Episode 243: Saigon Café

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Owning a restaurant is not an easy feat – we talked about it in last week’s 5-year anniversary episode with restauranteur Gerard Craft. If you haven’t listened, make sure to hit play after you listen to this brand-new episode.

This week we talk to longtime St. Louis restaurant owner Michael Ly. Michael grew up in the restaurant business. His family owned a Chinese restaurant in west St. Louis County. Twenty years ago, his mom and stepdad opened Saigon Café in the Central West End. It was a totally different neighborhood at the time and Michael has watched it grow around the restaurant he now runs and operates. The Vietnamese restaurant is now a neighborhood stable, growing with the times while also remaining true to its spirit.

We talk about the legacy of a family business, his favorite things to cook outside of the restaurant, and of course, we’re sharing the can’t-miss dishes. In this episode, we talk about the Red Lantern Night Market scheduled for July 22 from 5-11 p.m. outside Saigon Café.