International Mail: The Old Post Office Brings Vietnamese to Hackettstown

Hackettstown’s dining scene is about to get a little more diverse, and who better to make it happen than already successful restaurateurs?

Allan and Jay Chai, current owners of the Pandan Room Thai and Indonesian restaurant on East Moore Street, will open the doors Wednesday to TOPO – The Old Post Office – at 218 Main Street, offering a Vietnamese-influenced menu.

The grand opening of the restaurant will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday with Hackettstown Mayor Maria DiGiovanni and Business Improvement District Executive Director James Sheldon will help the Chais cut the ribbon on the area’s newest eatery.

Chai recently owned the Pandan Fusion Lounge at Restaurant Village in Long Valley for more than two years, having opened in October 2011. The dining option was well received by locals, as Pandan Fusion was named Long Valley Patch’s Reader’s Choice for best ethnic food in the township.

Chai told Patch in 2013, however, the store would be closing due to lack of foot traffic and he had plans to build a new venue in Hackettstown.

TOPO, which occupies the space of Hackettstown’s first post office, founded in 1910, is open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Asian breakfast is served Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.