A small yellow sign squeezed between a laundromat and a pub signals you’re in the right place.
At lunchtime, it’s not uncommon to find tables are packed with chatty guests with staff scurrying between them. The walls are plastered with newspaper clippings detailing the restaurant’s major milestones as well as photos and messages from guests.
Cortni Alvis started coming to Vietnam Kitchen 12 years ago. She’s since moved to Indiana, but said she comes for lunch whenever she can.
“I get the same thing every time,” Alvis said. “I get the chicken pho and the spring rolls.”
While a bit out of the way, Alvis doesn't mind the 20-minute excursion.
“I've tried other Vietnamese restaurants around the city, and I always come back,” she said. “Nothing tops it.”
Another patron, Kipp Lau of Louisville, has Alvis beat by a few years.
“I think probably 15 years,” Lau said. “Food’s fantastic, and it's a great place to come.”
The restaurant’s lasting success can be attributed to two factors.
The first: Authentic Vietnamese dishes like fermented fish, Vermicelli noodles and egg noodle soup.
A close second: The hospitality embodied in the restaurant’s owner, Kimberly and Quang “Alex” Lam.
When not behind the register, Alex can usually be found gliding table to table, shooting the breeze with customers.
“I love to associate with the customer. I love it. I love the people,” Lam said. “That’s why I wanted to stay in Louisville. I’m not going anywhere.”
The Lams immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in 1979. It had been four years since the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces, and at 29, Lam wanted a better opportunity for himself and his future family. It didn’t come easy.
“After I came over here, I did not have any money at all. Zero dollars,” Alex said.
Between working at a packaging factory, learning English and starting a family, the Lam’s had their hands full. Eventually they saved enough to start a business. Kimberly urged for a restaurant. She worked alongside her grandmother at a restaurant in Vietnam, and it stoked her love of cooking.
“We had different kinds of soups, you know, vegetable soup - assorted fish, simmered fish, egg and pork,” Kimberly said.
Vietnam Kitchen opened its doors at 5339 Mitscher Ave in 1993. It was a thrill, but their family finances were back to square one.
“So we had to try to work a lot, for seven days a week for one year. I think I had the two kids at home too. So I thought, ‘No, we cannot do that.’”
By that point, Lam was able to sponsor his parents to come to the United States. They watched the kids while the Lams kept working.
Now, after more than 30 years, the Lams say they’re ready to step away.
They’re both in their 70s, and planned to hand the restaurant over to their youngest son, Phillip. He did take it over, but only temporarily.
“I have my cousin, but I don't know if he can handle it,” Kimberly said. “He does not speak English, you know, he just knows how to cook.”
They’re not sure who will take over. They say they have a year, maybe two left in them to keep running the restaurant.
“When I’m cooking, it’s nothing. But when finished with the customers and everything, I feel so tired,” Kimberly said.
The Lams love what they’ve created in Louisville, but they’ve been doing this for 31 years and are looking forward to some rest and relaxation.
Alex wants to go on a road trip. Kimberly isn’t so sure. Her ideal retirement would just be spending time with their grandkids.
Without a restaurant to run, though beloved, their horizons are vast.
Correction: This story has been updated to correctly quote Kimberly Lam in one instance.
