NOBLE SQUARE — Opart Thai House, one of the city's most popular destinations for Thai cuisine, will be expanding to Chicago Avenue in Noble Square, its owners announced Monday.
"We plan on opening late fall pending license applications," said owner Mary Punmit.
City records show Punmit's Opart Thai applied for a liquor license to serve alcohol at 1371 W. Chicago Ave., in the former Bow & Stern Oyster bar on the southeast corner of Chicago Avenue and Noble Street.
The new 4,400 square-foot outpost — set to be the largest of the eatery's three spots — will bring close to 40 new jobs to the neighborhood, Punmit said.
"The reason we chose Chicago Ave is because it bridges the gap between our Lincoln Square and South Loop location," Punmit said.
Punmit said the majority of the menu for the new spot will the same as the other locations but "more secret family recipe dishes" will be available only at the Noble Square venture.
Opart Thai opened at 4658 N. Western Ave. in Lincoln Square in 1983 and added a second spot at 1906 S. State St. in the South Loop 9 years ago.
While the South Loop Opart Thai has a full service bar, the original Opart Thai in Lincoln Square is BYOB.
Opart's famous appetizer, Tiger Cry, a grilled marinated beef skewer served with homemade tangy hot sauce has earned rave reviews on Yelp.com.
Opart Thai House was a 2014 Bib Gourmand winner too.
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