The best restaurants in Chiang Mai Thailand
Calling all lovers of food: you best have an empty stomach for this one, as we’re about to walk you through the best restaurants in the Thai food paradise of Chiang Mai. This northern city, in our opinion, is one of the top destinations in Thailand for food. It has everything you could ever dream of; from market stalls, to local and more traditional restaurants and tourist-focused restaurants that do western food very well.
Whilst spending 10 days in the north, we lived our best foodie life visiting some delicious restaurants (sometimes even more than twice). We hope you find our guide on the best Chiang Mai restaurants useful and can use it to help plan your trip. Do you have any of your own favourite places to eat? Be sure to let us know if the comments section below. With further delay, bring on the food!
Our favourite Chiang Mai restaurants
Dash Restaurant
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
We’re starting off our list with a place that’s undoubtedly one of the best Chiang Mai restaurants. What we loved about Dash is the quality of the food they serve; it’s fresh, it’s authentic and service is always provided with a smile.
Dash is a family run-Thai restaurant that’s extremely popular amongst tourists, every day of the week. They serve a variety of different Thai dishes, from Pad Thai, to Tom Yum and our favourite, their hearty, slow-cooked chicken Massaman Curry.
The setting really makes this restaurant extra special, with its dimply lit courtyard in the evening, candles on each table and live music playing in the background. Considering the environment, service and quality of food, we found the prices to be really reasonable.
Sen Sod Homemade Pasta & Smoothie by chef Ton
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
Pasta meets a hint of spice at another one of our favourite restaurants in Chiang Mai. If you’re a fan of homemade pasta, you must pay Sen Sod a visit. This newly opened Thai restaurant has a world class chef that specialises in pasta dishes, but with a little bit of Thai fusion. We’re talking Thai Green Curry pastas and Pad Thai pasta!
We dined here at least 5 times and had their signature pasta and grilled chicken with Thai green sauce. What makes this place so special is the friendly and quiet atmosphere and the personal touch that you receive when you dine here.
The prices are extremely affordable and we suggest coming here for lunch. The portion sizes aren’t huge, but you can always order another meal (or two!) as it’s so cheap. You must also try their homemade shakes and smoothies! Sen Sod is simply the best restaurant in Chiang Mai for pasta dishes.
Kats Kitchen
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
Another restaurant that we absolutely loved is the highly popular, Kat’s Kitchen. This busy Thai restaurant always has long queues, and for good reason. Located on a quiet street in Chiang Mai Old Town, Kat’s Kitchen serves tasty Thai food that’ll leave you wanting to come back for more. Despite always being busy, you’ll never really need to wait more than 20 minutes for food. We recommend their chicken Pad Thai and their not-so-spicy papaya salad, along with a fresh coconut on a hot day.
We found the prices at Kat Kitchen to be really good value. The portion sizes were very generous, and the quality of the food is good. If you plan on dining here, try to visit during quieter times; before 12pm or after 2pm for lunch. Before 5pm or after 8pm is best for dinner.
Ma Kin Pizza
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
A delicious pizza restaurant? In Chiang Mai? Yes, that’s right! Ma Kin Pizza serves freshly made, stone baked pizza right in the heart of Chiang Mai. We were amazed by how tasty the pizzas were. They were in fact some of the best pizzas we’ve ever had; seriously! You’ll find pizza in a lot of western-style restaurants in Thailand, but it’s not often done well. That isn’t the case at all with Ma Kin.
The restaurant also serves a selection of pasta dishes and salads, but if you come here, be sure to order one of their pizzas. It’s a quiet a small restaurant, but it never gets too busy. We ate here for both lunch and the quality was the same each time.
Price wise, it’s on the higher end of the scale (for Thailand) but it’s definitely worth every penny! You won’t need to order any sides with the pizza as they’re pretty big.
Choei Café & Bistro
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
With so many different restaurant options in Chiang Mai, it can be a little overwhelming, but fear not, as Choi offers so many different dishes that’ll you’ll have a good variety of dining options in one place. Choi is a Japanese-Thai fusion restaurant offering both indoor and outdoor seating. The restaurant is well kept and has a great chilled atmosphere, both in the afternoon and on an evening.
The restaurant’s menu is extensive, but not in a bad way. They offer a wide range of starters, all of the usual Thai dishes you’d expect to find, plus some Japanese favourites. We highly recommend trying their signature Kao Soi with chicken or beef; it’s a must-try whilst in Chiang Mai.
Choi’s service is excellent, the prices are reasonable and service is friendly. During our visit it closed at 8pm each day, so be sure to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Another World
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
One of the quirkiest and most unique restaurants in Chiang Mai is without a doubt, Another World. It’s a small family-run restaurant with a real laid back atmosphere. It has indoor and outdoor seating that looks out at one of the most vibrant streets in Chiang Mai. Many people even just visit for a snack, a few drinks and some people watching.
