Wexford House, Worcester landmark, to come back to life as Pho Sure restaurant

Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette
Updated ·2 min read
Pho Sure, a Vietnamese restaurant in Shrewsbury, will move to the building that was home to the Wexford House for many years.
Pho Sure, a Vietnamese restaurant in Shrewsbury, will move to the building that was home to the Wexford House for many years.

WORCESTER – The familiar building at the corner where Shrewsbury Street and Belmont Street converge, home of the iconic Wexford House for nearly 40 years, will come back to life by early next year when a Shrewsbury restaurant relocates to the spot.

Pho Sure, a Vietnamese restaurant that has done business at the White City Plaza in Shrewsbury since 2014, is slated to move into the property after ongoing renovations are completed. Son Vo, the owner of Pho Sure, and his family purchased the Wexford House property, 503 Shrewsbury St., in November 2021 for $1,400,000.

“We wanted to expand, and the opportunity came,” Vo said Wednesday. “We were looking for a space for a while.”

The Wexford House was iconic for its strong sense of Mediterranean cuisine since the 1980s, when Richard Cravedi bought the business from original owner Bill Hester, who founded the Wexford House in 1975.

Cravedi’s wife, Ann Marie Cravedi, joined her husband in owning and managing the restaurant.

After the start of the pandemic, the restaurant closed in mid-March 2020 with intentions to reopen. When that proved futile, the owners decided to close the doors for good.

Since then, the building has kept the name Wexford House, its white lettering visible to the thousands of motorists who pass the old restaurant each day.

The sign remains, even as Vo’s contractors have started work, drilling and hammering new changes into the building in the past few months.

Vo said he will build a deck and patio in the back of the building, extending from the red-brick wall at the back of the restaurant. For those familiar with the interior of the Wexford House, the wall featured a brick-oven look. Other renovations include new windows.

Vo said the hope is for the renovation to end sometime near the end of the year, but accounting for any possible delays, he said the first dishes will most likely be served sometime in early 2024.

Pho Sure is known for an authentic Vietnamese menu, mostly inspired by Vo’s mother, who ran a restaurant in their native country. Menu items include noodle soups, spring rolls and bahn mi, among many other options.

Vo also owns Japanese-specialty restaurants Chashu Ramen + Izakaya on Franklin Street and Kaizen Sushi Bar & Grill on Main Street in Fiskdale.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Wexford House, Worcester landmark, to come back to life as Pho Sure restaurant