Storefront Report: Vietnamese cuisine coming to an Echo Park corner

A former Echo Park paint shop is being transformed into a restaurant featuring Vietnamese cuisine cooked up by a local artist and inspired by his wife’s family recipes. The interior of what used to be Par Paint (which moved to Temple Street) at the northwest of Sunset Boulevard and Lemoyne Street has been gutted after work recently began on Xôia Vietnamese Eats. The restaurant by Jose Sarinana and Ho Thien will share the two-story brick building with El Prado, a former Mexican dive bar turned into a wine & beer bar. Xôia (pronounced “soya”) will include Vietnamese staples – such as pho – and regional dishes from central Vietnam where Thien’s family originated. “It’s very home-style, rustic cooking,” said Ho, who is also one of the owners of Gloss Nail Spa in Silver Lake.

While Xôia will include some of Ho’s family recipes, Sarinana will be in charge of the kitchen and restaurant, she said. The couple, who were classmates at Belmont High and live in Echo Park, said the name of the restaurant is a play on the name of their daughter and the Vietnamese word xôi – or sticky rice. Construction work on the restaurant is expected take at least eight weeks to complete.

Photo by The Eastsider