We had our first family trip in Chiang Mai. As it is in visiting any part of Thailand, the food should never be missed! Here are the 9 cafés and restaurants we tried during our holiday.
Food Crawl
Food crawl is one of our family’s favorite things to do whenever we go somewhere and we recommend it for you too! Visit different cafés and restaurants, try one or two of their best sellers and split them among friends or family.
Here’s our guide for a budget* food crawl.
Budget Food Crawl Guide
1. Look up popular places and hand pick at least 5 with different themes.
2. Places must be within walking distance of each other.
3. The eating must be spread out from lunch to dinner.
4. Order only 1-2 items from the menu to share.
The more people to share them with, the cheaper it gets. So invite more friends to join you!
9 Cafés and Restaurants We Visited in Chiang Mai
Baan Bakery
We couldn’t understand why our whole order of huge, well-proofed croissants and other pastries was only a little over 100 baht. If you’re visiting Chiang Mai soon, set one of your breakfasts at Baan Bakery. It’s worth the early walk! Best to visit first thing in the morning as they close the café once the pastries are finished.
Carrot Café
After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we made a beeline to this café. The place looks unassuming, but don’t let that fool you–they have the most amazing carrot cake we have ever tasted! It’s incredibly moist, with just the right sweetness and no overpowering baking powder taste (do you know what I mean?). It’s beautifully complemented by the cream cheese icing and crunchy caramel crumbs on top.
Other must-tries are:
Carrot no.1 – refreshing cold brew with berry sauce. The perfect drink after quite a walk under the sun.
Carrot no.2 – cream latte with carrot cookie crumbles. I’m not a fan of lattes, but this one was so, so, so good. It’s the exact balance of creaminess and coffee.
Rotee Pa Day
We walked all the way to this Michelin Bib Gourmand roti hawker stall and ate our orders on the sidewalk. It had a long queue when we arrived, and we found out later that we could order them via Food Panda.
MARS Cafe
We could not help but hum The Mandalorian theme soon as we stepped inside this vibe of a café. If you’re looking for unique drinks and thematic interiors, this is the place for you.
Bella Goose
We had a big brunch at Bella Goose, a coffeehouse that stands for empowerment, ethical practices, and community. The thing about most food in Thailand is that when you see the price starting over 100 THB, you can expect huge servings.
We stuffed ourselves silly with their best-selling Tennessee breakfast set, chocolate waffle, and spring chicken wrap.
Do try their coffee and drinks! We liked their lavender mocha, premium matcha latte, and green monster.
Khao Soi Kun Yai
What’s a Chiang Mai trip without the signature Khao Soi?
The noodle soup is available everywhere, but we chose to try the OG Khao Soi Kun Yai. You can choose your preferred protein as well as level of spice. They also offer clear noodle soups and drinks.
KALM Café
KALM Village is a stunning open space for creatives and communities celebrating art, craft, and culture. Inside its beautiful walls is KALM Kitchen, an in-house restaurant serving heartwarming meals to make diners reminisce about their grandparents’ home cooking.
We tried their signature Namprik set and the seemingly simple yet delicious Grandma’s braised pork meat soup set.
Their signature Maklam Kruea drink was interesting. It’s also known as rosary pea and is considered a medicinal plant that relieves sore
throats, bronchitis, hepatitis, pain, and swelling joints. We weren’t sure what to make of it because it initially hits as bitter but finishes with a lingering sweet taste in the mouth.
SomPetch Kitchen
We dined in local restaurants for most of our meals and ordered our usuals: Khao Pad (fried rice), massaman curry, stir-fries, and more khao sois, but an unforgettable budget meal was the tom yum fried rice from SomPetch Kitchen.
It’s a massive serving of fried rice with all the workings of a tom yum–spicy, tasty, and teeming with mushroom and seafood slices.
Sunday Baker
Sunday Baker was one of the most recommended cafés in Chiang Mai.
We didn’t intend to go on the day of our flight back, but somehow our feet took us there. Its patissier was a Le Cordon Bleu graduate and their pastries attested to it.
Visit Chiang Mai
Our trip to Chiang Mai is one of the best yet. This city in northern Thailand sits amidst lush mountains and is famous for its rich culture, art, nature escapes, and of course, food. It’s a window to Thailand’s culture and history and houses over 300 intricately decorated temples. Travelers from all over the world flock the city for its cuisine, markets, and natural surroundings.
They are also very tourist friendly. Most locals can speak English and are very accommodating.
Mark x Abi 