Summer 2023 | Edible Notables

From Vietnam with Love

Sip of Saigon brings traditional flavors to Sparks.

You could say cooking runs in Kate Huynh’s blood. Her great-grandfather was an executive chef, and her mother, a celebrated home cook, and both inspired the traditional Vietnamese recipes found at Sip of Saigon, a new eatery in Sparks.

This modern café has decades’ old roots. When Huynh brought her mother, Thoa Pham, to the United States from Vietnam in 1993, they opened a Vietnamese bistro in Orange County, Calif., to showcase Pham’s traditional recipes.

“It was hard for my mother to understand the fast pace of American restaurants,” Huynh says. “She wanted to cook everything the traditional way. She always said, ‘Customers have to allow me enough time to make good food for them!’”

After a few years of success — accompanied by nonstop busyness for both Huynh and Pham — they sold the successful bistro, and Huynh returned her full focus to her family and corporate career. The idea of serving up traditional Vietnamese cuisine, however, stayed with her.

New Beginnings
In 2020, Huynh moved to Sparks to be with her new husband, her first love. She was considering retirement, wondering what would come next. Then everything changed: Huynh’s mother passed away.

“That’s when the idea for Sip of Saigon really took shape,” Huynh says. “I wanted to honor my mother’s recipes but simplify them. My vision was for a café showcasing authentic Vietnamese flavors, using fresh, high-quality ingredients.”

Huynh opened Sip of Saigon in summer 2021 and preserved the traditional flavors she grew up with — she only uses spices hand-selected in Vietnam — but updated the recipes for quick, casual dining.

Bites & Sips
Sip of Saigon’s straightforward menu features classic Vietnamese favorites such as pho, spring rolls, and bánh mì. You’ll also find an array of hot and iced coffee drinks, featuring Groundwork organic coffee and vibrant flavors such as yuzu, coconut, ube, and pandan.

Huynh initially wondered whether her family’s recipes would succeed in Sparks, but, she says, the eatery already has die-hard regulars who come in like clockwork every weekend for their cà phê sữa dá (traditional Vietnamese phin drip coffee) and breakfast bánh mì.

Whether you stop by for a latte and pastry or a full meal, you’ll find Huynh circulating, talking with guests, and sharing her passion for the food she serves and the history it represents.

Sip of Saigon
1272 Disc Drive, Sparks · 775-384-2517
Sipofsaigon.com