Must-see restaurants in Northeastern Thailand

One of our favourite restaurants in Loei Province. There's a full Isan menu but its speciality is đôrng dêng noodles (a super-thick version of kà·nŏm jeen…

Also known as Som Tom Mae Pet, this simple Isan restaurant by Wat Salaloi is Surin's most famous purveyor of sôm·đam (spicy green-papaya salad) and gài…

It’s a bit of a trek south of the centre, but this is a real Isan restaurant with dishes such as gôry kài mót daang (raw meat 'salad' with red-ant eggs)…

This superb place combines one of the best kitchens in town with a covered garden to create the perfect place for a night out, rain or shine. The þá·sá…

Contender for the best cafe in Isan, this coffee shop and restaurant has a wonderful lakeside perch and is serious about its beans (all Thai-grown). It's…

This popular, no-frills local joint is always busy for good reason – there's no better sôm·đam in Khon Kaen. It also does grilled chicken, sticky rice and…

Many Thais believe Khon Kaen Province makes Thailand's best gài yâhng (marinated grilled chicken), and this simple joint, serving an all-Isan menu, gets…

This small chef-driven, open-kitchen place is Isan's version of a trendy Soho bistro. It does some Thai and Isan standards like panang curry and om curry…

As busy as the street it sits on, this large open-fronted place serves not only the rice soup (kôw đôm) it's named after, but dozens of other dishes too…

This Thai-trendy cafe in the old bus station (by the clock tower) surprises with retro American furniture, delicious Thai dishes, fresh salads and good…

An Ubon institution serving excellent food, using family recipes and only fresh ingredients. Many people swear by the ox-tongue stew. From the outside it…

One of a number of funky little cafes on this stretch of Th Yommarat, Daya's is a friendly place that serves good strong coffee, but it's the delicious…

This funky streetside cafe does great coffee and spectacularly good fresh-fruit smoothies, as well as homemade cookies and cakes and a couple of types of…

The largest of Udon Thani's many night markets is also the one offering the most varied cuisine. There's a stage for live music as well. A few shops serve…

This place has been popular with locals since long before the tourism boom. The prices have risen a bit since those good old days and the building has…

Mukdahan's night market is the most buzzing place in town for evening food. It has all the Thai and Isan classics, but it's the Vietnamese vendors that…

This friendly newcomer has a cafe vibe but with restaurant-quality food and is the best place in town for a meal. The speciality is the delicious pad mee…

This little place, serving just four items, including fried spring rolls, khâo gee·ab þahk mŏr (fresh noodles with pork), and a Vietnamese take on a…

This popular Isan restaurant right beside Wat Nong Wang and overlooking the lake from its upstairs terrace has a menu spanning gài yâhng and duck lâhp as…

It looks like a tornado has whipped through this no-frills spot, but the chefs cook up a storm of their own. This is considered by many to be Ubon's…