had her eyes set on the Southside since last summer.
“The reason why I'm here is that the West End doesn't have any Vietnamese restaurants, and I want to bring the good food to the neighborhood,” Duong told My East Point News emphatically.
She's been testing the uncharted waters of West End, and the Tri-Cities, since last July, with a weekly Wednesday pop-up run out The Window at the MET on Murphy Avenue in West End.
The self-proclaimed "melting pot" mixed-use complex is still relatively new but superbly positioned between, and mere walking distance, to the southwest loop of the recently-completed southwest BeltLine and the West End MARTA station.
Duong was invited by the owners of La Bodega - Market & Pupusería, husband and wife team, Ken and Jeannette Katz. The Katz are also owners of ¡Buenos Dias! Cafe, another beloved staple of the downtown district, particularly the time and budget-pressed students of Georgia State University, and, as fate would have it, neighbors to Duong’s downtown Atlanta location.
"Bodega" references the neighborhood corner stores from Ken’s Big Apple background, while "Pupusería" refers to the thick, corn tortilla cooked with anything from meats, cheeses, refried beans, even pork rinds commonly found in Jeannette’s home country of El Salvador.
La Bodega was designed with a fluid pop-up roster in mind, allowing them, Duong and others to serve breakfast and lunch in one part of town and host pop-ups in West End by night.
“I think we have found that there's a need in the community for basics and fundamentals, so we'll probably really focus more on being the corner store for really accessible food of different types,” Ken Katz added.
Duong wanted to impress upon current customers of Phở King that the menu for Express-West End features a truncated version of their Downtown location - a small selection of pho and banh mi, egg rolls, and rice and noodle dishes. However, they assured customers not to expect any corners cut on the quality that hundreds of them have come to know and love.
Currently, Phở King Express will be open for business in the West End area, Monday - Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. for takeout and delivery via UberEats. Or, you can call direct at 770-371-4612 or order online. For the latest updates on the weekly pop-ups at the Window, follow them on Instagram.
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