Food in Chiang Mai

Finding and trying food is a huge part of our stay in Chiang Mai. It's also a big deal for Thais. There are restaurants that Thais go to just for Pad Thai (we happened to stumble upon and eat at one of these our first day here). At markets, people find their favorite stall for each of their favorite dishes and regularly return there. 

Street food and our favorite banana smoothie place near the Chiang Mai Gate

Eating out is cheaper than making your own food, which makes restaurant and street food even more cultural. It's easy to find a big plate of rice or noodles and stir fry for just 30 to 35 bhat from a street vendor or pop up restaurant. Some times both Brandon and I have eaten for as little as 60 baht total (less than $2 USD). What?! Our favorite stir fry vendor is located on Khang Ruan Jum Rd, just one street over from us. It's the cheapest street food we've found, the chicken is better quality than the other street places we've eaten, and a delicious broth soup comes with your meal! It also has a special place in our hearts because it's where we had a friendly interaction with a Thai man who unexpectedly treated us to lunch (read about it here). 

Flavorful soup with cilantro and green onion that comes with the stir fry and rice at our favorite street food place near our house 

Pad See Ew (stir fried soy sauce noodles) 

Gaeng Joot Woon Sen (glass noodle soup) with moo (pork)

Pad Thai from the a Pad Thai place we frequented on Arak Rd

Adding on a fruit smoothie or shake adds just 30-40 baht, though we have found a street vendor with the best banana shakes for just 20 baht! Another bonus is that street food places usually provide water. The water is in a jug and you ladle it out into a cup and grab a straw. Everyone uses straws here. 

Banana smoothies and passion fruit smoothies were our favorites

Stir fry and rice or noodles is cheap, but we can't eat it all the time. While it does have some veggies, it also can have a lot of sugar, salt, MSG, cheap oils, and cheap meat in it. Eventually we tire of it and want something fresher. There are some simple, fresher Thai restaurants with more nutrient rich rice, better variety of veggies, and rich curry soups to enjoy. These places usually cost more like 70-80 baht per person, but that's still less than $5 USD total. The shakes are usually more toward the 50 baht end and water is often not provided. However, we just carry our own water with us all the time, just in case.  

We found the best curries we've had in Thailand at Miss Cornery

Red curry with gai (chicken) and multi-grain rice 

Green curry fried rice from It's Good Kitchen

Chiang Mai is an interesting mix of Thai, tourists, and expats, so there are also a lot of Western style restaurants. You can find granola and yogurt, salads, paninis, and Thai fusion dishes in these. Costs are higher at Western restaurants, but water is usually included. Brandon and I pay around 300-500 baht ($9-15 USD) for both of us to eat at these places. We can't justify this as often when we could get four to seven street meals for this price. 

Brandon especially couldn't resist eating at Taa Peng Cat 

Taa Peng Cat has the best strawberry yogurt smoothie we've had in Thailand. Tripadvisor says their brownies are amazing too, and we mostly agree. They're amazing for Thai brownies (there aren't many baked goods in Thailand quality or otherwise), but not as good as mine. 

Chicken curry panini (with cheese!) also from Taa Peng Cat. So satisfying. 

Available at Beer Republic was pizza and an summer stout from Spain. Sometime you just can't resist a good beer and something with cheese

Fish tacos (a rare find in Chiang Mai) with dragon fruit salsa from Rustic and Blue

Chicken and cheddar waffle from Rustic and Blue

Eating at Western restaurants is still arguably cheaper than making your own food. Brandon and I found a grocery store and it was nearly 600 baht ($17 USD) just to purchase bread, peanut butter, and Nutella. Yikes! But, it will last for a lot of breakfasts, and it's a needed splurge for some comfort food. It was also admittedly the largest Nutella you can buy. 

Eating out is cheap and convenient, but occasionally we want to do some of our own cooking. We do have access to a kitchen at our Airbnb with a burner, toaster oven, sink and refrigerator. With your own cooking you have to go to a grocery store or market and scout out the food you want and ask around to determine the prices. Produce needs to be washed to your comfort level. The kitchen gets pretty hot in the hot weather. So, we've only done this once thus far. And, it was totally worth it because we made tacos! Tacos are pretty much non-existent in Chiang Mai, so our host had been craving them as much as us. She shared her delicious mango salsa recipe with us and managed to find tortillas at an expat store. It was a great Mexican feast. 

Tacos and Leo, a classic Thai beer 

Sadly, Thai kitchens do not have ovens, and I have been severely missing baking. When I get home, I'll be doing a ton of baking, especially with pumpkin, since I've missed out on the fall season. 

No oven here. But there is a burner, sink, toaster oven, dish strainer, and toilet paper (toilet paper is commonly used for napkins in Thailand)

When traveling in Thailand tourists are always concerned with getting sick from the food or drink. I mentioned that street vendors and western restaurants often provide water. You can trust it, because everyone, local or tourist, needs clean water. As a general rule, you're going to be safe eating anywhere, because once again everyone needs clean food. Despite the heat, sticking to foods cooked or boiled right at that moment is the safest option. Banana shakes are also safer than other fruits because of the protective peel. But sometimes a little bit of extra spice, a little bit of contamination, and a little bit of body fatigue from traveling can add up to some gastrointestinal issues. Brandon has been fortunate this far, but I have had to take antibiotics for a few days. And, based on what I was eating at the time, I'm pretty sure the bad bacteria came from a western restaurant, not street food. It just goes to show that street food often doesn't deserve the bad rep it gets and care is needed anywhere. Thankfully, everything cleared up well, and I'm enjoying authentic Thai food everyday!