Madame Pho: Vietnamese chain shutting up shop at NI site
Revealing the news on their social media channels yesterday, the owners stated: 'It's with a heavy heart that we have to announce the closure of our store here in Dundonald.
'Thank you for the memories but don't fret because we are not fully going away! Our staff will be staying on with the new owners Waka Asian Fusion!
'Our last day operating as Madame Pho will be Saturday 10 May (closing at 9pm) - come down and get your pho fix before then!'
Madame Pho, which was established in 2020, officially opened its eatery in Dundonald just last August.
The unit at Eastpoint Entertainment Village in the Co Down town was the company's fourth opening in around six weeks at the time.
The chain started out with a branch on Belfast's Botanic Avenue.
There are multiple Madame Pho locations in Northern Ireland now, all in or near Belfast. They operate at St Anne's Square, Botanic Avenue, Lisburn Road, the Ormeau Road, Longstone Street in Lisburn and the Antrim Road in Glengormley.
They also opened a location in Dublin in October 2024.
Madame Pho serve a wide variety of Vietnamese food, including the famous noodle soup dish it is named for. Guests can also try Banh Mi baguettes and Ca Ri curry.
In 2020, the Belfast Telegraph's Joris Minne described their Pho as 'wholesome… you can feel the health benefits as it flows down your throat, and the additional lime, chopped chillies and coriander on the side allows you to spice it up, and it does need a bit of a gee-up'.
Madame Pho founder William Chan sold the business to new owners in 2023.
He opened specialist Vietnamese coffee shop Phin on the Ormeau Road in April of last year.
He told the Belfast Telegraph he had a 'passion' for hospitality after growing up in the trade, with his family owning Furama, a Chinese restaurant in Antrim for over 30 years.
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