Thai restaurant in the Grove to close after 7 years as owner shifts focus to grocery business

ST. LOUIS — Chao Baan, the restaurant known for showcasing regional Thai cuisine in St. Louis’ Grove neighborhood, will close after service Sunday as owner Shayn Prapaisilp shifts his attention to the family’s growing international grocery store operations and other responsibilities.

The restaurant announced Friday that its final day of service will be Sept. 20, ending a seven-year run that began in June 2019. The closure comes as Prapaisilp’s responsibilities in the family business and at home have changed, leading him to focus more heavily on the family’s grocery stores, according to a news release. Global Foods Market in Kirkwood and United Provisions in the Delmar Loop, and their future growth.

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“I’ve found myself drawn more and more to the grocery side of our business. That is still one of my dad’s great passions: finding foods from around the world and making them available here. I understand that passion differently now than I did when I was younger,” Prapaisilp said.

The family’s other restaurant operations remain open – King & I in Richmond Heights; Oishi Sushi, which opened in Creve Coeur in 2002; and Oishi Sushi & Steakhouse in Chesterfield, which opened in 2007.

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