Pflugerville is getting a new destination for Vietnamese-Thai food this fall, as popular pop-up Mam Mam prepares to trade its shared kitchen counter for a permanent home. The move will give the husband-and-wife team behind the concept more room to cook, pour drinks and build a menu that goes well beyond the pop-up routine.
Mam Mam will open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant at Howard Post, a Pflugerville development anchored by Old Gregg Brewing Company, according to CultureMap Austin. The restaurant is expected to debut this fall, although the owners have not announced an exact opening date.
A Bigger Kitchen Means More Mam Mam Favorites
Mam Mam began in March 2024 at Springdale General, where co-owner and chef Kris Hoang worked out of rental kitchen space at Wingman Kitchens. That setup limited the pop-up to roughly six to eight dishes at a time; the new Pflugerville kitchen will allow for a broader menu and a full bar.
The pop-up is still operating at its Austin location while the new restaurant is being prepared. Mam Mam’s current page lists service from Thursday through Sunday, with hours ranging from a short Thursday and Sunday lunch to a longer Saturday service.
Vietnamese Comfort Food Meets Thai Culinary Training
The opening menu is expected to include Vietnamese chicken and rice, a fried pork belly vermicelli bowl, fish sauce chicken wings and xôi mặn porchetta, with additional dishes still under wraps. The bar will serve seasonal-ingredient cocktails, domestic beers and Asian wine imports, according to CultureMap Austin.
Hoang’s cooking draws from his Vietnamese-American upbringing and professional Thai experience, including work at Thai Kun and Red Ash in Austin. He also helped open Bay Area Thai restaurant Nari and co-founded the Vietnamese pop-up Claws of Mantis before launching Mam Mam with his wife, Diana Pham, who oversees operations.
The new restaurant is particularly personal for the couple because they live in Pflugerville and are opening in a development connected to Mam Mam’s original Austin home at Springdale General. Hoang described the move as “a full-circle moment for us,” while saying the restaurant aims to add something distinctive to the community.
Howard Post Adds Another Food And Drink Draw
Mam Mam will join a growing cluster of businesses at Howard Post, which has been redeveloped as a neighborhood gathering place with food, drinks, recreation and flexible commercial space. TOPO’s development page describes the project as a 67,000-square-foot destination along Austin’s tech corridor.
For now, diners will need to catch Mam Mam during its remaining pop-up hours in Austin. Once the Pflugerville location opens, the larger kitchen and cocktail program should give the concept a chance to settle into something more ambitious than a pop-up menu.
