A long-standing Thai restaurant is being forced to relocate due to Oxford University's major development plans in the West End of the city.

Bangkok House has been an Oxford staple in Hythe Bridge Street since 1992 at its attractive location in the city centre. 

However, it will soon be moved to the other side of the road after the university had plans permitted for the Beaver House building to be demolished and used for new, modern offices. 

This also means that the Chinese supermarket and Paddyfield restaurant will have to relocate. 

It comes as Atik in Park End Street is also being closed down and redeveloped into a ground floor music venue, bar and cafe with new office space upstairs, as part of the regeneration of the area with development advisers Elwood Fund Management preparing plans for the site. 

Bangkok House, which closed at its last location at the end of September, will be moving into the unit previously occupied by Sojo, which was a casualty of the lockdown in 2020. 

Wantana Vongsakul, co-owner of Bangkok House, said she hoped the new iteration of the restaurant would be open before Christmas. 

READ MORE: Oxford University college's library wins new award

Former Sojo restaurant  (Image: Newsquest) She said: “Oxford University needs to develop that side of the road in Hythe Bridge Street. They gave us a notice a while ago but we don't know when they are going to start developing in that area. 

“Around six months after they gave us the first notice, they said they wanted to get the restaurant back for the new development and that we needed to find somewhere else. 

“We had been at our previous location for 32 years. We were a little bit sad, we are like a symbol of Oxford being in the city for a long, long time. We tried to negotiate, but we had no option.

“The university advised that we could keep the front part of the building, but that wasn't enough, we need the kitchen part as well. So in the end we needed to move.”

Mrs Vongsakul added: “The new location opposite is owned by the university as well but a different college.

"They have been very generous to give us that location because it has been empty for a while. They clearly think Bangkok House is valuable to Oxford. 

“We're looking forward to opening again. We are in the process of doing a list with the university but it's taking a long time to get it done. We would like to open before Christmas, but I'm not sure the list will be done by then because we have to renovate inside. 

“There will be slightly fewer seats. The previous location had 80-90 capacity but the new one might be around 70.”

The university's plans are known as 'Bridge Labs' and they accelerate the major changes planned for the West End of the city which includes plans for the multi-million pound Oxpens project in which new apartments, student rooms, a new hotel and an amphitheatre would be built. 

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About the author  

Toby is a senior reporter who has a particular interest in covering planning and local government. 

He joined in September 2024 having been a reporter at the Hampshire Chronicle for three years. 

Toby studied at the University of Brighton and can be found on X through the handle @JournoToby