An exciting new Asian restaurant is currently getting ready to take over a recently-shuttered storefront on Bowery Street.
The new restaurant, which has yet to be named, is a new concept from NY restaurateur Dieu Khuu. Khoo was a co-founder of the popular seafood restaurant The Boil, which currently operates on Waverly Place, Chrystie Street, and in Jersey City. Khuu was also a principal at Saigon Shack on McDougal Street. For his latest project, Khuu is operating under the name XEO Cantina, Inc, while his previous projects were affiliated with Saigon Shack.
Moving in to the vacant space at 334 Bowery Street, Khuu describes his latest project as a “Modern Asian restaurant serving creative southeast Asian dishes.” At the moment, Khuu is currently set to take the lease over from Gia, a popular Italian restaurant and pizzeria that shuttered earlier this year. Before Gia, the space previously housed Gino Sorbillo, Forcella La Pizza di Napoli, and Vancant. Khuu is expected to add some new booths to the space and extend its operating hours while he alters the exterior of the building to reflect the new cuisine he intends to serve.
With approximately 2,100 square feet of space available, Khuu’s new restaurant should be able to comfortably seat about 54 people with his intended floorplan. While the space already features one standing bar, Khuu and the team will be adding an additional bar to serve as a noodle service counter. He is currently in the process of applying for a full liquor license for the space and is proposing operating hours of 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM Sunday through Thursday, and 12:00 PM – 2:00 AM Fridays and Saturdays. Unfortunately, Dieu could not be reached for further comment regarding his timeline for opening. Gia closed down very recently, so the new concept is still far away from opening.
