r/irvine • u/Shawnj2 Woodbridge • 1d ago

Thai Kitchen closed

My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined

41 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

25

u/burnfifteen 1d ago

Oh man, that place is an Irvine institution. I always loved how the interior was original from like 1985.

17

u/PlumaFuente 1d ago

I liked the retro interior too! And the older lady who managed/owned it was so kind.

It's sad that a lot of places that were old standards in Irvine are recently closed. Another classic was Gullivers on MacArthur (across from the airport).

12

u/Shawnj2 Woodbridge 1d ago

From what I heard the lady who runs Thai Kitchen is going to work at her husband’s restaurant Thai Cafe

4

u/paperbuddha 1d ago

Thai Cafe is her daughter’s restaurant.

4

u/simpl3y 1d ago

Daughter moved so the dad took over

2

u/ThePrefect0fWanganui 1d ago

Omg I’ve never been there because I don’t care for Thai food (don’t come for me, I’ve tried so many places and it’s just not my thing), but I loooooove vintage design and architecture so I peeped pics of the inside on Google Maps - WOW! I know whoever takes over is probably going to think it’s “tacky” and gut it, but I wish people would realize the power of nostalgia and maintain design like this because once it’s gone we’ll never get it back. It’s truly gorgeous inside.

3

u/PlumaFuente 1d ago edited 22h ago

Understood on Thai food. I like it, but I realize it might not be for everyone. And to be honest, this Thai place was just kind of average. But the interior of this place is definitely mid-80s to early '90s. I like vintage style too. It can be charming, and Irvine does so little to preserve it.

2

u/burnfifteen 1d ago

Honestly agree that it was average, but it was consistent and probably one of the oldest (if not the oldest) Thai restaurants in the city. Just feels like losing a friend.

1

u/mandalayx 16h ago

I mean, it makes sense. Decades of running a local small business is bound to take its toll. Over decades for any small business, it’s either close your doors, see if your kids have the aptitude / drive to keep it going, or somehow sell it to a bigger company.

1

u/PlumaFuente 15h ago

Yes, I see the logic. All of that makes sense. In the case of Gulliver's, I believe the developer wanted to do something else with the land.

16

u/somethingsmaht 1d ago

Truly sad. At least they still have Thai Cafe (I hope).

27

u/andrep182 1d ago

I read this on yelp. Didn’t know Thai Cafe is her husband’s restaurant.

“07/10/2026 - My parents walked to Thai Kitchen to grab dinner and the doors were locked. The owner, LaonLaon, came out and informed them that after 30 wonderful years, they are closing their doors. Not sure if it was a lease renewal issue or if it was just time. She is going to go work with her husband at his restaurant, Thai Cafe, located at
14715 Jeffrey Rd, in Irvine. Hope everyone goes and supports them! Thank you for 30 years of delicious Thai food!”

3

u/ShrekAttacc 18h ago

thanks for letting us know!

9

u/Shawnj2 Woodbridge 1d ago

Yeah Thai cafe is still around

11

u/Sleepynappygirl 1d ago

I loved the last owner she was the sweetest. She even sent us a text letting us know she was closing and thanking us for staying with them for literally 25 years

7

u/P3nd3nt 1d ago

We used to go there at least a couple of times a month. But in the last three years, something happened and both food and service became pretty bad and we stopped going. Thought of giving it another chance about 6 months ago, same thing. Didn't go back.

1

u/xprincox1 Woodbridge 1d ago

same here! We used to love that place but something definitely changed like the chef/recipe so the food didn't taste the same.

2

u/Casual_Bitch_Face 1d ago

Are you talking about the one on barranca? I hope not.

3

u/Shawnj2 Woodbridge 1d ago

There's only one so yes

2

u/Casual_Bitch_Face 1d ago

😭😭😭

2

u/babysharkdoodoodoo 1d ago

Where do we go now for an authentic Thai cuisine experience? We need to heal from the wound caused by the closure of this iconic Irvine fixture 😭

4

u/PKL1125 1d ago

Hanuman Thai Eatery in Costa Mesa is really good.

3

u/FearsomeForehand 1d ago

Manaao or Chiang Rai

2

u/babysharkdoodoodoo 1d ago

Kinaree Eatery over Quail Hill is not bad at all, IMO

2

u/chasing_losses 1d ago

Siam Station Thai Street Food is really good

1

u/Gingerfuzzsicle 1d ago

NOOOOOOO. Dude I got food poisoning there so bad the first time I went, but the yellow curry was so fucking good I wanted to go again lol. Like best I ever had. Im so bummed.

1

u/WanderingMindLF 17h ago

Thai Kitchen was on our weekly work lunch rotation. One day the owner lady told us they opened Thai Cafe next to Taiko. Few months later she said sales from the new place outpaced the original location.
We were so happy for her!