Huen Phen
A long-running old city restaurant south of Wat Chedi Luang, serving northern Thai curries, dips and sausages in a house full of antiques.
Restaurants Northern Thailand
Chiang Mai (TH)
Huen Phen is a well-established northern Thai restaurant on Ratchamanka Road in the old city, between Wat Chedi Luang and the southern moat. It occupies a house that has been extended over the years, with several rooms of tables decorated with old Lanna objects.
The menu is a broad tour of Lanna cooking: dips such as nam prik ong and nam prik num, gaeng hang lay pork curry, herb-filled sausages and grilled fish in banana leaf. It is a good place for a first try at many northern dishes in one sitting.
Daytime service is quick and casual, with a counter of ready-made curries near the entrance. Evenings are busier and more atmospheric.
What to order
- Gaeng hang lay: slow-cooked pork belly curry with ginger and tamarind
- Nam prik ong: tomato and pork chilli dip with pork crackling and vegetables
- Aeb pla: fish grilled in banana leaf with herbs
- Khao ngiao: Shan-style rice with tomato and pork, a light starter
- Sai ua: grilled northern herb sausage
Good to know
- Book or arrive early for dinner in the cool season, when it fills up.
- Check the day's hours before going; listings disagree on whether lunch service runs every day.
- Do not confuse it with Baan Huen Phen, a boutique hotel at a different address on the same road.
Features
Location
112 Ratchamanka Road, Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50200
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Lanna cooking from Chiang Mai and the mountains: sticky rice, grilled sausages, chilli dips and khao soi.
Grilled & Fried
Sai Oua (Northern Thai Herb Sausage)
Chiang Mai’s famous coiled pork sausage, packed with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime and dried chilli, grilled slowly over charcoal.
90 min · Medium
Noodles & Rice
Khao Soi Gai (Chiang Mai Curry Noodles)
Northern Thailand’s curry noodle soup: chicken legs in a rich coconut curry over soft egg noodles, topped with a nest of crispy fried noodles.
90 min · Medium
Curries
Gaeng Hang Lay (Northern Pork Belly Curry)
A rich, Burmese-influenced curry of slow-cooked pork belly with ginger, pickled garlic, tamarind and peanuts. No coconut milk.
150 min · Medium
Dips & Relishes
Nam Prik Noom (Roasted Green Chilli Dip)
Smoky charred green chillies, shallots and garlic, pounded into a rough dip and eaten with pork crackling, sticky rice and vegetables.
35 min · Easy