Growing up, food was a memorable part of Preaw Chamchoi’s life. She remembered watching her dad and grandmother working in the kitchen, and when she was in school, her dad rewarded good grades with going out to eat. She said it worked.
“After the semester, we get to go celebrate,” Chamchoi said. “It’s almost like a little treat.”
Up the stairs
Kanok Thai Cuisine is open Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. The hours are the same Friday and Saturday, but the dinner hour lasts until 9 p.m.
Order online or dine in person at 435 Alisal Road in Solvang.
She also said Thai people don’t typically cook very elaborate dishes at home. Take pad thai for example. Chamchoi said there are too many ingredients to make it yourself, but you could go to the market where each street food vendor has a specialty.
“If you want pad thai, go to one store and they sell all pad thai,” Chamchoi said. “They’re famous for this and that.”
Pad thai is one of her restaurants’ most-ordered items, but before a career in hospitality, she studied architecture. Born and raised in Thailand, she went to school in Bangkok and then moved to the U.S. at the age of 24.
Thai roots are still prominent in her life, even professionally. She’s owned a couple of other Thai restaurants in Santa Barbara County, incorporating her identity into the names of the restaurants.
Chamchoi’s role as a restaurateur started with T.A.P Thai in Goleta. The initials referred to herself and business partners, Top and Aon, but now, she’s the sole owner.
Based in Santa Barbara, Chamchoi drives to Solvang multiple times a week to operate her newest venture, Kanok Thai Cuisine. Kanok, stems from her legal name, Kanokwan, meaning “girl with golden skin.” By itself, kanok translates to “gold” and informed the aesthetic inside the eatery.
She’d been looking for an open space in Solvang for a while, and as soon as she saw a building for lease, she called the realtor.
Before opening, Chamchoi spent six months renovating the building, a two-story space on Alisal Road. She said people walking by were excited for the opening.
“Everyone’s kind of super supportive here,” she said.
It’s also the only Thai restaurant in Solvang at the moment. The only other Asian food she’s noticed in town is ramen.
“I think Solvang needed a little variety,” Chamchoi said.
The building itself reminds her of houses in Thailand because it’s common for them to be two stories tall. In some ways she decorated Kanok like a home, too. The wallpaper, like much of the décor, is as authentic as the cuisine. She shipped pieces back to California during visits to Thailand.
Kanok’s ground level is set up like a living room, with a sofa, big chairs, and round end tables. What gives it away as a restaurant is the long bar and row of low-back barstools. Chamchoi envisions the space as being comfortable for customers when they just want small bites or a beverage.
Upstairs is where the culinary magic happens. At the top of a wide staircase, the whole space opens to tables, another bar, and the kitchen, which guests can see into from the outside.
After a few weeks of a soft launch, Chamchoi officially opened Kanok’s doors on her birthday in mid-November. So far, the popular items have been pad thai, drunken noodles (Chamchoi’s favorite), and green curry. Another honorable mention is the slow-cooked spareribs, she said. The Kanok menu also features curries, salads, soups, and fried rice.
With the holiday boom quickly approaching, Chamchoi is ready for the influx of visitors, who help make the time pass quickly.
“I can’t wait,” she said. “I love being busy.”
Staff Writer Madison White took home leftovers of Kanok’s panang curry. Reach her at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 11 – Dec 18, 2025.