Thai Wok Signs Lease to Open St. Clairsville's First Thai Restaurant

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio, May 23, 2026 — St. Clairsville is set to welcome its first Thai restaurant after Thai Wok signed a lease on the former Home Pizza building in the city's downtown, with owner and operator Johnly Lee planning renovations and a grand opening pending approval of his U.S. work visa.

The opening would fill a gap that Lee identified specifically when visiting the area — Belmont County has no Thai food options, despite supporting a variety of Mexican, Chinese, American fast food and pizza restaurants. For a city that city officials say is actively working to broaden its downtown dining scene, the arrival of Thai Wok adds a cuisine the community has not had access to before.

Thai Wok Takes Over Former Home Pizza Site in Downtown St. Clairsville

The former Home Pizza location, which had been sitting vacant, will be converted into the Thai Wok dining space. Lee said he has already assembled a renovation team that estimates the work will take approximately 25 days to complete. Once renovations are finished, the Belmont County Health Department will conduct an on-site inspection before issuing the operating license and clearance for a grand opening.

Tom Murphy, Zoning and Planning Administrator for the City of St. Clairsville, said the city made the announcement at a council meeting and the public response has been immediate. He said numerous residents have already approached him asking about the restaurant and when it will open. Murphy described Lee as easy to work with throughout the process of getting everything in place.

City Officials Welcome Diversity the New Restaurant Brings to Downtown

Murphy was direct about what the opening means for the downtown dining landscape. He said Thai Wok gives the city a diversity in its restaurant scene that it has not had for a long time, and placed it alongside a small cluster of recent additions that have changed the character of the downtown food offer over the past few years.

He pointed to Audrey's Avenue, which opened last year, and Giacinta's Gelato and Caffè, which opened several years ago, as part of the same wave of dining diversification alongside the longer-standing Newellstown Diner and various pizza operations. In his assessment, St. Clairsville's downtown restaurant scene is genuinely starting to expand — and Thai Wok is a meaningful part of that.

Owner Johnly Lee Discovered St. Clairsville Through Family Connection at Ohio Valley Mall

Lee, who currently lives in Toronto, Canada, said he discovered St. Clairsville after visiting a family member who worked at Osaka Steakhouse at the Ohio Valley Mall. During that visit, he noticed the absence of Thai food anywhere in Belmont County and identified it as an opportunity worth pursuing.

He said the city already demonstrated that its residents support good food — the presence of successful Mexican, Chinese and American fast food and pizza restaurants told him the community eats out and supports new establishments. Thai food simply was not part of that picture yet. Lee said that gap, combined with his connection to the area through family, made St. Clairsville the right place for his first U.S. restaurant.

Menu to Feature Mango Sticky Rice, Chicken Pad Thai and Thai Noodles

Lee has already provided a rough draft menu to both Murphy and the Belmont County Health Department. While the full menu is still being finalised, he described the range as covering both familiar Thai comfort foods and more traditional flavours. Mango sticky rice is among the dishes he specifically named as part of the offering, alongside chicken Pad Thai and Thai noodles for customers looking for something more centred around meat and protein.

The menu draft gives health inspectors and city officials a clear picture of the kitchen's direction ahead of the formal approval process that follows renovation completion.

Lee Brings International Restaurant Experience Across Five Countries

While Thai Wok in St. Clairsville will be Lee's first restaurant in the United States, his background in the industry spans multiple countries. He has previously owned and operated restaurants in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan — a range of experience that covers both the cuisine he plans to serve and the operational demands of running a restaurant across different markets.

The St. Clairsville opening represents a deliberate choice to bring that experience to the United States, and to a smaller city rather than a major metropolitan market. Lee said he loves the city and is excited to bring his background specifically to St. Clairsville and the wider Belmont County community.

Grand Opening Awaits Work Visa Approval Before Renovation Can Begin

The one remaining step before renovation work starts is the approval of Lee's U.S. work visa. He has signed the lease and has his renovation team ready to begin, but the work cannot proceed until his visa clears. Once the 25-day renovation is complete, the health department inspection, license issuance and grand opening will follow in sequence.

No specific opening date has been confirmed, as the timeline depends directly on when the visa approval comes through. City officials and residents are watching the process closely given the level of public interest the announcement has already generated.

Source: The Times Leader, May 23, 2026. Report by Gage Vota, Times Leader Staff Writer. Original coverage at timesleaderonline.com.