Chiang Mai food guide
Chiang Mai food is known for khao soi at lunch, not a 21:00 coconut curry. It fits planners who will walk the moat at 07:00 and eat before 15:00.
Photo: Neuroticoblivion (talk) (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Chiang Mai cooking is a lunch city. Khao soi rooms open late morning and empty by 15:00. A 2026 bowl is 50 to 80 THB. Warorot (Kad Luang) is the morning market for sai ua and fruit. Huen Phen still does a Lanna table at lunch. Sunday walking street is snacks on Ratchadamnoen, not a second dinner plan after a late arrival.
Nimman is pour-over at 80 to 150 THB, not khao soi. Maya basement is air-con. For the bowl circuit use khao soi and markets. For the broader north use Northern Lanna.
Specialties
- Khao Soi
- Khao Soi Lam Duan
- Sai Ua
- Nam Prik Ong
- Khao Kha Moo
- Kanom Jeen Nam Ngiao
- Sunday Walking Street snacks
- Warorot breakfast
- Nimman pour-over
- Khao Soi Mae Manee
Khao Soi ข้าวซอย
Khao soi is the coconut curry noodle with a fried egg-noodle nest, eaten at lunch only. Khao Soi Khun Yai inside the north moat keeps a 10:00 to 14:00 window at 50 to 80 THB.
Khao Soi Khun Yai, between Sri Poom and Chang Moi inside the north moat, Chiang Mai
10:00 to 14:00; Sunday rest · 50 to 80 THB
Khao Soi Lam Duan ข้าวซอยลำดวน
Khao Soi Lam Duan on Faham Road is the darker-broth classic on the same lunch clock. Order one bowl at 50 to 70 THB, then walk the river.
Khao Soi Lam Duan Faham, 352/22 Charoenrat Rd, Wat Ket
10:00 to 15:00 · 50 to 70 THB
Sai Ua ไส้อั่ว
Herb sausage from a market grill, not a hotel breakfast. Buy it at Warorot (Kad Luang) and pair it with sticky rice. 20 to 40 THB a stick.
Warorot Market (Kad Luang), Wichayanon Rd, Chang Moi
06:00 to 16:00 · 20 to 40 THB a stick
Nam Prik Ong น้ำพริกอ่อง
Pork and tomato dip with boiled veg and pork crackling. Huen Phen still sets a Lanna table at lunch. 80 to 150 THB.
Huen Phen, 112 Ratchamanka Rd, Phra Sing, Chiang Mai
08:00 to 16:00 lunch room; dinner wing later · 80 to 150 THB
Khao Kha Moo ข้าวขาหมู
Khao kha moo is stewed pork leg on rice, and the jelly around the bone is why you order it. The Chang Phuak (North Gate) strip is the evening cluster at 60 to 70 THB.
Chang Phuak (North Gate) khao kha moo shophouses, Chiang Mai
08:00 to 15:00 lunch; evening strip later · 50 to 70 THB
Kanom Jeen Nam Ngiao ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยว
Tai Yai rice-noodle soup with tomato and pork, different from southern nam ya. Kiat Ocha on Inthawarorot is the named breakfast room. 40 to 60 THB.
Kiat Ocha, 5-7 Inthawarorot Rd, Si Phum
06:00 to 15:00; closed Monday · 40 to 60 THB
Sunday Walking Street snacks ถนนคนเดิน
Ratchadamnoen after 16:00 on Sunday. Grills and dessert cups, not a temple substitute. 20 to 60 THB.
Ratchadamnoen Rd, Phra Sing, Chiang Mai 50200
Sunday from 16:00 · 20 to 60 THB
Warorot breakfast กาดหลวง
Morning wholesale hall for jok, coffee, and fruit. Go before 09:00. 30 to 60 THB.
Warorot Market, Wichayanon Rd, Chang Moi, Chiang Mai
05:00 to 17:00 · 30 to 60 THB
Nimman pour-over นิมมานเหมินท์
Cafe morning west of the moat. GRAPH Quarter sits at 25 Soi 13 Sirimangkalajarn. 80 to 150 THB. Maya basement is air-con only.
GRAPH Quarter, 25 Soi 13 Sirimangkalajarn Rd, Suthep, Chiang Mai 50200
09:00 to 17:00 · 80 to 150 THB
Khao Soi Mae Manee ข้าวซอยแม่มณี
Khao Soi Mae Manee is the Chang Phueak lunch room north of the moat, not inside the Old City. TAT lists 09:00 to 15:30 at 40 to 120 THB. Arrive before 13:00.
Khao Soi Mae Manee, 18 Soi Chotana 24, Chotana Rd, Chang Phueak, Chiang Mai 50300
09:00 to 15:30 · 50 to 80 THB
Book
Compare Across Southeast Asia: Thai Food vs. Vietnamese Food
Eating your way across Southeast Asia? Pair Thailand’s wok-fired street stalls and regional curries with Vietnam’s herb-bright broths, banh mi, and specialty coffee.
Vietnamese Food Guide & Dish Directory
Regional dish breakdowns, street-stall addresses, and ordering rules for pho, bun cha, banh mi, cao lau, and egg coffee.
Explore Vietnamese Food Guide →Northern Broths & CoffeeHanoi Street Food Guide
Charcoal-grilled bun cha, beef pho at dawn, crispy crab spring rolls, and Old Quarter café culture.
Read Hanoi Food Guide →Southern Markets & SeafoodHo Chi Minh City & Da Nang Food Guides
Late-night shellfish alleys, broken rice plates (com tam), crispy banh xeo crepes, and Central Vietnamese noodle bowls.
Read Saigon Food Guide →Common questions
- When should you eat khao soi?
- Lunch. Most named rooms close by 15:00. A 21:00 coconut curry on a tourist menu is a different dish.
- Old City or Nimman for food?
- Old City and Warorot for Lanna plates. Nimman for coffee. Do not hunt khao soi in Maya.