The Story of Sabai: Two Paths, One Heart, A Shared Dream.
Some restaurants are built around a business plan. Sabai was built around a kitchen table in Phuket.
VIRADEE'S STORY
Viradee Pisara grew up in Isaan, Thailand, in a family where the kitchen was the center of everything. Her grandmother cooked. Her mother cooked. Her sisters cooked. Food wasn't a profession — it was the language her family used to show love, celebrate life, and hold each other together through hard times. As a young woman, Viradee spent countless hours beside her older sister at her street stall, learning the recipes that had been passed down through generations. The Tom Yum Noodle Soup she makes at Sabai today is the same soup her sister served to customers in Phuket — the same broth, the same aromatics, the same technique. Nothing has been watered down or adapted. It is exactly what it was always meant to be. When Viradee and her husband Bill Spradlin decided to open a restaurant in Orlando, they didn't ask what the market wanted. They asked what the family knew how to make. The answer was Sabai.
ALEX'S STORY
Chef Alex Pisara grew up eating his mother's food. He always knew it was exceptional — he just had to learn the technique to do it justice. Alex spent years training in professional Thai kitchens in Orlando, cooking at Lim Ros in Maitland and Isan Zaap near Millenia Mall — two of the most respected Thai restaurants in the city. At Lim Ros, he refined his understanding of classical Thai flavor profiles. At Isan Zaap, known for its commitment to regional Thai authenticity, he developed his mastery of wok technique and the high-heat cooking that gives dishes like Pad Kee Mao and Pad See Ew their signature smoky depth. When it came time to open Sabai, Alex brought everything he'd learned back home — to his mother's kitchen. He handles the stir-fry station, where speed and precision matter as much as flavor. Viradee handles the soups, curries, and everything else. Together, they run one of the most authentic Thai kitchens in Orlando.
BILL'S STORY
Bill Spradlin is the son-in-law, the husband, the operations mind, and the person making sure that every guest who walks into Sabai feels genuinely welcome. "Sabai" means relaxed in Thai — and Bill's job is to make sure that feeling extends beyond the food and into every interaction in the dining room. Bill describes Sabai as the product of mutual struggle, enduring love, and a shared vision that took years to build. "We want to bring dishes to Orlando that you don't often see," he says. "Food that comes from somewhere real."
WHY SABAI IS DIFFERENT
There are Thai restaurants in Orlando. There are very few authentic Thai street food restaurants. The difference is in the details — the broth that simmers for hours, the curry paste made from scratch, the homemade Thai sausage seasoned with lemongrass and galangal, the dishes that exist on our menu because Viradee's family made them, not because they're safe choices for an American audience.
We are a 32-seat restaurant in the SoDo district of Orlando. We are not trying to be everything. We are trying to be the most authentic Thai street food experience you can find in this city. Based on our 4.9-star rating and the guests who have already become regulars in our first weeks of operation, we believe we are.
Come find us at 3333 S. Orange Ave Suite 105, Orlando FL 32806. Open Monday through Saturday. Dine in, takeout, and delivery available.