After three years serving the greater Route 1 corridor community, Banana Blossom Bistro will close its Riverdale Park location and open a new space in Union Market.

The Vietnamese restaurant, which recently won Best Asian Restaurant in the Hyattsville Wire’s fifth annual reader poll, will close on Saturday, March 12, and anticipates opening in Union Market by the end of March.

Owner Annie Esguerra told the Hyattsville Wire that the decision was largely spurred by her family’s move back to California.

“It is still very important to us that Banana Blossom Bistro maintains a presence here since this is where it started,” she said. “We believe that realigning our model into smaller, more intimate spaces like Union Market will allow us to put more focus on our craft and do what we do best: serving up good Vietnamese food and delivering legendary hospitality.”

Esguerra said that she still thinks Riverdale Park Town Center is a “hidden gem with incredible charm” that will become a “destination location” eventually.

The new location in Union Market will still serve phở and bánh mì and offer pickup and delivery through its website, UberEats, DoorDash and Grubhub, but there will be some changes to the menu. Most of the staff will continue at the new location.

Esguerra said she plans to open a second location in southern California soon, but she will miss the Route 1 corridor.

“The restaurant scene on Route 1 is definitely booming,” she said. “We will miss serving the Riverdale Park-Hyattsville-University Park communities and the friendly faces we see on a regular basis. Most of all, we will miss the sense of community here; however, this is not a goodbye! Come visit us at Union Market!”

Banana Blossom Bistro first opened in Riverdale Park in February 2019.

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