Huen Phen ★ 4.5
A 50-year Old City institution south of Wat Chedi Luang, serving a full Lanna spread by day and a candlelit antique-crammed dinner room by night.
Signature: Khao soi, Nam prik ong, Gaeng hang lay
The restaurants worth the trip in Chiang Mai. bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
Our picks in Chiang Mai
Huen Muan Jai ★ 4.6
A garden Lanna house and longtime Michelin Bib Gourmand, plating northern curries, herb sausage and smoky chili dips under its wooden garden pavilions.
Signature: Gaeng hang lay, Sai ua, Nam prik noom
Tong Tem Toh ★ 4.3
The teak-and-brick Nimman courtyard where students and tourists queue for a broad northern menu of herb sausage, chili dips and sticky rice.
Signature: Sai ua, Nam prik ong, Grilled pork neck
Kiti Panit ★ 4.4
A century-old Tha Phae shophouse restored into an elegant dining room, cooking heritage central and northern Thai recipes from the family archive.
Signature: Gaeng hang lay, Nam prik num, Massaman
The House by Ginger ★ 4.2
A colonial villa full of eclectic antiques and boutique shopping, where modern-plated Thai and northern dishes draw a design-minded Old City crowd.
Signature: Massaman curry, Pomelo salad, Deep-fried sea bass
Aroon Rai ★ 3.9
One of the city's oldest northern kitchens on Kotchasan, an unfussy tin-roof room turning out cheap plates of hang lay and larb since the 1950s.
Signature: Gaeng hang lay, Larb khua, Fried frog
Magnolia Cafe ★ 4.4
Chef Noy's intimate Pa Tan dining room won a Michelin Bib Gourmand for personal, modern takes on northern Thai home cooking served by candlelight.
Signature: Pork ribs longan curry, Nam prik, Set menu
Redbox ★ 4.3
A tiny reservations-only room where chef Dan and Pimmada Kankulsuntorn cook a seasonal Thai menu with Bruneian and Malaysian notes from their own orchard.
Signature: Tasting menu, Orchard vegetables, Curries
Baan Landai Fine Thai Cuisine ★ 4.2
A relaxed Old City house near Wat Chedi Luang, Bib Gourmand listed for refined northern Thai plates and a strong vegetarian section on the menu.
Signature: Khao soi, Northern set, Vegetarian Thai
Meena Rice Based Cuisine ★ 4.3
A rustic countryside retreat outside the city, Bib Gourmand famous for bright five-coloured rice from natural dyes with home-style northern dishes.
Signature: Five-colour rice, Pork rib longan curry, Nam prik
Huan Soontaree ★ 4.1
Singer Soontaree Vechanont performs nightly at her open-air riverside Lanna house, a Bib Gourmand room pairing northern food with live Thai folk song.
Signature: Northern set, Grilled river fish, Nam prik
Ruen Tamarind ★ 4.0
The garden restaurant of the Tamarind Village hotel, a calm Old City courtyard under an old tamarind tree serving polished Thai and northern classics.
Signature: Khao soi, Green curry, Khan tok set
The Riverside Bar & Restaurant ★ 3.9
A rambling Ping-side institution open since 1984, mixing Thai and Western plates with nightly live bands and a dinner boat that cruises the river.
Signature: Thai curries, Grilled fish, Western mains
The Good View ★ 3.8
The Riverside's louder neighbour on Charoenrat, a big riverfront deck with Thai, seafood and Western menus and live music that runs late every night.
Signature: Thai seafood, Grilled meats, Cocktails
Dash! Restaurant & Bar ★ 3.9
A teak house and leafy courtyard just inside the moat, a reliable Old City spot for northern Thai plates, cocktails and a quiet garden dinner.
Signature: Khao soi, Slow-cooked pork, Cocktails
Ginger Farm Kitchen ★ 4.0
The One Nimman outpost of a Hang Dong working farm, cooking bright field-to-table Thai food with produce trucked in from its own rice paddies.
Signature: Farm vegetables, Khao soi, Pork belly
Krua Phech Doi Ngam ★ 4.1
A Michelin-listed Lanna kitchen a short drive east of town where locals far outnumber tourists, cooking classic northern curries and chili dips.
Signature: Gaeng hang lay, Nam prik, Larb
The Duke's ★ 3.8
A riverside American favourite at River Ping Palace, stacking barbecue ribs, big burgers and stone-baked pizzas for expats and families by the Ping.
Signature: Ribs, Burgers, Pizza
Dinky's BBQ ★ 4.0
A backyard smokehouse near Wat Umong turning out Texas-style brisket and pulled pork by the pound, a cult stop for the city's low-and-slow crowd.
Signature: Brisket, Pulled pork, Ribs
Kaomao-Kaofang ★ 4.0
A jungle-fantasy garden restaurant in Hang Dong, all mossy rockwork and waterfalls, serving generous central and northern Thai plates among the greenery.
Signature: Thai curries, Grilled fish, Herbal salads