Delicious: Pho 88

Grilled pork and shrimp with egg roll over vermicelli noodles: Photo by Elliott Muñoz

Jennifer Lim opened Chan Thai in Bishop Arts 15 years ago. Her restaurant space was so big that about 10 years later, she decided to turn one side into a bar, which was called Bar at Bishop. “I’m like everyone else; I got tired of all the bars around here,” she says. So Lim, a native of China who has lived in Thailand and Vietnam, decided to plug into the trendiness of Vietnamese food. “We’re the first ones in Oak Cliff for Pho,” she says. Pho, banh mi and Vietnamese noodle salads are gaining a regular clientele, although Lim says Chan Thai remains more popular with diners. The restaurants share an address, but each has its own kitchen. “It’s a lot of work,” Lim says. “They’re completely different. Nothing tastes the same.”