LINCOLN SQUARE — A popular Thai restaurant in Lincoln Square is closing after two decades in the neighborhood.
Spoon Thai, 4608 N. Western Ave., will close Tuesday night, owner Dew Suriyawan said in a Facebook post.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of our beloved restaurant after many wonderful years of serving our community,” Suriyawan wrote. “We’re immensely grateful for the support and memories shared with all [of] you. Thank you for being a part of our journey.”
The restaurant, which opened in 2003, was able to weather the early days of the COVID-19 shutdown due to loyal customers and has since rebounded from the pandemic, the owner said. But the building’s landlord didn’t want to renew Spoon Thai’s lease, Suriyawan told Block Club Chicago.
“We could either move or close, and we decided we don’t want to reopen Spoon in another location,” Suriyawan said.
Messages left with Suriyawan’s landlord were not immediately returned.
Opened by Chai and Vanna Gumtrontip, Spoon Thai garnered a following in part due to its secret menu and authentic takes on Thai cuisine, the Reader wrote in 2011.
Suriyawan worked as a server before he bought the business in 2012, a decision he made soon after graduating from DePaul University with a masters in network engineering, he said.
“After I finished school, I was given the opportunity to own Spoon Thai,” Suriyawan said in a previous interview. “So I had to pick between being a restaurant owner and my computing career. And I picked being a restaurant owner because I love to cook.”
Spoon Thai’s closing will allow Suriyawan to focus on his two other businesses, Uptown’s Immm Rice & Beyond and its cocktail bar Mao Bar, he said. Mao Bar was added to the Immm space in January. Suriyawan is also an organizer of Thai Festival Chicago.
Closing Spoon Thai after more than 20 years in Lincoln Square is still a bittersweet ending, especially after reading so many heartwarming messages posted on Facebook after announcing the restaurant’s closure, Suriyawan said.
“Was so sad to learn this when we came in tonight,” one neighbor shared on Facebook. “You guys had a great restaurant and I hope that you find another home in Chicago someday.”
Suriyawan said he will take his last days in business to thank customers for support through the years.
“We’re a small business and regular customers always supported us and the messages the customers shared over the really warmed my heart,” he said.
Spoon Thai will be open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
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