Before Mesala served protein bowls, homemade guacamole and customizable salads to Da Nang’s international community, it was a small business operating from a family home. The menu offered one salad base with different proteins and sauces. Ingredients came from local markets, and the family delivered orders themselves.
Even the name reflected its modest beginnings: “Mom’s Salads.”
Today, Mesala serves a largely international clientele, with a menu shaped by customers asking for more protein, smaller portions and a clearer understanding of what goes into their meals.
“A lot of what we do today comes from what our customers have taught us,” founder Trung Nguyen tells Da Nang Voice.
That willingness to listen has helped guide the restaurant from its earliest home deliveries to its An Thuong location. It is also shaping plans for a simpler menu, a possible expansion to Hoi An and a meal-prep service intended to make everyday healthy eating more convenient.
But the idea began with an unexpected lunch in Finland.
While studying there, Nguyen often volunteered at events because they offered free pizza. At a YouTube event in Helsinki, he encountered something different.
“One day, at a YouTube event in Helsinki, they served bean salads instead. It was my first time trying that kind of food,” he says. “The taste was okay, but I remember feeling surprisingly light and energized afterward.”
The experience stayed with him. Later, while working as a data analyst for an organic grocery chain in Hanoi, he began experimenting with salad recipes. His boss liked the results.
Back in Da Nang, where Nguyen was born and raised, his mother was working as a tailor and struggling with back pain. He wanted to help her find less physically demanding work, and a small salad business seemed like an opportunity.
“Mesala started with three things: my experience in Finland, my salad experiments in Hanoi, and my desire to help my mom.”
The name brought those ideas together.
“‘Me’ means ‘Mẹ’ (mother) in Vietnamese, and ‘Sala’ comes from salad,” he explains. “So Mesala originally meant ‘Mom’s Salads.’ It can also mean ‘Mê Salad’ — to love salads!”
Mesala first opened on February 28, 2019. The family designed a logo on Canva, bought fresh ingredients from local markets and prepared orders at home.
Customers could choose chicken, pork, beef or shrimp to accompany the salad base, with homemade sauces including sesame, sweet and sour, spicy and passion fruit.
“We even delivered the orders ourselves!”
The first version of Mesala lasted about a year. Nguyen says his mother eventually closed it because maintaining consistent quality and handling customers had become difficult.
In September 2022, he brought the business back with a new menu and a fresh approach. Sweetgreen, the American salad and bowl chain, provided inspiration, along with Pinterest and lessons from his earlier work in organic groceries. His girlfriend, now his wife, encouraged him to take the chance.
“I’ve always been interested in healthy living. Before Mesala, I worked for two organic grocery businesses and even opened a small organic grocery store with friends,” he says.
“I wanted to build something that could bring real value to people’s lives, and healthy food felt like a natural choice.”
The restaurant’s emphasis on nutrition developed gradually. Although Mesala began with an interest in fresh, healthy meals, tracking protein, carbohydrates and fats was not originally a central part of the concept.
Customers helped change that.
“For example, we didn’t originally focus on macros (protein, carbs, and fats). Customers started asking for nutritional information and customizable protein portions, so we gradually introduced them.”
Portion sizes evolved through similar conversations. Some diners wanted a lighter, less expensive meal, while others wanted a bowl substantial enough to support their training or keep them full.
“Some Vietnamese customers told us our portions were too big, so we created smaller, more affordable salad bowls,” Nguyen says. “Meanwhile, international customers often asked for more protein and vegetables.”
Those requests helped shape the menu beyond its original combination of a single salad base, different proteins and a selection of sauces. Inspiration still comes from Sweetgreen, Instagram and Pinterest, but customer feedback remains part of the process.
Now, Mesala is looking to narrow its focus.
“Now, we’re planning to simplify our menu and focus on fewer dishes with better quality,” he says. “Instead of offering everything, we want to create meals that serve specific needs, whether that’s losing fat, building muscle, or simply eating healthier.”
For first-time customers, Nguyen recommends the Lean Burrito Bowl, a combination of brown rice, black beans, sous-vide chicken and homemade guacamole.
“We use sous-vide cooking for proteins like chicken, salmon, and beef to keep them tender and juicy.”
The guacamole has developed its own following, although Nguyen readily acknowledges that the recipe reflects his preferences.
“Our guacamole is also quite popular. It’s not exactly authentic Mexican guacamole because I’ve adjusted the recipe to my own taste!”
For diners seeking something smaller, he points to the Guacamole Salad Bowl.
“For something lighter, our Guacamole Salad Bowl is a favorite, especially among customers looking for a smaller meal.”
His other favorites include Falafel with Garlic Sauce, Teriyaki Salmon, Double Greek Salad and Spinach Salad.
“Most of these dishes started simply because I enjoyed eating them myself!”
Mesala’s growth has also depended on how customers find and order its food. Nguyen credits Grab with making the business accessible to diners when opening a full restaurant was beyond his budget.
“First, Grab played a huge role. It allowed someone like me, who couldn’t afford a proper restaurant at the beginning, to reach customers from a small kitchen,” he says.
“Second, our customers have been incredibly helpful. Their feedback has pushed us to improve our food and service continuously.”
Da Nang’s international population has provided another opportunity. According to Nguyen, most of Mesala’s customers are expats and international visitors, bringing different expectations and preferences to the restaurant.
“And finally, Da Nang has become home to more international residents, giving us the opportunity to serve people from many different backgrounds.”
Asked whether he anticipated Mesala becoming popular with that community, he is quick to give credit beyond his own work.
“Not at all! We’ve worked hard, but I also think we’ve been very lucky,” he says. “I’m really grateful for the customers who have supported us and helped Mesala grow.”
Serving those customers consistently requires a dependable team, something Nguyen describes as the restaurant’s biggest challenge.
“Finding good employees, training them, keeping them motivated, and creating a workplace where they’re happy is harder than I expected.”
He says restaurant work competes with several alternatives in Da Nang. In his experience, large construction projects offer attractive wages, delivery platforms provide flexibility, and hotels and offices present other options for potential employees.
“As a result, fewer people seem interested in working in kitchens or restaurants.”
For Mesala, addressing that challenge means paying attention to the experience of employees as well as diners.
“I believe happy employees create happy customers, so building a good team remains one of our biggest priorities.”
Despite the restaurant’s following, Nguyen is careful about suggesting that its success reflects a broader shift in Da Nang’s eating habits.
Asked whether the city has become more health-conscious since Mesala opened, he acknowledges the limits of what he sees through the business.
“To be honest, I’m not sure yet,” he says. “Most of our customers are expats and international visitors, so I don’t think we have enough experience with the broader local market to say that Da Nang is becoming more health-conscious.”
“Hopefully, healthy eating will become more popular among Vietnamese customers in the future too!”
The restaurant has several ideas for its next chapter. Among them is MeFitFood, a healthy meal-prep delivery service designed to make regular healthy eating more convenient.
Mesala is also considering expanding to Hoi An and making its An Thuong restaurant more comfortable for customers. Nguyen says those ambitions must be weighed against the resources available to a small business.
“But we’re still a small business with limited resources, so we need to choose carefully.”
For now, the priorities remain close to the feedback that helped shape Mesala from the beginning: improve the meals, look after customers and make the experience worth returning for.
“For now, our main priority is to keep improving our food, service, and customer experience before growing further.”
Visit Mesala
Website: mesala.vn
Locations:
- 01 An Thượng 11, Đà Nẵng
- 87/2 Lê Hồng Phong, Đà Nẵng — takeaway only
Follow Mesala: Instagram | Facebook
Sources
This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.
