Best Restaurants & Food in Chiang Mai

Khao Soi Khun Yai serves what many consider Chiang Mai's definitive bowl of khao soi from a garden shack beside the old-city moat near Wat Kuan Kama.

Pun Pun is the vegetarian institution in the garden of Wat Suan Dok — an open-air restaurant run by a sustainable-farming collective, serving Thai standards built on organic vegetables, house-made tofu, and seeds saved from its own farm.

Free Bird Cafe is Chiang Mai's feel-good vegan institution — a bright café whose profits fund Thai Freedom House, a language and arts centre for refugees from Myanmar and hill-tribe families.

Anchan Vegetarian Restaurant turned a tiny Nimman-side kitchen into one of Chiang Mai's most loved meat-free tables — a daily-changing blackboard of Thai dishes cooked vegetarian by default and vegan on request, from butterfly-pea-flower rice to herb-heavy curries and som tam.

Imm Aim Vegetarian and Bike Café pairs two Chiang Mai obsessions — plant-based Thai food and slow travel — in a leafy Santitham house where the khao soi is vegan, the fruit shakes are enormous, and bicycles hang from the walls.

Tong Tem Toh is Chiang Mai's most famous northern-Thai table — a teak-house restaurant on Nimmanhaemin soi 13 where office workers, students, and food pilgrims queue together for laab kua, gaeng hang lay pork curry, herb-stuffed grilled pork neck, and the full northern repertoire.

Huen Phen has been the old city's benchmark for northern Thai cooking for decades — an antique-crammed house near Wat Phra Singh serving khao soi and curries in the casual front room by day, and a fuller Lanna menu in the atmospheric main house at night.

A no-frills local street food spot in Chiang Mai's Si Phum area, open weekday mornings only.

A spotless western-style hostel and restaurant in central Chiang Mai, known for Alsatian cuisine and rooftop pool.

A hidden gem café and rooftop restaurant serving South African cuisine in the heart of Chiang Mai.

A beloved Chiang Mai home cooking spot serving authentic Thai evening meals on Sridonchai Rd.

Charming Northern Thai café on Prapokklao Road serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch with authentic local flavour.

Upscale all-day dining lounge inside Chiang Mai's InterContinental hotel, open daily from breakfast to late evening.

Farm-to-table dining in Chiang Mai's old city, with fresh local produce and budget-friendly prices.

A well-regarded daytime eatery on Jhaban Road serving authentic Thai food in a casual, unpretentious setting.

An evening dining destination in Chiang Mai's Old City, open nightly from 6pm to midnight.

Authentic North and South Indian restaurant in Nimman, serving halal, vegan, and gluten-free options daily.

A laid-back cannabis dispensary and lounge in Chiang Mai's Old Town with a rooftop, PS5, and friendly staff.

A creative Western-Japanese fusion dining experience in Chiang Mai, built around an ever-changing chef's tasting menu.

A reservation-only fine dining experience in Chiang Mai's Hang Dong area, serving creative multi-course menus in an intimate woodland setting.

Beloved home-style Thai eatery in Chiang Mai's Hai Ya neighbourhood, open six days a week.

Refined Thai dining in Chiang Mai's Old City, blending Lanna-inspired flavours with attentive, personalised service.

An intimate fine-dining restaurant in Chiang Mai blending Thai and Western flavours, open evenings only.

A family-run northern Thai kitchen in Hai Ya, beloved for its khao soi and warm, unhurried atmosphere.