PINELLAS PARK — Despite its busy, often congested thoroughfares, seemingly endless traffic along 49th Street N and the anxiety that comes from too many forced left turns, I have a real soft spot in my heart for Pinellas Park.
At almost every major intersection, I’m greeted with a multicultural smorgasbord: Filipino or Honduran, Thai or Vietnamese, Korean or Mexican. Lately, it’s been my go-to spot whenever I’m craving the bright and fiery flavors of Laotian cuisine, thanks to Sap Sap Lao Cafe, a new restaurant that opened in February on a busy stretch of Park Boulevard N.
The spot is a small family-run business led by husband-and-wife duo Jonathan and Susanna Phaengvisay. Jonathan’s mother, Chanh, runs the show in the kitchen as the restaurant’s main chef while other family members — uncles, aunts, siblings — help out with back- and front-of-house operations.
