A popular Vietnamese restaurant is set to have foodie’s lining the streets when it opens in Tewantin in late July.
The restaurant is the fourth venue to open under the Nguyen Brothers Sunshine Coast group, owned by Yen Nguyen.
Adding to the established restaurants in Maroochydore’s Kon-Tiki building, Sunshine Plaza, and Birtinya, Nguyen Brothers Tewantin will offer the same authenticity and charm that they’re well known and loved for.
The Tewantin venue continues Yen Nguyen’s restaurant legacy as his sixth restaurant venture opened in Australia.
Starting as a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese kitchen Yen for Viet with his brother in Sydney in 2010, word spread of their uncle’s famous Pho and they found themselves expanding to a larger, more central restaurant to establish Nguyen Brothers in 2015.
With the Sydney restaurant in the capable hands of his brother, Yen moved to the Sunshine Coast with his family in 2017 and identified the opportunity to bring Vietnamese cuisine to the locals, launching Nguyen Brothers Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore.
“We saw how much locals loved Asian restaurants on the coast, however we felt that Vietnamese cuisine was under-represented and wanted to bring a taste of Vietnam to the Sunshine State,“ Yen said.
“We started with just one restaurant in Maroochydore, but when we experienced such a positive response to the menu, we knew that an expansion was necessary to meet demand.“
Now the clear go-to for an authentic Vietnamese feed, Nguyen Brothers pride themselves on being family owned and operated.
With recipes passed down through the generations, diners are delighted to learn about the traditional cooking techniques, and to see grandpa in the kitchen hand making their wontons, just like his grandfather had taught him.
“While most customers come to Nguyen Brothers for our staple Pho and Banh Mi items, we’ve really enjoyed educating our regulars with some more adventurous and traditional dishes on the menu such as our Ca kho to (caramelised barramundi cooked in a clay pot) or Banh Xeo (crispy Vietnamese pancake with pork and prawn), and now they love trying different items each time,“ Yen said.
As important as authenticity is to Yen, so too is the restaurant’s requirement for high quality produce.
Even during the challenges today’s restaurateurs face among shortage of supply, Nguyen Brothers are adamant to continue to serve only the freshest ingredients, locally sourced first.
With local as the core value of the business, it’s only fitting that the group’s next expansion would lead them to Noosa.
“We find that a lot of our regulars travel to Maroochydore to dine with us – even from Noosa, so we knew that there was a great opportunity to be closer to the locals and Noosa holiday makers,“ Yen said.
“Not only this, but the Tewantin restaurant will open within a new business hub, which means that our takeaway and catering options will suit local businesses too.“
The new restaurant in Tewantin will offer a similar menu to the current venues, with a few exciting new additions.
The indoor-outdoor layout presents a contemporary design with a nod to Vietnamese culture, creating a relaxed dining venue for customers to enjoy a mid-week lunch break, or dinner and drinks with family and friends.
