John Pham grew up in Ho Chi Minh City walking to his favorite street food carts, watching traffic and eating well for almost nothing. Cristina Mendez grew up on the other side of that equation — Mexican food, tacos, the flavors that define a different kind of street corner. They got married, moved to Dallas, and in 2017 opened Cris and John in a North Dallas strip center between a 7-Eleven and a laundromat. The location was not a statement. The food was.
The menu they built sits at the intersection of two street food traditions that have more in common than you’d expect — both built around fresh herbs and bright acid and protein and heat, both designed to be eaten standing up or at a plastic table with no ceremony. What Cris and John does is fold those two traditions into each other without forcing them. The phoritto is the dish that defines the restaurant: all the elements of a bowl of pho — broth-braised beef, rice noodles, herbs, bean sprouts — packed into a warm crispy tortilla and folded shut. It shouldn’t work as cleanly as it does. It works completely.
The carne asada bao buns go in the other direction, the Mexican protein finding itself inside the soft steamed bun that belongs to Vietnamese bakeries. The Viet curry enchiladas and the phodillas follow the same logic — not fusion in the self-conscious sense, but two cooks sharing what they know and finding that the results taste like something real rather than something clever.
Beyond the crossover dishes, the kitchen does straight Vietnamese and straight Mexican with equal conviction. Birria tacos with the consommé for dipping. Angry Pho — the broth-based bowl with enough heat to earn the name. Spring rolls that reviewers describe as enormous. Five-spice honey glazed chicken skewers. Kimchi fries and carne asada fries alongside each other on the same menu without apology.
The weekly $30 special tray — a rotation of the kitchen’s most popular items, different every week — is what regulars plan around and what first-timers should order if they want to understand what this restaurant is doing in one visit.
Since the original Preston Oaks location, Cris and John moved to a roomier space at 6090 Campbell Road, Suite 136, which has better parking and more seating without losing the casual counter-service energy that made the original work. The line still forms. The to-go orders still stack up. At 6 p.m. on a Tuesday the place is packed, which after eight years in the same neighborhood says everything about whether the food delivers on what it promises. Open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Saturday and Monday. (972) 803-4750.
