Shank & Bone Bringing Vietnamese Dishes to North Park

Shank & Bone, an eatery dedicated to the, “traditional, authentic cuisine and flavors of Vietnam” is slated to open this December, though no final date has been set, owner Han Tran tells Eater. Shank & Bone will move into the old SafeHouse space on 2930 University Avenue in North Park.

Tran is opening the restaurant in partnership with her husband, Jay Choy, with whom she owns Ebisu Sushi in Hillcrest, and other business partners Lam Nguyen and Phuc Vo, who co-own Crab Town in Kearny Mesa. The idea for the restaurant was born out of Tran’s recent trips to her native Vietnam, where she was struck by the dizzying changes in Saigon, the quality and variety in the food culture and the recent arrival of craft beers to Vietnam’s cities. What she also noticed was the mix of modern and traditional, something she hopes to incorporate into Shank and Bone’s menu.

Courtesy photo

Tran says of the project, “Although the Vietnamese food hub of City Heights and beer-centric North Park are only separated by a bridge (or two), the two worlds have yet to truly merge. We’ve been wanting for a few years to bring that connection. With the pho-loving population rapidly growing, we look forward to providing a cool space to enjoy it alongside a solid beer selection that we’re so lucky to have all around us here in San Diego. We hope to introduce our diners to new Viet foods beyond pho, too.”