A NEW restaurant has opened its doors in York - bringing authentic Thai street food to the city.

The Zaap Thai restaurant, in Lendal, York, hosted a ‘first look’ opening evening tonight (Wednesday), as people were treated to a selection of street food and drinks that will be sold at the eatery.

The restaurant - which has replaced the former Gourmet Burger Kitchen restaurant - is owned by the team behind the award-winning Sukhothai food chain.

Head chef and owner Ban Kaewkraikhot created the company 17 years ago after moving to Leeds from Bangkok.

Speaking to The Press at the launch event last night, she said: “We are thrilled to celebrate our opening here in York tonight.

“York is such a beautiful and vibrant city and we couldn’t be happier to be here.

“We can’t wait to welcome residents and tourists alike and give them a real taste of authentic Thai street food.”

She added that since opening her first eatery, the chain has become an “accessible Thai fine-dining brand”, inspiring her to open a new site in York.

“We have been searching for a suitable spot to bring Zaap to York for two years now, and I believe we’ve found the perfect home at 7 Lendal,” she said.

“Twenty years ago, I could never have imagined just where my dreams would take me, but it turns out that the UK has welcomed Thai food with open arms.

“We cannot wait to introduce Zaap to the people of York and look forward to inviting them in for an authentic taste of Thailand, where street food is not just a meal, but a way of life.

“We chose York as we know what a fantastic city it is. The city has nothing like Zaap and we can’t wait to introduce Zaap to the people of York.”

The restaurant will have space for 100 customers across two floors and will be decorated with a Bangkok street theme - including an open kitchen, bar and seating inside tuk-tuks.

Zaap will also offer a range of lunch menus and daily deals, which will change every month.

Ban added that one of the highlights is a midweek lunch menu which presents diners with the choice of two courses for £10, or three for £12.95, which will run between Monday and Friday from 11am -6pm daily.

Speaking to The Press last month, the company also announced that it was looking to employ 30 people to work at the restaurant