Nan Thai Buckhead, the latest chapter of pioneering Atlanta restaurateurs Nan and the late Charlie Niyomkul’s fine dining dynasty, will debut on Friday, Oct. 18. For fans of the original Nan Thai in Midtown, the new restaurant at 3050 Peachtree Road is a nod to family tradition with a firm eye on the future.
As Nan Thai Buckhead owner and executive chef, the couple’s daughter DeeDee Niyomkul has transformed her popular Chai Yo Modern Thai into a warm, inviting space filled with Thai silks and exotic wood from Thailand but with a modern touch and a gorgeous private dining room. The new restaurant allows the mother-and-daughter chefs to integrate Chef Nan’s traditional approach with Chef DeeDee’s modern sensibilities to create a fresh dining experience in Buckhead.
DeeDee grew up working at her parents’ famous Manhattan restaurant in New York. When the family moved to Atlanta, she hosted and served at the family’s original Tamarind location on 14th Street when it debuted to citywide acclaim in 1998. After learning nearly every position in her family’s restaurants, DeeDee worked her way up from the front of the house and operations to become executive chef at Nan Thai Fine Dining. Before opening Chai Yo Modern Thai in 2018, DeeDee created Midtown’s popular Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft in 2009, inspired by her grandmother’s Thai street food.
“This is my updated version of Nan with some of my mom’s signature dishes, without the white tablecloths,” explains DeeDee. “Nan in Midtown is more of my parents’ personality. With Nan Thai Buckhead, we’re creating the best of both worlds, incorporating my twists and personality and what I’ve learned on my travels sampling food from around the world.”
Among the highlights of the inaugural Nan Thai Buckhead menu are:
Starters
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Tom kha, a soup with lobster tail morsels, coconut meat, coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, and mushroom medley that DeeDee first debuted on the Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay”
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Mushroom wonton soup ravioli with shitake, chives, shallots, garlic, cilantro, and vegetable consommé
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Golden pouches with crispy chicken, shrimp, and shiitake mushroom dumplings
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Octopus lemongrass salad with kaffir lime, roasted chili paste, shallot, mint, and Thai dressing
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Nan’s signature crispy calamari with three-flavor chili sauce
Chef’s selections
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Nan’s signature filet of whole red snapper with savory three-flavor chili sauce, fried okra, and eggplant
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Tamarind signature kai Siam with crispy chicken, mushroom, cashew, red bell pepper, onion, celery, and Thai pineapple chili sauce
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Nan’s signature lamb shank hung lay with braised lamb, ginger, onions, potatoes, and jasmine rice
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Wagyu beef cheeks with panang curry, green beans, and red bell peppers
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Scallop linguine with Thai basil cream sauce, garlic, Thai chili, onion, bell pepper, and linguine
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Khao mok ped with slow-cooked duck leg with coriander, turmeric, fried shallots, and cilantro mint garlic sauce
Overseeing Nan Thai Buckhead and its handcrafted cocktail bar program, Linda Boualavong has created a fresh fall line of cocktails for patrons to toast the restaurant’s arrival. “It’s fun to work with ingredients like Thai basil, lemongrass, and pandan for craft cocktails that pair perfectly with DeeDee’s food,” says Boualavong. Nan Thai Buckhead will also feature an enhanced wine list.
The fall cocktail menu includes:
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The Siam Sour with gin, basil, lemongrass, citrus and egg white
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Passion on the Mekhong, a mix of Haku vodka, jasmine tea syrup, passionfruit, citrus and egg white
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The Forbidden Fruit with 400 Conejos mezcal, tamarind, cardamom syrup, and chili-lime bitters
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The Dirty Luk features bourbon, pear nectar, lemon, and honey-ginger syrup
With an eye for design, DeeDee has also overseen an interior refresh of the space with new Thai art and a private dining room with a chef’s table accented with a crystal pendant chandelier. DeeDee says she’s looking forward to introducing each course to diners this fall. “I consider the chef’s table to be my canvas where I want to create a new work of art for guests each evening.”
Nan Thai Buckhead is at 3050 Peachtree Road, Suite 8, Atlanta, 30305. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. Reservations are available on OpenTable or by calling 404-464-7980.