Gay-Owned Restaurants
Chiang Mai has a number of gay-owned restaurants that offer great food and good value. All of these restaurants have friendly owners knowledgeable about the gay scene in Chiang Mai, cute wait staff, and offer the gay traveler a great way to spread their pink baht to deserving local gay businesses.

Lavender Sky
This is one of Thailand’s most stunning restaurants as it sits on the rooftop of the Lavender Lanna Hotel. The views are incredible, and the restaurant offers a two-story glass dining room, outdoor gardens, an outdoor kitchen, trendy indoor and outdoor lounge spaces, and beautiful balconies offering a birds-eye view of all of Chiang Mai. The restaurant is open from 11am until 1am, and serves succulent food from the grill including meats, seafood, vegetables, and even desserts. They offer an extensive drink menu and wine list, a special lunch menu, daily happy hour from 3pm to 6pm, and late-night dining and drink specials. This restaurant is a must visit for any gay traveler in Chiang Mai. Open November 2009

Lavender Lanna Hotel
Phone: 089 021 5074

Lavender Lanna Coffee Shop
This is a 24-hour, air-conditioned restaurant in the lobby of the Lavender Lanna hotel. The restaurant offers a 24-hour breakfast menu, steaks, pasta, pizza, and Thai and Chinese favorites. They have two dining patios, one which overlooks the old city walls and city moat. They also have a full bar open until midnight and an espresso bar with a full range of coffee drinks and desserts.

This is a great place to people watch, especially late at night. There are always cute wait staff and many other cute guys on hand here. The restaurant offers a nice décor in the hotel’s signature lavender and pink colors and is a good option before or after a show at Power Boys Chiang Mai, a massage or salon treatment from the hotel’s Salon and Massage, or as a respite from the day’s activities. The restaurant also serves meals poolside at the hotel pool from 11am to 10pm, and the hotel pool facilities are open to outside guests for 100 baht. Open October 2009

Lavender Lanna Hotel
Phone: 089 021 5074

Kiat Num
This is the gathering spot for the hi-so gay Thai gay crowd in Chiang Mai, and it is usually packed with gay Thai professionals and students. They serve very good Thai food and some Western favorites including a German pork loin. They also have a full espresso bar. The bar is owned by Eddy, Chiang Mai’s favorite “big” sister. Eddy speaks fluent English and he is a great source of information for all of the gay happenings in Chiang Mai and knows of all the hot gay spots popular with local Thais. He is also an expert on the local gay massage scene.  Open from lunch until 10pm. It is located in the trendy Nimman district close to the gay area.

Soi 11 Nimmanhemind Road
Phone: (0) 5321-8530

Soho Bar
This popular bar offers a full menu of Thai food from the neighboring Lemon Tree restaurant (a favorite restaurant of local gays expats) and is a great place to start the evening with dinner and drinks while chatting to their cute bar staff. Serving food until 11pm with the bar open later.

20/3 Huay Kaew Road
Phone: (0) 86743 - 8202

Spirit House
This interesting restaurant is part antiques shop and part haunted house set in a cavernous building with adjacent gardens surrounding a 500 year old Chedi. The food is a mix of Western, Indian, and Thai, and they serve a great German pork steak with a blue cheese sauce. They also have a full bar. They are located just steps away from Metro and Adam’s Apple, so this is a great place to dine before a show at Adam’s Apple. They also have a cute wait staff, and the very friendly American and Thai owners are almost always in residence.  This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

Soi Viengbua, Chotana Rd, Chang Phuak

Lotus Hotel Garden Restaurant
This popular gay hotel offers a nice garden restaurant and bar with good Thai food. This is a popular spot for gay expats, and the owner has a keen eye for good wine and has a very nice wine list at reasonable prices (considering the huge import fees for wine coming into Thailand). This is directly across from Adam’s Apple, so this is another good option before the Adam’s Apple show.

2/25 Soi Viengbua, Chotana Rd, Chang Phuak
Phone: (0) 5321 - 5376

Nimman Restaurant
This is a very popular restaurant from Krit, the owner of La Vie En Rose, a local gay bar. The indoor/outdoor setting is very nice and romantic, and the restaurant offers great Thai food. The casual setting makes it a great place for a gathering of friends or for a date. The bar is next door, and is a good stop for before or after dinner drinks.

