Top 10 Khao Soi in Chiang Mai: Where to Eat the Best Bowls
Ten Chiang Mai shops known for khao soi, from Bib Gourmand Mae Sai in Chang Phueak to the old riverside shops of Fa Ham and the halal favourite in Ban Haw.
The best khao soi in Chiang Mai comes from small, plain shops that open in the morning, cook one big pot of curry broth and close when it runs out. A great bowl has a broth that tastes of dried spices and curry paste first and coconut second, soft egg noodles in the bowl, a tangle of crispy fried noodles on top, and a plate of pickled mustard greens, shallots, lime and roasted chilli paste on the side so you can finish it to your own taste.
This list covers ten places in and around the city that are known specifically for khao soi. They range from a Bib Gourmand shop in Chang Phueak to the old riverside shops of Fa Ham, a halal canteen in the Muslim quarter where the dish has deep roots, and a couple of easy, comfortable options for a first bowl. If you want to make it at home afterwards, try our khao soi gai recipe.
Most of these shops are lunch places. Go between mid-morning and early afternoon, and expect a short menu, shared tables and quick service.
What to look for
- A broth with backbone. Good khao soi tastes of curry paste, dried spices and slow-cooked meat, with coconut milk rounding it out rather than burying it. Some shops make it thick and creamy, others thinner and more soupy. Both can be excellent.
- Two kinds of noodle. Soft, fresh egg noodles in the broth and crisp fried noodles on top. The contrast is the point of the dish.
- Tender meat. Chicken usually comes as a drumstick or bone-in pieces. Beef is braised until it falls apart, and many of the best shops are known for their beef version.
- The side plate. Pickled mustard greens, raw shallots, lime and roasted chilli paste should come with every bowl. Add a little of each and taste as you go.
1. Khao Soi Mae Manee
Khao Soi Mae Manee sits at the end of a long, quiet street in Chang Phueak, just outside the centre on the way towards Mae Rim. Eating Thai Food compared five of the city's best-known shops in a single day and named this one the winner, praising its lumpy, hand-made egg noodles cooked al dente and its slow-braised beef.
Take a Grab or a songthaew to get there. There is a picture menu, which helps if you do not read Thai, and bringing cash is wise.
Where: off Chotana Road, Chang Phueak, north of the old city. Order: khao soi neua (beef).
2. Khao Soi Mae Sai
If you ask locals where to eat khao soi, Khao Soi Mae Sai is the name you will hear most often. It is a small, plain shop on Ratchaphruek Road in Chang Phueak, listed in the Michelin Guide and named a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 Chiang Mai selection. Michelin describes the broth as rich, with slightly spicy curry notes.
You choose your meat, and the chicken comes as a drumstick. Bowls are modest, so a second one is a common order. The shop opens at 8am, closes in the afternoon and is closed on Sundays. It often sells out, so a morning visit is the safest plan, and it is cash only.
Where: 29/1 Ratchaphruek Road, Chang Phueak, a short walk from the Nimman area. Order: khao soi gai (chicken) or beef.
3. Kongkum
Kongkum is a small, traditional khao soi shop in Rim Tai, Mae Rim, about 20 minutes out of the city. Time Out describes it as a favourite with locals who know about it, set in a garden with Lanna-style touches: brick floors, red paper umbrellas, climbing vines and tall trees.
Chicken khao soi is the highlight, with a deep, traditional flavour and a rich coconut broth, served in ceramic Lampang rooster bowls. There are also stewed beef and pork versions. Portions are small, so many people order two or three bowls or add other dishes from the northern Thai menu. It is open from 10am to 5pm, which makes it an easy pairing with Lhongkhao Kitchen on a day out in Mae Rim.
Where: Rim Tai, Mae Rim, north of the city. Order: khao soi gai, then try the stewed beef or pork.
4. Khao Soi Khun Yai
Khao Soi Khun Yai ("Grandma's khao soi") is a simple shop on a small plot just inside the north moat of the old city, next to Wat Kuan Kama. It is popular with locals at lunch and is the easiest serious bowl to reach on foot from old city guesthouses.
It opens for lunch only, Monday to Saturday from 10am, and serves under the trees until the pots are empty. Chicken is the usual order. Service can be slow when it is busy, so arrive early and be patient.
Where: Soi Sri Poom 8, old city, next to Wat Kuan Kama. Order: khao soi gai, and arrive soon after opening.
5. Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham
On Charoen Rat Road along the east bank of the Ping River, Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham is one of the old shops of the Fa Ham area, the stretch often described as the place where khao soi's modern fame was built. Time Out says it has been open for more than seven decades, it is listed in the Michelin Guide, and it is a sensible first stop if you are new to the dish.
