Khao soi in Chiang Mai: 9 bowls worth crossing town for

If you have one day for khao soi in Chiang Mai, eat three bowls. Be at Khao Soi Mae Sai at 8am, before the queue, for the only khao soi shop in town with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Walk to Khao Soi Khun Yai in the Old City for its 10am opening, while the beef lasts. Then cross the river for beef and pork satay at Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham, which has been cooking for more than 70 years.

The other six below are the shops Chiang Mai people and visitors keep sending each other to, grouped by area. Every one was open when we checked on 28 October 2026. Watch the clock, though. Most khao soi shops here close between 2pm and 4:30pm, and two shut on Sundays, so tap the map link before you go.

The 9 khao soi shops at a glance

Prices are for one bowl of khao soi, from menus and reviews posted this year.

What is khao soi, and how do you eat it?

Khao soi is northern Thailand's curry noodle soup. Soft egg noodles sit in a coconut curry broth, with a nest of deep-fried crispy noodles on top and the meat underneath. Chicken usually means a whole drumstick. Beef and pork are braised until they fall apart. The dish is said to have reached Chiang Mai with Chinese Muslim traders from Yunnan, the Haw, and the halal shops still cook a lighter, more spiced bowl than the coconut-rich ones.

It comes with a small plate on the side, and that plate is half the point:

• Pickled mustard greens (phak kat dong), for something sour and crunchy.
• Raw red shallots, for bite.
• A wedge of lime.
• Roasted chilli paste, usually in a pot on the table. It's hot. Start with half a spoon.

Squeeze in the lime, drop in a few shallots and pickles, stir in a little chilli, taste, then add more. Eat the crispy noodles early, before they go soft. Most shops let you choose the meat and a small or large bowl, and many also do khanom jeen nam ngiao, rice noodles in a spicy tomato and pork broth, if you want a second dish to share.

Where's the best khao soi near Nimman?

Nimman is the west side of town, under Doi Suthep, and the first two shops are about ten minutes' walk apart. Mae Manee is further north, a 10 to 15 minute Grab away.

Khao Soi Mae Sai

This is the one with the Bib Gourmand, and in the 2026 guide it's the only khao soi shop in Chiang Mai that has one. Older lists still put a Michelin label on several shops further down this page, but Michelin's own Chiang Mai list no longer includes them. The menu is short and numbered: khao soi with chicken, beef or pork, plus khanom jeen nam ngiao. The curry runs hotter than most. A bowl is about 55 to 75 baht. It's down an alley off Huay Kaew Road, open 8am to 4pm and closed on Sundays. From 11am to 1pm you'll get a queue number and wait 20 to 30 minutes, so come at 8 or after 2. Map

Kao Soy Nimman

Most khao soi shops have shut by dinner. Kao Soy Nimman, in a wooden house on Nimman Soi 7, stays open until 9pm every day, which makes it the easy evening bowl. Order the beef, which regulars rate above the chicken, and pick soft or crispy noodles. A pork bowl is about 95 baht and most of the menu sits around 100, more than the old-school shops charge. It's rarely packed. Ten in the morning and 8pm are the quietest times. Map

Khao Soi Mae Manee

Go north for the beef. Mae Manee still cooks over charcoal, the broth is rich, and the beef shank comes out soft. Bowls run from about 50 to 150 baht depending on what's in them. It's at 18 Chotana Road, down Soi 24, about 4 km north of the Old City on the road to Mae Rim. It's open 9am to 3:30pm every day except Buddhist holy days, which follow the moon and come round about once a week. Lunch is the busy stretch. Map

Where to eat khao soi in and around the Old City

Inside the moat there's one khao soi shop everyone names. The other two are just outside it: one in the Muslim quarter by the Night Bazaar, one south of Chiang Mai Gate. If you're walking between temples, all three fit in.

Khao Soi Khun Yai

Khun Yai is a lunch-only shop in a lane off Si Phum Road, on the north side of the Old City beside Wat Khuan Kha Ma. The tables are under an open roof, with plants along one side. Order at the counter first, then find a seat. The board lists beef, pork and chicken at 60 to 70 baht, and the crispy noodles are the reason people come back. It's open 10am to 2pm, Monday to Saturday, and the beef and chicken often run out before closing. After that it's pork or nothing, so get there at 10. It's full from 11 to 1, and the food can take a while once it is. Bowls are on the small side: two hungry people might want three. Map

Khao Soi Islam

Khao Soi Islam has served halal khao soi for more than 40 years, in a lane off Charoen Prathet Road a few minutes' walk from the Night Bazaar. The broth is lighter and more spiced than the coconut-heavy bowls elsewhere, and the noodles are made in the shop. Order the beef khao soi, about 80 baht, and share a plate of goat biryani (khao mok) or the oxtail soup. Some people find the broth thin or salty, so taste it before you add anything. Open 7:30am to 5pm every day. Before 10 it's quiet; at noon it's full. Map

Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kad Kom

Lung Prakit is a small shop on Suriyawong 5 Road by Kad Kom market, about ten minutes' walk south of Chiang Mai Gate. The coconut curry is thick and rich. Order the braised beef, or the chicken, which comes with a leg and extra pieces. Bowls are about 50 to 80 baht. It was on Netflix's Somebody Feed Phil and has had a crowd ever since, and recent reviews say the staff can be curt and you may wait ten minutes outside in the heat. Go at 9:30 or after 3. Open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day. Map

Which khao soi shops are on the river road?

