Restaurant Reviews For Chiang Mai Thailand

DINING GUIDE FOR CHIANG MAI

If you are travelling to Chiang Mai, you will have the opportunity to eat at some of the best restaurants in Thailand. One of the first things you may notice, if you are coming from Bangkok or Phuket, is that restaurants in Chiang Mai are normally reasonably priced compared with other major tourist destinations in Thailand. The other thing you may notice is that the Northern Thai cuisine is much different than the spicy variety you see in the South, and the Chinese variety you see in Bangkok. I will comment on a few of Chiang Mai's best restaurants that will not cost you an arm and a leg.


Recommended Restaurants

Max Snacks - Recently opened on the canal road near the Suthep intersection, Max Snacks has already earned a stellar reputation for serving quality food at amazingly low prices. My favourite dish is their bangers and mash, possibly the best sausage in Chiang Mai served with a healthy serving of mashed potatoes, gravy and mushy peas, all for only 65THB. They also offer authentic English Breakfast, home made pies, and other great British favourites. The best thing about eating at Max Snacks, is that the meals are all so reasonably priced, that you can afford to have some home made pie for desert and still walk out only spending 100THB. I know it all sounds too good to be true, I encourage you to go see for yourself, this is the real thing!

The Salsa Kitchen - Located in the Kad San Keaw District, just 100 meters from the Central Shopping Center. The Salsa Kitchen offers authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices. Owned and operated by a Canadian and his Thai wife, they have put together a great menu with a wide selection of typical Mexican favourites. The Salsa Kitchen is popular with expats living and working in Chiang Mai, because of the great food and the affordable prices. Dishes such as tacos, burritos, fajitas, and enchiladas all priced at 100-200THB.

Mr Chan & Mrs Pauline - Located on the canal road near the Ratchapruek intersection, the restaurant is owned by a Swedish Thai couple. This restaurant is serving mainly western food such as steaks, schnitzels, pizza and pasta. You might think that because they do western food, most of the customers would be foreigners, however this restaurant is very popular with upper class Thai families. The restaurant has an outdoor candle lit garden setting, and an indoor air conditioned section. The atmosphere is spectacular, and the quality of the food is equally as impressive. I recommend this restaurant to couples looking for a nice night out.

Pizza N Pasta - American owned and operated, Pizza N Pasta is located at the Samoeng intersection about 15 minutes out of town. The name says it all, they serve pizza and pasta, the pizza is authentic New York style pizza as you would expect in New York City. The pizza sauce is home made, and it is excellent, however be careful not to order the spicy sauce unless you really like spicy food. The prices look a little intimidating until you see the size of the pizza, 1 large is enough to feed the whole family for about 500THB.

Go Liang - This is one of the many noodle shops located on Suthep road opposite the Hospital. Of all the shops, Go Liang has the best noodle soup, Chinese style crispy pork, and sweet red pork loin. There will be no English sign, the only way to distinguish this place from all the others will be to ask the locals to point you toward "Go Liang". The restaurant itself is not much to look at, as is the case with most noodle shops, it is a little hole in the wall, with plastic chairs and looking rather unsanitary. Do not be fooled by the appearance, the food is safe, and the noodle soup is the best in town!

Miguel's Cafe - Miguel's has a few locations in Chiang Mai, the first of which was opened downtown just a few hundred meters from the Tha Pae Gate.They also have locations in Nong Hoi, and Nimmanhaemen. Miguel's offers American style Mexican food as well as typical American food such as burgers and fries. Some favourites include nachos grande with beef, cheese sour cream and salsa, steak burritos, quesadillas and much more. If you ask the expats in Chiang Mai where the best Mexican food is, many will say "Miguel's" and the rest will say "Salsa Kitchen", both restaurants have their pros and cons, I visit both on a regular basis.

Mad Dog - If you liked what I had to say about Max Snacks, you might also want to check out Mad Dog. They are both the same style of restaurant offering great English breakfasts, sausages, pizza and more. Mad Dog is much closer to town than Max Snacks, so most likely it will be more convenient for you to get there. With convenience comes cost, and you can expect to pay a little more at Mad Dog, but then again, you won't find anyone that competes with the prices at Max Snacks. Mad Dog gets the popular vote for the best breakfast in town!

The Dukes -They have 2 locations, one on the Ping River and the other at the night bazaar. The Dukes is the only place in Chiang Mai you will find real American style B.B.Q. ribs, chicken wings, steaks and burgers. They make their own fresh bread daily, and they have a woodfired pizza oven. I have not yet had a chance to try the seafood, but If it is anything like the rest of their food I am sure it is fantastic. When you get bored of eating Thai food and you just want some comfort food, The Dukes is where you will find Chiang Mai's best burgers and steaks!

UN Irish Pub - There are 2 Irish Pubs in Chiang Mai, but I can only recommend one of them.The UN irish pub is located on Ratchawithi Rd., just a few blocks from Tha Pae Gate.They have an excellent selection of British pub food as well as other international favourites. The prices are more than fair, especially compared to other British Pubs in Thailand. The UN Irish Pub is a great place to see live sporting events. They have a list of upcomming events on their facebook page.