Our Story

Family-Run 

After opening their first successful Thai restaurant in Santa Barbara in 1983, wife and husband, Ponphan and Chareonsak opened a second restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara in 1995. Both being Thai Chefs for many years prior to opening Galanga, they brought over their original, and authentic recipes which are still being followed to this day.

Today their children and grandchildren continue to follow in their example of cooking with fresh produce and with rich balanced flavors common in Thai cuisine. Our current head chef and daughter of the original owners, Wantana is very well versed in the flavors and ingredients of Thai food. She grew up in Bangkok, Thailand eating street food and home cooking from her grandmother. This knowledge has inspired her to create food that is as flavorful and similar to our family’s home cooking.

Why Galanga?

Galangal or”kha” in Thai is a rhizome that is commonly used as an ingredient in making a huge variety of Thai curry pastes, soup broths, and stir-fry dishes. Due to Galangal’s importance in Thai cuisine, we named our restaurant after this sharp, citrusy, and slightly pine tasting rhizome.