Pizza within walking distance from Stamps and Sylvis: Pizza by Hand, serving only pizzas, all cooked in a wood-fired oven.

By the moat, just around the corner from the street where you'll find places like Zoe in Yellow, there are a few simple Thai restaurants that are good and cheap: look for Aroy Dee and Grazie.

You won't find many tourists here: this artificial lake northwest of Chiang Mai is surrounded by restaurants, all following the same concept. There are wooden or bamboo huts on stilts with thatched roofs, feet in the water, where you order food that is brought from the kitchen. You do have to pay an entrance fee to enter the area, but it’s a fun spot for a long lunch. On the west side of the lake, there are some large straw sculptures: King Kong and such. Thai people love it, and it gets very busy on weekends.

If you walk towards Chinatown and the river, you’ll find a pedestrian bridge.
On the other side, you can turn left (back towards the water) and along a muddy path by the river there are about 5 or 6 local restaurants: wooden tables, plastic tablecloths, that kind of thing.
If you turn right across the street, you’ll find the fancier restaurants, many with live music (The Good View, The Riverside, Sai Ping…). Mostly Thai cuisine.

This is definitely one of the funniest spots to satisfy your hunger, especially later in the evening after some beer and food: a street food stall on Tha Pae Road where a family has been making Rotee pancakes for years. Every evening there’s a queue, because they’ve also been listed for years in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand...

Khao Soi, which you’ll occasionally see in a restaurant’s name, is the pride of the North. It’s a noodle soup with many different fillings, but always topped with a ‘nest’ of fried noodles. There are a few specialized restaurants that serve nothing but Khao Soi, but you can actually get it everywhere in regular Thai restaurants.

Check these out:

KHAO-SO-I, a trendy new spot, sometimes with a queue at the door.
KHAO SOI MAE SAI, which even earned a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide (and yet the soup costs less than 100 THB)...
Both restaurants are located a bit north of the city, so you’ll need transport to get there.
By the way, it’s a typical LUNCH dish, so the doors close at 5 PM.

Thailand is a meat-eating nation. And fish, of course, which is also often on the menu. However, for the vegetarians and vegans among us, there is plenty to enjoy. Many dishes can be ordered in a 'Tofu' version. And with the arrival of hordes of backpackers often living consciously, quite a few restaurants have specialized in vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

In Chiang Mai, you’ll find several good restaurants dedicated to Vegan or Vegetarian cuisine. Here are a few names:

May Kaidee
Mr. Green
Vegan Heaven
Anchan Vegetarian

Had enough noodles and rice lately? Why Not is located right in the Nimman district. They serve really good Italian food with matching wines. Definitely a recommendation if you have something to celebrate. It’s a bit more expensive though.

The owner of this restaurant has a fondness for terracotta. The restaurant, really close to one of the South gates, right in the city center, is a large garden with water features, lots of greenery, and especially many terracotta statues and walls. Great Thai food, friendly service, and a surprising setting for an evening out.

If you can't get enough of it there, you can visit 'The Terra Cotta Gardens' in Lamphun, owned by the same person. Not a top priority, but if you're staying longer in Chiang Mai and want to see something totally different, here is the link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/matFSiyYCYrdyGw59

Authentic Northern Thai cuisine. Neighbors of Why Not? so also right in the heart of Nimman. There’s even a waiting area outside, so you might have to stand or sit in the queue.

Very good sushi restaurant in Nimman. Often a wait of about half an hour before it’s your turn, but Nimman is a nice neighborhood to stroll around while you wait.

About 25 km north of Chiang Mai, in the direction of Mae Rim, take road 1096 along a river called Mae Sa. You will find several dozen restaurants that have literally placed their tables IN the river. A unique experience. All serve Thai food. For example, navigate to Thap Rim Than restaurant.

'Next level' salads. All the salad is grown on site.