A new Thai restaurant just opened on Tucson's east side

Nattha and Eric Post have a passion for cooking.

So it’s only appropriate that the husband-wife duo decided to open their own restaurant, housed in the former Peking Palace on Tucson’s east side.

On social media, the restaurant said Peking Palace was now under new ownership as Nattha's Bann Thai Asian, with a menu featuring some Peking Palace favorites, in addition to dishes of their own.

Nattha’s Bann Thai Asian, located at 6970 E. 22nd St., opened around June and serves up Thai and Cantonese dishes from mussaman curry to Pad Thai.

If you're wondering why the eatery decided on serving both Thai and Chinese cuisines, the website sums it up, describing the history of a southern migration and a current Thailand population where about 15% of people are Chinese.

“At Nattha's Thai Asian House, we bring to you the best of both worlds,” the website says.

According to a press release, Nattha is from Thailand, where she learned to cook and went to school for human resources. Eric is a Tucson native who learned to cook from his Italian mother. He worked at a pizzeria early in his career, before becoming a helicopter pilot and mechanic and later an attorney. They have both attended cooking schools in Thailand, the press release says.

“Nattha’s Bann Thai Asian is a labor of love and an opportunity for us to invite the dining community in to taste the result of our passion for and dedication to serving authentic Asian cuisine that is approachable and delicious,” Eric said in the press release. “We want people to enjoy the experience of trying new things but also feel comfortable eating the familiar dishes they love.”