About Us

Mawn is a noodle house with “no rules.” The first restaurant for Chef Phila Lorn and his wife Rachel who each come with close to 20 years in Philly’s restaurant scene.

Phila pronounced Pee La, broken English for Philadelphia, is a first-generation Cambodian-American Chef. The first in his family to be born here, his parents and siblings came to Philadelphia as refugees in 1985 after surviving the war in Cambodia.

Rachel, a Philly native, met Phila while working at Zama in 2011. They bonded over their love of food and music and grew up at the same time in Philadelphia.

After working together and separately running restaurants for other people, Rachel and Phila are excited to bring their longtime dream to life.

About Us

Mawn is a noodle house with “no rules,” and the first restaurant for Chef Phila Lorn and his wife Rachel, who bring with them close to 20 years of experience in Philly’s restaurant scene. Phila, pronounced “Pee La,” broken English for Philadelphia, is a first-generation Cambodian-American chef. The first in his family to be born here, his parents and siblings came to Philadelphia as refugees in 1985 after surviving the war in Cambodia.

Mawn, which means “chicken” in Khmer, the Cambodian language, represents more than one thing. To Phila, chicken was at every meal growing up, and to his parents, chicken represented peacetime. During the war and genocide of the Cambodian people, there was mostly only what was found in nature to eat, including rice and salt. If there was chicken, it meant no war. At the end of that dark time, recipes were lost, and culture was wiped out, but through survival, a new authenticity was born. Mawn’s menu showcases not only Cambodian cuisine, but dishes from all over Southeast Asia.

To Rachel and Phila, family and traditions are everything. They invite everyone who joins them for a meal to be a part of theirs. You may even see their adorable baby Otis “Oti “ running around.