MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—Pho 65 officially opened in the Middletown community campus to the beat of drums and applause on July 18.
The opening ceremony featured Northern Academy’s taiko drum team, speeches from Middletown Mayor Joe DeStefano and other local figures, and free Vietnamese-style sandwiches and drinks.
The restaurant specializes in a Vietnamese dish called pho, a soup with herbs, broth, rice noodles, herbs, and tender pieces of meat, usually beef or chicken. It is typically served steaming hot with fresh garnishes such as bean sprouts, basil, lime, and chilies.
Pho 65 also offers a sandwich called banh mi, served on a baguette with pâté, Vietnamese ham, roasted pork, pickled vegetables, cucumber, cilantro, and house sauce.
Also on the menu are other rice and meat dishes, as well as desserts such as black sticky-rice yogurt.
Nestled beside Fei Tian College Northern, the restaurant is housed in a former psychiatric hospital building that has recently been renovated into a vibrant dining space.
The interior of the stone building features Vietnamese decor and roomy wooden tables. Along with the building, the courtyard between the establishment and the college was entirely redone, blending the stone courtyard and Asian garden design.
The restaurant was named after the classic Vietnamese dish and its address, 65 Seward Avenue.
Danny Ha, an adviser who helped create the restaurant and collaborated with the adjacent college, told The Epoch Times on July 19 that they created the courtyard to provide a peaceful environment for students, campus employees, and customers.
Ha explained that the restaurant does not use chemicals, MSG, or food coloring in their dishes and that beef and vegetables are sourced locally.
The establishment’s slogan is “The Taste of Goodness.”
“That means we make food from our heart, and so that brings the best thing, Vietnamese food, to the Middletown community,” Ha said.
DeStefano told The Epoch Times that the restaurant benefits the city by creating jobs for students and residents, culturally enriching the community as a taxable entity, and more closely connecting the campus to the broader Middletown area.
“The food is absolutely fantastic, and the opening on campus will attract residents and visitors to this beautiful campus,” the mayor said.
