Nyum Bai, one of Oakland’s top culinary destinations for Cambodian fare, has closed doors in Fruitvale at 3340 E. 12th St. Chef Nite Yun announced last week that Nyum Bai would be moving on from this space.
Nyum Bai, which means “Let’s Eat,” is an ode to Cambodia’s Golden Era of the ‘60s, when its music and arts culture flourished. Yun created Nyum Bai to preserve these aspects of Cambodian culture through her food, recreating her mother’s recipes from scratch to bring Cambodian street food to the Bay Area.
With the help of La Cocina, Yun began Nyum Bai as a pop-up in 2014. Over four years, Nyum Bai became so popular that Yun opened her first brick-and-mortar in 2018 and that same year she was featured in Bon Appetit.
Since then, customers would endure long waits to enjoy Yun’s Pork Belly and Kuy Teav Phnom Penh in a small restaurant space adorned with classic Cambodian rock records. Yun assures fans that this isn’t the end of Nyum Bai.
“This is not the end of Nyum Bai, rather the closing of its first chapter, which has been something truly special. We will reopen in the near future in a new location, so stay tuned!” Yun writes in her announcement. Follow @nyumbai on Instagram to get updates on Yun’s next moves.
