AMHERST, N.Y. — When Anh (Bella) Pham and her husband Phong Phan came to the U.S. to go to Niagara University for the MBA's eight years ago, they had trouble finding authentic Vietnamese food that reminded them of home.
"So after graduation, my husband and I wanted to open our own restaurant, so we can introduce more about Vietnamese cuisine to local people here in Buffalo."
Anchi A La Carte has only been open for a couple years now, but they have already built a big following out of their location on Maple Road in Amherst.
They were just named to Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S.
Pham says it's thanks to all the positive reviews from their customers.
"They say wonderful words about our restaurant and our food, and our service," she said, adding that they were very surprised by the recognition.
"So I remember one one person, she said that our food tastes like a grandma cooking in the back," Phan said. "So it tastes like home food and is very fresh."
There may not actually be a grandma cooking back, but Phong developed the menu based on his family's favorite recipes. Pho and bahn mi are some of the highlights.
"They tell us that we have like the best Vietnamese pho and bahn mi in town," Pham said.
Anchi A La Carte serves many students from the nearby UB North Campus, as well as customers from Niagara Falls and even Toronto.
"They say that the taste of our food is very authentic and compared to even to something even like Little Saigon in California," she said.
Anchi A La Carte also offers homemade desserts, Vietnamese iced coffee and fruit tea.
They're open every day, and you can order online.
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