June 2, 2026

A chef with a decade of experience in Sioux Falls is starting his own restaurant, taking over the kitchen at The Hello Hi.

Duy Pham opens Le Oui Oui – “it’s just a fun French saying” — today in the downtown cocktail lounge at 120 S. Phillips Ave.

New York-style pizza by the slice is making a return to The Hello Hi after Pizza Cheeks moved to a full restaurant space over a year ago and closed the kitchen at the end of the year.

Pham’s otherwise French-themed menu also features a few appetizers, along with a couple of salads, pasta dishes and desserts.

“It’s going to be a very small and seasonal menu,” he said. “Everything made from scratch. We find the best ingredients, and we keep it very simple and approachable.”

To start, Le Oui Oui will serve cheese and pepperoni pizzas. “That’s two we’re always going to have,” Pham said. “Eventually, there will be weekly specials … taking seasonal ingredients we find interesting and then making it a pizza.”

The Hello Hi customers also will be able to order a whole pizza until 9 p.m. or so – after that it will be slices only. To order food, they’ll head to the kitchen window in the back of the lounge, and servers will deliver it once it’s ready. Carryout and potentially delivery in town won’t be available until the kitchen crew puts in a little time.

A gluten-free crust won’t be an option, Pham said.

Many ingredients will be imported from France like the butter used in the Bread n Butter starter, which will feature bread from North End Bakery & Deli, and Meat n Cheese, which will use French cheeses and cured meats. Baked Feta n Pita Chips will use imported cheese.

Fresh oysters will be served daily on the half-shell, featuring a traditional French mignonette sauce. They’ll be brought in twice a week, with a half-dozen selling for $18, Pham said. During happy hour, they’ll be $2 off.

The opening menu – expect to see it change three or four times a year – will have a Caesar salad and a yellow watermelon salad. The pasta dishes will be Gnocchi n Cheese and Angel Hair Pesto.

For dessert, Le Oui Oui will serve creme brulee and madeleines with ice cream – all made in-house.

Pham grew up in Vietnam, where French influences come from its time as a colony, he said. His family moved to the U.S. when he was a teenager, and he has lived in Sioux Falls for 13 years, picking up his cooking skills by working for chefs like Dominique Fontenille.

Pham caught the attention of Hello Hi owner Pat Nelson because of the ramen pop-ups Pham was doing with friends. Nelson reached out to see if Ramen Bros wanted to do one at the cocktail lounge, which turned into a conversation about taking over the kitchen, Pham said.

Ramen pop-ups at The Hello Hi could be a possibility in the future, Pham said.

“What they are doing is a great fit for what we do at Hello Hi. An elevated product in a very approachable, fast-casual setting. No white tablecloths here,” Nelson said. “It was important for us to find a local talent who was passionate about food and looking to be a hands-on owner/operator. Duy is 100 percent that guy, and we are looking forward to collaborating with this young, talented entrepreneur.”

Le Oui Oui will start serving at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The full menu will be available until 10:45 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On the weekend, slices will be served until 12:45 a.m.