Riverside Restaurants Chiang Mai: Where to Eat by the Ping

Featured image: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Riverside restaurants Chiang Mai at a glance

Two of the three venues below sit on Charoenrat Road. Anantara sits on Charoen Prathet Road. Prices and hours checked November 2026. Use the table to match a venue to your evening, then read the sections that follow for detail.

The Riverside Bar & Restaurant: music, terrace and the budget cruise

Open since 1984, The Riverside Bar & Restaurant stands at 9-11 Charoenrat Road. It serves a Thai and Western menu, including hand-cut fries. Live music starts at 8 PM and runs to roughly 1 AM, with a new singer or band most hours. Pick your seat by mood. The main music room puts you near the performers. The riverside terrace keeps the music audible but conversation easy. An upstairs lounge is the quietest option. The venue offers a 90-minute Ping River cruise from ฿200 per person, with two boats carrying about 40 to 50 guests each. Food and drinks are ordered separately. A guarded car park across the street is free. Loy Krathong evenings have a set-menu cruise package, so enquire with the restaurant early.

• Best for: first-timers who want a river, music and a low base cost in one stop.
• Also suits: groups, since full-boat and private bookings are offered.
• Skip it if: you want silence. Even the terrace carries the sound of the band.

Riverfront Restaurant: Thai and seafood by the water

Riverfront Restaurant sits at 367 Charoen Rat Road in Wat Ket Subdistrict. Its menu runs past 100 dishes of Thai food and seafood. It opens daily from 17:00 to 23:00, so time your arrival for the sunset hours. The venue advertises live music every night and says it has parking. Details come mainly from the restaurant's own page, so check its Google Maps listing for current hours before you commit to a late table. Pair it with our guide to the 8 Best Thai Restaurants in Chiang Mai, by Dish if you want to compare menus.

Anantara and 1921 House: the polished riverside option

Anantara Chiang Mai Serviced Suites is at 123-123/1 Charoen Prathet Road. Its 1921 House steakhouse and grill opens daily from 12:00 noon to 10:30 pm. Bodhi Terrace serves north-to-south Thai food, with a last kitchen order at 10:00 pm. Bubbles, the rooftop cocktail bar, opens daily from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Brit Bar and the Verandah both run noon to midnight. Designer Dining and Spice Spoons require reservations 24 hours ahead. Treat this as a booked evening, not a walk-in. Afternoon tea runs 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and the hotel does not publish cruise or tea prices on its dining page. For more upscale tables, read our fine dining guide. Our Michelin restaurant roundup covers recognized kitchens. You can also browse the MICHELIN Guide Thailand listings directly.

Dinner cruise vs. a table on the bank

A cruise has fixed boarding and a fixed length. The Riverside's boat trip lasts 90 minutes, and you order a meal from its menu plus drinks from the onboard bar. A table on the bank has no end time, so you can linger over dessert or move on to the music room. Anantara's Jao Ping River Cruise runs three slots: 9:00 to 10:30 am, 2:00 to 3:30 pm, and a sunset cruise from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Cruises suit groups and anyone who wants the water itself. Tables suit couples, small families and long conversations. For the cost side, the ฿200 base fare is low, but food and drinks add up fast. Our cheap eats guide shows where to eat for less before or after a cruise.

How to get there and when to go

From the Night Bazaar or the Old City, you can walk to the river, take a tuk-tuk, or ride a short taxi trip. Staying inside the moat? Our Old City restaurant guide helps you plan the meal before the river walk. Live-music venues start filling from about 7 pm. Arrive around then for sunset views and a good seat. Arrive at 8 PM or later if music is the goal, since The Riverside's bands start at 8 PM. In summer, some riverside spots stay open until 2 am or 3 am. Rainy season can affect riverside venues, so ask for a covered table and check river conditions that day.

Mistakes to avoid and how to book

A few small errors spoil a riverside evening. Reservations matter most for groups, cruises, hotel venues and Loy Krathong nights. Book Anantara's Designer Dining and Spice Spoons at least 24 hours ahead. Call The Riverside or message it about full-boat bookings.

• Assuming every table has a river view. Ask for the terrace or outdoor seating when you book.
• Arriving early for music. Bands at The Riverside start at 8 PM.
• Expecting a set dinner on a cruise. At The Riverside, food and drinks are ordered separately.
• Treating hotel restaurants as walk-in only. Check the reservation policy first.
• Skipping a backup seat in rainy season. Ask about indoor tables.

Where to eat when you want a break from the river

If the Ping is not your night, look elsewhere. Try Nimman Restaurants: Where to Eat in Nimmanhaemin for modern cafes and dinner. Our brunch guide covers slower mornings. Craving pasta? See the best Italian restaurants in the city.