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Food Guide in Chiang Mai

There are many retaurants in Chiang Mai both modern and old style. And many people always come here to experience the delicious food. There are many various kinds of food and restaurant which you no need to worry about finding palatable dishes.

What to drink when you aer in Chiang Mai.?

Travellers who have been to Thailand will tell you : the best food is in the street. Forget those touristy restaurants serving overpriced dishes often pale copies of the real Thai recipes. Feel the authentic taste of Thai cooking among Thai people. Eating in the street has nothing to do with social status, it is quite common to see luxury cars stopping at those food stalls for a lunch break or an early dinner. Of course it is cheap, (imagine a spicy soup + a pork and rice dish + a fruit + water and ice for... 20 baht) but most of all it is good!
OK for that price you'll have to eat at a small ordinary table sitting on a red or blue plastic stool right on the side walk... in the evening you might see the occasional cockroach hurrying to whatever business cockroaches have... but what matters is what's on your plate : WYSIWYG food (what you see is what you get). It is cooked in front of you, products are fresh from the day (not stored for weeks in dubious conditions as in some big restaurants... worlwide) ( Kad Suan Keaw  has 2 food center)

There is one basic rule when it comes to picking the right stall : see where the Thais go, never pick a deserted place.

Often a stall is specialized in one dish, among others you can find :

• Kwai Teaw, a noodle soup with either pork (Moo), chicken (Kai), duck (Pet) or seafood (Talay). There are 4 kinds of noodles : the wide ones (Sen Yai), the normal one (Sen Lek), the vermicelli (Sen Mee) and the translucent vermicelli (Woon Sen). Seasoning is for you to do with chilly powder, fish sauce, pepper, sugar, peanuts...
• Tom Yam, a spicy and very tasty soup with vegetables, herbs and Shrimps (Khung) or seafood, or chicken. Served with rice on the side.
• Tom Ka, a sweet soup with coconut milk and shrimps or chicken or seafood.
• Kao Soi, a yellow noddles with curry (spicy) sauce and chicken.
• Kao Kha Moo, a delicious pork leg served with rice, pickled cabage and a boiled egg. Say 'Mai Aow Nang' if you don't want they serve you the skin.
• Suki, a vermicelli soup with egg, vegetables, seafood (or chicken) and a very special (spicy) sauce.
• Kao Man Kai, steamed chicken served with rice and a unique sauce (non spicy) made of ginger, garlic and other secret ingredients.
• Pad Thai, noodles fried with tofu, eggs, peanuts, onions, soja, dried shrimps
• In addition some stalls will propose all kind of stir fried dishes (with or without meat), you can pick the vegetables of your choice, they cook them with oyster sauce... delicious.

There are two dishes that must be tried with caution:

• Som Tam, papaya salad best eaten with sticky rice.
• Yam Woon Sen, a vermicelli salad served with onions, seafood or sliced sausages Both are very spicy and some ingredients might not be to your stomach liking (high level of weird bacteria in the Som Tam).

In general prefer the dishes that will be cooked upon order, beware those strange deep fried stuff, noone really knows since when or how many times they've been cooked.

Note: the water and the ice served (most of the time free of charge) at these stalls is perfectly safe.

In Chiang Mai, you'll find these stalls at every market. Some open in the day others in the evening or at night. Next to the 3 Kings Monument there is a street where you can try great kwai teaw, kao man kai and kao soi, until 4 PM. On the Chang Puak gate, starting 6 PM there are many very good stalls, great for Kao Kha Moo. For a good Pad Thai, a stall opens in the evening next to the Irish Pub.

During the Sunday Market, between the Thapae Gate and the Wat Phra Sing, stalls are set in the temples along the way, here you can try the deep fried stuff, it's freshly made. and if you're hungry in the middle of the night, you can go opposite the Vista Hotel (not far from the Thai Airways main office) they serve noodle soup with little fish balls and some Dim Sum.

One of the best Roti (thin Pancake) stall across the road from the Chiang Mai Plaza  Hotel seems to operate from late afternoon til about 9pm/9.30pm-ish.  Try the banana pancakes, with and without chocolate (25 and 30 baht respectively). There are also savoury variations.

Kalare Food Centre Chang Khlan Road (opposite the Night Bazaar Building), has a large open-air food court, featuring free Thai classical dance performances nightly. All food is paid for with coupons; most mains 20-50 baht.

Khao Soi Lam Duan Kao Soi is the name of northern noodle with Ka-Ti (Coconut Water) and Chilli serve with Chicken wing or beef with ingredient.  (053) 212-798, 220-707

Food Center Central Plaza
Airport appears the more modern of the two, is about half a mile from the airport...a somewhat adventurous walk from the terminal. It has several floors, with a food court

Food Center Kad Suan Keaw
is much closer to downtown, and has many decent shops, restaurants and banks/ATMs. • 21 Huay Kaew Rd., Suthep, Muang, Chiang Mai  ☎ +66 (0)53-224444

Grill Pork Buffet
There are lots of grill pork buffet restaurant in Chiang Mai with several price 79-89 Baht per person but if you add more food such as Shrimp, Beef Salad or desert they will cost you about 139-179 Baht per person.

Old Chiang Mai Culture Center 
185/3 Wualai Road +66 53-275097 - the first commercial Khantoke Dinner in Chiang Mai more than 30 years ago. They have the best Northern Thai food of any of the Kantoke establishments however the seating, show and music are not as good as at Khum Khantoke. Nightly 19:00-21:30.

