Niki and Tanya Pattharakositkul, the sisters behind 26 Thai and Pink Lotus, have major expansion plans in the works for multiple Thai restaurant brands they are developing across Atlanta. They already have three new restaurants slated to open next year: Thai street food restaurant Terminal 26 is heading to Ponce City Market in the spring, Khao Thai Isan is opening in Centennial Yards by mid-2026 and Pink Lotus has a recently announced location on the way to Alpharetta.
However, the team appears to have one more expansion on the way next year. Niki shared in an interview with What Now Atlanta that they are hoping to open their tenth 26 Thai location in the Medley development taking shape at 11650 Johns Creek Pkwy in Johns Creek.
The 43-acre mixed-use development heading to Johns Creek is slated to open in about a year, according to a countdown on the Medley website. It will feature 150,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space; 110,000 square feet of office space; a 150-room boutique hotel; 750 luxury rental homes; 133 townhomes; and a 25,000-square-foot plaza.
Niki launched 26 Thai in 2016 as her first brand in Atlanta. Since then, she and her sister have grown their footprint to nine 26 Thai locations throughout Atlanta, as well as Asian tapas bar Blackjack Bar Tapas and Pink Lotus in West Midtown.
26 Thai offers menu items such as Bangkok hot pot boat noodles, salmon and shrimp panang, whole red snapper, five-hour short rib, and massaman, panang and green curries.
Through 26 Thai and the other concepts, Niki said they hope to showcase the variety of flavors across the regions of Thailand, beyond classic offerings found at many Thai restaurants in the U.S.
“I hope that by next year, Atlanta will know more about Thai food — not just Pad Thai and Pad See Ew anymore,” Niki said. “When we talk about my brand as a whole group, we just try to push Thai food to the next level.”
