Family-owned Vietnamese restaurant Le’s Pho & Sandwiches will permanently close its doors at the end of February.
For those who work downtown, Le’s tiny corner of Court Street is likely a familiar and favorite lunchtime destination. Its unassuming façade and simple décor don’t exactly scream at you from the street, but those who have been there before understand the reason for the steady stream of people through the eatery’s doors. The food — a variety of pho, banh mi, bun and more — made fresh every day by husband and wife Hai and Le Bui and their family, is addicting and so delicious.
The restaurant’s lease is ending in March, and according to Hai and Le’s daughter Huyen Bui-Gauck, closing their doors felt like the right decision for their family for multiple reasons.
“My mom and dad are getting older,” Bui-Gauck says via email, going on to mention the health issues each of her parents are dealing with: her mother has been on dialysis since 2003 and her father suffered a second stroke four months ago.
Bui-Gauck also has a nine-month-old at home and recently went back to school to get her real estate license. After growing up in her parents’ restaurants, returning wasn’t her first choice after graduating college, but she did so to help her parents. Now, she wants to be able to spend more time with her son. “I had a great childhood, don’t get me wrong, I just wished that my parents were around more often so I want to be sure that I am there for my son,” she says.
Closing the shop is bittersweet for Bui-Guack, who has built relationships with her customers over the years. “It is such a hard decision because we have really grown so close to our customers,” she says.
“I know it might sound weird but with most of them they have become much more than just customers. We have seen people through so many stages of their life. Some people I know about their medical conditions and if they need to stay away from certain foods because an ulcer or a new trendy diet they want to try. I have seen people at the beginning of their pregnancies all the way until their children are graduated high school or college. It truly is an end of an era,” she says.
And, as a CityBeat staff favorite lunch spot for many years — from its time in the Main Branch of the public library cafe to its spot on Court Street — Le’s, the family and the pho will truly be missed.
The business’s last day open will be Feb. 29.
Le’s Pho & Sandwiches, 3 E. Court St., Downtown.
This article appears in Feb 5-18, 2020.