Destination guide
The Best Chiang Mai Food Tours, and How to Pick One
Khao soi, sai ua and pork leg on rice, with someone who knows which stall to stop at
A Chiang Mai food tour is a guided trip between markets, street stalls and old family shops, usually three to four hours with northern dishes you'd struggle to order alone, and the guide does the ordering and the explaining. Group tours cost ฿1,300 to ฿1,550 a person, or US$59 where they're sold in dollars, with the food included. One operator comes up again and again in the reviews, blog posts and Reddit threads I read, and that's A Chef's Tour, which rides between stops in a red songthaew truck.
Two long-running local companies sit beside it in Google's map results, Chiang Mai Foodie Tours, with a morning and an evening walk, and Chiang Mai Street Food Tours, which collects you from your hotel for an evening of night markets. For a first evening I'd book A Chef's Tour, and for a vegetarian in the group, Chiang Mai Foodie Tours.
Arriving in Chiang Mai
Where to stay in Chiang Mai
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Key Facts
฿1,300 to ฿1,550, or US$59
Chiang Mai Street Food Tours charges ฿1,300, Chiang Mai Foodie Tours ฿1,550 and A Chef's Tour US$59 a person. The food is included on all three.
About three to four hours
A Chef's Tour and Chiang Mai Foodie Tours run four hours, and Chiang Mai Street Food Tours' evening market tour about three.
Morning or evening
The morning and lunchtime tours start at 09:00 or 10:00 and catch the khao soi shops, which sell out by early afternoon. The evening tours start between 16:00 and 19:00 and finish at the night markets.
Small groups
A Chef's Tour takes up to 8 people and Chiang Mai Street Food Tours 2 to 10. All three run private tours as well.
Northern food, not pad thai
Expect khao soi, sai ua sausage, larb, kaeng hang le curry and braised pork leg on rice. A Chef's Tour serves 15 or more tastings and Chiang Mai Street Food Tours 8 to 10 dishes.
Check the dietary notes
Northern cooking is built on pork. Chiang Mai Foodie Tours caters for vegetarian, pescatarian, dairy-free and gluten-free diets, and the other two say their tours don't suit vegetarians.
Chiang Mai Food Tours Compared
| Tour | Operator | Price | Length | Starts | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Flavours evening tour | A Chef's Tour | US$59 | 4 hours | 17:00 | Northern dishes by songthaew, in a group of 8 or fewer |
| Lanna Kingdom lunchtime tour | A Chef's Tour | US$59 | 4 hours | 10:00 | Khao soi and a big wet market |
| The Original Foodie Tour | Chiang Mai Foodie Tours | ฿1,550 | 4 hours | 09:00 | Old City temples and lunch-only shops |
| The Evening Foodie Tour | Chiang Mai Foodie Tours | ฿1,550 | 4 hours | 16:00 | Warorot Market to Chang Phueak Gate, and vegetarians |
| Evening market tour | Chiang Mai Street Food Tours | ฿1,300 | About 3 hours | Pickup 18:15 to 19:00 | Hotel pickup and the lowest price |
Prices are per adult for a join-in tour, from each operator's own site. Booking sites sell the same tours under different names, sometimes at different prices.
Three Chiang Mai Food Tours Worth Booking
A Chef's Tour is the one the independent reviews, blog posts and Reddit threads keep naming. The other two are the long-running local companies beside it in Google's map results, which fewer reviews cover.
1. A Chef's Tour, Old City and beyond the walls
Most recommendedThe Northern Flavours evening tour meets at Wat Lok Moli at 17:00 and spends four hours riding between five or six stops in a private red songthaew. It opens with khao kha moo, braised pork leg on rice from the famous stall at Chang Phueak Gate, then heads outside the old city walls for kaeng hang le curry, larb, grilled sai ua sausage and pork and chicken roasted in a clay pot, 15 or more tastings in all. Pad thai isn't on the menu, and that's the point. Groups are capped at 8, and it's US$59 a person.
The Lanna Kingdom lunchtime tour runs 10:00 to 14:00 for the same price, from the same temple. It starts in a big wet market, then moves on to a hole-in-the-wall khao soi shop, a barbecue hut for grilled chicken with papaya salad, and a dessert shop that has been going for almost 40 years. A Chef's Tour says the two are similar and doesn't suggest doing both. Neither suits vegetarians or vegans, meat is in five or six dishes with no swaps, and it isn't advised for celiacs. You can cancel for a full refund up to 48 hours ahead.
