01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Chiang Rai.
No tours listed for Chiang Rai yet — check back soon.
Kanom jeen nam ngiaw noodle soup, larb tossed with roasted rice powder, jinsom mushroom soup, sticky rice at every meal. Chiang Rai leans deeper into the Lanna kitchen than its bigger sister.
04 The pantry
- Kaeng khae herbs, wild greens picked from the northern forests
- Sticky rice, glutinous grain from the terraced hills
- Nam pu, fermented rice-field crab paste
- Prik lab, roasted-chilli powder blended with warming spices
- Bamboo shoots, fresh and pickled from the surrounding forests
05 In the kitchen
- Roasting rice grains and grinding them into khao khua powder
- Fermenting crab and shrimp into pungent northern seasoning pastes
- Grilling river fish wrapped in banana leaf over open embers
- Preparing lab with fresh raw beef and a dozen aromatics
- Eating everything with sticky rice pinched from a woven basket
06 Eat this first
- Lab, minced meat salad tossed with roasted rice powder and mint
- Jinsom, wild mushroom soup from the northern forests
- Kanom jeen nam ngiaw, rice noodles in a spiced pork broth
- Nam prik num, roasted green chilli dip with sticky rice
- Kaeng khae, herbal country curry with jungle greens
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
A thick potato-and-egg omelette sandwiched inside soft roti or crusty bread with chili sauce. Bangkok's Muslim-quarter breakfast snack.
Butterflied chicken marinated in garlic, coriander root, fish sauce and palm sugar, then grilled hard over charcoal. Isaan's roadside classic, served with sticky rice.
Clear beef broth over rice noodles with slow-braised beef shin, meatballs, bean sprouts and fresh coriander. Bangkok's iconic noodle lunch.
A pile of shaved ice drenched in sweetened coconut cream, topped with a customer-chosen selection of jelly, tapioca pearls, sweetened beans and jackfruit. Bangkok's summertime cooler.
Soft rice paper rolls filled with lettuce, coriander, cooked prawn, glass noodles and sweet Chinese sausage, dipped in a tangy plum-tamarind sauce. Bangkok's lightest starter.
Fresh corn kernels pounded with garlic, chili, palm sugar and lime instead of green papaya — a modern Bangkok variation of the classical som tum.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Chiang Rai.
Weather
Similar to Chiang Mai but slightly cooler — November–February is cool and pleasant, March–April is hot and smoky, June–October is warm and rainy.
Currency
The Thai baht (THB); cash for markets, songthaews, and street food; cards in mid-range restaurants and hotels.
Language
Thai and Northern Thai; some hill-tribe languages heard in the surrounding villages. English coverage is thinner than Chiang Mai — a translation app helps.
Etiquette
Cover shoulders and knees in the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) and other Buddhist sites — the White Temple is strict about dress code.
Getting around
The town is small and walkable. Songthaews cover the wider area cheaply; scooter or tuk-tuk hire is the easiest way to reach the temples and the Golden Triangle.
Prayer
Deeply Buddhist, with Wat Rong Khun (White Temple), Wat Rong Suea Ten (Blue Temple), and Wat Huay Pla Kang (White Big Buddha) all major spiritual sites. Dress modestly.