BY ACE DIEFFENBACH for WEEKLY VOLCANO 3/13/26 |
Tacoma’s Lincoln District has long had a strong and well-established Southeast Asian community, exemplified by the various shops and restaurants along South 38th Street.
Recently, Nana Thai, a Thai street food–style restaurant, opened in the area, quickly finding its place in the culturally rich neighborhood.
Owners Sukrit Sitthichaisawad and Ashley Sripanya originally opened Nana Thai during the recent pandemic, with their initial location inside Freighthouse Square, a freight depot converted into an indoor mall near the Tacoma Dome and the Amtrak and Sounder stations. The building features a diverse and vibrant international food court, where they operated their restaurant until December 2025. “He bought Nana Thai in 2020, during COVID, and then we started talking, and I moved up here,” says Ashley Sripanya.
The opening of their restaurant in the Lincoln District has been an exciting achievement for Sripanya and Sitthichaisawad, a young Thai newlywed couple overseeing the premiere of their new location. When asked about her feelings toward the new restaurant, Ashley enthusiastically said, “I do like it. It’s nice, huh? It’s very clean and everything.” Their original location in Freighthouse Square was part of a food-court-style layout, sharing space with a variety of international restaurants. The new location has a layout more akin to a traditional restaurant, with a spacious dining area and large windows that look out onto the shops and restaurants along South 38th Street. “We used to have the location over there (Freighthouse Square). It was a bit tougher,” Sripanya said. When asked whether the planned expansion of the Link light rail into the area around Freighthouse Square was a factor in the couple’s decision to move the restaurant, they agreed it was one of the main reasons they chose to transition to a new location.
The restaurant has done well since its opening on Feb. 1, seeing a larger and more steady number of customers compared with the previous location. When asked which dish they would suggest to a first-time customer, Sripanya said, “I would recommend the Pad Kra Pao. It’s really traditional because we use holy Thai basil. We eat it as comfort food. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.” Pad Kra Pao is a beloved traditional Thai dish featuring minced meat, typically pork or chicken, paired with holy basil, a popular Thai ingredient known for its distinct clove-like scent. At Nana Thai, it is served with rice and a fried egg and prepared much as it would be in Thailand.
Sripanya was born in Bangkok, Thailand, to a family with a strong passion for cooking. When she was 16, her family immigrated to the United States, settling in Chandler, Arizona. She worked alongside relatives in the family’s Thai restaurant, gaining experience in preparing Thai cuisine, before meeting her husband, Sukrit Sitthichaisawad. “He used to be a software engineer, but he had a passion for restaurants,” Sripanya said. The young couple has become the welcoming face of the restaurant, reflecting the personal nature of their cuisine.
Sitthichaisawad primarily serves as the restaurant’s chef, while Sripanya manages operations and promotes the restaurant to a wider audience. Many of the restaurant’s recipes come from Sitthichaisawad’s grandmother. “Plus, he got all the recipes from his grandma,” Sripanya said.
When asked about the most popular item on the menu, Sripanya pointed to Pad See Ew, a Thai dish featuring stir-fried noodles in soy sauce along with carrots, eggs, and broccoli. She also spoke about this year’s Lincoln Lunar New Year Celebration, an annual festival that highlights the Asian culture and heritage of Tacoma’s Lincoln District. “You know, it was a new experience!” she said. This was their first year operating in the neighborhood, making it their first time experiencing the parade and the exposure it brought to potential new customers.
Though born in Bangkok and raised partly in Chandler, Arizona, Sripanya says she has grown to love Tacoma. “I love Tacoma. Tacoma has heart. I like the people. It’s small, not too busy,” she said.
From its beginnings in Freighthouse Square to becoming a new addition to the Lincoln District, Nana Thai has begun building a presence in the community. With authentic street-style dishes and recipes passed down through generations, the restaurant is already making its mark in the neighborhood.
Nana Thai, 773 S 38th St, Tacoma, WA
See menu online at nanathaiandteriyakiwa.smiledining.com.