- Getting there
- Wat Lok Moli is on Manee Nopparat Road, a short walk west of Chang Phueak Gate. The guide wears an A Chef's Tour T-shirt and helps you find a ride back at the end.
- When to go
- Evenings 17:00 to 21:00, and lunchtimes 10:00 to 14:00.
2. Chiang Mai Foodie Tours, Old City and Warorot Market
Best for vegetarians, and templesChiang Mai Foodie Tours runs two four-hour routes at ฿1,550 a person, led by licensed guides from northern Chiang Mai. The Original Foodie Tour meets at the Three Kings Monument at 09:00 and mixes lunch-only shops with the Old City's history, with khao man gai and pork satay at a restaurant the company says has been in one family since 1957, Wat Chiang Man, khao soi with the family behind the Chiang Mai version, and a dessert stop. It then crosses the footbridge over the Ping to finish among the stalls of Warorot Market around 13:00.
The Evening Foodie Tour runs 16:00 to 20:00 and goes the other way, starting outside Warorot Market with sai ua, mango sticky rice and Thai iced tea, then the flower market, a northern restaurant for kaeng hang le and larb, and a last stop at Chang Phueak Gate for pork leg on rice and a hot roti. It's mostly on foot, never more than 700 meters at a stretch, with a private ride for the longer hops. It's the only tour here that caters for vegetarian, pescatarian, dairy-free and gluten-free diets, and you get a refund if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead.
- Getting there
- The morning tour meets at the Three Kings Monument in the Old City, and the evening tour at the foot of the Warorot Market footbridge, on the river side. Hotel pickup comes only with a private tour.
- When to go
- Mornings 09:00 to 13:00 and evenings 16:00 to 20:00.
3. Chiang Mai Street Food Tours, Pickup across the city
Best value, with hotel pickupChiang Mai Street Food Tours runs one evening market tour. It collects you from your accommodation between 18:15 and 19:00, drives you round several of the city's evening street food markets in a private car, and drops you back at about 21:30. You eat 8 to 10 dishes, among them khanom jeen noodles, stewed pork leg and coconut dumplings, and the guide teaches you enough Thai to order them yourself afterward. Groups run from 2 to 10, and solo travelers join a group.
It's ฿1,300 a person and ฿850 for children aged 8 to 15, with all the food, drinks and insurance included, paid in cash to the guide at the start. A private tour costs ฿2,500 for one person or ฿1,500 each for two, though the company says high season can rule that out. It isn't suitable for vegetarians.
- Getting there
- Pickup and drop-off at your accommodation in the city are free. The company quotes a fee for places outside the center.
- When to go
- Evenings, with pickup from 18:15 and drop-off at about 21:30.
Other Chiang Mai Food Tours on the Booking Sites
The booking sites list plenty more, among them Michelin Guide street food walks, tuk tuk night tours that add temples, a Doi Suthep evening with two night markets, and private tours with a local host through Withlocals. Most are sold under product names that I couldn't tie to a named company, and none came up in more than one independent review I read, so they aren't compared here. A Chef's Tour also sells through the same sites, as the Northern Flavours and Lanna Kingdom tours with 15+ tastings.
How to Choose a Chiang Mai Food Tour
Start with the time of day. Khao soi is a lunch dish and the famous shops sell out by early afternoon, so the morning and lunchtime tours are where you'll eat it, and the evening tours end at the night markets around Chang Phueak Gate.
For a first day in Chiang Mai
A Chef's Tour, either departure, for the widest spread of northern dishes in a group of 8 or fewer. Book it early in your stay, and you'll know what to order for the rest of the trip.
For khao soi
A morning or lunchtime tour. Chiang Mai Foodie Tours' Original Foodie Tour and A Chef's Tour's Lanna Kingdom tour both stop for a bowl, and the evening routes skip it.
For vegetarians
Chiang Mai Foodie Tours, the one operator here that caters for vegetarian, pescatarian, dairy-free and gluten-free diets. A Chef's Tour and Chiang Mai Street Food Tours both say plainly that their tours don't suit vegetarians.
For families
Chiang Mai Street Food Tours charges ฿850 for children 8 to 15 and picks you up at your hotel, which helps with tired kids at 21:30. Chiang Mai Foodie Tours welcomes children 6 to 12 with an adult, and under-6s who share their parents' plates go free. A Chef's Tour welcomes families on all its tours.
On a budget
Chiang Mai Street Food Tours at ฿1,300 is the cheapest, with transport included. Doing it yourself, below, costs a fraction of that.
