Twenty-one years after opening the original Nan Thai Fine Dining on Spring Street in Midtown, a second location will open in Buckhead this fall.
This October, Chai Yo Modern Thai executive chef and owner DeeDee Niyomkul, the daughter of restaurateur Nan Niyomkul, will transform her space at 3050 Peachtree Road into Nan Thai Buckhead.
“This is my way of honoring my parents’ iconic Nan Thai brand,” DeeDee Niyomkul said in a press release. “We’ll be introducing some of my mother’s, Chef Nan’s, favorite dishes to our guests in Buckhead.”
Before opening Chai Yo Modern Thai in 2018, DeeDee created Midtown’s popular Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft in 2009, inspired by her grandmother’s Thai street food. Now, with Nan’s second location, she wants to carry on the legacy of the family business. The original Nan’s at 1350 Spring Street, with its signature golden tamarind pod statue, is still busy greeting guests more than two decades after its debut.
“We’re keeping all of the things guests love about our authentic Thai experience, from the food to the service,” DeeDee said. “We’re going to incorporate modern fine dining without the white tablecloths. Nan Thai Buckhead will honor and celebrate our family’s traditions while being more relaxed and adapting to the times.”
Chef Nan’s signature dishes – including the crispy whole red snapper with three-flavored chili sauce and lamb hung lay (braised lamb in Northern Thai red curry) – will be on the menu Buckhead. The new restaurant also allows the mother-and-daughter chefs to integrate Chef Nan’s traditional approach with Chef DeeDee’s modern sensibilities to create new menu items, according to the press release.
Bar manager Linda Boualavong will create a “fun, modern craft cocktail program” to complement Nan Thai Buckhead’s menu.
Nan Thai Buckhead will also pay tribute to DeeDee s father, Charlie, who succumbed to COVID-19 at age 70.
“My dad never met a stranger,” DeeDee said. “For over 25 years, he made everyone feel like a member of our family. He was always focused on enlightening guests about Thai cuisine while providing a world-class dining experience. That’s been ingrained in me since I was a kid. My parents’ legacy will live on at Nan Thai Buckhead.”
