After 45 years in business, South Tampa’s Thailand Restaurant will close next month | Openings & Closings | Tampa

The owners of one beloved Tampa restaurant are finally ready to retire and close its doors for good (but we’re just happy they won’t be displaced by more condos.)

After 45 years of dishing out hearty curries, egg rolls and fried rice platters out of its space at 5252 S Dale Mabry Hwy., South Tampa’s Thailand Restaurant will close next month.

A few months ago, owners Amnuay and Moo Thambundit announced on Facebook that they would be retiring soon, and switched to solely take-out orders in May.

“As many of you know, we will be retiring soon. We have served you all for over 44 years and are greatly appreciative of your long-time patronage to us,” the Thambundits wrote on Facebook in April.

The last day to order take-out from Thailand Restaurant is Friday, July 28.

The Thambundits were once fixtures at Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s Best of the Bay, where their daughter, C Thambundit, used to help run the sampling. “The best memories I have are from trading food with other restaurants at the end of the night!,” she told CL.

The Thai restaurant still offers a large menu of papaya salads, spring rolls, pad Thai, curries and a variety of stir fried proteins.  Its entire menu can be browsed at thailandtampa.com.

A recent story from WTSP outlines Thailand Restaurants’ entire history in Tampa, even explaining how Thambundits fell in love back in the 70s. The husband and wife duo opened their restaurant in 1979 and claim to be the first restaurateurs to bring traditional Thai fare to the Tampa Bay area.

For the latest information on Thailand Restaurant’s last month of take-out service and eventual closure, head to its Facebook at @thailandtampa.

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