The Story Behind The Oldest Thai Restaurant In The US

Thai food is wildly popular in the US, ranking in the top 10 favorite restaurant cuisines in the country. We love the fresh ingredients and big portions — sometimes so big that dining solo at a Thai restaurant can feel like a mistake. The hallmarks of Thai cuisine, like crispy noodles and Pad Thai, haven't always been a staple in the American restaurant industry, though. Thai cuisine isn't anywhere on the list of foods invented in America, and it really hasn't been around that long in comparison to cuisine like the cheeseburger. Thai food arrived with Thai immigrants in the 1950s and stepped into the US restaurant scene in 1961 with the opening of a restaurant in Denver, Colorado called The Chada Room.

The Chada Room started as a splash of authentic Thai cooking in the middle of a city known for Rocky Mountain oysters and bison steak. It's called Chada Thai today, and remains true to its Thai roots, standing out in the middle of cattle country, where the food scene is dominated by grills and steakhouses. The menu features Thai dishes exclusively with offerings like pineapple fried rice, drunken noodles, and plenty of curry. The menu also keeps expanding to include new dishes, like an entire section of Thai street food, with options like chicken curry samosas and Tom Yum noodle soup.

A woman named Liad "Lily" Chittivej introduced America to Thai cuisine in 1961 when she opened The Chada Room in Denver. Born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1914, she wasn't a dedicated restauranteur or a trained chef. She was the daughter of a lady of the court in the Thai king's palace and a World War I Air Force pilot, and she grew up with a little bit of wealth in her family. She went to nursing school as a young woman, where she met her husband Chitti Chittivej, who as a doctor in the Thai army.

Lily accompanied Chitti as the government stationed him in various locations in Thailand. In 1960, he was sent to Colorado's Fitzsimons Hospital to study medicine. Lily went with him and fell in love with the Rocky Mountain landscape. Chitti returned to Thailand in 1961, but Lily didn't go with him. Instead, she stayed behind to raise their three daughters in America where they had access to better education and opportunity. To provide an income and survive, Lily looked to her roots and opened a Thai restaurant, serving food six days a week and staying open for long hours. It was an instant success and a trailblazer for Thai food in American restaurants and homes, paving the way for the popularity of Thai and Thai-inspired dinner recipes like coconut chicken soup, curry puffs, and grilled chicken noodle salad.