Huay Keow Rd
Phone: (0) 5389 - 5199

High End Restaurants
Chiang Mai has a number of very good restaurants with beautiful décor and impressive menus. Even the most expensive restaurants have prices much lower than comparable restaurants in other countries. Many of these are located in the 5-star hotels, and most have some gay staff. Lavender Sky, one of the most upscale and beautiful restaurants in Thailand, is already listed under the gay restaurant section.

Le Crystal 
One of the nicest restaurants in Chiang Mai set on the Ping River. They serve fine French Cuisine with special set lunch and set dinner menus as well as ala-carte selections. They have a beautiful indoor dining room and also have seating outside on the garden balcony with a beautiful fragrance from the Thai garden and scenery of the Ping River. They offer free transportation from your hotel. They also own a very nice Steakhouse near JJ Market which is also worth a visit.

74/2 Patan Rd., Patan Sub-district A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50300
Phone: (0) 5387 - 2890-1
Time Open: 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Akaligo and Fujain 
Located at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Akaligo offers a varied menu from the sun-drenched Mediterranean. This is a beautiful restaurant in one of the world’s best hotels. Fujain is set in the Thai village area of the hotel and offers great Chinese selections and a wonderful Dim Sum lunch. The village area is a great place to explore for fine shopping.

Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Hotel
Phone: (0) 5388 - 8888 ext.8621
Time Open: 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., 6:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

La Gritta
This is one of the best Italian restaurants in Chiang Mai and has great food, good ambiance, and reasonable prices. You can also dine poolside. It is located close to the gay area.

Amari Rincome Hotel, 1 Nimmanhaemin Rd.
Phone: (0) 5322 - 1130, (0) 5322 - 1044
Time Open: 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Le Coq d'Or
This restaurant serves very nice French food, and offers exemplary service and a lovely setting. It is located outside the old city, across from the Ping River, but they will pick you up and take you back at no charge.  Lunch is from midday till 2:00 p.m., dinner 7:00 p.m. till 11:00 p.m. This is probably the most expensive restaurant in Chiang Mai, but is well worth a visit for a special and memorable meal.

68/1 Koh Klang Rd
Open for dinner only
Phone: (0) 5328 – 2024

Mi Casa  
This is a beautiful, very gay-friendly restaurant in a nice mountain setting. Mi Casa serves Mediterranean food and delicious main dishes and a good tapas selection. They have excellent Sangria and good Spanish wines.

60/2 Moo 14, Soi Wat Pa Daeng, Suthep Rd.,
Phone: (0) 5381 - 0088, (0) 89536 - 4540
Time Open: 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

The Restaurant at The Chedi  
This is a beautiful restaurant inside the old British embassy and offers a number of dining rooms including a beautiful riverside setting. At The Restaurant, you can start with a chocolate martini in the air-conditioned bar, stroll down to the river for a romantic three-course dinner, and end up lounging by the upstairs bar over a nightcap. The Chedi offers one of the best dining experiences in Chiang Mai and should not be missed.

Charoen Prathet Rd.
Phone: (0) 5325 - 3333
Breakfast: 7 a.m. - 11 a.m. Lunch: Noon-2 p.m. Dinner: 5 p.m.-11.30 p.m.

Sala Mae Rim and The Terraces Restaurant
(Four Seasons Resort) 
It is the Four Seasons, so of course, these two restaurants offer incredible food set above beautiful rice fields and offer exceptional service and a memorable dining experience. The downside is that the Four Seasons is located about thirty minutes from town in the Mae Rim Valley. It is worth the trip and is a definite stop when sightseeing or trekking in the area. 

Four Seasons Resort, 502 M1 Mae Rim–Samoeng Old Road
Open from 7 - 11 a.m. breakfast, 12 a.m. –2.30 p.m. lunch, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. dinner
Phone: (0) 5329 - 818

Nature Settings
Chiang Mai is a city set among beautiful mountains, and it is only natural that there are some restaurants with stunning views and gorgeous scenery. Almost all of the high-end restaurants listed above are set in beautiful natural settings. In addition, here are three of our other favorites:

Huan Huay Kaew  
This tree house restaurant is near Chiang Mai University and Chiang Mai Zoo. It is located near a beautiful waterfall, and you can dine at the waterfall or on a large elevated platform set among the trees overlooking the waterfall and feel as if you are in a beautiful tree house. Open for lunch and dinner and serving Thai food, the restaurant is usually staffed by cute waiters. We think this restaurant should be a must on any itinerary of several days or more as it offers such a great natural setting and is a truly unique dining experience.

