Similan Thai And Sushi Opens In Edgewater, Taking Over Former Summer Noodles Spot

EDGEWATER — Like many restaurant workers during the pandemic, Jessie Chanthanadit suddenly found herself out of a job last year when the Edgewater restaurant where she worked closed.

But the restaurant closure afforded Chanthanadit the opportunity to achieve a dream: owning her own restaurant.

Chanthanadit opened Similan Thai and Sushi in late December at 1123 W. Granville Ave. The restaurant takes over the space formerly occupied by Summer Noodles and Rice, which closed in December after a 13-year run.

As a waiter and assistant manager at Summer Noodles, Chanthanadit decided to take over the business, bring on her brother as a partner and make pandemic-friendly changes.

“I worked here for all 13 years,” she said. “When they closed, we felt like, ‘Why not build our own?’ We want to do it our style.”

Chanthanadit bought the business from the Summer Noodles owners and…