Roo Bar Chiang Mai

If you've had enough of the bar girl circuit around Kamphaeng Din, this is the antidote. It's a Harley-Davidson bar, walls covered in motorcycle memorabilia, speakers pushing rock and metal from the 70s and 80s. No one works the door. No one sidles up asking you to buy them a drink. Drinks come in cheaper than the neighboring places, which reviewers point out with some relief.

You don't need a bike or a leather jacket. Non-riders turn up constantly and the regulars seem happy about it. The owner is the reason people come back, by the sound of the reviews, and he'll pull up a chair and talk the night away if it's quiet. There's food too, and the wings, fries and kebabs get genuine praise rather than the polite kind. It's a mixed crowd of locals, expats and travelers who've wandered off the main strip.

If loud guitars aren't your thing, this won't convert you. Everyone else should give it an hour.