A Thai café and restaurant is gearing up to open in a former department store in Reading town centre which has been vacant for over 10 years.

The Jacksons Corner independent department store in Kings Road closed down back in December 2013 amid difficulties in drawing shoppers away from The Oracle.

Since, 2018 the building has undergone a revitalisation project creating luxury apartments above ground and new restaurant space.

Now one of those eateries is gearing up to open after more than two years of waiting.

Rosa’s Thai is a chain that serves up noodles, curries and small plates to diners, along with an extensive selection of hot, cold and alcoholic drinks, including cocktails.

Hoardings around the unit it will occupy appeared this month, saying “Reading, get ready to Tuk Tuk In” and “Sawadee Reading” which is the Thai word for hello.

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Back in February 2022, Rosa’s submitted a licensing application to serve food and alcohol from 11am to 11.30pm on Monday to Saturday and 11am to 10.30pm on Sundays.

The application was approved by Reading Borough Council shortly afterwards, but there has been no news on its opening since.

A spokesperson was unable to confirm an opening date or how many jobs would be created.

However, a Facebook post saying “Reading are you ready for this??” was posted at 12pm on Sunday, May 12.

Rosa’s Thai food was available in the summer of 2021 as part of a ‘Deliveroo Editions’ partnership, which only functioned on a temporary basis.