Bow Thai Kitchen brings Thai cuisine to downtown Hartsville

Donald and Peet Quist say they want to keep the menu at their new Thai restaurant in downtown Hartsville as true to Thailand as possible.

The new restaurant on East Carolina Avenue celebrated its grand opening Saturday. Bow Thai Kitchen actually opened on Nov. 1.

Pitchsinee Jiratra-anant (Peet) said opening a Thai restaurant has long been a dream of hers.

“I’ve wanted to open a restaurant since high school,” she said.

“There’s some new stuff that I’m learning every day,” Peet said of her first few weeks in business. Originally from Thailand, she has lived in the United States since 2002.

Her husband Donald said so far business has surpassed their expectations.

The menu features traditional Thai dishes.

“But we’ve pulled down the spices a little,” Donald said.

American dishes are also available.

“We’re just trying to please,” Donald said.

Peet attended culinary school in Bangkok and put the restaurant’s menu together.

The Quists began renovations on the building that houses the restaurant on the 100 block of East Carolina. Donald said they got a lot of help and guidance from the building’s owner, Steve Avant.

“We really appreciate being downtown,” Donald said.

Donald is from the Washington, D.C., area but his mother is from Hartsville.

“I was down here a lot in the summers when I was growing up,” he said.

He and Peet met as students at Coker College.

“When we graduated from Coker, it just seemed like the logical thing to do to open a restaurant and make Hartsville our home,” Donald said.

“We look forward to serving Hartsville. We’re happy we got this opportunity to provide a new type of food to Hartsville,” he said.

Bow Thai Kitchen is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner on Saturday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and 5 to 10 p.m. on Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sunday.