A Vietnamese street food chain has confirmed the opening date for its first branch in Kent.

Pho took over the former home of burger bar 7Bone in Burgate near Canterbury Cathedral after the previous tenant abruptly departed.

It has now been confirmed the company will open its doors to the public for the first time next month.

Opening for a soft launch starting from August 1, a spokesman from the eatery revealed the grand unveiling of the restaurant would be on August 8.

“We are super-excited to be opening in Canterbury as we are well overdue for a Kent location and Canterbury looks to be the perfect spot,” began Pho bosses.

“We have our soft launch lined up for next week with our full official opening to be the following week.

“For those that can’t wait to try us out, we will be doing a free phở day next Friday (4th) in which from open to close the only thing we serve is phở and it will be completely free and we won’t stop slinging soups till the stockpot runs dry.”

Punters can walk in to expect a menu full of curries, Vermicelli and wok-fried noodles as well as nine types of pho and a vegan range.

Pho was formed in 2005 by Stephen and Juliette Wall after they became inspired by the dish pho, a soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat, during a trip to Vietnam.

Pronounced 'fuh', it is the national dish of the Southeast Asian country and has roots dating back to the early 1900s.

Having been in business for 18 years, the chain now boasts 39 sites in locations including Bristol, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Manchester, as well as multiple London branches.

It’ll be the firm's first branch in Kent, and join a long list of eateries to set up in the city in recent months.

Italian Mirabella, Mexican franchise Tortilla and Detroit-style pizza parlour Square Peg have all arrived in the city within the past year – with Canterbury BID bosses claiming the city is currently enjoying a boom in the businesses that fill the streets.

And in March, plans were revealed to convert the former Burton in the heart of the city into a three-storey restaurant.

7Bone opened its doors in September 2021, replacing Byron Burger, and quickly became a favourite for foodies and students in the city.

KentOnline reporter Brad Harper described a Wotsit-filled burger offered by 7Bone as the best he’d had in years in his Eat My Words review that month.

In a statement released on March 20, 7Bone announced it would be moving out of the city after 18 months.

"For reasons totally outside of our control, we are truly sorry to announce the closure of our Canterbury restaurant," a spokesman said at the time.

"We'd like to thank you all for dining with us, your support and of course thank our amazing team."

The brand, which currently operates 10 sites countrywide, also confirmed it was on the lookout for a new location in the city and encouraged fans to "watch this space”.

The Canterbury closure came less than six months after the chain closed its other Kent restaurant in Maidstone for good.

It had previously cited "staff shortages" as the reason why it unexpectedly shut up shop in the county town in July last year, a measure that was expected to be temporary at the time.

Lisa Carlson, CEO of Canterbury BID (Business Improvement District) told KentOnline the news of Pho’s arrival shows "how desirable Canterbury is for new businesses".

"We appreciate the challenging situation for both property owners and occupiers, not least considering we are still recovering from the pandemic, post-Brexit challenges and in the midst of an ongoing energy and inflation crisis,” added Mrs Carlson.