The menu here is quite small due to the size of the restaurant, but the dishes that they offer are all done well. You can really tell that the food is cooked with a lot of love and passion. We suggest opting for the curry’s here; they’re slow cooked and full of flavour.
You might need to wait for a while to get seated, especially during the evenings at peak times of the year. We recommend dining here early afternoon, later in the evening before 5pm, or after 8pm to reduce the wait time.
Aum Vegetarian Restaurant
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
The next place on our list is a popular choice for vegetarians and vegans, but simply anyone would enjoy the food here. There are so many vegan-vegetarian restaurants in Chiang Mai that have become popular amongst tourists, but Aum Vegetarian Restaurant is up there as being one of the best, in our opinion.
The restaurant has two floors, with the first floor offering seated tables. Upstairs, you’ll get to dine sitting on a cushion on the floor surrounded by an array of hip, colourful decorations. They offer any Thai dish you can think of but without the meat. There’s also a wide variety fresh shakes and juices for you to try.
It’s another really popular restaurant, so expect to wait for a table during peak times. The pricing here is really reasonable and the portion sizes are very generous. We suggest getting a few smaller dishes that you can share with your group.
Raming Tea House
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
The final restaurant suggestion on our list of the best restaurants in Chiang Mai is a rather special place to have breakfast, lunch, or even an afternoon tea with friends. Raming Tea House is a quaint, colonial-style restaurant that offers both indoor and outdoor seating surrounded by lots of plants. The setting is unlike anything else we experienced in Chiang Mai.
The menu is extensive, offering a variety of both western foods and Thai dishes. A lot of people come here for their signature afternoon tea, but we dined here for lunch and can definitely recommend it.
The service can be a little slow, so we recommend coming early to avoid longer wait times.
Cafés and desserts
Bonus Chiang Mai restaurants: These places are all great for a snack or post-dinner dessert.
Tuki’s Mango Sticky Rice
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
If you’re wanting something healthy but sweet after dinner, or even lunch, we recommend heading to Tuki’s Mango Sticky Rice. Mango Sticky Rice is Thailand’s most popular dessert and after having one (or should we say ‘many’) from here, we can understand why!
Tuki’s serve other desserts too, but the star of the show, and the reason why everyone goes there is for the Mango sticky rice. The mango is incredibly sweet, the sticky rice is perfectly cooked and the coconut milk heats up the pudding just right.
The restaurant itself is a small street-facing hut that’s popular amongst locals, as well as tourists. Looking at it from across the road, you wouldn’t think it’s anything special, but believe us – it is!
Coconut & Sea salt
View map location | Tripadvisor rating 4.5/5
The next place on our list will ignite all of your tastebuds! If you’re a fan of mango, sticky rice and ice cream all put together in one bowl, then this is the place to come. Coconut & Sea Salt is a stand attached for a small hotel, operated by a lovely Thai lady, who also owns this dessert parlour. The coconut ice-cream is all vegan and homemade. The mango is so sweet and delicious, and the rice is incredibly fluffy and fresh. Their best seller is the Mango Paradise, but we also recommend trying the Coco Cookies.
There’s a few tables in front of the stand where you can sit. Alternatively, you can get it to take away and eat it in the nearby park.
We can’t recommend this place enough! It’s a somewhat healthy treat that feels naughtier than it actually is.
Chiang Mai Night Market
View map location
Last but not least on our list of the best Chiang Mai restaurants is one for all the street food lovers out there. Street food is extremely popular in Thailand, and with good reason! It’s cheap, it’s authentic and it’s convenient… what’s not to love? Visiting Chiang Mai night market is an experience in itself, especially with its countless clothes stalls and bustling atmosphere. Fancy a break from all the shopping and haggling? Stop by one of the food courts in the bazaar.
There’s such a variety of food stalls at this market, you’re spoilt for choice for lunch or dinner. We personally loved coming here after dinner to try out some of the delicious desserts. We tried Thailand’s popular dessert, Roti, which is essentially a pancake that can be combined with various sweet or savoury toppings. We recommend the banana roti with Nutella. Another favourite stall of ours served frozen rolled ice-cream.
Eating out in the night market is extremely good value, so it’s definitely worth checking out!
So, there you have it, our take on the best restaurants in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We did a lot of research to find the best places to eat before visiting and truly loved the food we tried here. We’d have loved to dine at other restaurants if we had more time, so if you have any other suggestions, please post them in the comment section below. We’ll be back very soon!
By Susie
Author bio:I’m a passionate traveller that loves a sunny beach holiday, but also appreciate the cultural side to a trip and checking out undiscovered destinations. I’m the go-to Toucan Traveller for great holiday stories, cool photos and foodie recommendations.
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