This Long Beach Pho Restaurant Served Up A Taste Of Nostalgia. It's Now Closing

LONG BEACH, CA — Vahe Margaryan had two simple goals when he opened up #9Pho with his wife Tania: create clean, organic food that he was accustomed to eating while growing up in Armenia, and serve up delicious bowls of nostalgic pho to the Long Beach community.

The restaurant was created to continue a legacy left behind by Number Nine, a restaurant in Long Beach where Vahe spent nearly a decade learning the ins and outs of Vietnamese culinary skills.

But on Sunday, July 27, the Vietnamese restaurant located in Long Beach's Retro Row will serve its last meal, closing a unique chapter in Long Beach's storied food scene.

"It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made in my life," Vahe told Patch. "I love this food, I really wanted it to succeed.”

A New Beginning

Vahe moved to Long Beach in his early 20s. In a city filled with fast-food options, he struggled to find organic food. That is, until a friend introduced him to Number Nine, a Vietnamese restaurant in Long Beach.

It instantly became his favorite restaurant. So much that he ate there every day and eventually got a job there.

Eventually, he climbed the ranks, going from busboy to line cook to manager, Vahe said.

Everything seemed to be going well, according to Vahe, until Number Nine closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like many community members, Vahe was disappointed that his favorite restaurant had closed down. It felt like everywhere he went in the city, people were asking him if it was going to open back up or whether he considered continuing the legacy.

One day, he walked into Eddie's Market in Retro Row for a drink. There, Vahe said, he asked the owner if he knew anyone who had a kitchen.

The owner said his kitchen was available, and in 2020, Vahe opened up #9ToGo. It was a way to fill a hole in a community longing for flavor and influenced by the nostalgia of the original Number Nine.

Although the space in Eddie's Market closed down by the city just as it was building momentum, Vahe was determined to keep Number Nine's legacy alive. And in 2022, #9Pho opened up on Fourth Street in Retro Row.

"9 Pho was always more than just a restaurant; it was our way of keeping something alive," The Margaryans said in a post on Instagram. "From the very beginning, this restaurant was built out of love. We weren't the original owners, but we created our own version of something people cared about."

A New Legacy

Although #9Pho started to continue with Number Nine's legacy, Vahe said he worked hard every day to improve upon everything he learned each day at the Vietnamese restaurant.

Vahe was at #9Pho every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. He said he dreamed of #9Pho of becoming a household name in Long Beach and eventually a chain that provided other people with the same pho Vahe fell in love with when he first moved to the United States.

But it just didn't happen the way I wanted it to," Vahe said. "A lot of dreams don't come true in but, but that's the sad reality. It is what it is.

Last week, the Margaryans announced they would be closing #9 Pho after just over three years.

"We've always known we were different," the Margaryans said in a statement on Instagram. "We were never your typical Vietnamese restaurant. The menu, the vibe, the way we did things, it was our own take."

The Margaryans believe they were never truly welcomed by "some of the louder voices in the city, the ones who could have made a difference but chose not to."

That, along with rising costs and "tough times," has made it difficult for them to continue operating the restaurant, according to the Margaryans.

"It's a lot of work, a lot of investments, everything goes into that," Vahe said. "A lot of time away from your family and everything adds up."

For now, until the closing date, #9Pho will add Wednesdays to its operating schedule.

"9 Pho was always more than just a restaurant, it was our way of keeping something alive," the Margaryans said in a post on Instagram. "If you've ever shared a meal with us, told a friend about us or just showed us love THANK YOU. We'd love to see you before we close & say goodbye the right way."

Vahe doesn't know if he'll open up another pho place in the future. For a long time, #9 Pho, Vahe said, was his home away from home. In the meantime, he said he wants to continue making his customers happy and enjoying cooking one of his favorite meals.

"It's a hard industry," Vahe said. "I'm super broken. I don't like showing how broken I am because if the temple is broken, the rest is going to be broken. The temple needs to stand until the end."

#9Pho is located at 1538 E 4th St. in Long Beach. It opens from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.