Pocatello's Thai Kitchen Brings Eastern Flavors to Western Town

Thai Kitchen's Eggplant Lover

     Despite our remote locale, Pocatello residents have long known how delicious Thai food is. Unfortunately, getting it meant driving to Lava Hot Springs. But in Summer, 2013 a new player in the Thai food game entered Pocatello's dining landscape: Thai Kitchen.

     It’s the second restaurant to bear the name, the first having opened in Idaho Falls in December 2012. The restaurants are a labor of love for owner Pete Kwanmongkhol and his family. Kwanmongkhol is from the Bangkok area and has been operating Thai restaurants in southeastern Idaho for more than 11 years. When his original Thai restaurant in Idaho Falls closed, Kwanmongkhol moved to Portland, but returned to Idaho when his nephew had an idea for a new restaurant.

     Previously, their Pocatello location at 978 Hiline Rd. has played revolving door to a slew of Mexican fast food joints. I heard one person superstitiously posit that the place was cursed. But given Kwanmongkhol’s long history of restaurant ownership -- and their frequently packed parking lot -- I’m optimistic about Thai Kitchen’s staying power.