Chantaros
New opening reported
Opened December 2025; Airport Plaza
Asia · Thailand
Where to eat in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is the capital of northern Thai cooking, where curry noodles, herbal sausages and mild, bitter, aromatic flavours differ from the south. It is covered by the Michelin Guide Thailand mainly through Bib Gourmand picks rather than stars.
Chiang Mai at a glance
- What to eat
- Khao soi (northern curry noodles); Sai ua (northern sausage) and nam prik dips; Gaeng hang lay and northern curries; Mango sticky rice and seasonal fruit at Warorot Market; Sunday Walking Street and night-market snacks.
- When to go
- Best: January and November–December. Also good: May–October. Hardest: February–April.
- Top tables
- This guide lists 7 award-winning restaurants, starting with CHAWEE, Euang Kam Sai, Gongkham and Huen Muan Jai.
- Where locals eat
- Local favorites off the prestige lists include Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham, Thanawm Pochanaa, Han Teung Chiangmai and Laap Lung Noi.
- Markets
- Muang Mai Market and Warorot Market.
The dish to eat here
Khao soi
Curry noodle soup with coconut milk and chicken, topped with crisp fried noodles, eaten with pickled mustard greens, shallots and lime.
The best three: Khao Soi Khun Yai, Khao Soi Mae Sai, Khao Soi Islam.
On the Restaurant 100
- Khao Soi Khun Yai No. 99 in Asia
38places in Chiang Mai, ready to save to your trip
4Dishes to tryWhere to eat each one, and how to cook it at home10Romantic dinnersTen tables for date night
What is in the 38
7 award-winning4 local favorites2 markets10 romantic dinners5 breakfast spots10 new openings2 dish spots
Photos: Warorot Market: Department of Tourism Thailand: LannaPhoto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
What to eat in Chiang Mai, and where
Each dish comes with the places that do it best. Tap Add to my trip on the ones you want, or find them on the map above.
Khao soi
coconut curry egg noodles topped with crispy noodles
The 2 best places to eat it in Chiang Mai
- 1Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham
Order: Beef khao soi with pork satay
A local favorite for khao soi; exact street address not verified.
From our verified guide listings - 2Khao Soi Mae Sai
Order: Khao soi
Award-recognized khao soi shop; exact address and sourcing not verified in this run.
From our verified guide listings
Sai oua
herb-packed northern Thai sausage
Where to eat it: we are still verifying the best places for this dish.
Nam prik ong
tomato-pork chili dip eaten with vegetables
Where to eat it: we are still verifying the best places for this dish.
Gaeng hang lay
Burmese-influenced pork belly curry
Where to eat it: we are still verifying the best places for this dish.
The most celebrated tables
The top 7 restaurants in Chiang Mai, per Michelin Thailand 2026.
More award winners
CHAWEE
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2026, new)
New Bib Gourmand with a personalised menu inspired by childhood memories and old recipes.
Euang Kam Sai
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2026, new)
New Bib Gourmand serving northern Thai classics.
Gongkham
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2026, new)
New Bib Gourmand for local northern Thai dishes.
Huen Muan Jai
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025/2026)
Lanna-style house known for sai oua and minced fish laap.
Khao Soi Mae Sai
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025/2026)
Bib Gourmand khao soi.
Krua Lawng Khao
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025/2026)
Bib Gourmand northern Thai.
Sanpakoi Kanomjeen
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025/2026)
Bib Gourmand rice-noodle curries.
When to go and what is in season
Chiang Mai food calendar: month by month → What is in season, what to eat and the food festivals each month.
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak Jan, Nov–DecShoulder May–OctHard Feb–Apr
Why these months
Lonely Planet (16 Jun 2026): Nov-Jan is cool, dry peak season; Feb-Apr is smoky burning season (PM2.5 haze, sometimes from January; Chiang Mai often ranks among the world's most polluted cities), 30-40C in Mar-Apr, locals stay in or leave, events cancelled; May-Oct is rainy season (short showers, lush, lower prices, waterfalls may close for flooding). Month numbers and the 'shoulder' label for May-Oct are our mapping of the prose; LP does not call it shoulder. Songkran (12-16 Apr in the city) falls inside the avoid window but is a draw in itself. Only one main source for the burning-season months.
