Anthony Huang and Pouv Song have run the original Heng Seng restaurant in South Philly since 1989. Earlier this month, their three children came together to open Heng Seng Noodles (1467 Brace Road), a restaurant in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, that will carry on their family legacy.

The siblings — Sarah, 28 years old, Annie, 26, and Lange, 25 — originally talked about opening a coffee shop. When they brought it up to their father, he mentioned he’d always wanted to expand his restaurant.

“I couldn’t imagine a world where my parents had to close down their shop to retire and the food didn’t exist anymore,” Sarah said. The plan is for the siblings to eventually run both restaurants. For now, though, the South Philly location is closed as the parents pitch in to get the new one up and running.

To honor their parents, they decided to use the same restaurant name, hoping people would recognize it. The response has been overwhelming, Sarah said. The Cambodian community in South Jersey has grown in recent years, especially since Preah Buddha Rangsey Temple opened in Voorhees.

In the first few days of business, Sarah said she was constantly running to the back to tell her parents one of their old customers was there and wanted to say hello. During their first week, the restaurant was so busy they had to close for a day to prepare for the second week.

“It’s become like a whole reunion,” she said. “It’s really magical and so sweet.”

The Huang siblings have brought many of their parents’ most popular dishes to the new restaurant, including favorites like the dry noodles — a dish Sarah said sometimes confuses people unfamiliar with the cuisine.

“Imagine a noodle soup without the soup,” she explained. “The noodles have our house special soy sauce with pork and seafood, and then you get a side of soup to slurp alongside.” Part of the appeal, she added, is that everyone can dress their noodles a little differently, choosing from an array of condiments.

In addition to noodles and soups, Sarah said they’ve added a larger selection of appetizers than what their parents typically serve. Inspired by the popularity of the Southeast Asian Market at FDR Park, they’ve included dishes that are beloved there, such as grilled beef skewers, shrimp tempura, and bok lahong — a spicy papaya salad with string beans and Thai eggplant.

“We’ve been getting a lot of compliments on our papaya salad,” Sarah said. “Everyone makes it a little different, but we’ve been hearing that ours is really flavorful because of the fermented fish and crab paste.”

Leaning into the siblings’ original coffee shop idea, Heng Seng Noodles also offers a signature menu of drinks. “We were inspired by Càphê Roasters and their drink menu,” Sarah said. “We’re using their Vietnamese blend.”

Among the signature drinks is the pandan coffee, made with the tropical plant beloved in Southeast Asian desserts for its earthy, vanilla-like flavor. Sarah said she and her siblings are especially proud of the pandan cold foam they’ve developed. Ultimately, though, their pride lies in carrying on a family legacy that has meant so much to so many over the years.

“There are so many families who’ve come for generations,” Sarah said. “So we were all on board with continuing this family legacy and the tradition of the noodle shop.”

Heng Seng Noodles