32 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.

A charming courtyard garden leads to the cozy dining room of this predominantly Indian restaurant, where you'll be welcomed as if you were at a friend's home. The menu focuses on Indian selections, with a few Thai and Western options, but everything is delicious.

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. The restaurant, on a sleepy little river evoking the feeling of times gone by, has a selection of Thai and Western dishes, all prepared to perfection. Leave room for dessert.

Guests are invited to make themselves comfortable on plump, plush armchairs and sofas and even on large cushions scattered over the polished teak floor at this colorful restaurant, decorated like the home of your kooky bohemian cousin. The cuisine is eclectic, with plenty of Thai offerings as well as mixed Western fare like fish-and-chips. Nothing is too spicy, and everything, including rich curries, refreshing salads, and vegetable-packed summer rolls, is served in pretty ceramic bowls and plates.

The cuisine is eclectic Thai, with ingredients sourced from Ginger's own farm on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, at this vibrant Thai bistro decorated with vintage furniture, large patterned cushions, and hanging plants. Nothing is too-too spicy, and everything, including rich curries, refreshing salads, and vegetable-packed summer rolls, is served in pretty ceramic bowls and plates.

This simple Thai restaurant sits on the banks of the Wang River, 2 km (1 mile) down the main 1034 highway in the village of Ko Kha. Fresh fish is a daily specialty, but try the plump fish cakes or a crispy version of larb, a popular minced-pork dish.

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.

Trendy locals have been loving this iconic restaurant that serves creative Thai and pan-Asian fare since it opened in 2004. The walls are adorned with tropical motif wallpaper, the plush furniture is finished with dark velvets, and traditional Chinese pottery in bold colors sits on display, while the banquette seating is topped with colorful throw pillows that you can purchase in the shop. The Thai food is excellent and nicely presented, but expect to pay more than in simple Thai restaurants. 

This simple, open-sided restaurant just outside the city walls has been preparing such traditional northern dishes as frogs' legs fried with ginger for more than 30 years. Try the tabong (boiled bamboo shoots fried in batter) 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, which grew out of a popular food truck. Run by two young Thai siblings and open from 11 am until 10 pm or when sold out, Beast's burgers are made with premium-quality ingredients and are perfectly cooked. The veggie patty is great, too. Choose from onion rings or fries for the perfect accompaniment.

This French restaurant, located in Chiang Mai's perfectly safe "red-light district," is consistently full of locals and foreigners enjoying excellent coq au vin and creamy pâtés. It's run with Gallic flair by Franco-Japanese chef Marco, and has doubled in size with the acquisition of neighboring premises, but still has a tiny, stylishly intimate, street terrace.

In a beautiful, traditional, two-story teak house with a balcony overlooking a garden, Dash is one of the Old Town's best midrange restaurants. Guests receive a warm welcome from the Thai mother--son team who returned to Thailand to open the restaurant after living for many years in the United States. Expect generous servings of classic Thai food from across the country. The khao soi (chicken curry noodle soup), gaeng hang lay (pork curry), and other Lanna specialties stand out. Those not in the mood for Thai can avail themselves of pasta and burgers.

The focus at this stylish modern restaurant in an old ice factory is the wood-fired oven in the open kitchen, visible throughout the dining room. The menu tours the globe, with popular dishes including the fire-grilled pork jowl with spicy pineapple glaze and arguably the most authentic tacos in town.

Tucked away in a corner of a former businessman's mansion, this small, open-sided restaurant specializes in inexpensive curry dishes from India, Burma, and Thailand, with some Japanese-inspired dishes as well. Daily specials, accompanied by two varieties of rice or a selection of Indian breads like pillowy naan, are written on a blackboard. The tiny terrace overlooks the grounds of the mansion, whose present owners run the restaurant.

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. They're only open for lunch.

On a backstreet in an increasingly cool local neighborhood dotted with cafés and small eateries, this restaurant in a traditional teak house serves authentic Lanna cuisine. Try the nam prik ong (tomato, minced-pork dip) served with crispy vegetables, the larb moo (a rich minced-pork salad), or the locally revered gaeng hang lay (pork belly curry). Don't be surprised if you find yourself returning for another meal. Most patrons do. Before you leave, check out the framed wall photos of the owner-chef's appearance on Iron Chef Thailand.

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.

The name of this restaurant derives from its origins as an ice-cream parlor—and nine flavors are served—though the menu these days is much more expansive, covering Chinese, Thai, and Indian food as well as some Western favorites. The interior is modern with two private dining rooms and is surprisingly quiet for being on a main highway. Try the sensational lamyai fried rice.

Born from Chef Yaowadee's desire to keep artisanal fisherman in business down south, this casual eatery features Thai comfort food with an emphasis on the freshest catch of the day—something not that common in this landlocked region. The menu features stir-fried squid, crab ceviche, and an impressive array of fish dishes, including charcoal-grilled trevally, mackerel curry, and brown-sugar-cured sardine jerky, all accompanied by local organic rice and stir-fried vegetables.

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 menu at this tranquil teahouse is fairly short, with a selection of curries, salads, sandwiches, satay, and desserts, 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 handsome Lanna-style restaurant complex is next to Chiang Mai's historic Iron Bridge, and the spacious outside terrace has lovely views of the bridge and the Ping River. The chefs prepare the full range of authentic, if pricey, Thai dishes, along with a couple of continental options, including a cheeseburger.

Although the restaurant is fairly family-friendly, with a lawn on which kids can run around, there's not much on the menu for picky eaters.

The ever-popular Riverside has an informal waterfront location and a modern and elegant dining room across the road. The boisterous atmosphere of the riverside venue is replaced at the latter by a more sophisticated dining experience, although there's nightly live music here, too. A candlelight dinner in the romantic central courtyard on a warm evening is especially recommended.

Chiang Mai's farm-to-table pioneer Chef Radee Timsuren realized her dream of opening a restaurant right on the family farm, just about a 15-minute drive outside Chiang Mai. The casual daytime menu features impeccably made sandwiches, pizzas, and an array of colorful salads, while at night the options veer toward fine dining, with an impressive selection of imported wine and craft beer. The artisan breads and pastries are all made in-house.

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 larb and grilled beef with sweet, spicy, tart jaeow dipping sauce are all recommended, too.

At rough-hewn wooden tables surrounded by hill tribe textiles, hungry lunch-goers at this casual spot dig into heaping plates of colorful, vegetable-filled pan-Thai fare. The fruit shakes, especially mango and watermelon, are a cooling balm after a morning of sightseeing.