Tasty Casian offers something for everyone

Tasty Casian on Essen Lane has a unique selling point: It’s the only place in town where you can get pho and poboys under the same roof. “It’s great because it caters to both the adventurous and the people who want something familiar,” owner Tam Nguyen says. The menu has everything from pork satay to boudin, but Nguyen says they’re careful to avoid the “fusion” label. “People want authentic Vietnamese food, and that’s what we make,” he says. And the Cajun? “It’s authentic as we can make it.”

They’ve had a lot of practice. Tasty Casian got its start more than a decade ago, when the family started selling Cajun food to-go out of their family-owned convenience store, Tam’s Food Mart on Greenwell Springs. The food was so popular, Nguyen says, that opening a restaurant seemed a logical step. The small Essen location opened last year under the name Tasty Cajun, and at first sold primarily Cajun food. The establishment had a strong start, but as the economy changed, Nguyen realized that there was an empty niche they could fill. “There’s really no Vietnamese restaurants on this side of town,” he explains. “So we decided to change it up.”

The restaurant got a total overhaul inside and out, and Nguyen envisioned a menu that was evenly divided between South Asia and South Louisiana. Before almost a pub-like atmosphere, the new Tasty Casian is open and airy, with large windows and white tablecloths. With egg rolls and sausages from both sides of the world, the food lives up to the “tasty” moniker—affordable, too, as everything is less than $10.

The restaurant is a family affair: Nguyen’s mother, aunt, and father cook, and Nguyen himself even steps into the kitchen during the lunch rush. It’s his first foray into the restaurant business, although his extended family owns the long-established Thanh Thanh Restaurant & Bar in New Orleans. Nguyen hopes for similar success, and is certain his first restaurant won’t be his last. “We already have customers from Prairieville asking us when we’re going to open one there,” he laughs. “Maybe we will.”