Restaurants
9 moo 9 ("gao moo gao") is a lovely cafe/restaurant and gallery about twenty minutes down the canal road.
This is bordering on blashphemy, but the mall has some really good food.
The world of Thai sweets is rarely penetrated by foreigners, and understandably so.
Bake & Bite has three locations around Chiang Mai, and is well-known for their large breakfast menu in particular.
Beer Republic is a relative newcomer to the Chiang Mai and Nimmanheiman scene, and for beer lovers it is certainly a welcome one.
Beetroot Stories is located in the Old City on Ratchadamaoen Road with the charming Kad Klang Wiang Plaza, and offers tasty vegetarian fare, both Thai and Western.
Along with Rot Yiam Beef Noodles, Best Friend is one of the few spots for cheap eats in the Nimman area.
Boat has been a Chiang Mai institution for over 25 years. The food is barely edible, the service is so bad it's hilarious and occasionally the whole place smells like sewage.
Botan doesn't look like much, but it's one of the best values of any Japanese restaurant in town and the backstreet ambiance goes great with Chiang Mai's cool evening weather.
Nestled in a little mud house in the carpark of Chiang Mai University Art Centre on the quiet end of Nimmanhaemin Rd, this Japanese runned cafe offers lovely healthy vegetarian meals, fantastic...
"Khaw kun pon yaang kam" (โคขุนโพนยางคำ) is Thailand's attempt at Wagyu or Kobe beef.
This market has a lot more variety than the North Gate food market, but it's not open as late.
This little street stall is squashed in with countless others across from the north gate of the old city.
Another trendy little Nimmanheiman spot, Curry Scoop serves a limited specialty menu of curried rice.
Dayli is a large restaurant/beer garden with a pretty impressive selection of Thai foods that are difficult to find in smaller restaurants, including yam bplaa duk foo (ยำปลาดุกฟู), which is mango...
Another popular Mexican spot on the east side of the moat, El Diablo's is covered in Burmese-influenced art and information while the food is pretty consistently delicious.
Though not actually French-Thai fusion cuisine, Franco-Thai has possibly the best steak-to-baht ratio in town.
Free Bird Cafe is a restaurant supporting the work of Thai Freedom House, a language and arts community learning center for indigenous peoples and Burmese refugees.
Gohante is a super cheap, no-frills Japanese restaurant that feels like the kind of place you could really get familiar with.
With a well-done American menu for breakfast and brunch, Good Morning Chiang Mai is a quality family cafe in a lovely, open air atmosphere.
Guay Tiaow Lot (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวหลอด) is a noodle truck that only does two things, but they're both incredible and extremely hard to find. The noodles are topped with tofu, steamed pork, shiitake...
HK Bpet Yang (HKเป็ดย่าง) seems to move every couple of months, but it's always worth finding again.
Isaan Laan Percent (อีสานล้าน%) serves up a big array of spicy northeastern-style Thai food - grilled chicken, som tam (papaya salad), nam tok (grilled pork salad) and other signature dishes.
For great tapas and delicious prosecco, try Jagajee Tapas and Prosecco Lounge (fun translation of Jagajee: "tickling") on Nimmanheiman Soi 15.
Despite being a big, soulless mall peppered with gross chain restaurants you shouldn't set foot in, Kad Suan Kaew's basement has a decent selection of real Thai food at normal street prices.
Kanom Jiin Lom Gao (ขนมจีนหล่มเก่า) has a huge menu, but the main attraction is definitely the kanom jiin. It's a dish more often found in front of 7-11s and in the basements of big markets, but...
Khao Soi Nimman is a trendy answer to Chiang Mai's signature dish.
Khao Soi Samerjai does a huge array of Northern Thai food with pictures and English translations to match.
Khrua Khao Jao (ครัวข้าวเจ้า) has a pretty standard menu, but everything on it is well-made and delicious.
With two branches in Bangkok as well, Khun Churn is a popular vegetarian buffet in a garden setting.
This is an immensely popular spot for lunch and dinner and once you try their uniquely awesome food you'll understand why.
If you're looking for "authentic" Northern Thai food, Laab Gai Baan Hong (ลาบไก่บ้านโฮ่ง) is about as real as it gets.
Laan Kai (ล้านไข่) is a noodle joint right in the middle of Kad Malin, across from CMU's North gate.
Khao soy is a staple in this town and few places do it better than Lampang Lert Rot (ลำปางเลิศรส).
Le Gong Kum is one of the very few restaurants in town that has a sizable menu of authentic Vietnamese food.
