Another Thai restaurant exits downtown

Lemongrass Thai Noodle has announced it is closing its doors at the corner of Petaluma Boulevard North and Washington Street.

The reason appears to be related to upcoming work on the building. As the restaurant owners posted on social media, “Our landlord has decided to renovate the building, we are unable to continue serving you at this downtown Petaluma location” – with “downtown Petaluma” in all caps.

I would guess that they are emphasizing that part because the downtown spot is not their original location. That would be Lemongrass Thai Cuisine, which sits right next to Big 5 Sporting Goods in the shopping center off N. McDowell Boulevard. The downtown location was their noodle house, and although it shared some of the same items, the menus were not the same.

For those counting, there have now been at least three Thai places in that location, with Lemongrass Thai Noodle the most recent, opening back in 2018. I do not know what’s next for that spot, but something tells me that if it’s going to be a restaurant, maybe leave the downtown Thai food to Thai River, just a stone’s throw down Washington.

Speaking of Thai food, I still get a lot of questions about the Thai Cuisine Petaluma space, in the old Victorian house at the corner of Petaluma Boulevard North and Payran Street. Thai Cuisine closed its doors during the pandemic, after which an “Open soon” sign appeared – where it has remained for a long time now.

There are newer signs, both on the building and at the street, reading “Chan Chao,” which is the same name as a food truck based out of Oakland. During a recent walk up the Boulevard I asked the gentleman out front if he had any information, and he told me it was being used as a catering base location. It was unclear from our conversation if a restaurant opening is actually planned for that space.