Fine Thai restaurant comes to Buckhead

A Thai restaurant in Buckhead is being remodeled.

DeeDee NiyomkulChef and owner of Chai Yo Modern Thaitransforms the room into a place of Fine food at Nan Thai.

“This is my way of honoring my parents’ iconic Nan Thai brand,” Niyomkul said in an announcement. “We will be introducing some of my mother, Chef Nan’s, favorite dishes to our guests in Buckhead.”

Niyomkul is the daughter of Atlanta restaurant owners Nan and the late Charlie Niyomkul. Before opening Chai Yo Modern Thai in 2018, she founded Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft in 2009, inspired by her grandmother’s Thai street food.

Nan Thai Fine Dining’s flagship location opened more than two decades ago at 1350 Spring Street.

“We’re keeping everything guests love about our authentic Thai experience, from the food to the service,” said DeeDee. “We’ll offer modern fine dining without white tablecloths. Nan Thai Buckhead will honor and celebrate our family’s traditions, but will be more relaxed and in step with the times.”

Some of the restaurant’s specialties, such as crispy whole red snapper with Chef Nan’s triple chili sauce and lamb hung lay (braised lamb in northern Thai red curry), are served at the Buckhead restaurant.

“We want to add a bit of Nan to the space with Thai silk and exotic wood from Thailand, but with a modern twist, along with a beautiful private dining room,” DeeDee said of the interior design.

Led by the bar manager Linda BoualavongThe beverage program at Nan Thai Buckhead includes craft cocktails that complement the Thai flavors of the food.

“The explosion of Asian cuisine over the past five years means that guests crave these flavor profiles,” Boualavong said. “It’s fun to work with ingredients like Thai basil, lemongrass and pandanus to create cocktails that pair perfectly with DeeDee’s food.”

DeeDee hopes to pay tribute to her father with the new restaurant.

“My father never met strangers,” she said. “For over 25 years, he made everyone feel like family. He was always keen to introduce guests to Thai cuisine while providing them with a world-class dining experience. That has been ingrained in me since I was a child. My parents’ legacy will live on at Nan Thai Buckhead.”

Nan Thai Buckhead is scheduled to debut this fall.