You are in Chiang Mai for 48 hours. This is where you will eat.

Curator Dietrich Ayala

Dietrich was an espresso jerk in Seattle, a catering chef in New Orleans, a dinner chef in Seattle, and finally hit rock bottom after buying a computer, which saddled him with an addiction to technology as well as food. He and his family live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he eats unreasonably well during the day, and makes Firefox better at night.

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You thought you knew Thai food. With nearby borders of Burma, China and Laos, the Lanna (north) food is a cultural mash-up. From herbal sausages to Burmese curries to Chinese markets to barbecued frogs, Chiang Mai will spin your tastebuds around.

Sunday Walking Street

Ratchadamnoen Rd, Chiang Mai

Sunday evenings around 5pm, Ratchadamnoen Road in Chiang Mai's "Old City" is closed to traffic and turns into a half-mile long mosh-pit of tourists and Thais, shopping for art and handicrafts and eating their way through night. The grounds of three different Buddhist ... more →

Huay Kaew Mukata: Epic Thai Feast

Hillside Plaza & Condotel 4 50 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai, 50300

Imagine an open-air structure with 500 people, an all-you-can-eat buffet of Thai food both uncooked and prepared, a hot-pot over flaming coals at your table, live comedy and music, and servers in very short beer-branded dresses refilling your glass with ice and ... more →

Beers and Live Music at Sudsanan

30/1 Huai Kaeo Road, Chiang Mai, 50300

Centrally located and yet so hard to find, Sudsanan is an old wooden house at the end of a dark unpaved driveway... just off one of Chiang Mai's busiest streets. A great Issan menu, live music just about every night after 8pm, and cozy pub feel all make for a nice ... more →

Poom Chai Gai Yang

Chiang Mai Ram Hospital 8 Bunrueang Rit, Chiang Mai, 50200

Sure, you can get a wing at carts all over town, but this place grills it up by the half bird, and it's so tasty you *want* it in bulk. The som tam is fresh, crisp, cold and not so spicy that your palate is seared. They close early - once we got there at 20:30 ... more →

Lunch at Khao Soi Lamduan

352/22 Charoen Rat Chiang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50100

Get lunch early, because this place is full of locals who come for one of the thickest, headiest renditions of the north's emblematic soup. more →

Northern Thai Delicacies at Huen Phen

112 Ratchamanka Road Phra Singh, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50300

Lunch is open air seating out front, busy and loud. Dinner is in back, quiet and serene, surrounded by thousands of Thai handicrafts. You might wait a bit regardless of when you go, but it'll be worth it - the selection of Lanna (northern Thai) food is fantastic. ... more →