Sip Pho Opens In Central Austin Where Ruby's BBQ Long Stood

AUSTIN, TX — The owners of the highly popular Pho Please Vietnamese restaurant opened their newest concept, Sip Pho, on Friday just north of the University of Texas at Austin campus on the site where Ruby's BBQ once stood before its closure in February 2018.

The restaurant is located at 512 W. 29th St., the same site where Ruby's BBQ operated for three decades. Sip Pho features many of the same ingredients and offerings as the original location by husband-wife co-owners Anh Nguyen and Tien Do. Offered too are many of the same menu items and high-quality ingredients — including pure bone broth bases that take 15 hours to make and are free of any powders or fillers.

But there are differences too, the owners noted. The main difference is that the new brand frees up lead chef Nguyen to be more creative and experimental with his culinary fare. That freedom is already seen in the new "Chef's Choice" section where patrons can delight in dishes such as Pho Wagyu that's sourced from grass-fed, Texas-raised Wagyu cattle.

Tien Do and Anh Nguyen have opened the doors to their new restaurant, Sip Pho, where Ruby's BBQ once stood. Courtesy photo.

“We don’t believe in resting on our laurels,” Do explained. “We didn’t want to overly-rely on the success of Pho Please — as amazing and humbling as it is. What we really want people to understand is that we’re hard working people out to push ourselves, take new risks and hopefully elevate the experience our customers feel just a bit as well.”

Patch was invited to a soft opening of sorts, feasting on beef pho that was flavorful and comforting at once — a welcome meal with chilly temperatures in the 40s — with a broth of time-honored complexity. The herb and vegetable garnishes to accompany the Vietnamese staple were exceptionally fresh, and an array of sauces were at the ready for that added heat.

Delightfully complex and suffused with flavor, the pho was enhanced with exceptionally fresh herbs and vegetables. Courtesy photo.

Thursday's event was primarily for family members of the young restaurateurs in a celebratory gathering, with the place replete with ornate flower arrangements sent by well wishers.

Yet Patch was never made to feel like an interloper but like part of the family. The staff was helpful and friendly and Do and Nguyen were unflaggingly hospitable — the former stopping by the table to gauge her diners' satisfaction with the meal.

That familial vibe is fitting. The two restaurant owners via family members while Do was studying at UT-Austin and Nguyen was living in Vietnam. The love connection was immediate, and the duo married, but Nguyen continued to toil in Vietnamese restaurants to support the couple as Do finished her degree. Nguyen would work for eight years at other spots until he and his wife opened Pho Please together in 2016.

“My intent is to honor our heritage, but present authentic food in a modern way,” Nguyen said.

Some of that modernity can be seen in the new space — a far cry from the charming yet decidedly rustic environs of the shuttered Ruby's BBQ. The old building was not able to be salvaged, Do said, prompting the duo to turn to Lawson Pedder, commercial real estate agent with Austin-based Southwest Strategies Group – the same firm that redeveloped notable projects such as Penn Field and the Seaholm Power Plant project. Pedder ultimately helped the young couple purchase the site of the former Ruby’s BBQ restaurant.

The metamorphosis in the new incarnation of the site was aided considerably by Austin-based Magic Architecture. Scott Magic, the firm’s principal stated: “Guided by the owner’s interest in simple and clean spaces, the architecture was an exploration of how to make ordinary building parts look extraordinary," explained Scott Magic, a principal of the architectural firm.

Also figuring prominently in creating the new edifice were Veritas Construction as general contractor and Second Chance Custom for furniture from reclaimed and recycled materials. Boomtown Design built the outdoor patio.

Husband-and-wife restaurateurs Anh Nguyen and Tien Do take a moment to celebrate the opening of their new restaurant. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Aside from the wood slats on the ceiling that Do pointed out, there is no resemblance to the former site. The raw wood overhead yields a subtle reminder of the long-standing Ruby's BBQ, but otherwise the place is dramatically different with the new iteration spacious and open, with large windows fronting the street making use of natural light. The clean look of the interior is enhanced with exposed Douglas fir wood, white walls, steel community tables and concrete floors. Although not in use given Thursday's cold weather, there is also a charming little patio outside in the rear portion of the place.

The wood slats on the ceiling of Sip Pho are something of a nod to the former incarnation of the space, yet the only semblance to the past iteration. Courtesy photo.

The restaurant is in good hands, Pedder said: “Anh and Tien are unquestionably rising stars on the local restaurant scene, and you won’t find two more dedicated, hard-working people determined to make every customer feel like a treasured part of their extended family.”

The first official day on Friday will feature an irresistible special: Buy one bowl of pho at regular price with the second practically free. Just how little will you pay for that second bowl of pho on opening day? Well, you'll just have to drop by to find out. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.