There is lots of good food to be found in Chiang Rai, but most tourists seem to end up eating at the Night Bazaar. There are two separate places to eat here: "Centrepoint", run by a single restaurant with a Western-Thai menu and comparatively high prices (dishes 100-200 THB), and then the "actual" night bazaar food court (dishes 30-100 THB). Both have free music and dance performances almost nightly. The one run by the Night Market Restaurant has comfortable wooden furniture while the food court uses rather ugly yellow metal tables and chairs. While there are over 50 food stalls to choose from, the fare on offer is mostly quite touristy, with food toned down for the farang palate. About half the stalls seem to be devoted to selling deep-fried stuff (fritters, French fries, tempura, etc) to accompany beer. There are also a few non-Thai stalls, offering Italian, Indian, German etc, plus the obligatory insect stall for creepy-crawly cravings.
Aye's Restaurant Great restaurant, serving both European and Thai quality food. From German Schnitzels and English Breakfast to traditional Thai food. Located near the bus terminal, opposite the "adidas store". There's a nice atmosphere and a live music every night.
Chiang Rai Beach during the day or the early evening is an excellent spot. There are around 20 eateries overlooking the 'Mae Kok River'. Bring your dictionary with you for there are no English menus to be found. A bit out of town. Go by tuktuk or motorbike.
Coconut Bar on the bar street close to Wangcome Hotel. Has good vegetarian options including a good vegetable stew and a chili-sans-carne.
Muang Thong Restaurant, delicious Chinese food, very popular with locals. At the edge of Jettyod Rd and Phaholyothin Rd. Try the garlic fish.
Nakhon Pathom (นครปฐม), Th Phahonyothin, near Th Banphaprakan intersection. The famous khao moo deng (rice with red sauteed pork, or as shown on the menu: 'rice with BBQ pork', 30 THB) tastes best at this big Chinese restaurant. No English sign, but looks for the red sign board with large yellow font Thai letters. It's opposite the Lebanese shop. Big cold coffee machines attract the locals to having lunch there.
Phetburi, Th Banphaprakan. Local curry-and-rice restaurant, just pick your favorites from the display. Under 50 baht for a full meal. Ratburi, right next door, is very similar.
Khao soi at Po Sai
Po Sai, Thanon Jet Yot 1023/2 (opposite Wangcome Hotel). Famous for its khao sawy (Burmese style chicken curry with noodles, 25 baht) and other northern dishes like special Northern Thai sausage (25 baht) and nam phrik num (dip made of aubergine and peppers). No English sign or menu, but some English spoken. Open early but closes by 18:00.
Tong Tung Restaurant (no English sign) serves you Northern Thai food. Try this semi-outdoor place on the western side of the road about 1 km south of Thanon Banphaprakan on 1/1 Thanon Sanambin (old airport road). Their 'Kaeng Hung Lay' curry is recommended.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Chiang Rai
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Chiang Rai - updated May 2024
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Chiang Rai Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
