South Wichita restaurant closes, but owner says he will reopen it soon in a new spot
Two years ago, a restaurant with a fun-to-say name — Ooo LaLa Stone Pho — opened in a longtime restaurant building at 1415 W. Pawnee.
But now, owner Vu Nguyen says he has to move his restaurant to a new spot. His rent in his current building, a large space that seats 181, is too high, he says, and he can’t survive there. He just closed the restaurant at Pawnee and Seneca and plans to relocate it to a smaller space that’s about to become available — the Mi No Bakery building at 2528 S. Oliver.
Last week, the owners of Mi No shared that they’d be closing by the end of April after four years in business so that they could focus on their young family. Nguyen says he’ll then move his restaurant into their building and hopes to reopen there on May 1.
With more affordable rent, Nguyen said, he’ll be able to make his menu prices more affordable, too.
Nguyen and his wife, Nisa Dang, moved several years ago to Wichita from Oklahoma City, where they had operated a restaurant, and decided to introduce Wichita to a concept they’d experienced in their home country: stone pot pho.
The dish is a lot like hot pot: Diners get a steaming bowl of fragrant broth plus a plate full of toppings like noodles, sliced onion, bean sprouts, lime wedges, basil and jalapenos. They also get another plate loaded with various meats, including rare steak, brisket, beef meatballs, well-done flank and tendon, that they can add to their bowls.
Ooo LaLa Stone Pho also serves traditional pho and items like banh mi sandwiches, rice dishes, lo mein, chow fun and appetizers like egg rolls, spring rolls and chicken wings.
Its hours will remain the same once it reopens in its new home, Nguyen said: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM.
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