New Thai restaurant opens its doors in Pahrump

A brand-new Thai restaurant has entered the Pahrump Valley’s varied rural Nevada food scene. Behind this new business is an incredibly friendly family, great food and a commitment to authenticity.

“When we had a baby, we decided we needed to do something for our family, and my mom had been cooking for a long time. So I thought, ‘Why not open a Thai restaurant?’” Bee Thepnimit told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We started looking and, ta-da, we found this restaurant.”

Thepnimit and her husband, Lorenzo Nicolas, are the husband-and-wife duo behind the newly opened Pahrump restaurant Romi Thai.

“We serve the authentic Thai food,” Thepnimit emphasized.

Thepnimit’s mother and Romi Thai’s chef, Gate, developed the eatery’s flavorful menu with her 20 years of experience cooking at Thai restaurants. Nicolas’ brother-in-law, Juan Carlos Penaloza Ovando, who helps in the kitchen, completes the family-run business.

“We bump heads sometimes,” Bee Thepnimit joked about working with family. “But we have good teamwork, everybody listens to each other.”

Romi Thai officially opened its doors last week on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Thepnimit added that Pahrumpians have been excited to try their food and that they’ve already had some repeat customers. The restaurant is named after Thepnimit’s and Nicolas’ baby daughter, Romi.

“She is my angel, my everything. I think she’s my lucky charm,” Thepnimit said about naming the restaurant after her daughter. “We have everything that we want. After we had her, good things happened.”

Thepnimit and Nicolas previously lived in Chicago before moving to Pahrump in early November of this year. The couple met in the Windy City at a sushi restaurant, where Nicolas was a chef and Thepnimit was a server. Thepnimit and Nicolas weren’t familiar with Pahrump but decided to open their restaurant in Nye County’s largest community when they discovered the business opportunity.

“Everybody here is nice,” Nicolas said about the move. “Pahrump is really nice and chill.”

Romi Thai features plenty of delicious, freshly made offerings like pad thai, pineapple fried rice, papaya salad, chicken satay, different bubble teas, vegetarian options, lunch specials and more. Thepnimit noted that although they have a smaller menu, its size allows them to make each dish at its best quality without overcrowding the options.

“I think our pad thai is very good, like the best pad thai,” Thepnimit raved. “Everybody knows a Thai restaurant is supposed to have the good pad thai, but many restaurants, they don’t have very good pad thai. But I know my pad thai is up there, it’s really good.”

Thepnimit and Nicolas want Romi Thai to be successful, hoping the Pahrump community will keep trying their food and will continue to return if they enjoy it.

“We serve good food. We do it from our heart,” Thepnimit said.

Although Thepnimit and Nicolas are grateful for Romi Thai’s reception so far and excited for the restaurant’s future, their daughter is still what remains most important.

“I hope she sees me, her dad, uncle and grandma working so hard. Maybe she can take some with her when she grows up, so she knows nothing comes easy in life. You gotta fight for it,” Thepnimit explained.

Romi Thai is located at 5020 Pahrump Valley Blvd. #3 and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Romi Thai is also open on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and closed on Monday. Lunch specials are served Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For further questions, contact Romi Thai at (775) 751-5333.

Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com