Ox Kitchen Fairhope is expanding to open a second location at The Garden Pensacola

There have been a lot of changes in the Fairhope food scene lately with openings, closings and relocations. When Ox Kitchen Fairhope teased a big announcement on Facebook April 8, the speculation quickly began in the comments.

There's no need to worry because the news is good. Ox Kitchen Fairhope is expanding to open a second location at The Garden Pensacola.

Eurasian Bistro sprouting second location at The Garden in Pensacola

Since Pearl & Horn closed its nook in downtown Pensacola’s food court, The Garden, last October to relocate into a larger space, a new restaurant has been selected replace it early this spring.

A popular quick-service, high-quality Vietnamese restaurant, Eurasian Bistro, is set to move into The Garden’s sole indoor restaurant space neighboring Perennial Patio Bar by March.

Eurasian Bistro’s original location at 10015 N. Davis Highway 600 has become known for both traditional Vietnamese favorites and creative takes on classic dishes. Oh, and its adorable fleet of robot cats that deliver and bus dishes.

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Eurasian Bistro opening second location at The Garden in Pensacola

Eurasian Bistro is preparing to open a new second location at The Garden in downtown Pensacola.

Eurasian Bistro owner Paul Nguyen is planning to bring all the elements that have made Eurasian Bistro so popular to the downtown Pensacola dining scene, only in a more compact form to fit in the smaller space. Here’s what you can expect:

What is the food like at Eurasian Bistro?

The downtown Pensacola location will carry over 90-95% of the original location's menu, Nguyen said.

Nguyen wanted to create a restaurant that not only served Vietnamese food but told the story of Vietnamese culture. Because of the impact of French colonization on Vietnam, many traditional Vietnamese recipes carry French influence. One example is the baguette style bread that is the base of the banh mi sandwich, which at Eurasian Bistro is made fresh in-house daily.

The influence can also be found in dishes like the bánh xèo, which is a crispy, savory crepe stuffed with delicious fillings such as shrimp, pork and crispy vegetables like bean sprouts. At Eurasian Bistro, you’ll see it served with lettuce, which allows for it to be eaten like a lettuce wrap, with dipping sauce on the side.

However, Nguyen isn’t afraid to innovate on popular American foods using elements of Vietnamese cooking. Items like the basil popcorn chicken are tender fried chicken nuggets tossed with aromatic basil leaves.

The expansive 30-plus item menu spans into sandwiches, salads, soups, rice plates and noodle dishes, as well as specialty drinks, like dark roast Vietnamese iced coffee and pastries such as the Vietnamese baked banana cake.

Will alcohol be served at the downtown Eurasian Bistro?

Yes, like the North Davis Highway location, the downtown Eurasian Bistro will have a beer and wine license. This will include local brews, like Pensacola Bay’s Riptide Amber, and international beers, like the Japanese Kirin Ichiban. The restaurant also offers a variety of sakes with specialty flavors like yuzu, coconut and matcha.

The beer and wine license also provides the opportunity to do multi-coursed wine pairing with finer dishes, which Nguyen has executed several times at the original location.

How close is the Eurasian Bistro food to what you would find in Vietnam?

Nguyen has a rich family history tying back to Saigon, Vietnam, where he was born and spent his childhood. His family escaped on a boat in 1977 only two years after the fall of Saigon. He was sent to stay in a refugee camp in Indonesia before settling in Houston, Texas.

“My parents, they just left everything behind. So, we just had a shirt on our back and had to rebuild everything,” Nguyen said. “It’s very impressive what they sacrificed."

Not only does he remember first-hand the flavors and spice of Vietnamese cooking from his own family, but he also had regular exposure to it while living in Houston.

He brought on business partner Teri Bui, who had rich experience in the restaurant industry, to design the Eurasian Bistro menu, which is still evolving with rotating chef specials over a year later.

“I saw an opportunity there in terms of, ‘How do I raise awareness of the Vietnamese culture and cuisine in a smaller, medium-sized community in the U.S.,'” Nguyen said of Pensacola. “I like for people really to understand and distinguish us from the rest of the Asian community.”

Will the downtown location look similar?

Yes, there will be a sense of continuity between the two restaurants. You’ll recognize the calming colors of nature incorporated in the original location, such as cool green, wood tones, bamboo artwork and images Vietnam’s diverse landscape, from the cityscapes to the countryside.

Will the downtown Pensacola location also have robot servers?