The House,
199 Moonmuang Road +66 53-419011 - old 1930's colonial style house in town center. Pacific rim & fusion food. Open 18:00.

Lemon Tree
Excellent selection of delicious Thai food with seating both inside and out. This is a popular restaurant for families and friends. Distinctive in its yellow and blue colour scheme. Opposite Shell Station on Huay Kaew Road opposite-ish Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel.
Time Open: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm Telephone: 053 222009, 053 404411

It’s not surprised to see many international foods in Chiang Mai such as Japanese, European, France, Chinese, Italian and more. So you will see the varieties of many kinds of cuisine in here. And you can choose to be in luxury or local international shops. And about taste, if you want to know, you have to figure out by yourselves. Then you won’t disappoint what I said.

Asahi Japanese Restaurant,
Original Japanese-style restaurant with choice of 100+ dishes near the Nightbazaar. Open daily 11AM-2PM and 5PM-11PM. Tel: 053-275 323

Fuji,
1st branch Central Airport Plaza, 2nd branch Panthip Plaza is a great and reasonably priced Japanese restaurant. While perhaps not a special restaurant in that it is not unique to Chiang Mai (it's actually a large chain) for those seeking reasonably priced Japanese food Fuji is a must. Expect to pay 120 baht and up for each dish (for instance a single sushi roll), however there are several spectacular sets that offer great "bang for you buck", for instance the Fuji Sashimi Set which can easily fill a sushi lover for 190 baht.

Rio Restaurant & Wine Bar
Open daily except Saturday / Operation hour 18.00 hrs - midnights. Rio Restaurant & Bar "International BBQ Buffet and a wide selection of wine" Enjoy our innovative "all you can eat" style or choose from our Chef's House specialties.Live music with the pianist performing daily.
78 - seating capacity included private room Price at THB 490 per perso

Arcobaleno Italian Restaurant,
(in front of Watket Temple), ☎ ''+66 53''-306254. Open lunch & dinner.

Fillmore East Bar & Grill,
Charernrasd Road +66 53-262416 - seating on two dining terraces facing Mae Ping river. Delicious USDA Beef, lamb, veal, chops, burgers. Excellent homemade deserts such as pecan, pumpkin and apple pie with large choice of toppings. The bar is separate from the riverside dining area so you can enjoy a romantic dinner in peace.

Piccola Roma Palace Italian Restaurant,
at corner of Charoenprathet Road & Sri Donchai Road near Chiang Mai Plaza Hotel +66 53-820297 / +66 53-271256 - open lunch & dinner. An unforgettable dining experience amid beautiful surroundings. Serving residents over 15 years.

Vegetarians won't have too many problems surviving in Thailand, with one significant exception: fish sauce (น้ำปลา naam plaa) is to Thai cuisine what soy sauce is to Chinese food, and keeping it out of soups, curries and stir-fries will be a challenge.

That said, Thailand is a Buddhist country and vegetarianism is a fairly well-understood concept, especially among Chinese Thais (many of whom eat only vegetarian food during several festivals). Tofu is a traditional Thai ingredient and they aren't afraid to mix it up in some non traditional dishes such as omelettes (with or without eggs), submarine sandwiches, and burritos. Since Thai dishes are usually made to order, it's easy to ask for anything on the menu to be made without meat or fish. Bangkok features several fantastic veggie and vegan restaurants, but outside of big cities make sure to check that your idea of "veggie" matches the chef's.

Some key phrases for vegetarians:

• phom kin je (m) / di-chan kin je (f) ผม(ดิฉัน)กินเจ "I eat only vegetarian food"

• karunaa mai sai naam plaa กรุณาไม่ใส่น้ำปลา "Please don't use fish sauce"

Vegetarian: It can be hard to find safely vegetarian food in Chiang Mai, as fish and oyster sauce are used frequently, and the local Buddist monks themselves often eat fish. (Thus, asking for your dish to be prepared "like the monks," which works in other places, does not get the same results in Chiang Mai.) There are a few completely vegetarian options, however.

The Pun Pun centre
Pun Pun Organic Restaurant is a project aimed at supporting local organic farmers, farmer networks, and propagating biodiversity. By producing organic produce on their own farm as well as buying from farmers producing organically, they support farmer’s transition to sustainable food systems. The Pun Pun aims to propagate rare and indigenous varieties of edible plants for the public to reintegrate into their diets, improving our health and stabilizing our environment through biodiversity.
Wat Suan Dok, Suthep Rd., Chiang Mai (Located at rear of Temple)
Tel. +66 (0)86-5737049 www.punpunthailand.org

Pinto VegieThai
Vegetarian food for delivery. Online home for the vegetarian health conscious who love to eat! http://www.vegiethai.com : duangvg@gmail.com : 087-324 9728

Khun Churn
Nimmanhemin Road, Soi 15 +66 53-224124 - Thai vegetarian. Open 9:30AM-2:30PM & 5:30PM-10PM, closed the 16th of every month.

Nice Vegetarian
Serves a large variety of vegetarian food, along with fresh fruit and vegetables drinks. Breakfast menu also available. Open Mon-Sat 8AM-6PM. Tel: 085-866 2747

Tianzi Asia
Serves organic and macrobiotic food, and carries a large assortment of teas and other products from Yunnan, China. Situated near the Nightbazaar. Open Mon-Sat 10AM-10PM. Tel: 053-449 539