Popular chain Rosa's Thai is nearly ready to open a new restaurant in Oxford.
The new eaterie will open in George Street where another Thai restaurant Busaba has been operating.
Busaba, which opened in January last year, has now closed.
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Contractors are now painting the front of the restaurant pink and said their work would finish in about five or six weeks' time.
That means Rosa's Thai should be ready to open its latest restaurant by August.
Rosa's Thai is a national chain, which has restaurants across London and in other cities including York, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Leamington Spa.
The Rosa's Thai website says: "You’ll always find a warm and friendly welcome in these casual Thai restaurants.
"Rosa’s serve honest Thai food with a whole lot of spice and enough soul to fill the Mekong River."
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The website adds: "Combining modern London with modern Bangkok, Rosa’s Thai grew from a humble beginning of a street stall on Brick Lane’s Sunday market in the East End of London, which quickly became the locals’ favourite."
By summer 2008, partners Saiphin and Alex bought an old Italian cafe on Hanbury Street, with the help of friends, family and credit cards.
The first site ‘Rosa’s Spitalfields’ was born.
They kept the name Rosa’s as a nod to English tradition and heritage and also because they didn’t have the means or money to change the sign.
In 2009, the husband and wife team decided to sell their house in Hong Kong to fund the second Rosa’s in Soho.
An opportunity came for a third branch in 2011 at Westfield Stratford just in time for the London Olympics.
It continues to be a success with the crowd looking for a break from their shopping to this day.
In the summer of 2013, Saiphin and Alex were invited by Shaftesbury Estate to open a site in Carnaby Street.
This period of change was quickly followed by a year of positive reviews from The Times and Evening Standard.
Rosa’s Thai also got a mention from Time Out magazine as a mini-group that was "fast, friendly and enticing".
Since 2008, Rosa’s has opened multiple locations all around London and across the country.
The chain is celebrating its 15th year with a series of special dishes this summer.
There are still a number of vacant restaurant units in George Street - one of the busiest locations for eateries in the city.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
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