Andrew Le is no longer the new kid on the block. After 12 years in Chinatown, the owner of the popular Vietnamese restaurant The Pig and The Lady will close its longtime location on Aug. 22.
“It feels bittersweet,” Le told HPR.
He has seen the neighborhood go through phases from gang fights outside his restaurant to the hustle and bustle of incoming visitors.
The Pig and The Lady's new spot in the coming months will be at Civil Beat Plaza on Waialae Avenue in Kaimukī.
Le said it's a full-circle moment because his family's old hobby shop, Toys N' Joys, was just a block away.
“We still had one eye on Kaimukī,” he said. "The opportunity popped up, and then we decided to explore that.”
Le was born and raised in Honolulu by Vietnamese parents who immigrated to the United States in 1975. He wanted to reconnect with his heritage by pursuing a career in the culinary arts. Like many immigrant parents, they initially disapproved of his choice.
“I decided to go into cooking, which is labor-intensive, long hours, and high stress,” Le said. “But showing my willingness to do it, and do whatever it took to succeed in those types of kitchens, was enough to convince them I'm on the right path.”
Le was 28 years old when he started The Pig and The Lady in 2013. It has evolved from a popular stall at a local farmers market to a brick-and-mortar in Chinatown, and is known for many signature dishes, including its pho French dip.
The name of the restaurant was inspired by the relationship between Le and his mother. Le said his mother would always call him “little pig” because he always ate her home-cooked meals. The lady, of course, is his mom.
Before The Pig and The Lady opened in Chinatown in 2012, Le and his staff put effort into making the restaurant inviting. Two weeks before opening, Le recalled a gang fight outside his restaurant.
That event inspired the bathroom's famous artwork — a tribute to the 1980s cult classic “Big Trouble in Little China.” Even the movie's star, Kurt Russell, has been in the bathroom.
“It's strange to talk about a bathroom,” Le said. “It developed its own life and reputation that people come to see. It represents us pretty well — our playfulness, and it gives us a sense of place being in Chinatown.”
Le said the move was a tough choice. However, he wanted to focus on raising his family.
“I’m not that 28-year-old new kid on the block who will do whatever it takes to prove myself. I’ve proven myself,” he said.
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