Not to be dramatic, but this is a big loss for Northeast! After 14 years, Sen Yai Sen Lek is bowing out. Owners Joe and Holly Hatch-Surisook, who also own and operate the adjacent sandwich shop Dipped & Debris, shared the news on social media Wednesday afternoon.
"Our last day of operations for both restaurants will be Saturday, April 23rd. [deep breath; long pause]. We will miss Sen Yai Sen Lek and Dipped & Debris," their post reads.
Sen Yai Sen Lek, which translates to "Big Noodle Little Noodle," opened in 2008 and billed itself as the first Thai restaurant in the area. The neighborhood favorite was a frequent "Best Thai" winner at City Pages thanks to its expansive and delicious menu and its fun and friendly atmosphere.
Dipped & Debris followed more recently, bringing "serious sandwich magic" to the Central Avenue address next door beginning in 2018. The deli-esque sammich and custard restaurant took over some of the space previously occupied by Sen Yai Sen Lek's dining room, where it served everything from catfish po boys to Chicago-style Italian beef hoagies.
“We’ve had Sen Yai Sen Lek for 10 years now, and started scaling down the dining space only because… there’s kind of a time-span or lifespan to anything, right? You have to keep things fresh and moving,” chef-proprietor Joe Hatch-Surisook told CP at the time.
Sadly for lovers of wonderfully sloppy sandwiches and tasty Thai, the moving they're doing this time is moving on.
"We wish we were writers or poets or something so that we could eloquently put into words what having our restaurants has meant to us. How much all of YOU in our communities have meant to us," the Hatch-Surisook couple wrote in their farewell post. "We have tremendous gratitude for all of the people whose lives have intersected with ours, whether once or hundreds of times or somewhere in between."
The good news is that you have until April 23 to enjoy another platter of Sen Yai Sen Lek's Khao Pad Kuri or a Brass Tacks burger from Dipped & Debris.
"Though we didn't grow up here, we are BIG FANS of long Minnesota good-byes!" the couple wrote.
