Red Chilli Thai Forest Lake to close after 20+ years

A beloved Thai restaurant on Brisbane’s southside will shut its doors, the owner has confirmed, with the centre manager looking to ‘refresh’ its retail mix.

A beloved Brisbane Thai restaurant will serve its last green curry next month after more than two decades of service.

Red Chilli Thai Restaurant owner Kelvin Lai confirmed the news to South-West Satellite.

He said the decision to shut Red Chilli’s doors was “very sad” and was due to the end of his long-term lease.

Mr Lai and wife Kate, who runs the kitchen, purchased Red Chilli in 2012 from its inaugural owner.

Kelvin and Kate Lai. Picture: Facebook

Mr Lai said the restaurant was founded in 1998, shortly after Forest Lake Shopping Centre threw open its doors to the public.

He said after Red Chilli closes at the end of November, he and Kate will take a “couple of months” to consider their options, but had “no plans” to open another venue at this stage.

Centre manager Rebecca McKeown said Red Chilli’s departure would “provide us with the opportunity to refresh our retail mix at Forest Lake Shopping Centre”.

“At this stage it is still too early to provide any more detail about what will replace Red Chilli Thai, but we look forward to sharing further updates with our community as our planning progresses,” she said.

Red Chilli Thai Forest Lake.

“Forest Lake Shopping Centre continues to experience strong demand for retail space, and we remain committed to providing a retail experience that meets the evolving demands of our local community.”

Gutted members of the Forest Lake community took to social media to express their disbelief and sadness at the news of Red Chilli’s impending closure.

“That is very sad news, we have been regulars there over the past 18 years and absolutely love their food. I hope they find somewhere close by to open as I am sure their regular customers will follow,” said one.

“What a shame, great food and people,” said another.