1-2-3 Pho Expands to Westchester and Torrance

The new outposts will bring hot bowls of pho to chilly beach nights.
123 Pho Expands to Westchester and Torrance
Photo: Official

Thanh Ninh has always had a passion for sharing his love of Vietnamese cuisine. Even when the founder of 1-2-3 Pho was still an HR executive for restaurant chains like Yard House, Real Mex Restaurants and Burger Lounge, he enjoyed taking his colleagues out to Vietnamese restaurants to introduce them to his favorite dishes. But despite rave reviews, he noticed a problem.

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“They loved the food, but they wouldn’t go back because the menu itself was intimidating,” Ninh recalled. “It was often half Vietnamese, half English. Sometimes the translation doesn’t come out very well, so they didn’t know what to order.”

With that in mind, Ninh left his 9-to-5 behind to launch 1-2-3 Pho, which opened its flagship location in 2017 in Long Beach. He envisioned a pho-focused eatery centered on a three-step process: 1) Pick your noodles, wide or thin; 2) choose a protein, like brisket, meatballs or tofu and vegetables; and 3) pick a broth, either vegetarian or beef and chicken.

“And then, of course, you get pho,” Ninh said. “We’re trying to keep it simple.”

That strategy seems to be working. After a successful start in Long Beach, 1-2-3 Pho is poised to open two more restaurants by the end of 2021. The second outpost will open in September at 8601 Lincoln Boulevard, while the third will launch later this year at The Enclave in Torrance.

For his new locations, Ninh has no plans to mess with success. The menu will remain the same: Appetizers like summer rolls and bao buns, grilled meats and stir fries, bahn mi and, obviously, pho.

“The brand itself has been pretty well-received, so we’re going to try to replicate that and see how it goes,” he said.

While the concept is rooted in simplicity, 1-2-3 Pho cuts no corners when it comes to authentic cuisine. All of the menu items are cooked from family recipes, whether they’re from Ninh’s mother, aunt or Ninh himself. Bones seep in broths overnight for 18 hours, for instance, and the fish sauce-free vegetarian broth is what Ninh’s mother, who has been vegetarian for 30 years, would cook for herself. The only Westernized aspect is a lighter-than-usual touch of fish sauce.

“We don’t use as much fish sauce, just for the American palette,” Ninh said. “But to me it’s authentic, because all the ingredients are there.”

An authentically comforting experience is also important to Ninh, which is why compatibility between cuisine and climate is factored into the restaurant’s growth strategy. Cold nights on the beach go hand in hand with a hot bowl of pho, so he has opened in ocean-adjacent cities first rather than further inland.

“It’s hard to imagine having pho when it’s 102 degrees outside,” Ninh said with a laugh. “We’ll start with the coast and see where it goes from there.”

For Ninh, the most exciting aspect of opening new locations of 1-2-3 Pho goes back to his core passion: making Vietnamese cuisine more accessible to everyone.

“For me, it’s really about introducing Vietnamese cuisine to the general American public in a fast-casual, simple way,” he said. “With us, it’s never intimidating to come in and order.”

Helen Floersh

Helen Floersh

Helen Floersh is a writer based in Los Angeles. She previously was a staff reporter at the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, where she covered retail, hospitality, health care and biotechnology.
Helen Floersh

Helen Floersh

Helen Floersh is a writer based in Los Angeles. She previously was a staff reporter at the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, where she covered retail, hospitality, health care and biotechnology.

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