Yes, the cat robots will be making an appearance at the new downtown Pensacola store. Nguyen hopes to show that the cats are more than a gimmick (even though they do make a purring noise when their ears are scratched) but are an asset in efficiency. This way, food gets sent straight from the kitchen to the table when it’s ready, versus waiting for a server to become available to run it out.

Previously: Eurasian Bistro brings robot waiters, Vietnamese fusion to Pensacola area

The location is intended to get the downtown scene’s customers in and out during a quick workday lunch if necessary. This means that they will be able to place orders ahead of time for pick-up and scan a QR code straight from the table inside instead of standing in-line.

There will also be outdoor seating available, which Nguyen said will provide an interesting challenge for the robot cats.

“I’m going to have to do some testing,” Nguyen teased. “I got to get my robot to go run out to the main road. Hopefully it doesn’t race with the other cars!”

To stay up to date on news pertaining to Eurasian Bistro’s downtown Pensacola location opening, follow along on Eurasian Bistro’s Facebook page and website.

The Thrillist: Things to do In Pensacola

Around the corner is The Garden at Palafox + Main, a covered outdoor food hall outfitted with airstream trailers, a daiquiri-slinging bar, and all manner of comfort foods. Vendors include BOCA Latin Kitchen, MELT Gourmet Sandwiches and Mac N’ Cheese, and Calavera Tacos, as well as Pearl & Horn—a fast-casual surf & turf concept from the acclaimed local chef behind upscale George Bistro + Bar. Here they sling broiled oysters, lobster rolls, smash burgers, meaty grouper fish & chips, and BBQ shrimp that could hold its own among New Orleans’ finest. After you’ve polished off your oysters, head back into the Garden for a rum-splashed nightcap at the highly Instagrammable Perennial Patio Bar.

Reimagining the Downtown Dining Experience

 The Garden brings food trucks under cover, new vendors into the spotlight

PENSACOLA, FL – July 17, 2020 – Throwing shade isn’t always a bad thing, and that’s what the owners of The Garden have done with their newly renovated space at the southwest corner of Palafox and Main. The food truck pavilion, featuring new vendor kiosks, offers outdoor dining choices for every taste and every level of appetite. In addition, patrons will enjoy contactless ordering on their mobile phones (from one unified website) as well as convenient curbside pickup.

But what The Garden’s customers are likely to notice first is the new roof and fans to make the experience much more comfortable during the summer or in foul weather.

“People love the picnic atmosphere of the food trucks and recent events have made outside dining even more popular,” said Michael Carro, Pensacola commercial realtor and managing partner of The Garden. “We’re offering the best of all worlds with a wide variety of menu options, a cool place to enjoy them, and the ability to socialize with physical distance in an open-air environment.”

Carro pioneered the food truck gallery concept in Pensacola with Al Fresco, which formerly occupied The Garden’s current location. In addition to the new roof and fans, The Garden will also feature a brick-and-mortar annex to “George,” the popular restaurant on North 9th Avenue. Food truck choices will include Thai and Latin street cuisine, tacos, grilled cheese, and comfort food.

Equally exciting to Carro are the kiosks that will serve as low-cost, high-visibility ‘incubators’ for boutique food vendors. Bakery foods, snow cones, chocolates, fruit smoothies, and specialty desserts are among the items available as a treat or after a meal.

“Kiosks are a great option for ‘cottage chefs’ who want to bring their creations out of the kitchen and put them in front of real consumers,” Carro said. “Call it ‘gastronomic development’ – growing our economy one new dish at a time.”

The Garden will begin a phased opening, with the four food trucks and one of the kiosks opening Monday. The restaurant, bar, and other kiosks will start operations later in the summer. All vendors will comply with the latest Centers for Disease Control (CDC) health and safety guidance and patrons will be given clear instructions on maintaining appropriate distance.

WEAR-TV (Video): Al Fresco set to reopen as 'The Garden' in downtown Pensacola amid pandemic

While several restaurants in Pensacola are closing temporarily amid this pandemic, one local business owner is reopening his venue under a new name.

The Garden stands at the site of the old Al Fresco, but back now with several new concepts.

PNJ: The Garden food court opening on Palafox Monday with three new airsteam food trailers

Downtown Pensacola's former Al Fresco food court has been renamed, redesigned and re-imagined, and now it's just about ready to reopen. 

The first phase of The Garden will be unveiled to the public Monday when all four of its airstream food trailers open up for business. The food court at 501 S. Palafox St. is now equipped with a partial roof to block out the sun and harsh weather elements.