Charoenrat Road runs north along the east bank of the Ping River from Wat Ket. About 1.5 km north of Nawarat Bridge, around Wat Fa Ham, three shops sit within ten minutes' walk of each other: two of the oldest names in town and one of the newest. It's a 10 to 15 minute Grab from the Old City.

Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham

Lamduan has made khao soi for more than 70 years, and it was a local favourite long before the travel lists found it. Order the beef, with a side of pork satay and peanut sauce, which Time Out also tells you to get. The coconut milk goes in at the end, so you can ask for more or less. A bowl is about 60 to 90 baht. It's at 352/22 Charoenrat Road, open 8:30am to 3:30pm every day. Come at 9, or after 2, to miss the lunch crowd. Map

Khao Soi Samerjai

Five minutes' walk north, beside Wat Fa Ham, Samerjai has been going for more than 30 years. Locals argue over whether it or Lamduan is better. Try both and pick a side, which is easier with two of you: one beef bowl at each, swapped halfway. On your own, a Chiang Mai friend can come along, take the other half and tell you which side they're on. The beef khao soi is the order, and the hang le (a northern pork curry) and the pork satay come up in review after review. Bowls are about 60 to 70 baht, which some regulars grumble about. Open 8am to 4:30pm every day, and packed at noon. Map

Khao-Sō-i

Khao-Sō-i is the new one, opened during the pandemic, and it doesn't look like the others. It's a slightly upscale shop on the same road, with fresh noodles and a Japanese touch. Order the braised beef, or the dry khao soi, which is stir-fried and comes without the broth. It costs more: a chicken bowl is 139 baht, or 189 for a large, and most people spend 200 to 400 baht with sides. It's open 9am to 9pm every day, so it's the river road's dinner option. Noon to 1pm is the crush. After 4 it's half full. Map

A one-day khao soi route

This works Monday to Saturday: three bowls and a coffee, timed around the closing hours. Share bowls if you want to make it to the end.

1. 8:00 Khao Soi Mae Sai. Before the queue. One bowl of chicken.
2. 9:45 Walk to Khao Soi Khun Yai. About 1 km east, 15 minutes. Beef, as soon as it opens at 10.
3. 10:45 Coffee and Wat Phra Singh. Ten minutes south to Akha Ama Phrasingh, from our Chiang Mai cafes list, with the temple next door. Cover your shoulders and knees, then sit out the midday heat.
4. 14:00 Grab to Charoenrat Road. Ten to 15 minutes. Beef and satay at Lamduan before it closes at 3:30, then five minutes' walk to Samerjai if you're still going.
5. Evening. Walk ten minutes north to Khao-Sō-i for the dry khao soi, or head to the Night Bazaar, open every night. Our Chiang Mai night markets post says which market is on.

On a Sunday, Mae Sai and Khun Yai are shut. Start at Khao Soi Islam at 7:30, take a short Grab to Lung Prakit for 9:30, do the river road in the afternoon, and end the day at the Sunday Walking Street.

Do this route with a Thai friend

Take this list, pick a friend in Chiang Mai, and send the day and the first stop. They meet you there, come along to your plan, order in Thai and share the bowls. It's booked by the hour and always platonic. Their time is the booking; the noodles, the satay and the Grabs are paid on the day. Here's how booking works.

Questions people ask

Where is the best khao soi in Chiang Mai?

Khao Soi Mae Sai, near Nimman, is the one with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Locals also swear by Khao Soi Lamduan Fa Ham and Khao Soi Samerjai on Charoenrat Road, and by Khao Soi Khun Yai in the Old City. Go early to all four, because they close by mid-afternoon.

Which khao soi in Chiang Mai is in the Michelin Guide?

In the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Thailand, Khao Soi Mae Sai is the only khao soi shop in Chiang Mai, and it has a Bib Gourmand. Shops that older articles call Michelin-listed, such as Mae Manee, Lamduan and Lung Prakit, aren't in the current guide.

What time do khao soi shops close in Chiang Mai?

Earlier than you'd think. Khao Soi Khun Yai closes at 2pm, Lamduan and Mae Manee at 3:30, Mae Sai at 4 and Samerjai at 4:30. For khao soi after dark, go to Kao Soy Nimman or Khao-Sō-i, both open until 9pm.

Which khao soi shops are open on Sunday?

Most of them. Khao Soi Mae Sai and Khao Soi Khun Yai close on Sundays. Khao Soi Islam, Lung Prakit, Lamduan, Samerjai, Khao-Sō-i and Kao Soy Nimman open every day, and so does Mae Manee unless it's a Buddhist holy day.

How much is a bowl of khao soi in Chiang Mai?

At the old-school shops, about 55 to 90 baht in 2026. Kao Soy Nimman charges about 95 baht, and Khao-Sō-i starts at 139.