Our Top 5 Best Places for Khao Soi in Chiang Mai

Khao Soi is a famous dish originating in northern Thailand. It consists of a spicy curry base, egg noodles, protein (often chicken, beef, or pork), topped with fried egg noodles. They always give you a side dish of kefir lime, shallots, and pickled greens to add to your dish, and of course there’s more chilies if you need to spice it up some more! During our month-long stay in Chiang Mai, we sampled khao soi at a number of different restaurants. Here is a quick rundown of our top 5 favourite places to eat Khao Soi in Chiang Mai (in alphabetical order):

Baan Landai (8/10)

This restaurant has locations in the old city and Santitham, but we only visited the latter.

The broth was a little sweeter than other Khao Soi dishes we’d tried, but it still had enough spice to pack a good punch. The chicken leg was succulent and fell right off the bone! We enjoyed the other dishes at Baan Landai as well, and returned to this restaurant.

Free Bird (7/10)

This khao soi is one of the only vegan options in the city. The dish was not spicy (perhaps more suited to Western palates) and had lots of potatoes. Although it was not as mouth-watering as some of the other dishes on this list, we included it because of its social activism. Free Bird is part of the Thai Freedom House organization, which helps Burmese refugees and migrants learn English language and life skills. All proceeds from Free Bird Café go to this organization, and the café also trains students in the hospitality industry. This also helps them practice their English skills. It was nice to know that the proceeds from our khao soi were going to a great cause!

Kadnomsen (8.5/10)

We tried to visit Khao Soi Mae Sai (see review below), however, there was a huge line up and we were hungry so we visited Kadnomsen, located around the corner. We were not disappointed!

This restaurant in Santitham offered a huge portion of khao soi, with a giant chicken leg. The coconut flavour was minimal and the spice level was great. Kadomsen had a great ambiance, and even the excessive amount of mosquitos couldn’t stop us from enjoying our delicious dish!

Khao Soi Arak (9.5/10)

Located in the southwest side of the old city, Khao Soi Arak is a well-known spot for excellent khao soi.

In fact, that is the only dish you can order and it is usually sold out before 2:00 p.m. You have only three options to choose from: khao soi chicken, beef, or pork.

The restaurant is basically a makeshift eatery in a garage.

We went twice and had the chicken khao soi both times! The chicken was perfectly cooked, falling right off the bone. The mix of spice and coconut was well balanced, creating one of the best khao soi dishes we’d experienced in Chiang Mai.

Khao Soi Mae Sai (8.5/10)

This Santitham restaurant is always busy, usually with a lineup at lunch time.

The coconut flavour was less pronounced in their khao soi and the dish’s spice level was optimal. Whether we chose the beef or the chicken, both were expertly cooked and the overall taste was delightful. Khao Soi Mae Sai is a solid choice if you find yourself in Santitham!

Honourable Mention: Baan Farm Cooking Class

We took part in the Baan Farm Cooking Class while in Chiang Mai and khao soi was one of the dishes we prepared. Whether or not our own khao soi concoction would compete with the restaurants above, there is something special about food that you prepare yourself. We totally recommend taking part in a cooking class and making your own khao soi as well!

Obviously, we did not sample every khao soi restaurant in Chiang Mai and I’m sure there are some out there that would rival some of the places in our list above. However, rest assured that you won’t be disappointed after trying our favourites! Enjoy!