Thai restaurant will move to Main Street

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A popular Thai restaurant in the Vista is making a move to Columbia’s Main Street.

Kao Thai Cuisine will be moving to 1307 Main St. in downtown Columbia, according to a release from Columbia-based commercial development firm The Arnold Companies.

The restaurant, which opened in 2018, is currently located in the old Columbia Firehouse headquarters at 1001 Senate St.

Kao Thai’s move to Main Street will include expanding hours to serve both lunch as well as dinner. The location at 1307 Main is currently being renovated inside and out and will feature folding glass doors to open the restaurant up for patio seating.

Kao Thai features modern Thai cuisine as well as Pan-Asian and Asian-American fusion dishes, in addition to a large selection of craft beers and cocktails.

Gai Wilson, owner of Kao Thai, is a native of Bangkok who was raised in a traditional Thai home and learned the art of Thai cooking from an early age, according to a bio on the Kao Thai website. She originally ran Tamarind Thai Cuisine in Arden, N.C. before moving to Columbia to open Kao Thai.

The Main Street location is expected to open early in the first quarter of 2023.