Thai Villa Group Set to Open New Japanese Restaurant Near Bryant Park
By Isabelle Durso December 2, 2025 2:23 pm
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Thai Villa Group, the hospitality group behind several Asian restaurants in New York City, is set to open a new eatery near Manhattan’s Bryant Park this summer.
Thai Villa Group has signed a 12-year lease for 3,000 square feet at the base of 18 West 39th Street for a new Japanese restaurant called Kāza, according to landlord broker Lee & Associates NYC. Asking rent was $150 per square foot.
The 12-story building between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas — which has an alternate address of 16-18 West 39th Street — is owned by commercial real estate investor Behrooz Hedvat. Using the entity 18 Dagim, Hedvat bought the property next to Amazon’s new Manhattan headquarters for $18 million in July 2024, as Commercial Observer previously reported.
The new deal represents the 16th location for Thai Villa Group, which also operates Manhattan restaurants including Up Thai on the Upper East Side, Pranakhon in Greenwich Village and La Dong near Union Square.
“18 West 39th Street is a perfect location for a restaurant, in close proximity to a variety of transit options and central office hubs, and directly adjacent to Amazon’s Manhattan headquarters,” Lee & Associates’ Catherine O’Toole, who brokered the deal for the landlord along with Stephanie Moore and David Scher, said in a statement.
“The addition of Kāza to 18 West 39th Street, with Thai Villa Group’s history of delivering high-quality restaurant experiences, will act as a catalyst in attracting high-end tenants to the remainder of the building,” O’Toole added.
RL Organization’s Richard Leong brokered the deal for the tenant. Hedvat and a spokesperson for Thai Villa Group could not be reached for comment.
Kāza will join several other restaurants on its new Midtown block, including Cuban-Chinese restaurant Calle Dao, Spyglass Rooftop Bar and Japanese eatery Class on 38th.
“Kāza will raise Japanese fine dining to the next level with an innovative menu, an immersive environment and legendary service,” Leong said in a statement to Commercial Observer.
Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.
