5 Best Restaurants for under $2.00* in Chiang Mai
Restaurants in Chiang Mai that you’ve never heard about.
Thailand seems to be synonymous with good value, but to the extreme I feel. Going out and finding absolutely delicious dishes for fractions of a price is a whole new level of liven in my opinion. You hardly can cook at home for the price that you find eating out in Thailand, it’s really quite unbelievable at times.
Traveling about in Chiang Mai Thailand I’ve located what I feel are the top 5 value places in town, and recognizably there’s a whole lot more.
Suki Khun Tim ($1.76) specializes in making Sukiyaki, an ancient Chinese dish which consists of cabbage, selected meat (chicken, pork, beef, seafood) mixed with glass noodles and suki sauce. The restaurant is meticulously clean and organized; incredibly, is set up on the sidewalk with plastic shaded cover and air con. In front of the shop as you walk-in is a Roti stand connected right next to the restaurant. I’m especially impressed with this place and the amazing value. The family are all very friendly and notably very dedicated workers. Pride in their work.
Lee La Noodle ($1.76) This restaurant is really a gem of a find, and you’ll likely see it full of locals during lunch time hours. The menu is Thai but they have a dish with fried fish (delicate white fish) mixed with noodles, vegetables and a sweet n sour sauce again for $1.76. Very very good! It’s family owned with very fun friendly servers. The orders come out rocket fast less than 10 minutes, and always plated the same upon every visit. Stand up building with artic cold air con.
* Lucky’s Vietnamese Restaurant ($4.00) [exception] The restaurant is ultra small with only seating for less than 30 people. The menu is also very limited but specializing in the traditional Vietnamese dish Bun Cha. A bowl of sweet sour soup adding fresh noodles, BBQ pork belly, herbs garlic, chopped red peppers with sliced carrots and papaya. It’s very unique for the area and is an exceptionally flavorful dish. The restaurant also serves the traditional Vietnamese drip coffee with authentic Vietnamese cream, voted best coffee in Chiang Mai.
Neng Earthen Jar Roast Pork ($1.76) A family owned restaurant that roasts various meats (chicken, pork) hung in clay Chinese kimchi jars letting all the fats drip out. The dishes are served with a very nice slightly spicy sauce for dipping. The chicken is the leanest I think one can possibly find ever. Also they make a papaya salad on demand with the freshest ingredient’s and spiced to order. The restaurant is another make-shift set up with plastic roofing and open aired with no windows. The family are all very friendly with really no English speaking personal with the exception of a couple of staff members. The Dad started the restaurant and can be seen on site taking meticulous care in organizing and cooking the various meats. An A+++ favorite.
SingBuri Flavor ($1.62) This place is directly across from the Siri Wattana market (a very popular open market with meats, homemade dishes, fruits, and endless desserts) whos family has been here for many years. They specialize in different soups including Khao Soi and Beef noodles. The smell alone is enough reason to go check it out. They seem like they’ve been simmering the meats for hours producing the most tender pieces of cutlets possible. Add spice to liking. Seating again is quite limited about 15 people, but seems a seat always comes available very 5 minutes.