PHOTOS BY KRISTY LOCKLIN

Viet Nom Nom is a takeout eatery, but that doesn’t mean you have to grab your food and go go. 

There’s seating inside for 26, and owner Thy Chan plans to turn the front patio into a dining area during the warmer months. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Monday. 

“People come in and love the way it looks,” Chan says. “It’s comfortable and homey with a small staff and a very condensed but unique menu.”

The spot at 1715 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill opened Jan. 2 to bring fast, authentic Vietnamese cuisine with a modern twist to the neighborhood. Chan, a Homestead native who is of Vietnamese and Cambodian descent, says the food she sells — and grew up eating — is light and healthy, yet flavorful.

Build your meal by choosing a carbohydrate (steamed white rice, vermicelli noodles or a 15-inch baguette for a banh mi sandwich); a protein (roast pork, honey chicken, lemongrass beef or pork or tofu); and then take your pick of vegetables, from steamed broccoli and bok choy to pickled carrot and daikon with fish sauce or vegan dressing. 

Add-ons include shrimp rolls, fried pork rolls, pho broth and the house-made chili oil sauce that gives any combination a spicy kick without masking the flavor of the fresh ingredients. 

Viet Nom Nom has chef-inspired specials every Friday. A recent offering was Mì Khô, egg noodles up with shrimp, roast pork, fish cake, pickled veggies, steamed bean sprouts and chives, sweet and spicy sauce and homemade bacon bits with a side of pho broth. 

Once your order is ready, you can pick up your plastic utensils and napkins and hit the road or stay for a spell and chat with Chan, an affable foodie who enjoys chewing the fat with customers. 

An entrepreneur at heart, she’s run several food-based operations over the last decade, from a Thai food truck to a frozen yogurt shop, but the pandemic changed the way she wanted to do business. 

The idea for Viet Nom Nom had been simmering on a backburner in her mind for years, but the costs associated with a full dine-in restaurant made it difficult for the single mother of three to turn her dream into a reality. 

Now, after three years of Covid-related reconditioning, many patrons appreciate the take-out business model. 

Motivated by her social media-savvy, 19-year-old son Nathaniel Ngo, Chan went with a quirky name and infused her personality into the decor when plain, white walls would have sufficed. 

“I wanted to remain in the restaurant business, but I wanted it to fit with my lifestyle,” Chan says. “My customers are so supportive.”