Tong Tem Toh

The line is the price of admission here, and it's worth paying. This teak house on Nimmanhaemin soi 13 does the full Lanna repertoire, and it pulls in office workers, students and people who've read about it on the plane. Turnover is quick. Put your name down, wander the soi for fifteen minutes, come back.

Order laab kua, gaeng hang lay, the grilled pork neck stuffed with herbs, sai ua sausage and the young jackfruit salad. Add sticky rice to all of it. If you've never eaten northern Thai food and you're trying to work out what makes it different from the Bangkok version, this is where I'd start. The prices are low enough that ordering one dish too many isn't a mistake worth worrying about.

My advice is to skip the dinner rush entirely if you can. It opens at eight in the morning and runs straight through to eleven at night, so a late breakfast or a two o'clock lunch gets you the same kitchen without the wait outside.