6 popular places to eat you can't miss in Chiang Mai

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A breakfast spot that isn't just good because it's trendy: the food really is as delicious as everyone says. It's a small roadside shop with about twenty seats, a laid-back place with vintage-style decor, serving both Thai and Vietnamese breakfasts, such as khai krata (eggs cooked in a little pan), soft-boiled eggs and kuay jab yuan (Vietnamese-style noodle soup). The highlight of the menu is steamed or toasted bread served with sangkhaya (Thai custard dip) in 4 colours, and another dish not to miss is the toasted charcoal bread. To drink, there's tea, old-style Thai coffee, oliang (Thai iced black coffee), cocoa, honey milk and herbal drinks: butterfly pea, chrysanthemum and bael fruit. I recommend coming early: after 8:30 the queue gets really long, but the food is definitely worth the wait~

Let's kick off with the first dish:
 “Khai Krata” The flavour is beautifully balanced. It's topped with minced pork, kun chiang (Chinese sausage) and moo yor (pork sausage), then sprinkled with coriander and fragrant, crispy fried shallots, which add crunch and make the eggs even tastier.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 35 BAHT

“Kuay Jab Yuan” Personally, I'm not a big fan of kuay jab yuan, but this place completely changed my mind. The broth is rich, with a gentle peppery aroma and no stale floury smell at all. This is exactly what I was looking for! The noodles are soft and chewy, just right, and it's sprinkled with fried shallots and coriander for a pop of colour.
RATE : 9/10
PRICE : 45 BAHT

“Steamed/Toasted Bread with Four-Colour Sangkhaya” I went for the steamed bread. The bread is soft and chewy, and so moreish. It goes perfectly with the four-colour sangkhaya, and each colour has its own aroma and flavour: orange is Thai tea, green is jasmine tea, pink is beetroot and blue is butterfly pea. It's a hugely popular dish because the plate is so cutely presented. Snap away as you eat and show off to your friends, and I promise the likes will come flooding in!
RATE : 8.5/10
PRICE : 45 BAHT

 “Chinese Tea” Nicely fragrant tea. A cup in the morning really perks you up, but be careful not to scald your mouth on the hot water! I think it tastes even better with the bread and sangkhaya, too.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 25 BAHT

“Fresh Milk” Cold fresh milk in the morning really perks you up. I already love fresh milk, but I found this one a little too sweet. If it were just a bit less sweet, it would be perfect.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 25 BAHT

If any of you fancy trying it, I definitely recommend it. Just don't go on a Tuesday, because they're closed!! Sunday is the busiest day, so go early and you won't have to wait long in the queue.

Location: The shop is in a small soi behind the Harbor development on Huay Kaew Road, behind the Holiday Garden Hotel, on the corner of the bend at the three-way junction at the back of the soi, next to Link Mansion. There's no parking at the shop, but you can park along the road nearby. Open 7:30–14:00, closed every Tuesday.

Tong Tem Toh

A popular local Northern Thai restaurant. I chose it because it was close to where I was staying, so it wasn't far to go, and it was the very first place I set foot in after my plane landed! Plus, I'd done loads of research on it. The atmosphere is relaxed, with brown-toned decor and big trees giving plenty of shade.
They serve water in cute little traditional bowls, which was my first impression on walking in. The staff give good service, and the food arrives without much of a wait.

“Northern Thai Appetiser Platter” This was recommended by a friend from the North, who has been back for it again and again. The platter includes nam prik noom (roasted green chilli dip), nam prik ong (tomato and pork chilli dip), sai ua (Northern Thai sausage), jammy boiled eggs, khaep mu (pork crackling), moo yor (pork sausage) and jin som (sour fermented pork), eaten with blanched vegetables to balance the richness. Personally, my favourite on this plate was the sai ua: well-rounded in flavour and not too fiery, with spices that aren't too strong for Bangkok folks like us.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 187 BAHT

“Bamboo Shoot Curry with Soft Pork Ribs” I loved this one. The soft pork ribs are sooo good: the meat falls right off the bone, tender and not tough at all, and the soft cartilage is nicely crunchy without being too hard. The fresh bamboo shoots are crisp and sweet, and the spicy curry cuts through the richness beautifully. So easy to slurp down. Delicious!
RATE : 9/10
PRICE : 127 BAHT

Location: 11 Soi Nimmanhaemin 13, Nimmanhaemin Road, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai. (Coming from Nimmanhaemin Road, there's a shop called the salad concept at the mouth of Soi 13; turn in there and keep going straight. Tong's is an outdoor restaurant opposite Hallo Dormtel.) Open every day from 07.00 to 21.00.

Dong Madame

Dong Madame is a small café and restaurant run by Khun Deaw, a Top 3 finalist on MasterChef Season 2, located behind Chiang Mai University. It's decorated in a vintage style that makes you feel as if you've wandered into a little cottage in a fairy-tale forest. The food at Dong Madame is fusion-style, made with excellent, carefully chosen ingredients, but you may have to wait a while, because everything here is home-cooked. Every dish comes spectacularly plated, a real showstopper. You might have to wait a little, but it's definitely worth the time. And psst, the food here isn't too expensive either.

