Every disappointing meal on your trip is a wasted opportunity. This list from a local explores where to find the outstanding places to eat in Chiang Mai, and order recommendations you can’t go wrong with.
For decades now, Chiang Mai has offered visitors a perfect balance between scenic beauty, authenticity and accessibility.
Jaw-dropping temples sat around every corner provide a wonderful contrast to Bangkok’s malls. Mountains, waterfalls and elephant sanctuaries wait to be explored only a few hours drive away.
And despite all of these advantages, people still come to Chiang Mai just for the food.
However, just because Chiang Mai sounds like a tourist hotspot doesn’t mean the best restaurants are in plain sight for all to see.
The beauty of Chiang Mai is that this tourist hotspot is also in many ways a hidden gem, and the same goes for the best restaurants offering a salivating swirl of sweet, savoury and spicy…
You have to know where to look, what to order, and sometimes how to even queue!
And to find that out, it’s handy to have the inside track from someone who speaks Thai.
Below you’ll find 10 restaurants in Chiang Mai that we can definitely recommend.
1. Khao Soi Maesai
Thai khao soi is best described as a thin curry with coconut milk, herbs and meat, and not too dissimilar to the staple massaman curry favoured by tourists.
The main difference is that khao soi is served with crispy and soft noodles mixed into the curry, rather than rice.
Khao soi in Chiang Mai is like pizza in Naples… You simply can’t go there without trying it.
Khao Soi Maesai was hands down the best khao soi we tried in Chiang Mai (so probably the best one we’ll ever have).
The broth was rich and creamy, and the meat was uber tender.
You know it’s good when you’d quite happily take down a bowl of just the broth.
We’d suggest ordering the standard Khao Soi Chicken (ข้าวซอยไก่) or Beef (ข้าวซอยเนื้อ). And make sure you get there before 2 pm, as they stop serving khao soi around then.
Price: 50 baht / £1 per bowl
Find Khao Soi Maesai on google maps here
2. Lert Ros
Lert Ros was actually directly opposite our hotel and we ignored it for the 6 of the 7 days we were in Chiang Mai.
If you wander across it, the old gentleman baking fish on these unique clay pots will catch your eye. However, you may end up continuing your dinner search for somewhere with a little more sparkle.
I’m here to tell you that not choosing to eat here would be a huge mistake.
I’d know, because Lert Ros ended up being one of our favourite meals during our month in Thailand and we only tried it on our last night.
The cruel irony.
What we did get right though, was our order:
The speciality grilled fish with spicy sauce, pork with a barbecue sauce, som tam salad and sticky rice.
Pure, delicious simplicity I’ll never forget.
Price: 350 baht total / £8 for 2 people
Find Lert Ros on google maps here
3. Jok Sompet
When Kyri suggested to me that we get breakfast included at all our hotels in Thailand, I may have given him a look that said:
“No, silly tourist, we are not doing that”.
Now, while this look has become weirdly more common the longer we’ve been together, even he will agree I got this one right.
I guess the Jok is on him.
Turns out, garlic and onion-y rice goodness with delicate minced pork balls is universally a perfect way to start the day.
This pork selection (Jok Moo – โจ๊กหมู) is definitely our recommendation, and you can also buy some fried dough sticks to crumble up inside.
Just don’t be thinking you will be particularly productive in the 30 minutes straight after…
Price: ~50 baht / £1 per bowl
Find Jok Sompet on google maps here
4. Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kaat Gorm
Lung Prakit first came to our attention way before we left London, as we were watching the brilliant foodie show Somebody Feed Phil.
Phil’s chef friend was telling him how it was the best khao soi he’d had, as the cook brought Phil bowl after bowl for him to try as he had the entire restaurant to himself.
After trying for ourselves, we can definitely see why he recommended Lung Prakit so highly.
The bowls of khao soi are ample and will warm you right through to your core.
Students in Chiang Mai also must feel like they’re in heaven on earth after a night out, as khao soi feels like a perfect hangover cure.
However, Phil made Lung Prakit look like a hidden gem.
Well, we can tell you for sure… the word is most certainly out. Everybody knows how good this place is, and the pure chaos of the queue for seating will be a shock to the system.
Our advice is to come for an early lunch before it gets busy, or get a Grab delivery.
There is very little to accommodate non-Thai speakers, and even I wasn’t exactly sure how to queue.
However, the food is delicious and well worth the effort.
Price: 50 baht / £1 per bowl
Find Lung Prakit Kaat Gorm on google maps here
5. Kat’s Kitchen
Where Lung Prakit expects westerners to leave their comfort zone and fend for themselves, Kat’s Kitchen is the opposite.
Kat’s Kitchen is best described as one of the safest bets in Chiang Mai for a quiet and comfortable meal.
You can’t really go wrong with anything here as a westerner.
