Ko Thai
A new Thai-themed restaurant that has the look of an “Egyptian museum” is estimated to be serving Fort Worthians by this December.
Ko Thai
The new two-story showcase restaurant Ko Thai, located at 721 W. Magnolia Ave., on the corner across Travis Avenue near Brewed and Cane Rosso, will add yet another authentic Thai cuisine eatery to our fair city’s Near Southside. This new 3,300 square foot eatery was built at an estimated cost of a million dollars, according to partner “Nick” Thana Pornin.
“The concept starts with the eyes and then ends with the stomach,” Pornin said in a phone interview.
This new spot is an expansion for the family-run Bedford Thai restaurant Koracha Thai, which debuted in December 2021, in a shopping center on Harwood Drive in Bedford. Over the past few years this place has earned the undivided loyalty of the neighborhood and visiting foodies based on its exceptional and affordable Thai dishes. Besides its loyal foodie fans, Koracha Thai has also been lauded for its unique ambiance and style, an idea that has been cranked up to eleven at the new Ko Thai.
Ko Thai
The layout for this establishment consists of a first-floor craft cocktail bar with Thai-infused cocktails, while the second floor has been dedicated to dining, with a view overlooking Magnolia Avenue. “The dining area concept is from like an Egyptian museum,” Pornin says. “We brought in some gold and like some warm earth tones to make it classy and simple.”
What he failed to mention where the larger-than-life carved statues that appear on this new eatery’s renderings. Two giant statues can be seen on either side of the first-floor bar holding up the second floor.
As for the menu, Ko Thai will serve the same pad Thai, tom kha and curries as Koracha Thai and other Thai restaurants. Pornin says other signature dishes will be added to the new menu, like Thai-style grilled chicken with herbs and dipping sauce, and Yan, a grilled chicken dish from the northeast of Thailand served with papaya salad.
“We picked this location because there aren’t really many Thai restaurant concepts like this in the Magnolia area,” he says. “We felt like we could be the first.”
