Phikul Thai Bistro Opens in River Market

(Editor’s note: This article was first posted on CityScene KC on Jan. 21, 2020.

The new Phikul Thai Bistro opened last week. It’s hours are Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed Monday.)

The owners of Baramee Thai Bistro in the Crossroads have discovered downtown has such a great appetite for their food that they’re opening a second place in the River Market.

The new Phikul Thai Bistro is locating in the space where Cascone’s Grill occupied for more than 15 years at 15 E. Fifth St. next to the City Market streetcar stop.

Cascone’s closed in 2018 and its location was taken over by Anton Kotar last year for a brief-lived healthy diner place called Estelle’s Diner. It closed in late 2019 after being in business less than a year.

Renovation work is underway for the new Phikul Thai Bistro and the awnings went up last week heralding its arrival.

Several attempts to reach Douglas Hoffman, co-owner of Baramee Thai Bistro, for comment were unsuccessful.

The new Phikul Thai Bistro is in the space formerly occupied by Cascone’s Grill.

He and his wife Nutnisa, opened Baramee a year ago in the former Pizza Bella space at 1810 Baltimore using recipes from her home province in northeast Thailand.

Her spicy version of Thai cuisine features house specialities including Pad Ka Prao, Labb Isaan and Panang Curry. Each plate is garnished with a carved carrot done by Nutnisa.

The couple met through mutual friends. Nutnisa moved to the U.S. from Buriram, a Thai province bordering Cambodia, in 2007 and they married in 2008.

The couple opened their first restaurant in the area in Lee’s Summit more than five years ago.