Northern Thai food is its own cuisine: less sweet than Bangkok, more herbs, sticky rice with everything and curries without coconut milk. Khao soi, curry noodles topped with crispy noodles, is the dish to start with, and the best bowls come from small shops that close once they sell out. Mornings are for the markets, where locals buy sai ua sausage, nam prik dips and grilled pork to take home. Afternoons are for cafes, and Chiang Mai has more than any city its size. On the Mae Hia side you can sit in a cafe facing the rice fields and finish at the local market. The pages below cover each dish, where to eat it and the cafe areas worth the trip.
Start with the full guide, 10 foods you must try in Chiang Mai, which ranks the dishes and names the shops; the pages below go deeper on each one.
