Huong Que opened at Eden Center in 1993. Don’t remember it? That may be because it moved to Mosaic District in 2008 under a different name: Four Sisters.
Tim Carman of The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the 30-year-old business will close permanently this Sunday after a Mother’s Day swan song.
Two sisters, Lieu Lai-Williams and Le Lai, have owned the business since 2014. Their mother, Thanh Tran, founded the Vietnamese restaurant along with her husband Kim Lai and created the recipes that have made the restaurant a NoVA favorite until the end.
The Lai sisters say that a number of factors led to the decision not to continue with the family business at the end of the lease. Those included an impending increase to the rent, inflation, labor shortages, and Lieu’s desire to spend more time with her school-aged children.
“I feel like we have succeeded. We have made our mark. I’m ready for the next chapter, whatever that may be,” she told Carman.
Before the final meal on Sunday, diners will have the opportunity to enjoy the dishes that have made Four Sisters so treasured across the decades. Pho — simmered with beef or chicken stock — is the mainstay, but the restaurant has other, harder to find noodle soups, such as shrimp-filled hu tieus that are fan favorites. Additional menu highlights include clay pot dishes, such as fish that sizzles and caramelizes at the table and pork short ribs in black pepper sauce.
The Lai family won’t leave the restaurant business entirely. In Ashburn, 4 Sisters Asian Snack Bar, run by youngest son Thuan Lai, serves banh mi and vermicelli bowls alongside bubble tea. Ly Lai, the eldest sister, and her husband own Four Sisters Grill in Clarendon, where diners can get the family’s famous pho and appetizers such as papaya salad. The rich history of one of NoVA’s great restaurant families will live on.
Feature image courtesy of Four Sisters
For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s Food newsletter.
