Owner Binh Phan celebrated two weeks of I Love Pho, Menudo & Tacos being open on Saturday. Photos by Edward Smith

One Fresno restaurant has brought together the best hangover-curing soups from two continents in one location.

I Love Pho, Menudo & Tacos recently celebrated two weeks of business at its Clinton and Fresno avenues location at 2327 N Fresno St.

Restaurant owner Binh Phan has operated a lawn-mower repair shop since 1999. In that time, he has worked with many Spanish-speaking customers. Noticing their love for pho — the Vietnamese soup of noodles and boiling-hot broth — Phan was inspired to open an eatery that also included menudo, the Mexican soup of beef stomach lining and hominy to make a more familiar menu for those who might not know about Asian cuisine.

 

A lot of non-English speakers don’t speak the language of the people making pho, said Phan, and he wanted to bridge that gap with his restaurant.

“I know they like pho,” said Phan. “If I sell both, they see their food with pho and I introduce pho to them, I think they’ll feel more comfortable eating both.”

Phan felt that despite menudo’s popularity, it’s hard to get most days of the week. Most people associate the soup with hangover food, he said, so it can be hard to find outside of Sunday mornings.

“It’s for the weekend, but people still like to eat it for lunch,” Phan said.

Pho has the same reputation as a restorative food to eat after a long night of drinking.

Open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., I Love Pho, Menudo & Tacos serves up both soups as well as tacos, banh mi, chow mein and chow fun.

“We do it all,” Phan said.