Walking into LAN Vietnamese Restaurant is like taking a trip to Hanoi City
Here, you’re invited to sit down and savour the Vietnamese culture as well as the cuisine.“All our products and ingredients are brought in from back home,” says Lan Nguyen who has wanted for a long time to introduce her first home in Vietnam to her second home in Toronto. In 2016, she and her husband open LAN Vietnamese Restaurant on Queen Street East, choosing Riverside over a much busier location on Queen Street West.
“It just felt like the right place and the perfect location for our concept,” Lan says of the neighbourhood.
Riverside is a small neighbourhood but growing. As a business, Lan says, “You have to be able to survive with just the local community right now. If you can do that then things are going to be great because the future is going to be booming.”
By far, she says her favourite thing about Riverside has been the community and the many loyal customers, whom she now calls friends. While Lan gives back to the community by donating money and gift certificates to local fundraisers, she also makes a habit of giving any food left in her kitchen at the end of the day to those in need.
In addition to dine-in and take-out options, LAN Vietnamese Restaurant now also offers catering services.
Karen Lloyd is a writer, photographer and website designer in Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood. This blog is part of the series Riverside Business Profile. Read other blogs from her: Riverside Patios, Places to Stay in Riverside, Brunch Spots, Health & Wellness in Riverside, Kid-Friendly Riverside, Event & Catering Spots, Riverside Chefs, Self-Care in Riverside, It’s Easy Being Green in Riverside, The Dirt on Gardening in Riverside, Eat Around the World in Riverside, and Saying ‘I Do’ East of the Don.