Time Out recommends the beef, which it describes as soft, chewy and crunchy in one bite, and suggests a side of pork satay with it.
Where: 352/22 Charoen Rat Road, Fa Ham, east of the river. Order: beef khao soi with pork satay.
6. Khao Soi Samerjai
Within walking distance of Lamduan, Khao Soi Samerjai is another long-standing Fa Ham shop and has been included in the Michelin selection. It is large and quick, more canteen than restaurant, with plenty of seating for groups, and fills with locals at lunchtime.
Khao soi is the main draw, but the menu also covers other northern and everyday dishes, including khanom jeen, bamee nam moo and green curry, so a group can share more than one plate. Opinions on the broth vary, and some find it on the sweet side, so use the side plate to adjust it. It opens on Sundays, which is useful when other shops are closed.
Where: 391 Fa Ham, near Wat Fa Ham. Order: khao soi gai, plus khanom jeen to share.
7. Khao Soi Islam
Khao soi in northern Thailand is often traced to Chinese Muslim (Haw) traders from Yunnan, who settled around the Ban Haw mosque near the Night Bazaar. Khao Soi Islam, on Charoen Prathet Soi 1 in that quarter, is the best-known halal version. The restaurant is fully halal, so there is no pork on the menu.
The style is different from the creamy bowls elsewhere: milky and mildly spiced, assembled in front of you from big pans of broth, noodles and coconut milk. That makes it a good choice for anyone who prefers less heat, and the chilli sauce lets you add your own. Beef is the usual order, and the shop is just as well known for its biryani. Reviews are mixed, so treat it as the place for this particular style rather than the richest bowl in town.
Where: 24 Charoen Prathet Soi 1, Ban Haw, near the Night Bazaar. Order: beef khao soi and a plate of biryani.
8. Khao Soi Nimman
For a comfortable bowl in the Nimmanhaemin area, Khao Soi Nimman is the usual recommendation. It occupies a large wooden house on Nimmanhaemin Soi 7 with indoor and outdoor seating, and takes a more modern approach, with toppings well beyond chicken and beef, including pork, prawns, squid, crab and sai oua.
It costs more than the old shops, but it keeps evening hours when most specialists have closed, and its full menu makes it an easy first bowl.
Where: 22 Nimmanhaemin Soi 7, Su Thep. Order: classic chicken khao soi, or one of the seafood versions.
9. Lhongkhao Kitchen
Lhongkhao Kitchen is a relaxed northern Thai restaurant in a traditional two-storey wooden house overlooking rice fields in Mae Rim, a short drive north of the city. The Michelin Guide lists it and includes it in its round-up of the best places for khao soi in Thailand, recommending the chicken khao soi for its thick, creamy, well-seasoned broth and tender meat.
It is more of a sit-down meal than the city shops, with a seasonal menu of local specialities such as santol salad with nam pu, so it pairs well with a morning in Mae Rim. Michelin notes that it is closed on Mondays and that bookings are made by phone.
Where: Soi Sukhaphiban Mae Rim, Rim Tai, Mae Rim. Order: khao soi gai.
10. Huen Phen
Huen Phen is a long-running northern Thai restaurant on Ratchamanka Road, inside the old city just south of Wat Chedi Luang. It serves khao soi at lunch, in rooms filled with northern antiques, and a fuller menu of Lanna classics at dinner.
The khao soi here is milder and sweeter than at the specialists, so it is a gentle introduction rather than the boldest bowl on this list. Its strength is that you can order it alongside other northern dishes such as larb and chilli dips at the same table.
Where: 112 Ratchamanka Road, Phra Sing, old city. Order: khao soi at lunch, with a northern dip set to share.
Tips
- Eat early. Most specialist shops open in the morning and close by mid-afternoon or when the broth runs out. For dinner, Khao Soi Nimman is the safer choice.
- Check Sundays. Khao Soi Mae Sai and Khao Soi Khun Yai close on Sundays, while Samerjai opens. Lhongkhao Kitchen closes on Mondays.
- Season it yourself. Squeeze in lime, add a few shallots and some pickled mustard greens, then stir in chilli paste a little at a time.
- Try beef as well as chicken. Several of the best shops, including Mae Manee and Khao Soi Islam, are known for their braised beef.
- Bring cash. These are small shops, and many do not take cards.
- Plan a crawl. Bowls are small and cheap, so it is easy to compare two or three in a morning, such as Lamduan and Samerjai in Fa Ham, or Mae Sai and Mae Manee in Chang Phueak.
Leonidas Georgiadis
Leonidas Georgiadis is the founder and writer of Aroy Mak Mak. He is from Greece, has been travelling in Thailand for almost twenty years and is married to a Thai wife, so Thai food is everyday family cooking in his home.
