It’s been an entire year since we first told you about 1120 S. Front St., which was, at that time, a stalled construction site where a warehouse had been demolished. At the time, we promised an eventual Vietnamese restaurant from Liem Ma, owner of Cafe Viet Huong at 11th & Washington.

Way back when

A year ago

Then in January, we checked back in on this location, noting that construction had resumed. We figured that the Pho would be flowing by the springtime.

Progress in January

Turns out, it took just a little longer to get the restaurant open. But a couple of weeks ago, Mekong River threw its doors open and Pennsport hasn’t been the same since. They will be serving alcohol in the near future, but are byob for the moment. Early reviews have been pretty favorable, indicating that neighbors are welcoming this new addition.

Looks pretty good

Sure, it looks like it would fit in nicely in a suburban shopping center, but we’re still pretty pleased with how this building turned out. Considering how it looked before, it’s certainly an improvement. We haven’t gotten over there just yet, but we’re excited to give it a try.

And meanwhile, next door, the Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center appears to have its construction process getting started in earnest. Great news, though it clearly has quite a bit of work to go.

Framing is underway

Just think how much better the rice noodles will taste once the construction next door finishes up!