Two veteran Tacoma restaurateurs are centering their next venture on a Thai street-food dish rare in the local market.
Yu Nanakornphanom and Buoy Ngov plan to open The Holy Birdy at 6820 6th Ave. this fall, building the dinner menu almost entirely around khao man gai: poached chicken served over jasmine rice cooked in chicken broth and rendered fat, paired with a taucheo dipping sauce of vinegar, soy, green chile and ginger. By day, the space will operate as a cafe selling Thai-inspired pastries, fresh Thai teas, matcha and coffee, according to Hoodline.
The concept fills the storefront long occupied by Fuzion Cafe, which closed in late July after 12 years in business. Nanakornphanom and Ngov took over Fuzion's day-to-day operations in February before announcing the transition.
The pair chose khao man gai because the dish is hard to find in the area, the Tacoma News Tribune reported Monday, Aug. 10.
From two restaurants to one dish
Nanakornphanom and Ngov are not newcomers to Tacoma's food scene. In June 2025, they finalized the sale of their two Stadium District restaurants, Indo Asian Street Eatery and Moshi Ramen Bar, to new owner Kevin Merrell. Nanakornphanom had operated Indo since 2015 and Moshi since 2018.
Born and raised in Bangkok, Nanakornphanom learned to cook working his family's food stalls before moving to Tacoma. He was previously featured in the City of Tacoma's Inspired Palates series. The Ngov family helped build the South Sound's Indochine restaurant brand, which expanded across the city through several family members.
What's on the menu
Beyond the signature poached chicken, The Holy Birdy will offer a fried chicken version and kanom jeen nam ya, a southern Thai specialty of fermented rice noodles in a fish-based curry. The daytime pastry lineup will include pandan and lemongrass items, with a puffed pastry filled with mango sticky rice among the initial offerings.
The menu is lean by design.
The restaurant sits in the 6th Avenue Business District, which Hoodline describes as central Tacoma's densest cluster of independent restaurants, bars and shops along the stretch between Sprague and Proctor streets.
What's next
The space still needs updates and permitting before it can open. The owners have signaled a fall 2026 target but have not announced a specific date. The Holy Birdy can be reached at 253-267-1566.
