It’s a new era for a former barbecue space in Overland Park.
Following Smoke Town BBQ’s closure earlier this year, something new will soon be simmering in the kitchen. But it won’t be barbecue this time.
If all goes according to plan, customers will be enjoying bowls of Vietnamese pho and cracking open seafood boils (yes, both cuisines under the same roof) in the coming weeks.
The new restaurant, Pho & Boil, plans to open its doors in September in the former Smoke Town space on Shawnee Mission Parkway.
Pho & Boil is coming to 7702 Shawnee Mission Parkway
The restaurant will take over a space just off Shawnee Mission Parkway and Robinson Street in northern Overland Park.
There, it will operate near Abelardo’s Mexican Fresh.
Once it opens, Pho & Boil’s regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Monday.
Half Vietnamese dishes, half Cajun seafood
In its earliest opening phase, Pho & Boil will focus on the staples, one of which is pho, a hearty Vietnamese noodle soup served with beef and noodles.
“We slow cook the pho for maybe eight to 10 hours,” owner Ken Pham said. “It’s very traditional Vietnamese. People will see the difference between the other (Vietnamese) places compared to us.”
The restaurant will also serve other Vietnamese dishes, like “shaking” beef, papaya salad, appetizers like spring rolls and egg rolls, and a variety of boba teas.
On the Cajun side, Pho & Boil will serve what the restaurant’s name promises: seafood such as boiled shrimp and crab, boiled crawfish when it’s in season, or fried shrimp.
Once the restaurant gets its footing, Pham plans to add other items like gumbo and jambalaya. On the Vietnamese side, the menu could also expand with more dishes like grilled pork over rice.
The menu pulls from the Pham family’s experience
The two types of cuisine draw from Pham’s own family history. The Pham family previously ran a Vietnamese restaurant in Texas, going back two generations.
Pham’s own culinary journey began with chili contests (a staple back in Texas). Over time, after winning one contest after another, he realized there was a future there.
“My whole life I’ve been cooking,” he said. “I even quit my job as an RD technician lab manager to [open] the first restaurant. I just loved cooking all my life.”
Pham also has family in New Orleans, where they have fostered an appreciation for the spices and seafood that make up classic Cajun cuisine.
So, he thought, why not combine them both and bring something entirely new to Johnson County?
“This is right in the middle of everywhere,” Pham said, referring to the centrality of the Overland Park space itself. “I can’t wait to see the people come here.”
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