Sup Vietnamese to expand to Farmingdale and Jericho
Súp Vietnamese is opening in the former 5 de Mayo Steak House space in Farmingdale. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
The Sup group is betting the pho that Long Island is hungry for more Vietnamese food. The owners of restaurants in Stony Brook, Massapequa and Rockville Centre are now taking on two much larger, more visible spots, with locations on Route 110 in Farmingdale and Jericho Turnpike in Jericho scheduled to open by the end of the year.
Stony Brook and Massapequa's Sup locations both opened in 2021 with menus centered on pho, the Vietnamese noodle soup — "sup" means soup in Vietnamese. But, said brand manager Steven Tse, that focus proved limiting. "It’s hard to have a communal style with individual bowls of pho. We wanted to branch out." When the Rockville Centre restaurant opened last year, the offerings included more starters and mains with "more unique and modern twists." The new spots will hew to that more expansive style.
Tsang and his partners, most of whom trace their roots to China, believe that Vietnamese is "the next big Asian cuisine. Everything is shifting from Vietnam," he noted. On a global scale, "the spotlight is moving, manufacturing is moving from China to Vietnam. And in New York City, modern Vietnamese restaurants are popping up left and right. On Long Island, it’s up and coming — we think it’s underrepresented."
The appeal of Vietnamese food, he believes, is "the fresh ingredients, the greens, the herbs. The emphasis is on healthy eating." But he conceded that what Sup’s kitchen is putting out is "a hybrid cuisine, not exactly authentic Vietnamese. We don’t want people to feel intimidated; we have to cater to what Americans want."
For example, Sup’s broth is light on fish sauce, the fermented (i.e. stinky) condiment that, for purists, is a sine qua non for pho. In place of pungent Chinese chives in the summer rolls, Sup uses slices of mango.
Summer rolls at Sup Vietnamese Pho & Grill in Massapequa are made with mango in addition to the traditional shrimp, rice vermicelli and vegetables. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Popular appeal is going to be important for the chain because each of the new locations seats about 120, twice what the existing ones do. Both addresses also have checkered recent histories: 2120 Broadhollow Rd. in Farmingdale was, from 2022 to 2024, 5 de Mayo Steak House. Built in 1997 as a Ruby Tuesday, it hosted the only Long Island location of the national restaurant chain, The Tilted Kilt, from 2018 to 2019 after which it was a satellite of Oyster Bay’s venerable The Homestead, which closed during the pandemic.
In Jericho, 399 Jericho Tpke. was, most recently, the short-lived Cozumel Mexican Grill, which replaced Lisbon Cafe, successor to Vintage Bar & Grill, Philippe Chow and Palio, none of which lasted more than a few years. Certainly none matched the longevity of Capriccio (1970 to 2005).
