[EXCLUSIVE] Longstanding Buckhead Restaurant Closes Permanently

After nearly three decades in business, the owners of Annie's Thai Castle quietly closed the beloved eatery at the end of 2021.  Reportedly there was no notice given to patrons in advance of the closure, but signage in the restaurant's window confirms it with the restaurant also already marked "permanently closed" on Google.  Annie Lai and her husband Samson opened the restaurant at 3195 Roswell Road in Buckhead Village in 1993 with the eatery quickly becoming a local favorite for its authentic Thai fare.  

Plenty has changed in Buckhead since the Lais first opened their restaurant with the pandemic no doubt dealing a huge blow to Annie's as it has so many other restaurants in Atlanta and across the country.  

Several new high-rises have opened within a stone's throw of Annie's, and while they brought new potential diners, they also brought increased traffic.  The lot at Annie's was small, but fitting for the quaint eatery, but congestion along Roswell Road made accessing the restaurant ever more challenging.  

In addition to added traffic, new Thai restaurants have also opened within close proximity of Annie's, giving the eatery that in the 90s had nearly no nearby competition, a run for its money.  Tamsung Thai Street Eats opened basically across the street from Annie's in 2018 which followed earlier openings of Silom Thai & Sushi near Lenox Square, Chai Yo Modern Thai near The St. Regis Atlanta and Bangkok Station on Pharr Road, among others.  

Fulton County tax records indicate that the Lais, through an associated entity Golden Siam Inc., have since 1997 owned the Annie's Thai Castle building that was built in 1950 and sits on about a quarter acre. 

1/7 UPDATE: ToNeTo Atlanta has learned that the Annie's Thai Castle property has been sold.  The property, once marketed as part of a multi-parcel assemblage, was sold separately for $2.95 million, according to brokers with Bull Realty who handled the sale.  

When was the last time you enjoyed food from Annie's Thai Castle?  Are you surprised to see Annie's Thai Castle closed?  What is your favorite place for Thai food in metro Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below.