The menu is super broad, the portion sizes are huge, and the quality of the food is pretty good.
In particular the spring roll starters were excellent.
The fact that Kat’s Kitchen is a sure thing is also reflected in its popularity. Come a bit later and there may not be a table for you.
However, you’ll also notice that almost none of those tables are filled with Thai people…
We’d recommend trying Kat’s Kitchen, but also definitely don’t give in to the temptation of coming here every night!
Price: ~400 baht / £9 to leave 2 people well and truly stuffed
Find Kat’s Kitchen on google maps here
6. Bodhi Tree Cafe
Congee is delicious for breakfast, but you may want to mix it up every now and then.
Undoubtedly, the Coffee Club or Burger King will tempt you through their sparkly double doors with the lure of acai bowls and a good ol’ English breakfast.
Fortunately, Bodhi Tree Cafe is twice as tasty as these big chains, and half the price.
You can get a huge set breakfast which includes homemade yoghurt, muesli, a large amount of delicious fruit and coffee all for 200 baht.
This delightfully light but filling breakfast is also enjoyed on some thai mattress cushions, making it a really relaxing way to start the day.
It’s also so good, it’s the only restaurant on our trip we didn’t get a photo of.
Two of these set meals may even be overkill, so we just got the one with some pancakes and it felt like the perfect amount.
Price: 300 baht/ £8 for 2 people
Find Bodhi Tree Cafe on google maps here
7. Fern Forest Cafe
With Chiang Mai being a hotspot for tourists, it’s natural you’ll eventually find yourself somewhere that looks more European than Thai.
Fern Forest Cafe looks nothing like the local favourites and the clientele was definitively more Western.
That said, the food was really quite tasty, and not outrageously priced.
This cafe is also a good spot if you need a reprieve from the heat, or if you just missed the khao soi cut-off time.
The setting offers lovely shade and colour, and the koi swimming in the pond are also the biggest I’ve ever seen!
Price: 900 baht / £20 total for a club sandwich, Thai pasta, 2 smoothies and a dessert
Find Fern Forest Cafe on google maps here
8. Chiang Mai Market/ Walking Street
It only takes one visit to a weekend or night market to realise that excellent Thai food is not exclusively available in restaurants or cafés.
Chiang Mai’s weekend market emphasises this fact like few other markets in Thailand.
There’s something gloriously decadent about standing on the street in tastebud heaven, while simultaneously scanning for your next snack choice.
We’d suggest ignoring anything remotely western-like fries or mac’n’cheese, or even Asian classics like gyoza.
The stars for us were the meat tapioca balls known as Saku Sai Moo, the taste explosion parcels of Miang Kham, fried pork balls and fresh mochi for dessert.
And if your feet get weary during your food odyssey, there are usually foot masseurs sharing their skills just off the main road!
Find the Sunday walking street on google maps here, or Saturday night market here
9. Akha Ama Coffee (La Fattoria)
Asian coffee is one of our favourite things.
You can’t get much better than a Thai or Vietnamese coffee that maintains a balance of sweetness and bitterness.
Chiang Mai’s coffee culture has exploded alongside its popularity with tourists… as if the city didn’t have enough to attract us.
The result of this growth is you are bound to stumble across hundreds of cafes to supercharge your day, especially in the hipster Nimman area.
One of the best ones we visited was Akha Ama.
To be honest, we found the vast choice of coffees a little overwhelming, but it was clear that this is a cafe that really knows its stuff.
So if you’re someone whose day doesn’t really start until the first cup of jet fuel has been consumed, your itch will definitely be scratched here
Price: ~90 baht / £2 per coffee
Find Akha Ama on google maps here
10. Huen Muan Jai
Huen Muan Jai is one of the most popular restaurants in Chiang Mai.
And when I say popular, I mean in the way you’d want on your travels…
Rammed full of Thai people and making a tourist like Kyri feeling very lost. The setting of this restaurant is also wonderful.
All sounds perfect doesn’t it?
Unfortunately though, Huen Muan Jai was a bit disappointing.
We ended up waiting over an hour to sit at our table, and by then we were a little hangry.
The restaurant also specialises in traditional northern Thai dishes, which weren’t really to our taste.
Despite our experience though, we wanted to include it on this list because I think we just were unlucky.
We came here on New Years Day so it was busier than usual, and I don’t think we nailed our order.
So if you do decide to follow the positive signs pointing to this restaurant, maybe research your dishes beforehand.
Price: 700 baht / £16 for 2 people
Find Huen Muan Jai on google maps here
- A Bangkokian’s Ultimate Guide to 17 Best Things to Do in Bangkok - May 17, 2022
- A Thai’s 10 Top Restaurants & Cafes in Chiang Mai - April 9, 2022
- 13 Mindfulness Gifts To Promote Calm and Self-Care in 2024 - December 9, 2021
