Sticky Rice To Transfer Locations

The newest location for Sticky Rice may soon be the only one, as the restaurant plans to close its flagship eatery, 1000 E. Locust St., in Riverwest, transferring locations permanently to its newer, Lower East Side restaurant.

It’s been approximately seven months since the Thai-Laotian restaurant expanded its Milwaukee footprint with a second location at 707 E. Brady St. The restaurant’s proximity to Brady Street‘s foot traffic and heavily-commuted roads led to its immediate success.

The new restaurant also opened with an extended menu and up to 50 seats for dine-in, while the original location, which opened in August 2020 amid the pandemic,  only offered takeout.

Owners Leo Kingsawan, Khamlae Phonisay and Teerasak Boonwatana alerted patrons to upcoming changes in a social media post.

“It’s been an amazing two years for Sticky Rice at our Locust Street location!” the owners wrote in a Friday Facebook post. “Thank you so much for all of your support and we look forward to serving you at our newest location. See you there!”

The transfer will take place Jan. 28, according to the online announcement. The restaurant will soon offer lunch service as well, with plans to open at 11 a.m. starting Jan. 31.

The restaurant occupies a building near the intersection of E. Brady Street and N. Van Buren Street. The restaurant and next door cocktail bar, SlyFox, opened within a month of one another, and frequently partnered for events. When both businesses were open, the door separating their seating areas was opened so that patrons could move freely between the establishments.

SlyFox, 1692 N. Van Buren St., recently departed the space, citing difficulties coming to a lease agreement with the landlord. Now in search of a new location, the cocktail bar leaves behind a vacant space adjacent to the restaurant.

Sticky Rice offers a variety of traditional Thai and Laotian dishes including laab, drunken noodles and fried rice. The new location’s extended menu offers pork dishes and desserts like mango sticky rice and tapioca, and drinks like coconut water, juice, canned boba tea and soymilk.

Sticky rice, the restaurant’s namesake, is a dish that’s fundamental to Laotian cuisine. As in many cultures, Lao food is traditionally eaten using one’s hands instead of utensils. The rice acts as both a spoon and a sponge, ferrying bites of meat, vegetables and soups.

The restaurant’s logo is a thip khao, or rice basket, used to cook sticky rice.

The Brady Street location is open for dine-in and takeout Tuesday through Sunday from 3:20 p.m. until 9:15 p.m., according to the restaurant’s website. Online and DoorDash ordering are available. Starting Jan. 31, the restaurant will open at 11 a.m.

Kingsawan did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.