Tuscaloosa's Ruan Thai To Close After Nearly Three Decades

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Ruan Thai, A longtime culinary staple of downtown Tuscaloosa, will soon close its doors for good after first opening on The Strip in 1991, purportedly becoming Tuscaloosa's first Thai restaurant.

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In a statement posted to Facebook by owner Alp Yeager, he said the University Boulevard restaurant's last day serving guests will be Saturday, Feb. 20.

"We would like to thank every single one of our customers who have supported us: those who were there from the very beginning, those who decided to “venture out” and try something new, those who had faith in us, those who kept coming back, and everyone else in between," Yeager wrote.

The authentic Thai restaurant operated as Siam House for 11 years, before closing from 2002 to 2005. In 2006, Yeager reopened Siam House as Ruan Thai — meaning “Thai House” — and began to once again offer its same menu.

"Many of our customers have gone to Thailand and come back to tell us that our food is even better than the food they had in Thailand," Yeager said in the post. "With compliments such as these, as well as the sheer joy of being able to share our food with everyone, we maintain a sense of pride and happiness that couldn’t happen without our customers’ support."

He then expressed his gratitude and how much it meant to share a part of Thailand with people from Tuscaloosa.

"We wish everyone well-being, safety, happiness, and good health," he said. "Please check our website and Facebook page for further information."

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