One of Seattle’s Loveliest Thai Restaurants Closes After 13 Years

End of an era? After 13 years as a beautiful fixture in Wallingford, May Restaurant and Lounge has closed, taking down its signage and cleaning house. Local blog Wallyhood was first to report that a new restaurant, Sisi Kay Thai, will soon take its place.

When it opened in 2007, May transformed a two-story, 1910 craftsman into a striking, intricately-designed Thai destination, with neon blue lights, a pagoda-like facade, and an intimate, gold-and-teak-accented dining room. The menu itself was well-regarded for its excellent pad thai made tableside, but original co-owner May Chaleoy (its namesake) left in 2011 to open up a new restaurant on Vashon Island called May Kitchen and Bar. That place is on Eater’s list of top Thai restaurants in the Seattle area.

Since Chaleoy left, quality seemed to be a little more inconsistent at the Wallingford restaurant, as the more recent Yelp reviews attest. Still, the owners of May tried to keep the spirit of the original, at least in terms of aesthetics.

As for the new restaurant, a rep for Sisi Kay Thai tells Eater, “We are keeping all of the popular dishes, but adding many new ideas and concepts in thai cooking. We hope to open December 1.”

• May Restaurant and Lounge Closed [Wallyhood]
• May Chaleoy Leaving May to Open Vashon Eatery [ESEA]
• 12 Top Thai Restaurants in Seattle [ESEA]