He closed his restaurant after mom’s cancer diagnosis. Now, she’s better, and they’re back

In late 2021, Viet Hoang had a tough decision to make: keep his gaming cafe and Thai restaurant going or close it to help his mother undergo treatment for breast cancer.

“I chose my mom over the businesses,” said Hoang, who in September of that year closed his Next Level Cafe at 3802 E. Harry, which had a restaurant called Thai Cafe operating inside.

Now, though, Hoang’s mother — Susan Nguyen — has completed her treatment and is doing well, he said, and she wants to get back to work.

Today, Hoang and his mother are opening their new venture, a unique Asian restaurant at 6157 E. Harry called Daikon Cafe. It will serve food from Vietnam, Japan and Thailand and also will take reservations every Saturday and Sunday night to serve patrons a four-course “tasting menu” that Nguyen comes up with according to her whims. People won’t know in advance what she’s serving, but they’ll leave feeling like they’ve had an “authentic Asian home-cooked meal,” Hoang said.

The restaurant, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, will have a base menu offering appetizers like egg rolls and crab Rangoon; fried rice in various flavors, including Daikon and curry; a curry soup; and a couple of noodle dishes, including pad Thai and lo mein. In the near future, the cafe also will serve hot pot, Hoang said.

But on Saturday and Sunday nights starting at 6 p.m., all of the restaurant’s 18 seats will be reserved for the private tastings. Customers are asked to make reservations in advance, and each tasting will cost $49.99 a person. (Those who want food from the base menu will still be able to get it to-go after 5 p.m. on tasting nights, Hoang said.)

Hoang said the restaurant is operating out of a building that was gutted to its four walls and now has a new everything, including a new kitchen and parking lot. The building sits right next door to the former Annex Lounge space near Harry and Woodlawn. In the back, two other businesses operate: Nguyen’s hair salon and a gaming business called Top Cut Gaming.

The restaurant has been putting on a series of soft openings lately, Hoang said, and he’s been pleasantly surprised to see many customers from his former restaurant return.

“We’re not starting completely over,” he said. “We still have a lot of regulars that came right back to us.”

To make reservations for the private tastings, message the restaurant on its Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DaikonCafe or call 316-992-9326.

Daikon Cafe menu