Restaurant owner Tsu Nguyen opened the Asian cuisine restaurant, located at 2082 US 183, Ste. 150, Leander, on Dec. 2, 2020. Nguyen brings years of restaurant ownership experience, in addition to many different Southeast Asian cuisines, to the table. Three of the four restaurants she owns in Vietnam are closed due to the pandemic. The remaining restaurant spans 3 acres with capacity to fit 1,000 people and hosts weddings and birthday parties. A portion of the profit she makes from all her restaurants is donated to those experiencing poverty; orphans; the elderly; and Buddhist temples in Asian countries such as Laos, Cambodia and India.
Nguyen worked with her cousin in Vietnam to open the restaurant using their original pho recipe, Nguyen said. She had learned what changes to make to the food in order to please an American customer’s taste buds, she said.
“In Vietnam, it’s 100% Vietnamese [food] and traditional pho,” Nguyen said. “Many people can’t handle the strong and original flavor and smell, so we had to think how to make it [less] strong but [with] good flavor.”
Manager Dao Meren started off as a chef at An Thinh and still oversees making the sushi and other cuisines. Many of the staff at the restaurant are related in different ways, and even the staff who are not are still treated like family, Meren said.
An Thinh opened a karaoke bar next door to the restaurant Nov. 12 that is only available to individuals 21 and older. The bar was designed to help people relax after a long day at work, Meren said. The drinks feature tastes from all over Southeast Asia just as the food does, and American drinks are served as well. The bar also features TVs primarily tuned to sports.
An Thinh Asian Cuisine
2082 N. US 183, Ste. 150, Leander
512-548-6000
www.facebook.com/anthinhcuisine
