8 Best Thai Restaurants in Chiang Mai, by Dish

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How to Choose Thai Food in Chiang Mai

We sorted the picks by dish first, then area, then opening hours. Hours matter more than rank here. Khao Soi Khun Yai closes at 2PM, Pakorn's Kitchen opens at 2PM, and the Chang Phueak Gate stalls open around 5PM. Most picks sit in the Old City or in Nimman, so you can pair two of them in one day without backtracking.

8 Best Thai Restaurants in Chiang Mai, Picked by Dish

Prices and hours checked November 2026. Each entry below names the dish, the area and who should look elsewhere. Khao soi comes first because it is the dish most visitors search for.

1. Khao Soi Khun Yai

Khao soi is northern Thailand's noodle soup of crispy and soft egg noodles in a coconut-curry broth, and this open-air eatery is our pick for a first bowl. It sits in Sri Poom 8 Alley, reached through a small gate near the Old City North Gate. There is no obvious sign. Service is lunch only, from 10AM to 2PM, and the kitchen can run out of food, so arrive early.

Your bowl comes with chopped red onion, pickled cabbage and a lime wedge on the side. Not ideal if you eat after 2PM or want a menu beyond khao soi.

2. Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kaat Gorm

Lung Prakit is our pick for beef khao soi, with a thick, spicy broth that suits the meat. Bowls cost about ฿50, which makes it one of the cheapest sit-down lunches on this list. It opens from 9:30AM to 4:30PM, so it covers the gap after Khao Soi Khun Yai closes at 2PM.

Order the beef version if you eat beef. Pass on it if you avoid beef or want a vegetarian bowl.

3. Tong Tem Toh

Tong Tem Toh on Nimmanahaeminda Road is our pick for a northern Thai sit-down, open daily from 8AM to 11PM. Start with the northern appetizer platter of sai oua sausage, nam prik ong, nam prik noom, pork rinds, eggs and raw vegetables for dipping. Add kaeng hang leh, the Burmese-influenced pork curry, if you want a second dish.

Tables fill early, and a line was waiting outside by about 7PM, so go before then. Look elsewhere if you hate waiting for a table.

4. Pakorn's Kitchen

Pakorn's Kitchen on Sridonchai Road, about a 10-minute walk east of Chiang Mai Gate, has a very long menu of traditional Thai dishes. Most dishes come in three sizes, so a small plate works for one and a large plate works for two or more. The restaurant is known for massaman curry, and it also makes khao soi and some vegetarian dishes.

It opens at 2PM, closes at 10PM, and is shut on Saturdays. Peak-dinner waits can pass an hour, and the room has no more than ten tables, so get there before 6PM. Save it for another night if Saturday is your only free evening.

5. Cherng Doi Roast Chicken

Kai yang is an Isan dish, not a northern one. Cherng Doi on Suk Kasame Road in Nimman is our pick for it. A whole chicken is halved, pounded flat, marinated and grilled slowly over low charcoal. Eat it with som tam and sticky rice, which you pick up by hand.

It opens from 11AM to 10PM Tuesday to Sunday and closes on Mondays. Not for you if you want strictly Lanna cooking.

6. SP Chicken

SP Chicken, on Samlan Road Soi 1 in the Old City, roasts its birds on vertical spits with the heat coming from the side. Fat drips away from the coals, which keeps the skin crisp and the meat moist. Birds are small, so two people can share one bird and add a papaya salad.

It runs from 10AM to 5PM daily and draws a long queue at lunch. Give it a miss if you only eat in the evening.

7. Khao Kha Moo Chang Phueak

This stall at the Chang Phueak Gate night market serves khao kha moo, pork leg braised in five spice and served over rice with a medium-boiled egg. The pork is a little sweet and tender enough to fall off the bone. It opens at 5PM and runs until midnight, and drivers stop at the roadside for takeaway.

Suki Koka, a Thai suki stall at the same market, opens at 6PM and also runs until midnight. Look elsewhere if you eat dinner before 5PM.