Malee is not a family-run, hidden gem kind of restaurant that's been around for decades - it's a chain guay tiaow (noodle soup) restaurant that does everything.
Malin Market is the classier counterpart to the Suthep/Lang Maw food market.
This unassuming street cart belies what is surely the best 40 baht hamburger in the city. For another few baht, you can top it off with cheese and bacon.
Megumi might be a little more expensive than its next door neighbor Sushi Jiro, but it's a lot more welcoming and the food is at least as good.
Midnight Fried Chicken (gai tawt tieng khuen, ไก่ทอดเที่ยงคืน) is something of an institution in Chiang Mai and it's something every visitor should try at least once.
Miguel's is one of the more popular Mexican restaurants you can enjoy in Chiang Mai, in case you get a hankering for guacamole over khao soy.
Monkey's Kitchen is run by a caterer who's won awards for all the crazy weird (and delicious) fusion dishes she concocts.
My Vietnamese is the most popular and visible Vietnamese restaurant in town, with a few different locations.
Despite the uninspiring name, Naa Mor Thai Food (ไทยฟู๊ดหน้ามอ) might be the best Thai curry shop in the city. At 40-60b per dish (rice included) it's pricier than the standard 25-30b, but the...
New Phenjan (นิวเพ็ญจันทร์) is a big Thai-Chinese restaurant across from CMU's north gate.
Nice Sweet Place is a tasty, humble breakfast place in a sea of crap surrounding Thapae Gate.
This huge food market, on the outside of the moat across from the North Gate, opens up in the evening and goes till the wee hours of the morning.
Pak Tai Phattalung (ปักษ์ใต้พัทลุง) is an awesome southern restaurant with a huge menu on the canal road.
Not to be confused with Pun Pun (a vegetarian restaurant), Pun Pao does nothing but salapao (ซาลาเปา, steamed buns) and it does a damn good...
We would never make the assertion that Paradise has the best pizza in Chiang Mai, especially to anyone from New York, but it is one of the few places in town that sells by the slice.
Pom Pui isn't cheap, but it's not unreasonable and the food is as close to the real thing as you could hope for. Portion sizes are generous and the menu is extensive.
Pun Pun is a restaurant project aimed at "supporting local organic farmers, farmer networks, and propagating biodiversity".
A pleasant, garden-y Thai restaurant with blinking Christmas lights and a soundtrack comprised mostly of Peter Gabriel and the occasional John Denver ditty.
Another favorite, Riverside Bar and Restaurant is the place to go for food, drink and dancing.
CMU offers cheap canteen grub at every facility, but Romsak Market (everyone calls it Fai Hin) has much more variety and better food.
The Nimmanhaemin area suffers from a serious lack of good, cheap restaurants (Best Friend Burmese being a notable exception), but Rot...
Tucked in next to Ristr8to on the corner of Nimmanheiman Soi 3, Rotee Guu combines some of Thailand's most delicious offerings for a quick and...
Royal India's strange and slightly off-putting location in the back of the soi (the Zoe in Yellow complex) belies some of the best Indian food in Chiang Mai.
Som Tam Udon (ส้มตำอุดร) is one of the biggest, best and well-known Isaan restaurants in Chiang Mai.
Deep in the underbelly of the Kalare Night Bazaar, past innumerable stalls selling trinkets and vulgar wristbands, Street Pizza stands out as a bare-bones but unexpectedly delicious spot.
Sushi Jiro doesn't have as interesting a menu as Tsunami (no spider rolls!) and it's a bit more expensive, but the food is better and close to what you'd get in Japan (the...
The Chedi is an absolutely gorgeous 5-star hotel along the banks of the Ping River.
The Duke's isn't exactly a secret, but if you're new to Chiang Mai and craving standard American fare done with pretty delicious flair, this is the place to go.
The Swan is conveniently located along the outside of the east moat, near Thapae Gate.
Three Little Pigs is run by the same guy who owns El Diablo's, the Mexican restaurant, and although this place also serves tacos its focus is more on soul food.
Tsunami is one of the oldest cheap Japanese restaurants in town. They have all the standards - sashimi, maki, ramen, tonkatsu - but there are a few creative rolls on the menu too.
Tueng Chiang Mai (ถึงเจียงใหม่) is a real hidden gem, set in a leafy little courtyard in the maze of soi across Suthep road from Chiang Mai University.
The UN Irish Pub is primarily known for its quiz nights and cranky old dudes, but the actual best reason to go there is their Irish Breakfast.
If you're burned out on guay tiaow noodle soup and need a cheap departure from the norm, Yatai sells Japanese style ramen for as little as 40 baht.