Flavor of the Week: Thai Station

Built in the remnants of an old railroad station, Thai Station has positioned itself at the center of the Thai food scene in Chapel Hill and Carrboro through its commitment to authentic cuisine.

“We wanted to be a hub of Thai food in the area,” said Sutawanee Duke, owner and founder of Thai Station, which is located at 201 E. Main St. in Carrboro, along the railroad tracks.

Born and raised in Thailand, Duke grew up learning authentic Thai cooking from family members and has a deep appreciation for the nation’s diverse culinary traditions. According to Duke, it was her desire to see Thai cuisine represented authentically that made her decide to open Thai Station.

“When I go to eat at other Thai restaurants,” said Duke. “I say, this is not real Thai food. This is not what Thai people eat when they cook for other Thai people.”

In bringing authentic Thai cuisine to Carrboro, Duke has stuck to a few core principles — including never compromising on ingredients, building a truly Thai menu and being open to customer requests.

According to Duke, other Thai restaurants don’t always use traditional Thai ingredients in their cooking. Often, ingredients are swapped out for substitutes that don’t have the same flavor.

While Thai Station still sources all of its ingredients in America, Duke says they never compromise the authentic taste of the dish by substituting in ingredients. When they cannot get an ingredient in America, Duke says they make sure that what they add instead has the same, traditional taste.

“Taste always comes first,” Duke said. “We want to try and represent Thai food the way we eat it.”

One of Thai Station’s most popular dishes, the Pad Thai, is also one Duke points out for its traditional flavor. While Thai Station’s menu seeks to deliver authentic taste while fitting into the modern palette, Duke says she’s happy to see how popular a dish like Pad Thai is when cooked traditionally.

“If you eat the Pad Thai in Thailand and then eat mine you’ll say, ‘This what they eat in Thailand,’” Duke said.

Duke and the rest of the Thai Station team put a lot of thought into the menu, aiming to capture the diverse flavors of Thailand’s different regional culinary traditions. While the menu is still being added to and refined, Duke and her team are always open to customer requests for Thai food that is off-menu.

“If we think we have the ingredients, we can make it for you,” Duke said.

Thai Station also includes Thai fusion options, such as their rib-eye steak with Thai dipping sauce or Thai-style macaroni. As Thai Station continues to grow, Duke hopes to add more to their menu that reflects real Thai cooking.

“In the future, we’re gonna have a lot of food that you don’t have in this area,” said Duke.

In the meantime, Thai Station recently reopened at half-occupancy and is continuing to offer take-out and curbside pick-up options during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While starting a restaurant almost at the very beginning of a worldwide crisis was certainly not what Duke expected, she said they’ve seen great support from the local community. Thai Station has been paying that back by cooking for the community, including local fire and police departments, and hopes to make these community meals a monthly event.

Story by Jack O’Grady