Chiang Mai – Foodie Paradise
As soon as you arrive in the city of Chiang Mai, you’ll notice the endless options for food. On every street you’ll walk, you will gaze at unique bars, restaurants and cafes. Let’s not forget about all the walking streets and markets full of street foods. We spend a full week in Chiang Mai and share our favourite places with you in this blog. We’ve tested all these places ourselves and even better, they are all budget-friendly!
Every location contains a link to Google Maps, this leads you to the exact location and also makes it possible to check the latest updates and opening hours! You can even save the spots in Google Maps to facilitate your trip. Cheers!
This cute bar is the perfect spot for a healthy meal. Order one of the smoothie bowls or go for a healthy shot. Are you not in for a whole meal? Then just take one of their fresh smoothies for takeaway.
(Closed on the weekend)
In this small and more hidden café, you can enjoy some of their amazing western options while cats are playing and hanging around. There are not a lot of seats, so you might have to wait. We opted for a mixed berry smoothie, hot mocha, cinnamon roll, yoghurt with muesli and fruits and a tuna panini and it was all yummieee, all for just 180 baht (about €8).
This is your go-to restaurant if you want to enjoy a good noodle soup with the locals. Maybe even the best noodle soup in Thailand?! The restaurant is only open for lunch and queueing is common. But it goes fast and you will spend no more than 80 baht (about €2,20) for your lunch. Meat options only.
Snacks
Are you in for a snack on the streets? This is your new favourite go-to place. Not only does the lady serves fresh waffles with toppings, but also one of the cheapest smoothies in town! You can sit at the bar or just grab a waffle or drink to go.
Dinner
Fancy something more special than Pad Thai or Khao Soi? Then take your time to enjoy a delicious meal at Hotpot Panda. Don’t worry, they serve more than only hotpot, but a good hotpot never killed anybody, right? Interested in how your meal is prepared or about the ingredients used? The owners love to explain more about what’s on your plate!
A perfect place for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians is Chada Vegetarian Restaurant because this restaurant serves some great Thai and Indian dishes! Portions are large but we forgot to take some photos, oopsie! You will have to check it out yourself! If it’s busy, you might have to wait a bit or join a table with other clients.
Who doesn’t fancy some good ramen, especially if the place is adorable like this one? The chef, a young Thai man, serves fresh, tasty and affordable ramen. Perfect if you’re craving something non-Thai or are into a simple meal. Also, the gyozas are delicious!
Walking Streets and Food Markets
Chiang Mai will not disappoint in terms of walking streets and food markets. Every day of the week you can explore another place and discover all kinds of street food. If possible, plan your stay around the weekend because then the largest walking streets come alive.
(Open from Monday till Saturday in the evenings)
At this place, you’ll find lots of different food stalls at a cosy location. Enjoy your food and drinks while listening to live music. Don’t order too much at once, because the next places are located in the same street and your stomach will need some spare space!
Every Friday night Soi Charoen Prathet street opens its own Walking Street. This street food is focused on halal only. We found the most authentic and best quality street foods of Chiang Mai right here together with the friendliest people. We tried some kebab and Chinese chicken pancakes among other things.
(Open daily)
If you could resist buying all kinds of street foods at the Ploen Ruedee Night Market and the Halal Walking Street, you can end the night at Kalare Night Bazaar. This is the largest food market on the street. You’ll find some food for good prices but as it is indoors we found it a bit more hectic. Have a look yourself!
Saturday night Wua Lai Walking Street comes alive. The street and side streets are packed with food stalls. Come early to enjoy the stalls at peace, later in the evening it gets busy. If all these food options are not enough for you, you can easily combine this walking street with the Chiang Mai Gate Night Food Market, which is located just next to it.
(Starting from 16h)
We’re ending this blog post with the most popular and must-do activity in Chiang Mai, the Sunday Walking Street. This might be the largest walking street we’ve experienced during our Asia trip! The Sunday Walking Street of Chiang Mai spreads out over the main roads of the old town, Rachadamnoen Road, Prapokkloa Road and all side streets. You can hardly miss this one! Just like the Wua Lai Walking Street, we would recommend coming early if you don’t like walking in a crowd.
Enjoy your trip!
