A new branch of restaurant chain Rosa's Thai is coming to Oxford.

The new restaurant will open in George Street where another Thai restaurant Busaba has been operating.

Busaba, which opened in January last year, appears to have closed.

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Busaba moved into the former Pint Shop to continue its expansion outside London after launching in 1999.

It described itself as "a modern take on Thai dining with fragrant curries, delicious Pad Thais and famous calamari".

Replacing it will be Rosa's Thai, according to the latest planning application to change the signs outside.

Rosa's Thai is a national chain, which has restaurants across London and in other cities including York, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Leamington Spa.

Oxford Mail:

The Rosa's Thai website says: "You’ll always find a warm and friendly welcome in these casual Thai restaurants.

"Rosa’s serve honest Thai food with a whole lot of spice and enough soul to fill the Mekong River."

The website adds: "Combining modern London with modern Bangkok, Rosa’s Thai grew from a humble beginning of a street stall on Brick Lane’s Sunday market in the East End of London, which quickly became the locals’ favourite."

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By summer 2008, partners Saiphin and Alex bought an old cafe on Hanbury Street, with the help of friends, family and credit cards.

The first site ‘Rosa’s Spitalfields’ was born.

They kept the name Rosa’s as a nod to English tradition and heritage and also because they didn’t have the means or money to change the sign.

Oxford Mail: Busaba in George Street

In 2009, the husband and wife team decided to sell their house in Hong Kong to fund the second Rosa’s in Soho.

An opportunity came for a third branch in 2011 at Westfield Stratford just in time for the London Olympics.

It continues to be a success with the crowd looking for a break from their shopping to this day.

In the summer of 2013, Saiphin and Alex were invited by Shaftesbury Estate to open a site in Carnaby Street.

This period of change was quickly followed by a year of positive reviews from The Times and Evening Standard.

Rosa’s Thai also got a mention from Time Out magazine as a mini-group that was "fast, friendly and enticing".

Since 2008, Rosa’s has opened multiple locations all around London and across the country.

There are still a number of vacant restaurant units in George Street.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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