Arriving in Chiang Mai
Top-Ranked Hotels in Chiang Mai
The top of my ranked list of the 10 best hotels in Chiang Mai. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com with your dates filled in.
#2Anantara Chiang Mai Resort4.7 (2,377 reviews)
A luxury riverside resort in the heart of Chiang Mai, blending colonial elegance with Thai heritage.
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#4Meliá Chiang Mai4.7 (2,054 reviews)
A premium hotel on Charoen Prathet Rd offering elegant rooms, a spa, and rooftop bar with city views.
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#5Mad Monkey Chiang Mai4.8 (1,595 reviews)
A social party hostel in central Chiang Mai with a pool, bar, organized events, and a lively backpacker crowd.
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Doing It Yourself, a Khao Soi Lunch and a Night Market Supper
You can eat most of a food tour's menu on your own for a few hundred baht. Start at Warorot Market in the morning, the city's real daily market from 06:00, for sai ua, pork crackling and northern snacks, with a stick of sausage at ฿30 to ฿40. For lunch, have khao soi at ฿50 to ฿80 a bowl, either at Khao Soi Mae Sai in Chang Phueak (Monday to Saturday until 16:00, cash only) or Khao Soi Khun Yai near Wat Lok Moli, open from late morning until it sells out, and get there before 13:00.
In the evening, the street food lot at Chiang Mai Gate sells khao soi for about ฿40, and the night market at Chang Phueak Gate has the Cowboy Hat Lady's braised pork leg on rice every evening from 17:00, for under ฿200 a plate. On a Sunday, walk the Sunday Walking Street from Tha Phae Gate between 16:00 and 22:30 and eat in the temple courtyards along the way, Wat Phantao's being the best. Saturday's version runs on Wua Lai Road from 18:00. What a tour adds is the ordering, the stories and the dishes you'd never pick off a Thai-only menu.
Booking Tips
Book a few days ahead in the cool season from November to February, when Chiang Mai is busiest and A Chef's Tour's groups of 8 fill first. The refund rules differ. A Chef's Tour gives a full refund up to 48 hours before, Chiang Mai Foodie Tours refunds or reschedules if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead, keeps the fee for no-shows, and cancels in extreme weather with a new date or your money back. Chiang Mai Street Food Tours takes payment in cash on the night, so bring baht.
Eat a light lunch before an evening tour and nothing much before a morning one. Wear shoes you can walk in, and on Chiang Mai Foodie Tours' routes, clothes that cover your shoulders and knees for the temple stops, though they carry a wrap if you forget. If you're doing a cooking class too, do the food tour first, and you'll know which dishes you want to learn.
Plan the rest of your eating in Chiang Mai.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about The Best Chiang Mai Food Tours, and How to Pick One.
A Chef's Tour is the one the most independent reviews recommend, with its Northern Flavours evening tour and Lanna Kingdom lunchtime tour, both US$59 with up to 8 people. Chiang Mai Foodie Tours is the pick for vegetarians.
Group tours cost ฿1,300 to ฿1,550 a person with the food included, or US$59 with A Chef's Tour. Private tours cost more per person for one or two people.
Yes. A Chef's Tour's evening tour runs 17:00 to 21:00, Chiang Mai Foodie Tours' evening tour 16:00 to 20:00, and Chiang Mai Street Food Tours picks you up between 18:15 and 19:00 for the night markets and drops you back at about 21:30.
Chiang Mai Foodie Tours caters for vegetarian, pescatarian, dairy-free and gluten-free diets. A Chef's Tour and Chiang Mai Street Food Tours say their tours don't suit vegetarians.
Khao soi, egg noodles in a coconut curry broth topped with crispy fried noodles, ฿50 to ฿80 a bowl. It's a lunch dish, and the best shops sell out by early afternoon.
Khao soi first, then sai ua, the herb-packed grilled sausage, nam prik noom chili dip with sticky rice and pork crackling, kaeng hang le pork curry, and khao kha moo, braised pork leg on rice, at Chang Phueak Gate after dark.
Chang Phueak, just north of the Old City, for khao soi at lunch and the night market's pork leg on rice after dark, and Warorot Market by the river in the morning. On Sundays, the Walking Street through the Old City is lined with food stalls.
Four hours for A Chef's Tour and Chiang Mai Foodie Tours, and about three hours for Chiang Mai Street Food Tours' evening market tour, including the hotel pickup.
Where to stay in Chiang Mai
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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