16 Best Restaurants in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Founder Lee Ayu Chuepa studied the art of roasting and brewing coffee in Italy, then brought his know-how back to his home village on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, where he grows organic coffee. The vibe is casual, with a few seats to hang out and enjoy your beverage. There is a B500 minimum charge for credit cards.

Lampang native Achareeya Chapin studied baking and pastry at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at a highly acclaimed restaurant in Napa Valley before returning home to set up shop here, on a sleepy little river evoking the feeling of times gone by. Achareeya has since gone on to open Wildthyme in Bangkok, but her sister Fon keeps the shop running, offering a selection of Thai and Western dishes, all prepared to perfection. Leave room for dessert.

Every meal tells a story at this northern Thai restaurant, where recipes passed down by silk-trading Thai-Chinese families of the Baan Tuek compound are actively used. If you visit in April, start the Thai New Year with good luck by eating laap kua, a zesty minced pork dish topped with chili flakes and many herbs.

This airy shophouse-turned-café, art gallery, and boutique is the kind of warm homey space that makes you want to linger. The selection of pastries and cake are enticing, and the barista makes excellent coffee. The boutique carries coffee, honey, chocolate, local textiles, and ceramics with an emphasis on local community enterprises. Exhibitions in the upstairs gallery, featuring the works of contemporary Thai artists, change every few months.

This simple open-sided restaurant just outside the city walls has been preparing traditional northern dishes, such as frog legs fried with ginger, for more than 30 years. Try the gaeng hang lay (Northern Thai pork curry) and sai ua (pork sausage with herbs). There is take-out service, too.

If you find yourself craving Western fast food, skip the global franchises and make a beeline for this restaurant run by two young Thai siblings, which grew out of a popular food truck. Beast's burgers and beef patties are made with premium-quality ingredients and perfectly cooked. The veggie patty is great, too. Choose from onion rings or fries for the perfect accompaniment.

Whether you're after a strong piccolo or a handcrafted latte, this quality coffee shop is the spot to hit. It hosts occasional DJ sets, pop-ups, and more.

This 50-year-old Lanna restaurant—opened by the late Kanong Yawikham, who cooked in his Thai boxing school before starting Daokanong—has tasty Northern Thai dishes for very reasonable prices. Try nam prik pla jee (spicy grilled fish dip served with steamed local vegetables) to explore new flavors.

Ask a Thai chef where to find Chiang Mai's finest and most authentic Lanna food, and you'll likely be directed to this rustic restaurant a 30-minute drive south of the Old City. The place occupies an old timber house and several air-conditioned rooms in a contemporary building that wraps around the back garden. Start with the nam prik num (roasted green-chili relish) and kap moo (pork crackling), and don't miss the rich aromatic gaeng hang lay. Few staff members speak English, and you’re unlikely to see groups of foreigners, but there is an English menu (you might have to ask for it). Prices are exceedingly reasonable for the quality. The only issue is transportation: if you're carless, the best strategy is to take a taxi or tuk-tuk and pay the driver to wait.

The colorful plastic stools and small wooden tables at this open-air khao soi spot are packed with a mix of locals and tourists slurping egg noodles in curry soup. Get yours with beef, chicken, or pork, each bowl topped with an addictive handful of crunchy noodles. To drink, there's refreshing longan juice.

Owned by a Thai-Aussie couple, this cool little café in the Thapae Gate area serves excellent coffee sourced from local roasters, along with hearty breakfasts and healthy Aussie-style sandwiches and salads made with organic ingredients. The breakfast pizza paired with an iced coconut espresso is a treat for those up early with jet lag. There are always several vegetarian and gluten-free options. The café closes at 3:30 pm but occasionally reopens in the evenings for special events such as craft-beer, cocktail, or wine tastings.

There's also a branch on Nimmanhaemin Rd.

The dining menu at this tranquil teahouse is fairly short, with light breakfast bites, curries, and sandwiches, but the cool interior of this exquisitely restored century-old Chinese merchant's house is a wonderful respite from the bustle of the city. It doubles as a showroom of fine celadon pottery and has an adjoining courtyard, with a shop selling Lanna fabric and the pottery used in the restaurant. There are indigo dyeing, textile weaving, and ceramic painting workshops available here, too.

This family business is famous for their juicy charcoal-grilled rotisserie chicken, stuffed with generous amounts of fragrant local garlic. Papaya salad, sticky rice, and other Northeastern/Isan favorites such as pork laap and grilled beef with sweet, spicy, tart jaew dipping sauce are all recommended, too.

You don't have to be a journalist to dine at Chiang Mai's unofficial press club—the regulars include not only media types but also artists and eccentric local characters. Expect the typical pan-Thai dishes, including salads, stir-fries, and curries, as well as decent and sensibly priced house wines. Reservations are essential on Friday and Sunday, as this is the spot for taking a break from wandering the Sunday market.