On Sunday, September 28, residents of Niverville and the surrounding area are invited to 71 Main Street for the grand opening celebration of Niakwa Pizza and Pho Real!

From 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., slices of hot pizza and samplings from the business’s Vietnamese menu will be served up fresh from their storefront patio. That includes the popular bubble tea served in 12 different flavours.

The afternoon will also feature prize giveaways.

Jeremy Ritchot purchased the Niakwa Pizza franchise in December of last year. He’s since added Vietnamese food to his location and says, so far, it’s been a really big hit.

The international fare served here is as authentic as you can get, he says, made with love by an in-house Vietnamese cook.

“Kim, my friend, makes the best Vietnamese food I’ve ever had,” Ritchot says. “Everything’s made fresh. The pho broth takes 12 to 16 hours by itself to make.”

The menu includes far more than just pho, a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup. There’s salad rolls and spring rolls with homemade peanut sauce, vermicelli bowls, and bánh mì, an Asian-style sub sandwich.

New on the menu is pad thai, a famous type of stir-fried street food in many parts of Asia. Rounding off the menu are other traditional items like fried rice, chow mein, and wontons.

Many of these dishes are custom-ordered based on one’s preference of beef, pork, shrimp, chicken, or vegetable.

“I’m glad to bring something new [to Niverville],” Ritchot says. “There’s 20 million pizza places here… so I’m trying to bring people in with something different.”

The Vietnamese chef behind Pho Real! was herself a restaurant owner in years past. Ritchot says it’s a good collaboration they’ve created in Niverville.

This summer, the restaurant added patio seating, and new signage will grace the building in the coming months.

Niakwa Pizza is open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays. Hours extend to 11:00 p.m. on weekends. The Pho Real! menu is available from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day of the week.

The business provides employment for six local youth, but Ritchot’s always looking for more. They deliver to places well beyond Niverville, including Lorette, Grande Pointe, Île-des-Chênes, St. Adolphe, Ste. Agathe, Otterburne, and New Bothwell.

“Niakwa has been one of the longest standing pizza places [in Niverville] and I want to keep it that way,” Ritchot says.