Photography by Jane Kortright
Midafternoon inside the softly lit interior of Suea, Arisa Albright was putting together something beautiful.
The co-owner of downtown’s first Thai restaurant, Albright, finished mixing a gorgeous purple mocktail — decorated with a single pearlescent lychee fruit — and set it down next to a red platter featuring raw oysters dressed with olive oil infused with chili and lime, dill, black caviar, crispy shallot and an edible flower. Next to it were two more dishes: a whole crispy deboned sea bass, topped with an apple radish salad and flecks of basil, along with an enormous short rib, braised for six hours and served with shredded kale in a golden curry sauce.
It was a banquet — and just a taste of the artistically modern Thai dishes you might experience when you dine at Suea.
Albright, who moved to Augusta several years ago, is co-owner of the downtown restaurant with her cousin, longtime restaurateur Tippawan Wongkaew, who has opened eateries across the country, including two current restaurants in Seattle.
“We like to present [our food] in a modern style, but keep the authentic recipes.”
– Tippawan Wongkaew
Their vision for Suea was a little different from what most people locally might think of as “Thai food.” There’s no pad thai — although Wongkaew doesn’t rule out adding it to the menu one day, which changes seasonally. And while there’s spice, it’s approachable, adding just a bit of heat to dishes but keeping the flavor front and center. Every dish, in fact, is thoughtfully designed to feature the flavors that Albright grew up with in Thailand, brought to life by the creative flair of their chef and kitchen staff.
“We like to present [our food] in a modern style, but keep the authentic recipes,” says Wongkaew. “So, this is another choice for people in town. They still taste the authentic taste — it has a lot of dimension … [and] fresh ingredients — that is a key. We make [everything] from scratch, even the curry paste.”
The word “suea” means tiger in Thai, and it’s no accident Wongkaew and Albright chose it for the name of their restaurant (tigers also feature prominently in the décor). The word “tiger” connotes something bold, different, outstanding. “Our food is outstanding,” says Albright. “We try to make everything unique.”
Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 12-10 p.m., and Sunday from 12-9 p.m.
As seen in the August/September 2026 issue of Augusta magazine.
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