Y'all, Memphis has lost a local legend. Pho Binh, a locally famous, family-run Vietnamese place best-known for its "Memphis-style tofu," closed its doors on Christmas Eve.
Pho Binh opened in 2000, just a couple years before I moved to Memphis in 2002. I ate there for the first time in 2004, with my friend Greg. Greg was a brand-new friend then; today, he's one of my best friends of 19 years. Greg and I were headed to see Rent at the Orpheum, and we stopped in for a quick dinner. He told me to get the Green Bean Tofu, his personal fave, so I did. And I kept coming back.
On that first visit, we were there for dinner, but I soon learned that Pho Binh had a $5 lunch buffet with all-you-can-eat tofu! Remember this was 2004, so $5 went further back then. But Pho Binh's lunch buffet soon became a staple for me. I quickly learned that Pho Binh was a meeting place of hipsters and office workers, families and artists, weirdos and normies. Everyone came together for Memphis-style tofu. And though that Green Bean Tofu was good, the Lemongrass Tofu quickly became my favorite. That and the Curry Tofu, the Tofu Pho, and the Mushroom Tofu! (By the way, Pho Binh served meat, too, but they were famous for their tofu.)
During the pandemic, Pho Binh closed the buffet and became a takeout-only spot, and that continued until this past weekend. A few years back, I interviewed Tam Nyugen, one of the sisters who owned the restaurant with their mother and brother, for Edible Memphis magazine. And she told me then that Pho Binh would probably close when their mom was ready to retire. And well, that day has come.
On Dec. 23, Pho Binh posted that they would close on Christmas Eve "when the tofu runs out." I made a quick and desperate order of Lemongrass and Green Bean Tofu — both chosen for old time's sake. And I saved that for my Christmas dinner.
I have enough tofu left in the fridge for one more meal tomorrow, and that's it. Goodbye, dear tofu.
As for what's next, Pho Binh sold their space to another Vietnamese restaurant, and the family shared their recipes with the new owner. So hopefully, they'll keep some of the old faves on the menu! But no matter what, it won't have the same Pho Binh love cooked in.
3 comments:
Oh man I feel for you. I have had a few beloved restaurants close and it’s like losing a friend with all the memories, good times, and good food that is now gone - Sri.
I called up there today to order some lemongrass tofu. I have been looking forward to it all week. I was floored that they were closed. I would give anything for that recipe. They were always so wonderful to me, and I only ever ordered the lemongrass tofu. My heart is broken!
I’m actually sick about this. I lived on their lemongrass tofu in grad school during the early-2000s. It’s the end of an era. -Liz Mayo, Pinson, TN
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