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Pizza within walking distance from Stamps and Sylvis: Pizza by Hand, serving only pizzas, all cooked in a wood-fired oven.
Zoe in Yellow! Before 10 PM, things are pretty calm, but around that time all the backpackers in town gather here. Party every night. Zoe in Yellow is the heart of a complex with about 20 bars.
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.
Tucked between Stamps, Sylvis, and The Cabin, you'll find Paapu Next Door, a small and charming coffee spot. Need a break from the hustle and bustle of your hostel? From cappuccinos to quick bites — bagels to cheesecake — they've got you covered.
What’s fun: they serve all kinds of exotic coffee varieties, including Vietnamese drip coffee.
It also doubles as a peaceful place to get some work done...
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.
Just a stone's throw from 'The 3 Kings Monument' is a street with a handful of bars in a row, all featuring live music every evening. None are too large, somewhat cocktail bar-ish, and not too touristy. Chiang Mai has a conservatory, so bands made up of students often play here, naturally bringing along their own student crowd.
These are the names: Mahoree, Den of Drinks, Charoendee, and Wingman.
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...
You wouldn’t expect it, but Chiang Mai has its own ‘alternative’ scene. Alternative in quotes, because what exactly it entails is for you to find out. Where? At ‘The Deaf Shop’: a small café near one of the South gates, where this whole scene gathers, both inside the café and outside on the sidewalk.
Run by a Dutchman and his Thai girlfriend, serving eccentric cocktails, and with several hundred LPs lined up against a wall—vinyl, that is. Pick one, and the owner who DJs every night will play a track for you.
Note: open Thursday through Saturday until midnight, and Sunday afternoon until 6:30 PM.
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.
We cannot not mention it: Chiang Mai also has its own small Red Light District. Just one street long, Loi Kroh Road, ending in a semi-open-air area with several dozen bars, each with a pool table, and behind that one of Chiang Mai’s boxing stadiums.
Not really "safe" for a man alone — sometimes you literally get pulled inside one of the bars by the arm. Or at least you’ll hear “Hey Mister, Hey Handsome, where are you going” quite often. But if you’re curious about Thailand’s reputation, you can also just quietly have a beer there and watch the world slowly pass by...
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
Small but super cozy live music bar. They describe themselves as a 'Venue for Creative Artists'. Indeed, a place with an artistic vibe.
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.
