Shorewood Vietnamese Restaurant Will Reopen, Former Owner Says

SHOREWOOD, IL — A popular Shorewood Vietnamese restaurant seems to have closed up shop, but a former owner says it will reopen. A sign on the door at Little Saigon, 201 Vertin Boulevard, said the business was temporarily closed due to a family emergency, but fans of the restaurant and staff at nearby businesses said they feared it was gone for good.

Kaitlyn Le, who said she is a former owner, claimed a partner is buying the business, adding that it will reopen this summer under new management. She said a grand re-opening could happen in July or early August.

Little Saigon was listed as closed on Yelp!, where it had a 4.5-star rating. The restaurant opened in March 2016 and quickly gained popularity.

“Right now we’re No. 1 on Yelp and TripAdvisor,” former General Manager Jessica Engelhard told Patch last August. She said the restaurant's dishes came from the owner's family recipes. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Earlier this week, an employee at a nearby business told the Herald-News that the restaurant has been closed for more than a month, adding, "We don't think they're coming back." Shorewood Mayor Richard Chapman told the paper that the eatery is up to date on its permits but has yet to let the village know what if it will reopen.

Image via Patch file