Is This The End of Thailand Cafe in Central Square?

Rumors have been flying that Thailand Cafe in Central Square is doomed to fall victim to planned expansions by pharmaceutical giant Novartis. There has been no official confirmation of their closing, and yet a quick chat with the folks at Thailand Cafe revealed that something is up. When asked for details about their future, they replied "We're still here" and declined to comment further. Despite the name, the restaurant is known for its unremarkable Thai food and its wowing Sichuan dishes, which are highly seasoned with the one-two mala punch of hot red chilis and the queerly addictive, tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorn.

Thailand Cafe is regularly filled with MIT students and faculty and attracts Sichuan fiends from the rest of the city and beyond. It's hard to imagine that the school, which owns the space Novartis will be expanding into, would allow a restaurant so beloved by its population to disappear. But as of yet, no one's talking.

· Novartis job cuts won’t affect Cambridge [Boston Globe]
· Sichuan Cuisine at Thailand Cafe near MIT [Chowhound]