“Madam Spaghetti” is the signature dish and a foodie favourite: spaghetti in pasta sauce, tossed with chicken drumsticks, clams and New Zealand mussels, plus a local touch in the form of sai ua, and it's all topped off with shrimp roe and powdered cheese. Let me tell you, the portion is huge.
RATE : 9/10
PRICE : 179 BAHT

“Fresh Cheesecake” Amazing!! It's topped with fresh fruit to cut the richness and drizzled with honey: sweet, fragrant and delicious, a perfect balance. You have to try it!
RATE : 8.5/10
PRICE : 109 BAHT
 “Crème Brûlée” I was already a crème brûlée fan, and honestly, after trying it here, I have to say it's delicious! Perfectly sweet, with a gentle eggy aroma and a silky texture that just melts away in your mouth. Sooo good.
RATE : 9/10
PRICE : 69 BAHT
 “Swan Choux Cream” The choux puffs are packed with filling, just sweet enough, and served with whipped cream. Perfectly delicious.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 89 BAHT

“Brownie” A soft, rich brownie served with sweet, fragrant whipped cream and topped with berries and icing, which do a nice job of cutting the richness.
RATE : 9/10
PRICE : 69 BAHT

Location: Soi Wat Umong, behind Chiang Mai University, Suthep, Mueang, Chiang Mai. Open in 2 sessions, 13.00–16.00 and 18.00–21.00, closed every Tuesday. I recommend getting there about 15 minutes before opening to get in the queue, because it gets sooo busy.

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“Salted Egg Bua Loy Bingsu” This is one you see all over social media. It looks gorgeous and is just made for photos to show off online. I really loved the texture of the bua loy (little glutinous rice balls): soft and chewy, just right. The salted egg lava sauce is well-balanced, with a slight graininess from the salted egg that really adds to the enjoyment. The coconut milk sauce is rich and fragrant, and the best part is that there's coconut flesh hidden in the bingsu (Korean shaved ice) too. But let me warn you, this one is HUGE. It's probably just right for two people to share.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 245 BAHT

“Original Golden Injeolmi bingsu” Bingsu sprinkled with injeolmi powder, or roasted bean powder, with mochi coated in bean powder and sliced almonds. If you already like bean powder, you'll probably love this one. It's not too sweet, with a salty note to cut the richness. But I wasn't a big fan of the mochi; personally I didn't find it very soft, and eating it with the bingsu made it even chewier once it got cold.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 190 BAHT

“Thai Tea Cheesecake with Pearls” A dense cheesecake with a rich cheese flavour and a light Thai tea taste, on a nicely balanced cracker base, drizzled with a milk cream sauce and topped with chewy tapioca pearls. Personally, I thought the milk cream was really tasty, but the cracker base was too soggy, and if you eat a lot of it, it does get a bit too rich.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 135 BAHT

Location : Sirimangkalajarn Road Soi 7, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai. (Turn into Soi Kan Krai Thong, also called Sirimangkalajarn Soi 7, and go about 20 metres; the shop is on your right.) Open every day, 10:00–22:00.

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  A delicious roti and pulled tea spot in the hip shopping area of Nimman Road, in the middle of Chiang Mai. There's a wide range of tasty things on the menu, from bakery items to tea and coffee, and of course I can't not mention their signature roti: fragrant, crispy and delicious. Inside, the decor is in brown and white tones, with a chilled atmosphere and soft music playing in the background. As for the roti, I have to say they're seriously creative: fusion-style roti that you'll definitely want to come back for once you've tried them. It's another place that's hugely hyped on social media, and if you visit Chiang Mai without stopping by, you're really missing out!!

“Tissue Roti with Whipped Cream and Foi Thong” This one I really recommend: a thin, crispy roti served like a sandwich, filled with soft, silky whipped cream and sweet foi thong (golden egg-yolk threads) that will melt your heart. One bite and you'll be hooked. There's condensed milk to drizzle on for extra sweet richness, and it goes even better with tea.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 65 BAHT

“Tissue Roti with Whipped Cream and Milo” Seriously, how does this go together so well?~ The roti is super crispy, the cream is sweet and rich, balanced by the bitterness of cocoa powder, and it's drizzled with chocolate sauce. So moreish that before I knew it, the plate was empty.
RATE : 8/10
PRICE : 65 BAHT

Location: 15/4 Nimmanhaemin Road Soi 3, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai (on the main road, on your left if you're coming from the Rin Kham intersection). Open every day, 09:30–01:30.

Pathongko Ko Neng

When you wake up in the morning, you want something to perk you up, like hot soy milk with freshly fried pathongko (Chinese-style fried dough sticks). But if you come across pathongko that aren't just two strips of dough stuck together, you'll be even more excited, and that's where “Pathongko Ko Neng” comes in: a hugely popular pathongko shop in Chiang Mai that has been selling them for 35 years. After selling the ordinary kind, they came up with the idea of making pathongko in fun shapes: animals or popular cartoon characters, they can make them all. But the ones you see photographed and shared the most are the dinosaurs and dragons, which cost 20–30 baht each, while ordinary pathongko are just 2 baht a piece. And it's not just pathongko: they also have congee, soft-boiled eggs and even hot Ovaltine.
RATE : 7.5/10
PRICE : 30 BAHT

Location: The shop is at Warorot Market, also known as Kad Luang, in Chiang Mai, in the soi beside Thanachart Bank. Open 6.00–11.00.

If any of you get the chance to visit Chiang Mai, don't forget to go and try them. I promise you'll love them!