Popular Burlington Restaurant Việt Citron Will Expand to Somerville

Viet Citron’s bánh hỏi with crispy pork belly and an egg roll. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Crispy pork belly fans, take note: Việt Citron, a popular Vietnamese counter-service spot in Burlington, is expanding to Somerville, targeting a late fall opening. Chef and owner Tran Lee will be announcing the exact location soon, but for now, she’s excited to share that she loves the city’s “tight-knit and grassroots community” with diners who are “highly adventurous with their tastebuds,” not to mention enthusiastic about sustainability and supporting local businesses. “We know we can introduce some very authentic flavors,” says Lee, “and the crowd will try it.”

For those who haven’t visited the original location north of Boston yet, the four-year-old restaurant features scratch-made food that draws from Lee’s family recipes as well as “modern authentic Vietnamese flavors that are well-loved in Vietnam right now,” she says. The core menu includes a variety of phở options, each made with a 48-hour beef bone marrow broth; bánh hỏi (vermicelli bundles), salads, bánh mì, and rice bowls with toppings such as chili lemongrass pork ribs, grilled lemongrass sirloin, or the extremely popular crispy pork belly; and sides such as chả giò, fried egg rolls stuffed with pork and shrimp. Lee and the team get extra-creative when it comes to seasonal specials, which often feature ingredients sourced from local farms—or even staff members’ own gardens.

The new Việt Citron will be similar to the original but a bit smaller, seating only 10 and featuring a rotation of Burlington staples. It will also serve as an experimental test kitchen for new dishes, says Lee. “In addition, as we want to give our team an opportunity to grow and showcase their own different talents, we’ll be supporting some of their ideas and concepts in this location.”

Lee also tries to support the team with an emphasis on work-life balance. There are no late-night hours, for one; Việt Citron is open for lunch and early dinner. “Family time is important,” she says. “We believe the happier the team, the better foods and services, the more customers will come back frequently.”

If all goes as planned, there may even be more locations to come. “We have always wanted to expand, but didn’t want to rush,” says Lee, “particularly since we painfully remember our first month as a restaurant just as the COVID pandemic shut down the nation.” (Việt Citron debuted in early March 2020—unlucky timing, but it makes the Burlington location’s success that much more impressive.) “The smaller size [of the Somerville location] will force us to be more disciplined and is a good testing ground for future expansions.”

Lee, who spent 10 years as an architect, is designing the new space herself. “I’m definitely rusty and it’s coming along slowly,” she jokes. Enthusiastic about cooking since childhood, she had toyed with the idea of going to culinary school after her undergraduate years at Tufts: “I realized that I spent more time cooking in my dorm kitchen and walking to Star Market in Porter Square at midnight to buy ingredients rather than partying with my classmates,” recalls Lee, but “my mom threatened to disown me” at the mention of culinary school. Architecture had its appeal, too—“I love the arts and engineering”—so she went on to get a master’s degree in the field while still dreaming of opening a restaurant one day.

That came to fruition in 2020, and now, it’s time for phase two. Lee credits her husband and Việt Citron co-owner, Howard Lee, as being the “backbone in the background of the business” (informal title: “boss panda”) while maintaining his own career in manufacturing and the corporate world. “When we wanted to expand, it was a big decision we had to make, since I couldn’t do it full-time alone. Ultimately, he decided to step away from his career to dedicate himself to helping us grow. So, the expansion is finally happening as all the stars are aligning at the right time, with the right leadership, and the right location.”

As Việt Citron grows, Lee hopes to “change people’s perception of Vietnamese food,” showcasing the care and careful ingredient sourcing behind the complex flavors. “I think there’s still so much stigma that Vietnamese foods are cheap and unelevated, and if it doesn’t look like a hole in the wall, it’s not authentic,” says Lee. “As part of a new generation of Vietnamese restaurateurs, we want to tell our story, our struggles, our success, and our value. We are not cooking Vietnamese food that’s been stuck pre-1975. Vietnamese foods have evolved so much in the past 50 years.”

The Vietnamese restaurant of 2024, as far as Lee is concerned? “We want to introduce new authentic Vietnamese flavors and run a sustainable business that our team and the whole community can be proud of—with a hip vibe that continues to bring Vietnamese culture into the modern spotlight.”

47 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington, 781-750-3021, vietcitron.com. Somerville location opening late fall (exact location to be announced later in October).