8. Kanom Jeen San Pa Koi

Kanom jeen is soft rice noodles served under a choice of curries, including nam ngiao. Bowls are small, so order two or three with different curries to compare them. Prices are reported at ฿20 to ฿30 per bowl, though inflation may have moved that.

It opens from 11AM to 11PM on weekdays and Saturdays. Skip it on Sundays, and expect a snack rather than a big plate.

Best Vegan and Vegetarian Thai Food

Reform Kafe is a fully plant-based cafe near Wat Khuan Khama, vegan since 2017. It serves hearty burgers and Thai comfort classics, including a well-reviewed vegan khao soi. Its som tam skips the fish sauce, and it is a cafe rather than a Thai restaurant, so treat it as the vegan option, not a replacement for the list above. Khao Soi Nimman lets you pick vegetarian toppings. Pakorn's Kitchen also lists some vegetarian dishes.

Worth the Trip: Thai Restaurants Outside the Old City

Three places reward a dedicated outing. Khao Soi Prince is a 20 km round trip to the Maejo University area, and its owner makes noodles by hand for beef khao soi. Kong Kham is a 25-minute drive north and serves laap plaa piak, saa phak ruam and kaeng hang leh pork-belly curry. Laap Dii Khom Khon Yong sits just off the first ring road and is known for laap muu suk. For award-listed Thai restaurants, browse the Michelin Guide Thailand listings. Our Michelin-listed Chiang Mai picks cover that route in more depth.

When to Eat What: Timing, Queues and Closed Hours

Plan around the shutters. Ja Ae Congee serves breakfast from 6AM to 10AM, and Jok Somphet near Pratu Chang Phueak never closes. For more morning options, see our breakfast and brunch options. Lunch belongs to Khao Soi Khun Yai (10AM-2PM), Lung Prakit (9:30AM-4:30PM) and SP Chicken (10AM-5PM). Pakorn's Kitchen reopens the afternoon at 2PM. Chang Phueak Suki starts at 5:30PM and costs ฿60 a plate, and waits there run long in the evening. A branch near Chiang Mai University is reported to open 9AM to 11PM with shorter lines. Our Old City dining guide helps you plan a day inside the walls.

Costs, Cash and Getting Around

Street-stall meals are the cheapest tier. Kanom jeen runs about ฿20 to ฿30, khao soi at Lung Prakit about ฿50, and a plate of Chang Phueak Suki ฿60. Pakorn's Kitchen sits a step up, and its three portion sizes let you scale the bill. For more budget picks, see our street-stall budget picks. Small stalls often take cash only, so carry baht. Fancier restaurants accept cards. Tong Tem Toh and Cherng Doi are both in Nimman, and our Nimman dining guide covers the rest of that area. Ja Ae Congee sits in front of the old Night Bazaar, near the spots in our riverside dinner spots guide.

How to Eat Northern Thai Food

Northern dishes work like Thai tapas, so order several and share them. Khao soi is the exception, because everyone gets their own bowl. Sticky rice is eaten by hand: tear off a piece, roll it into a ball and dip it in the sauce. At street stalls you may be asked how many chilies you want, and one or two is a safe start.

How Many Days to Plan for Chiang Mai Thai Food

Give yourself 1 day for the essential dishes, 2 days for a less rushed mix of areas, and 3 days if you want an outskirts meal. On a one-day visit, eat khao soi at Khao Soi Khun Yai between 10AM and 2PM. Follow with an evening meal at Chang Phueak Gate after 5PM.

With two days, use one lunch for Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kaat Gorm, which stays open until 4:30PM. Spend the other evening at Tong Tem Toh in Nimman, where going before 7PM improves your chances of avoiding the line.

A third day makes room for Khao Soi Prince or Kong Kham without sacrificing a central meal. Khao Soi Prince requires a roughly 20 km round trip, while Kong Kham is about a 25-minute drive north. Treat either as a dedicated outing, then keep dinner close to your hotel.