Mae Hong Son
Fern is Mae Hong Son’s most upscale restaurant, with tablecloths, professional service, and gentle lounge music some nights. The food is decent: the big…
Must-see restaurants in Northern Thailand
Chiang Rai
Popular with both Thais and foreign tourists thanks to a consistently tasty kôw soy, a noodle and meat dish served with a curry broth, though the sâi òo…
Chiang Rai
Gentrified Northern Thai fare is served here in a pleasant, air-conditioned dining room. Recommended local dishes include the gaang hang·lair (pork belly…
Sukhothai
Named after its original owner (if you were wondering), Poo is a traveller-friendly spot that serves everything from tasty Sukhothai noodles to Thai and…
Chiang Khong
Freshwater fish from the Mekong River is the emphasis here and it’s prepared in a variety of ways, as the extensive menu describes. There's a pleasant…
Mae Hong Son
The coffee is good, and there's a selection of wine (and foreign beers), but the food is the bigger draw at this bright place with a quiet garden. The…
Northern Thailand
This fresh, bright place offers a local take on Vietnamese classics – pho (noodles), banh xeo (pancakes stuffed with meat or veggies) and bun cha (grilled…
Lampang
Boost your Lampang foodie street cred by eating at this long-standing Northern Thai–style shophouse restaurant. There’s no menu, so simply point to the…
Chiang Rai
Popular with locals, Paa Suk does big, rich bowls of kà·nŏm jeen nám ngée·o (a broth of pork or beef and tomatoes served over fresh rice noodles). The…
Chiang Rai Province
If you require more caffeine than the local tea leaves can provide, stop by this modern cafe with an extensive menu of coffee drinks made from local beans…
Mae Hong Son Province
Like a beachside bar, Sawaddee is a great place to recline with a beer and watch the water (in this case the Mae Nam Yuam). There’s a lengthy menu with…
Mae Hong Son Province
The city’s poshest restaurant, this attractive and breezy wooden structure makes a big deal of its steaks, but the Thai dishes, such as the various nám…
Mae Sot
This cosy cafe is set in a pleasant shaded garden and offers a small but tasty Burmese-inspired menu of vegetarian dishes, including salads, noodle dishes…
Chiang Rai Province
This reasonably authentic Chinese restaurant draws in the crews of the Chinese boats that dock at Chiang Saen. Try the decent dumplings, the spicy Sichuan…
Sukhothai
Having a meal at Dream Café is like dining in an antique shop. Eclectic but tasteful furnishings and knick-knackery abound, staff members are competent…
Pai
Emulate local families and come to this classy home-based restaurant at the southern end of town on the edge of the fields. Dishes such as stewed salted…
Phitsanulok
This corner of old Phitsanulok is the town's Chinese neighbourhood and this long-standing restaurant offers up decent Thai-Chinese-style dishes. The…
Phayao
Of all Phayao's waterfront restaurants, this place has received the most acclaim from various Thai food authorities. The lengthy menu, which has both…
Phitsanulok
Despite the name, this isn't really a vegetarian restaurant. But you can build your own salad and there is a veggie burger. Most of the dishes on the menu…
Lampang
On some nights it can seem like everybody in Lampang is here – expect to wait for a table on the upstairs terrace. The wait is understandable, however, as…
Mae Hong Son Province
Deservedly popular, the Intira offers tasty and reliable Thai and northern Thai dishes, including some that use unusual ingredients such as locally grown…
Pai
A long-standing restaurant that's well used to foreigners, Nong's is a reliable go-to option for cheap and authentic Thai eats, ranging from kôw soy …
Pai
There's a big wine list at this upmarket, brick-walled, cement-floored, European-style bistro. The menu is what you'd expect: well-presented Mediterranean…
Pai
The slightly eccentric Na – who doesn't always open her restaurant daily – cooks her Thai and Northern Thai dishes with love and serves them up in a no…
Northern Thailand
Kitti excels at Chinese-style dining, much of it seafood-oriented (fish is priced by weight). Try the unusual but delicious fried chicken with cashew nuts…
Chiang Rai
This semi-concealed gem (there's no Roman-script sign: look for the bamboo doorway) serves a unique mix of Vietnamese and Northern Thai dishes. Tasty food…
Chiang Rai Province
This homey and popular restaurant does an excellent biryani, not to mention virtually everything else Muslim, from masala to roti and samosas, as well as…
Gingerbread House Café & Gallery
Northern Thailand
This brick and wood cafe is a nice, air-conditioned retreat from the sun, and offers Western breakfasts as well as simple rice and noodle dishes. There's…
Sukhothai
This big and breeezy place is set around a garden with the inevitable lotus pond. The menu spans Thai and Northern Thai dishes, with a few Western options…
Mae Sot
This cosy place serves pàt tai with a local twist: toppings of pork rind and barbecued pork. There's no English-language sign; look for the rustic, semi…
Northern Thailand
This friendly, family-run establishment sells Thai sweets, including a fine kôw nĕe·o má·môo·ang (mango sticky rice). There’s no English sign, but it…
Nan
The locals think the owner here is ting-tong (crazy), so his shop is named accordingly. But he's friendly and seems sane to us. His noodles are fine as…
Pai
Foreigner-friendly, and none the worse for it, Charlie & Lek serves Thai classics as well as a few Northern Thai specialities in a no-fuss atmosphere that…
Northern Thailand
The burgers are good at this Thai–South African venture, but so are the steaks, pasta and many of the Thai dishes, all served in a neat and clean…
Northern Thailand
There's just one dish here: fat bowls of top-notch kôw soy (noodle soup with a curry broth). Order a regular or jumbo bowl supplemented with beef, pork…
Chiang Rai
Comfort food for Thais and foreign travellers alike: this long-standing, semi-open-air place is always busy at night and serves the usual repertoire of…
Chiang Rai Province
This semi-open-air restaurant serves the namesake noodles from Sukhothai, as well as satay and a few Thai classics. There’s no English-language sign, but…
Nan
Come to this place, an offshoot of the next-door Hot Bread, for fine kôw soy (northern-style curry noodle soup served with either chicken or beef).
Nan
This local legend serves just about everything from curries ladled over rice to satay, but those in the know come for the kà·nŏm jeen (fresh rice noodles…
Pai
Bright and stylish, with sofas for lounging, this relocated place has Mediterranean-influenced specials, Thai tapas and some decent cakes and pastries. It…