Huay Kaew Rd., near the Kruba Srivichai monument
Open from 11am to 10pm daily

Palaad Tawanron
This restaurant is set in the foothills of Suthep Mountain and offers great views of the city below. It is adjacent to a nice waterfall and offers a number of interesting natural surroundings for dining, a world-famous elephant toilet, and strolling musicians. The setting and the ambiance cannot be beat, but the food is just okay, and this is a popular spot for group tours. However, for dining in a great atmosphere, we recommend this Chiang Mai favorite.

Located behind the Chiang Mai zoo and sharing the back zoo entrance.
Open from 10am to 11pm daily
Phone: 053 216576

Mo’C Mo’L
This translates to the Monkey Club and the Moon Lover and is set on top of a giant lotus pond very close to Chiang Mai University and the gay area. They serve great Thai and Japanese food and sinful desserts. They also have a good bar, live music most nights, moderate prices, and a beautiful chic outdoor setting in the middle of the city. This is a staff favorite.

233 Hauy Kaew Road
Open from 4pm to 12am daily
Phone: 053 224728

Local Scene
There are two dining options that are very unique to Chiang Mai, and if you want a real taste of local culture, you must try these two restaurants.

Just Khao Soy 
This dish is a city favorite and is mostly only found in Chiang Mai. Khao Soy is a curry-noodle soup served with beef, pork or chicken. Khao Soy and mango sticky rice (a Thailand favorite) are all that is served here. It’s a really good place for Chiang Mai visitors who want to taste Chiang Mai’s food.  It’s also a place with a good wine selection, good atmosphere, and good location.

108/2 Charoen Prathet Rd.
Open from 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Phone: (0) 5381 - 8641

Kantoke Dinner Show 
Kantoke dinners offer traditional Northern Thai food combined with beautiful Thai dancing performances. This is a must if you want to experience traditional food in a traditional, quiet, peaceful and elegant setting. This is the best of the Kantoke dinner restaurants in Chiang Mai.

185/3 Wualai Rd
Open from 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Phone: (0) 5327 – 5097

Staff Favorites
Obviously, we like all of the choices above, and we spend as much time as possible in the gay restaurants that we list as we like to spend our baht in pink establishments as much as we can. However, we have a few other favorites that we highly recommend.

Salsa Kitchen 
We eat here more than we should because their take on Mexican food includes super-fresh ingredients and tasty food. We especially like the Mexican bruschetta, chicken nachos, and the pork ribs washed down by pitchers of margaritas. Meal portions are huge, served on giant platters heaped with generous sides of salad and red rice and an assortment of mild and spicy salsas. They also have some great smoked jalapeño peppers. This is right in the heart of the gay area and within walking distance of both the Lavender Lanna Hotel and PJ’s Guesthouse. 

26/4 Huay Kaew Road
Open from 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Phone: (0) 5321 - 6605

Miguel's Cafe 
Another Mexican favorite with the best margaritas in Chiang Mai (in our opinion). Their food tends to be more authentic Tex-Mex, and they offer all the Mexican favorites and a good assortment of combination plates. They have two locations, one by the moat and one on the other side of the Ping River.

Address: 106/1 Chaiyaphum Road
Open from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Phone: (0) 5387 – 4148

Galare Food Center
This is the food court in the middle of the Night Bazaar and offers an array of local and International food shops serving good food. They also have music and dancing nightly. In addition, there are a large number of food choices in the Night Bazaar area covering any type of food options you desire including a number of Western fast food outlets open 24 hours (sometimes one needs a Whopper or a Big Mac at 4am).

The Night Bazaar is located on Chang Klan Road.

We have many other favorites, but most of these are small Thai food stalls on the side of the road, and in our opinion, is one of the best ways to eat in Thailand. As noted above, Chaing Mai has so many great dining options, and many are not listed here. For more information, check out the very comprehensive dining pages at City Life here:

http://www.chiangmainews.com/foodguide