Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen is a Michelin-recognized, Dallas-based restaurant preparing to make its East Village debut this spring at 82 2nd Ave. While the restaurant received the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2024 and 2025, for owner Carol Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee, cooking family recipes from her native Hanoi is more important than any accolade.
While the Dallas location was inspired by her mother, the upcoming New York City location is inspired by both the Michelin recognition and Nguyen’s desire to be closer to her daughter, who lives in the city.
“The first Ngon in Dallas, I opened because I missed my mom, who I hadn’t lived with in almost 40 years,” Nguyen told What Now New York. “And the second one in New York, I’m opening because of my daughter. So, anytime people talk about Ngon, it makes me so emotional.”
As in Dallas, the menu at the upcoming restaurant will be a love letter to the increasingly popular street food flavors of Hanoi, which are less sweet and spicy than the Southern Vietnamese flavors that are common across the United States. Highlights of the Dallas menu include dishes like Bún Chả Hà Nội (char-grilled pork with vermicelli) and 24-hour simmered Phở Hà Nội. Nguyen said the New York City menu will include dishes she’s developed along with her daughter. The beverage program is set to include traditional Vietnamese coffee and signature cocktails. Likewise, the New York menu will add some signature Vietnamese coffee drinks.
The restaurant will have a table seating capacity for 85 guests and a small five-seat bar on the first floor. A private event space on the second floor is dedicated to hosting family celebrations and special dinners. The entire restaurant is designed to feel warm and unhurried, so guests can create memories around a table filled with food and drink.
“We try to be welcoming when customers come into our restaurant,” Nguyen said. “We want them to feel like they have come to a family member or friend’s house.”
