FOOD
Cape Coral’s oldest restaurant is a gem. But it’s in danger of closing
Robyn GeorgeFort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News
July 25, 2026, 5:05 a.m. ET
- Siam Hut, the oldest restaurant in Cape Coral, Florida, faces an uncertain future after 42 years in business.
- The Bangthamai family was given a one-year lease with stipulations that could force them to leave sooner.
- While the family hopes to remain in Cape Coral, they are considering relocating, downsizing, or even starting a food truck.
It doesn’t get much more mom & pop
Toon was just 2 years old when his parents, Toy and Noi Bangthamai, opened Siam Hut in Cape Coral, Florida
Before that, they owned a successful Thai restaurant in Manhattan, but wanting a slower pace, they packed up their family and all their recipes and moved to Cape Coral
While Toon was being raised by his grandparents in Thailand, Toy and Noi opened their family restaurant along Del Prado Boulevard in 1984
The success they found in New York didn’t immediately follow them to Southwest Florida
“We had a lot of explaining to do,” said Toon, who joined the family business when he was 12. “People didn’t know what Thai food was.”
Eventually, they built a loyal following with their authentic Thai food, beyond fair prices and welcoming staff
“Our regulars are getting older,” Toon said. “Now we are getting second and third generations.”
Now 42 years in, Siam Hut holds the distinction of being the oldest restaurant in Cape Coral
“Mom is still here during the day, every day, doing prep work,” said Toon, adding that his dad died 11 years ago. “My uncle, who has been here the whole time, is here cooking day and night. Mom’s the boss. She gets to go home.”
Toon, who began his career there at “the bottom of the barrel” washing dishes, now manages the dining room during lunch and takes over head chef duties for the dinner shifts
Siam Hut’s future is up in the air
But after four-plus decades, it may soon come to an end
The freshly painted, nondescript strip mall that houses Siam Hut at 4521 Del Prado Blvd. S. — between Urban Buzz to the north and Monarca’s to the south — was sold “in the last three or four months.”
“We had been waiting on a lease but didn’t hear anything for over a year,” Toon said. “All of a sudden there’s a new owner.”
He said most of the remaining businesses were offered three-month leases, but Siam Hut got a one-year lease “because it’s been there so long.”
“But we got a 50 percent increase on the rent,” he added. “Next year, it will be three times what we were paying. This rent increase puts us in a financial bind.”
Toon admitted he was underpaying before, but the previous owner didn’t fix anything
And this new lease comes with conditions
“We got a year, but there are so many stipulations, they could kick us out earlier,” he said. “After 90 days, they could kick us out. It was a take-it-or-leave-it lease. Hopefully we can stay a year.”
Toon and family aren’t sure what the future holds
“Right now, we’re not sure what we will do,” he said. “Half of us (his mom and uncle) are going to retire as it looks now. I’m not sure what the rest of us would do.”
Siam Hut is a piece of Cape Coral history
One option would be to relocate the business
“We are looking at places,” Toon said. “We found some potential spots, but they were a little too small or a little outdated. We don’t want to be too close to other Thai restaurants. Hopefully within a year we could find something.”
When it comes to location, though, one thing is for sure
“We definitely want to stay in Cape Coral,” Toon said. “We live in Cape Coral. Most of our customers are from here.”
A smaller restaurant would be ideal, he added, and if worse came to worse, “we could go to a food truck.”
In the meantime, though, Siam Hut always was and continues to be a gem
And although it’s 40-plus years old, it doesn’t feel dated inside at all despite remaining pretty much unchanged
“We try to keep it all original,” Toon said
Patterned tablecloths and carpet, black lacquered accents, wood-paneled walls and statues (from lucky cats and wooden musicians to spirit houses) make it all so warm, welcoming and subtly charming
The menu, thankfully, hasn’t changed much either
“It’s all the same recipes we’ve always had,” Toon said. “Mom is still here, so the recipes are still here.”
There are soups, appetizers, traditional Thai dishes (many of which are full of heat and spice), noodles, curries, stir-fries, and fried rice
Pad Thai and curries are best sellers
We recently dropped by for a weekday lunch and, as usual, loved everything from the signature Tom yum goong soup to the panang curry and house special fried rice, loaded with vegetables, beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, krab sticks and Chinese sausage
That panang curry is one of Toon’s favorites too, along with the spicy see ra cha fried rice (with assorted meat and seafood) and stir-fried chicken and garlic
“I eat a variety,” he said. “And a lot of stuff off-menu that mom cooks.”
Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday
“The lunch portions are a little smaller but come with a soup or salad,” Toon said. “We are pretty steady during lunch.”
Dinner, which features bigger portions (we always leave with leftovers), runs from 5-9 p.m. Monday to Saturday
“Come support us and be part of our history,” Toon said. “We may not be here long. It’s sad this happened. But who knows, though. Maybe before the lease is up, (the new owners) would be willing to negotiate. We kind of want to stay here, but will see what happens.”
Siam Hut, 4521 Del Prado Blvd. S., Cape Coral; (239) 945-4247;capecoralsiamhut.com
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
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