Malaysian-Thai restaurant will replace Italian eatery in Clifton in 2026

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Italian restaurant in the Clifton neighborhood is closing at the end of the year, and a new Malaysian restaurant will take its place.

That's according to reporting from our partners at Louisville Business First.

Plans call for Serai to open in 2026, in the space now occupied by DiFabio’s Casapela Italian Restaurant at 2311 Frankfort Ave. Previous Louisville Business First coverage reported that DiFabio's -- owned by husband-and-wife Caitland DiFabio and Jon Riley -- will close at the end of December.

DiFabio told the publication the couple was not planning to sell until "we had some people come in and want to buy the equipment and take over the space, so it was an offer we couldn’t refuse," DiFabio said.

Serai's owner, Sebastian Moh, a local ceramics artist and personal chef, was born in Batu Pahat, Malaysia -- although he is of Chinese descent. He studied industrial and product design while attending Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

After graduating, Moh moved to Louisville, and his knowledge of Malaysian and Thai food helped him quickly land a job at a local restaurant.

"Serai means lemongrass in my home country, Malaysia," Moh said in a Business First interview.

He said Serai will focus on Malaysian and Thai spices, herbs and techniques -- along with local seasonal ingredients "and a touch of Chinese wok stir-fry," Moh said, adding: "Thailand, China and Malaysia are all neighboring countries, so we use very similar techniques and spices."

Moh said he hopes to open in March of 2026 after renovating the building, and expects to hire about 15 employees.

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