A1A Asian Kitchen has opened in the Crescent Beach area of St. Johns County, replacing T. Smith Asian Bistro under new ownership.
The 150-seat, 5,000-square-foot restaurant is at 6975 A1A, less than a quarter-mile south of Florida 206 and across from the Beacher’s Lodge condominiums in the Crescent Beach area of Anastasia Island.
Spouses Carlos and Phet Valotha purchased the “turnkey” operation from owner Tommy Smith and his partners in June and began rebranding the restaurant, according to an Aug. 10 news release. The restaurant announced the change on its Facebook page in early July.
St. Johns County Property Appraiser records show the restaurant property is owned by St. Augustine-based Crescent City Plaza LLC.
The Valothas also own Libby’s Thai Bistro in St. Augustine and Lemongrass Thai Bistro in Jacksonville.
Phet Valotha, who manages the front of house, has owned and managed Asian restaurants in Northeast Florida since 1996, according to the release. Her previous restaurants include the former Thai Room in Jacksonville Beach, Lemongrass Restaurant in the Baymeadows area of Jacksonville and Galangal Thai Restaurant near Nocatee. All have closed.
Carlos, a native of Laos, is chef of A1A Asian Kitchen. He said the restaurant’s menu retains some dishes from T. Smith Asian Bistro while adding Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese offerings.
New menu items include lobster kao soi ramen, Thai BBQ pork ribs, kiew wan curry and crispy whole snapper with pineapple-infused red curry sauce, along with sushi and sashimi. A1A Asian Kitchen has a full bar.
The restaurant serves lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner Saturday. It is closed Sunday. Happy hour is 2-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 3-6 p.m. Saturday.