When Quang, the acclaimed pho-and-more restaurant, opened with just four tables on Minneapolis's Nicollet Av. 30 years ago, there wasn't such a thing as "Eat Street." Ten years in, Quang moved to a larger space across the street and didn't change much.
The neighborhood evolved a lot since then, and now it's the restaurant's turn.
Quang (2719 Nicollet Av., Mpls., 612-870-4739, quang-restaurant.com) closed last weekend to kick-off a week-long intensive renovation that happened to coincide with the Lunar New Year. The Vietnamese restaurant will reopen Sunday, while work continues till early summer.
"We're conducting a pretty major overhaul," said Quang's social media manager Jarrett Reed, husband of co-owner Sen Reed. "We wanted to make sure we're here for another 30 years."
Quang is working with Christian Dean Architecture on the design.
The big changes will be in the front of the house, which gets congested with customers waiting for tables and delivery service workers waiting for order pickups. The aesthetic will also get a refresh, harking back to the building's midcentury modern roots. "We're going to acknowledge that in this remodel: natural stone, exposed ceiling, stripping it down to its original essence," Reed said.
Don't worry, pho fans. Founder Lung Tran's classic menu isn't budging. If anything, Reed said, look for more bubble tea and desserts.
This is the first time the family business is closing to make significant renovations, Reed said. They had considered opening a second location, and instead decided to invest into the one they already had.
"We're excited to be in the Whittier neighborhood and be a part of the legacy of Eat Street," Reed said.
