Keen Kow Thai Food — Restaurant in Alaska

Keen Kow Thai Food is tucked between Soldotna and Homer, and it definitely has that roadside-Alaska-meets-Thai-food kind of charm. Parking is your standard Alaskan dirt lot—functional, but don’t expect painted lines or clear spaces. Just pull in and make your own spot like the rest of us.

Vibe: The restaurant is set in a rustic cabin, which makes for a cozy setting, though the Thai décor inside is pretty minimal. A few more touches could really bring the atmosphere to life. The sauce bar was a pleasant surprise, with authentic sauces that definitely gave us confidence in the kitchen.

One thing that felt a little mismatched was the music. While the food was authentically Thai, the playlist leaned more toward Usher. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoy a good throwback, but something about eating Thai curry in a cabin in Alaska while listening to “Yeah!” made the whole experience feel slightly off-kilter. Swapping in Thai music or something more atmospheric could instantly elevate the vibe. The bathrooms, too, were very basic and could benefit from a bit of decoration to match the theme.

Food: Here’s where things get good. The spices and seasonings were spot on, and overall the food leaned more authentic than most Thai restaurants we’ve tried in Alaska. I ordered the special, which was flavorful and satisfying. My son had the curry fried rice, which leaned on the greasy side but still had great flavor. Despite a few hiccups, this place feels like it has serious potential. I’d definitely like to come back and try more dishes.

Service: The women working here were friendly, attentive, and clearly knowledgeable about Thai culture and cuisine. That authenticity in service made the whole meal feel more genuine and enjoyable.

Overall: If I could give this place 3.5 stars, I would. Since that’s not an option, I’ll say it’s somewhere between a 3 and 4. The food is some of the more authentic Thai you’ll find in Alaska, and the service was warm and genuine. With just a few tweaks to the vibe and atmosphere, Keen Kow could easily climb into solid...

EXTREMELY CLEAN!! That was my first impression. Especially when you think of your typical small town eating establishment. After that, it was an acceleration toward a exceptional experience. Mind you this is the "off season", and bias is always on the side of the locals I am sure. This place is run by a wife and husband team. The husband being a retired commercial airline pilot with over 30k hours of flight experience all over the world. This is an important fact, because airline pilots are a very meticulous breed; paying attention to every detail is a must. Quality is of the highest priority and it shows! The wife is native to Thailand and not just that, but having been in the restaurant business in her homeland. Authenticity and originality are the theme and forté you are rewarded with here. Here we were greeted with warmth (temperatures were sub zero at the time), kindness, and a friendly smile. Appetizers were fantastic too, while waiting for the main course to be delivered in a timely fashion. You are able to personalize anything on the menu, excepting the Larb and one other menu item I can't recall. You can request any degree of spiciness you desire, which is typical. This place is a must visit ASAP , as the owners are planning to retire to Thailand within a 3 year period at this time. Hopefully it can stay open under equally qualified management in the future. May good luck and fortune smile upon you and your visit, as it...

I called in an order to pick up on my way home and the server was nice enough to take my pick up order so far in advance and understood that I wouldn't be there for about 45 minutes, as I was still 45 minutes away in Soldotna so that was very accommodating. But that aside, I ordered 2 appetizers. One was the fried dumplings, and the other was called "a little bit of everything" which consisted of dumpling, egg rolls, calamari, and shrimp. It was all pre-made frozen and just dropped into a deep fryer. Which ironically was the best part of the entire meal. For the entrés, I ordered beef and broccoli, chicken pad thai, sweet and sour chicken, and a bowl of beef noodle soup. The soup was for my mom so idk what that was like but the rest of the dinners were the smallest portions I have ever seen and consisted of mostly vegetables. There was almost no meat, and the meat it did have was sprinkled on the top of it like mince. And each small box was sitting in a quarter inch of liquid at the bottom. It was so strange. Never again will I spend over $100 for $20 worth of shredded veggies and $5 worth of rice. The best meal was hands down the pad thai. It still was very space on meat but the portion size of the meal was fine. Lots of noodles and the...