The couple behind one of the Valley’s most beloved and lauded Thai restaurants will bring their talents to one of the most historic buildings in downtown Tempe.
Glai Baan owners Cat Bunnag and Dan Robinson announced plans to open a new concept next year in the Gov. Benjamin B. Moeur House and Hatton Hall, which sits on the corner of Seventh Street and Myrtle Avenue.
Glai Baan operates on the corner of Osborn Road and 24th Street in a cozy 1954 space that once served as a Dairy Queen. The popular restaurant draws hungry patrons who queue up for a coveted seat to savor classic street food spanning noodles and rice dishes, soups and petite plates churned out by Bunnag, who hails from Thailand.
The couple have not shared many details about their upcoming restaurant, except that it is planned to open in 2026 and it will be its own concept, not a second Glai Baan.
What it will have in common with the original concept, however, is calling an older structure home.
“We love creating a space that takes (on) a life of its own (where) people come and share special times and have fun,” Robinson says in a city of Tempe Instagram video announcing his and Bunnag’s plans. “It’s the perfect spot because we are drawn to old houses.”
The cottage-style Moeur House was built in 1893, and was the home of Benjamin B. Moeur, then Tempe’s only full-time physician and a two-term Arizona governor. In 1993, the Moeur House was converted into offices for the Tempe Community Council.
That same year, Hatton Hall was added to the property as a meeting facility. It is named in honor of Patricia A. Hatton, the third woman to serve on the Tempe City Council and a volunteer for humanitarian organizations.
In the video, Robinson references the closure of longtime restaurant House of Tricks, which served its last customers out of its historic bungalow in 2022. That structure remains unused and is steps away from Robinson’s and Bunnag’s upcoming establishment.
“This is just the perfect setting to be able to offer the community the beautiful patio dining (it had) with House of Tricks,” Robinsons says. “It’s a perfect fit. We love it. We’re excited.”
Glai Baan always has a line of dedicated customers waiting for a table to enjoy its delicious Thai street food.
Jacob Tyler Dunn
“They wanted something that tells a tale and through their food, they wanted to tell even more of a story,” Woods says. “They fell in love with it and want to pursue it.”
This promises to be part of a wave of new, locally-owned restaurants that come with a following.
Pretty Decent Concepts, the team responsible for Wren & Wolf and Carry On, debuted Filthy Animal and adjacent speakeasy Drop Dead Gorgeous on the northwest corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive in April. The hospitality company has announced plans to open another restaurant, The Roman, in February 2026 on the northeast corner of Rio Saldo Parkway and Mill Avenue. Their concepts will then essentially bookend the main drag through downtown.
This spring, Proof Bread announced plans to open a location on the ground floor of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, in the Brickyard on the northeast corner of Mill Avenue and Seventh Street, later this year.
A self-described enthusiastic foodie, Tempe's Mayor Woods says he looks forward to Robinson’s and Bunnag’s restaurant and what it will mean to the downtown Tempe dining scene.
“They are such good people and their food is exceptional,” Woods says. “There’s a food revolution going on in Tempe and they will add to that momentum.”