In season
- Mango with sticky rice (Nam Dok Mai, Ok Rong) Mar–May
- Grilled meats, som tam and cooling herbal drinks (roselle, butterfly pea) Mar–Apr
- Durian, rambutan, mangosteen, longan at Warorot Market Jun–Aug
- Wild mushrooms (het thop, het khon) and bamboo shoots
- Red ant eggs (soups, omelets) Apr
- Jay vegetarian festival food Sep–Oct
- Fresh and dried longan (lam yai) from Lamphun
- Yi Peng festival sweets and grilled snacks Nov
Food events
- Chiang Mai Flower Festival Feb Expected 12-14 Feb 2027, organiser has not confirmed; street food along the parade route
- Songkran Apr
- Inthakin City Pillar Festival May 13-19 May 2027; market of northern snacks and sweets at Wat Chedi Luang
- Thai Vegetarian Festival (Jay) Oct
- Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Nov 5-6 Nov 2026; stalls with khanom and grilled snacks on the walking street
Closures to plan around
- Burning season Feb-Apr: heavy PM2.5 smoke; LP says locals stay indoors or leave for the coast and events are cancelled or not planned. No source found on restaurant closures specifically
- Songkran 12-16 Apr in Chiang Mai: water fights across the Old City moat; LP advises staying outside the Old City if you want to stay dry. No source found on restaurant or market closures during Songkran - check venues
- Rainy season May-Oct: authorities monitor flash floods and waterfalls (e.g. Sticky Waterfall, Mae Sa) may close without notice (LP)
- Weekly: Sunday Walking Street (Ratchadamnoen Rd) runs Sundays only, late afternoon to ~22:00; Wualai Walking Street is the Saturday equivalent. Warorot Market closes ~18:00. No regular restaurant closing days listed;...
- Sample hours: Khao Soi Lam Duan Fa Ham daily 08:00-16:00; Khao Soi Islam ~08:00-18:00; Suki Changphuak daily 17:30-24:00; Cowboy Hat Lady khao kha moo ~17:00-02:00 but can sell out early
Meal costs and tipping (THB)
- Casual: khao soi 50-80; pad thai from a cart 40-60; mango sticky rice 45-70; grilled pork skewer 10-20 each; street-food daily food budget 250-400
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
Secret discoveries
Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.
institution
Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham
Order: Beef khao soi with pork satay
Over 70 years old and still a first-stop khao soi; chewy noodles under crisp ones in a rich curry. Open roughly 8:30-15:30.
Seen in timeout.com, timeout.com, tastingtable.com (not on allowed list, supplementary) · worth confirming hours before you go
family-run
Thanawm Pochanaa
Order: Minced-pork omelette
Plain home-style cooking with decades of consistency and a loyal local crowd.
Seen in timeout.com · worth confirming hours before you go
family-run
Han Teung Chiangmai
Order: Ant egg omelette; jungle-style northern dishes
Thatched-roof, herb-garden setting serving punchy, often very spicy forest-flavoured northern dishes.
Seen in timeout.com, timeout.com · worth confirming hours before you go
street food
Laap Lung Noi
Order: Grilled intestines on sticks, spicy-sour soups
Cheap, smoky tapas-style grill that university students swear by.
Seen in timeout.com · worth confirming hours before you go
Food markets in Chiang Mai
Chefs and guides in Chiang Mai
Cooking classes, chef hosts and food-guide businesses.
- A Lot of Thai Chef / cooking host
Northern Thai cooking and markets - Chiang Mai Food Tours Food / market guide
Northern Thai food and Chiang Mai tastings
More in Asia
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (Michelin Thailand 2026). Researched October 25, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
Chef Amazing’s lists for Chiang Mai: where locals eat, new openings, romantic dinners, ice cream, cooking classes and more, each place with what to order. Cooking classes in Chiang Mai: who teaches, what you cook, how long and how to book.
Every place in this guide, A to Z (30)
- 29 Coffties Vegan
- A Lot of Thai
- Baan Nam Ngiew Wieng Kao
- Chantaros
- Charm Chao Suthep
- CHAWEE Chiang Mai
- Chiang Mai Breakfast Restaurant (Saneha) Old City, Prapokklao Road
- Chiang Mai Food Tours
- Euang Kam Sai Chiang Mai
- FOO Coffee Roaster x Loaf & Fish
- Gongkham Chiang Mai
- Han Teung Chiangmai Suthep
- Huen Muan Jai Chiang Mai
- Jaan Joor
- Jok Somphet Old City, Sri Poom Road
- Kai Kata Lert Ros Chiang Mai Prapokklao Road
- Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham Wat Ket, Charoenrat Rd
- Khao Soi Mae Sai Chiang Mai
- Krua Lawng Khao Chiang Mai
- Laap Lung Noi Soi Wat Umong
- Lumi Italian Restaurant
- Muang Mai Market
- Rong Cheng
- Sanpakoi Kanomjeen Chiang Mai
- Tai Thun Baan Chang Moi
- Thanawm Pochanaa Thapae Gate, Chaiyaphum Rd
- THE A TER – Steak & Music
- The Duke’s – Central Chiangmai Airport
- Warorot Market
- Xin Ai Chinese Comfort Food
Chef Amazing · Will Travel for Food · Food cities · 250 food markets · The Best 100