Several changes have hit G Street in the past few months, the most recent of which is the transformation of the former Thai 2K restaurant into a noodle bar.
On Oct. 1, Red 88 Noodle Bar on 223 G St. opened as the new restaurant across the street from KetMoRee Thai Restaurant and Bar. After closing down Thai 2K, the same owners opened KetMoRee and then Red 88 in the old Thai 2K venue.
The noodle bar has a limited menu, but plans to expand its options as it becomes more established and popular, said Nate Yungvanitsait, the restaurant’s chief operating officer.
The menu boasts affordable dishes, starting at $4 for appetizers to $9 for the most expensive entrees. Roasted duck soup and spicy silver noodles are just some of the variations on the menu.
Red 88 offers a full bar, which Yungvanitsait said should attract the student crowd, especially paired with an inexpensive meal. Every evening there is happy hour, and Wednesday through Saturday the restaurant stays open late – until 3 a.m., perfect for a late-night snack after the bars push partiers out their doors.
The old Thai 2K location is ideal for the noodle restaurant, Yungvanitsait said.
“From the bars [on G Street] everyone can walk really close after they are done drinking,” he said.
Thai 2K upgraded to the other bigger building as KetMoRee but Yungvanistsait said the venue works for Red 88’s purposes.
“We like it like this,” Yungvanistsait said. “[The venue] keeps it like a noodle house’s style.”
Every day more customers are making their way to Red 88 as they hear about the reopened restaurant through word of mouth. No big advertisements have been made yet, Yungvanistsait said.
The Davis Downtown Business Association helped spread the word about the new noodle joint to Davisites in town via Facebook and Twitter.
“Red 88 is open and people are excited about it,” said Joy Cohan, DDBA director. “I got a lot of comments on Facebook, Twitter and in person.”
SASHA LEKACH can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
