Busara Thai has closed its Tysons restaurant after 26 years

The owners of a Thai restaurant that has stood Tysons Corner Center for over a quarter of a century have opted to retire.

Busara Thai Restaurant and Lounge served its last meal at 8142 Watson Street at the end of July, permanently closing its doors on Aug. 1, according to a sign posted to the front door.

“To our loyal customers and friends we have proudly served over the last 26 years, we thank you for your patronage and support, especially during the hard time, and we regret not being able to continue to serve you,” Busara management wrote.

The Tysons location was one of three Busara retaurants in the D.C. area.

The concept first emerged on Wisconsin Avenue in D.C. in 1992, when The Washington Post called it “a dazzler” that was “surely…the world’s first cyberpunk Siamese restaurant.” It later expanded to Tysons in 1996 and to Reston Town Center in 2005.

However, Busara closed the original D.C. restaurant in 2008, and the Reston location followed a decade later.

News of the Tysons location’s closure was greeted with sadness by longtime patrons, with one Yelp reviewer saying it had been their family’s “go to restaurant” and another calling it “the end of an era for Tysons dining.”

It’s unclear what the future holds in store for the site, which is primarily occupied by an asphalt parking lot. The 5,397-square-foot, concrete-and-brick restaurant building was originally built in 1972, according to Fairfax County property records.

Records show that the land was sold for $6.5 million on Dec. 4, 2020 to an AM TYONS LLC — possibly the same affiliate of Tysons Corner Center developer Macerich that bought J.R.’s Stockyards Inn this past December.

Located just two doors down from Busara, the 44-year-old steakhouse-turned-banquet-hall was demolished earlier this summer in anticipation of redevelopment as high-rise apartments.