Lets be real here, what’s travelling without food? And what’s travelling without posting on Instagram? Now while I’m all for eating local food and finding the cheap places to eat, I also really love a good cafe to get that cool shot for the ‘gram and to brag to your friends! In the north of Thailand is the beautiful city of Chiang Mai, where people flock to visit temples and escape the busy south. The reason I came to Chiang Mai (well one of the reasons *sly face* ) was to get a taste of their coffee culture, which is renowned for being as beautiful as it is tasty!
I loved visiting all the cafes in Chiang Mai so much that I whipped up a list of the best cafes in Chiang Mai so you don’t have to do the hunting!
Happy coffee-ing!
Rustic & Blue
Nimmanhaemin road soi 7, Chiang Mai
The holy mecca of brunch cafes in Chiang Mai! I loved Rustic & Blue so much I returned three times! They focus on using local seasonal produce to create amazing and unique dishes. I had a salted caramel mocha one day and a Green Eggs Benedict another day – both were delicious and Insta-worthy! The cafe is decorated in an intimate way and it almost makes you feel like you’re in a friends backyard having a BBQ! The staff are super friendly and its an ideal spot to bring a book or laptop and spend a couple of hours here.
Cafe SS1254372 & Seescape SS125
22/1 Soi Nimmana Haeminda 17 Chiang Mai
Cafe SS1254372 & Seescape Gallery call themselves ‘A food supply vehicle for the exploration of artistic space’. Tucked away in the side streets of Nimman Road, you find this funky, artistic space that doubles up as a cafe and art gallery. The menu has heaps of delicious options to choose from and the coffee is a winner. Creatives will love this cafe for it’s attention to detail and innovative designs. You can even take a piece of the Seescape Gallery home with you by purchasing something from their little gift shop.
The Barn: Eatery & Design
14 Sriwichai Suthep, 50200 Chiang Mai
The Barn is a little of out the way from other cafes but definitely worth a visit! Some students at Chiang Mai University bucked the trend and designed a fully functioning cafe to present as their final portfolio project. Due to this, the attention to detail is amazing, even down to the tiny artworks on shelves and homemade crockery. The light, open space of the Barn makes it a perfect spot to settle in for a few hours and it’s almost always got students utilising the quiet space to study. The menu is limited but the dessert is where the Barn shines. I highly recommend the chocolate brownie, one of the best I’ve had in SE Asia!
Ristr8to – Specialty Coffee Crafters
15/3 Nimmanhaemin Rd, Suthep, Muang
Ristr8to is the place for the die-hard coffee lovers. The menu is several pages long of different styles of coffee including their signature drinks and award winning latte art. I have to admit that even my love affair with coffee seemed like a summer fling compared to how devoted the guys at Ristr8to are to the little coffee beans – they mean business! There isn’t too much food on the menu but lets be honest, most people come here for the strong caffeine kick and to be seen at this trendy hotspot.
Waan Cafe
Nimmanhaemin Soi 13, Chiang Mai
This cafe holds a special little place in my heart because after much research on my behalf of cafes in Chiang Mai (I have an addiction!), this one I discovered myself. Waan Cafe makes you feel like you’re Alice in Wonderland. From the huge tree entrance to the whimsical decorations, even down to the cute little touches like the ‘Eat Me’ tags that decorates the plates, Waan Cafe will delight the young at heart with their beautiful and magic designs. Plus it is the perfect place to get that Insta shot!
Into the Woods
191-193 Prapokkloa Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai
Another whimsical, fairytale inspired cafe, Into the Woods is a treat for the eyes and the stomach. They have an extensive menu and the coffee is delicious. I also recommend trying their baked goods, I had a maple bacon cupcake which was absolutely delicious! Into the Woods has its own little bookstore as well which is fitting because you will probably find yourself wanting to spend alot of time here in this delightful cafe!
Artisan Cafe
204/1 Wua Lai Rd, Tambon Hai Ya, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWAcykjAsaG/?taken-by=ablondeandherpassport
This trendy, atmospheric cafe is a part of the Oxotel Hotel which is perfect for anyone looking for accommodation as well! The coffee is delicious and their freshly baked pastries and breads taste amazing. I stayed here for a couple of hours working on my laptop and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to get work done here.
Cerebrum & Friends
75/1 Samlan rd. Phra sing
50200 Amphoe Muang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai
This is hands down the kookiest cafe in Chiang Mai. There’s giant bugs on the wall, a crocodile pot plant out the front and weird ornaments scattered everywhere. The cafe itself is tiny so not ideal to go with a big group but don’t let that stop you from visiting. The wacky factor captured my attention and it’s probably one of the first cafes I tell people to visit in Chiang Mai, simply because its a little odd! The coffee was strong and delicious and the vintage store in the back has lots of unique finds.
So there you have it my friends, I hope you enjoy sampling all the caffeinated delights that Chiang Mai has to offer. If you have any other cafes that you love in Chiang Mai, comment below so I can try them next time!
J. x
A Blonde and Her Passport 
Wow I hate to say I have been to Chiang Mai and have literally been to none of these places! They all look so beautiful and I want that skull cup so badly!
Most of them are in the Nimman district which is outside the Old Town but worth the drive. I loved the Old Town as well, need to write a blog post about it! Hahah yes the skull cup was pretty much the main reason I went there!
Love this! I love taking part in the cafe culture and Chiang Mai has been at the top of my bucket list for years now! I’m definitely saving this for future reference. Also, how cool is that skull glass?! I kind of want one for myself haha 🙂
Definitely add to your bucket list! They’re truly killing it at the coffee game!
These places are all seriously gorgeous! Do you get the impression that the more traditional, old-style places that aren’t trying to follow the more global interior design trends are dying out, or do the two types of places pretty much manage to exist side-by-side? I’ve never been to Thailand, but I have seen a ton of pictures of the kind of hole-in-the-wall joint with plastic chairs, peeling paint, bare-bones everything that I seem to associate with the place.
I think it’s a bit of both. There are definitely plenty of old-style traditional places around but with the wave of the younger generation coming through, all these funky and modern cafes are popping up. Chiang Mai is great though because you have all the history and culture in the Old Town and then the more modern side of the Thai people in areas such as the Nimman district 🙂
Yum, delicious looking food and a great range of places in the one city.
Its been 5 years since I lived there, and I am going back in October and definitely going to refer to this for cute cafes to check out cause I am sure they are new (or I just never heard of them when living there). Either way, thank you for this!!
My pleasure! It was so hard to research for this blog post! 😉
haha I can only imagine. Did you happen to go to a place called The Swan there? it’s my favourite restaurant near Thapae Gate. So good.
OMG I have been to Chiang Mai twice and stayed there for weeks but somehow never so any of these…Such a shame.. Ive written them down in case I go back to Chiang Mai.x
Thats a bummer, most of them were in the Nimman area which is outside the Old Town, you’ll have to go again!!
I would have never thought Chiang Mai would have so many cute coffee shops! They all seem so unique and pretty!
There are SO many! It was cafe heaven!
Hi Jess, these are brilliant! Have been in Chiang Mai only a few days and love the restaurant and cafe scene already. Btw, according to Google Maps the kooky cafe has been closed. It’s a shame, I’d have loved to see it.
Hey, thanks!
I definitely spent far too much time in cafes in Chiang Mai haha
Oh, bummer 😦 it was such a small, hole in the wall place that it might have shut down because no one knew where it was. That’s sad though 😦