Eat in Wualai and Hai Ya, Chiang Mai

Payaka Cafe ★ 4.0

A quiet south-side bakery-cafe near the moat baking pretty layer cakes and Thai-flavoured pastries, a calm spot for coffee and something sweet by Hai Ya.

Worth the queue: Layer cakes

Chiang Mai Gate Market ★ 4.1

A tourist-light evening food market at the south gate, its rock-bottom stalls plating grilled meats, khao soi, som tam and Thai sweets for 30 to 50 baht.

Try: Grilled meats, khao soi, sweets

Eight Days A Week Cool Muang ★ 4.2

A Lanna-house taproom open since 2024 with ten taps pouring mostly Thai craft brews, an airy Hai Ya courtyard that anchors the south side beer scene.

Saturday Walking Street ★ 4.2

The Saturday market fills the silversmith street of Wualai with a kilometre of crafts and food stalls, a slightly more local counterpart to the Sunday walk.

★ 4.2

A pioneering small-group bike food ride pedalling the backstreets after dark, stopping at street stalls and markets for northern specialties and local sweets.

Chiang Mai Flower Festival ★ 4.0

The February flower festival fills Suan Buak Haad and the moat road with blooms, parade floats and food stalls selling northern snacks and cool-season sweets.

Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kad Kom ★ 4.4

Why locals love it: A Bib Gourmand stall in a tucked-away Hai Ya market that locals rate the city's best khao soi, put on the map only after Somebody Feed Phil filmed here.

Tip: It sits inside Kad Kom market south of the moat; go mid-morning and pair the khao soi with a plate of naem crispy-rice.

Pakorn's Kitchen ★ 4.3

Why locals love it: A quiet family kitchen south of the moat whose massaman was named the world's best curry in a 2021 competition, still barely known to visitors.

Tip: Order the award massaman and the pomelo salad; it is small, so booking ahead on a weekend evening is wise.

Khao Soi Wulai ★ 4.0

Why locals love it: A tiny shop near Wat Lok Molee on Wualai Road where a 30-baht bowl of khao soi draws locals but almost no tourists despite the low, low price.

Tip: It is a lunch-only spot; arrive before 14:00 and expect to share one of just a few tables with the neighbourhood regulars.