Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [253]
Often credited for introducing Chiang Mai to cafe culture is the unassuming Libernard Cafe ( Map; 0 5323 4877; 36 Th Chaiyaphum; 8am-5pm Tue-Sun), run by Pong who roasts her own beans daily, making different adjustments based on the day’s climate conditions. She makes a smooth latte, hardly needing to be spiked with sugar.
At the other end of the caffeine scale is Black Canyon Coffee ( Map; 0 5327 0793; 1-3 Th Ratchadamnoen), with a high energy ‘see-and-be-seen’ location in front of Pratu Tha Phae that is always packed with people watchers. It is a local chain with multiple branches in the city.
Almost an attraction in its own right, Soi Kaafae (Coffee Lane on Soi 9, Th Nimmanhaemin) is populated by two bustling coffee shops and lots of laptop-tapping Thais. On one side of the street is Wawee Coffee ( Map; 0 5326 0125; Soi 9, Th Nimmanhaemin), a local chain that originally started at Mae Sa Elephant Camp and has since expanded to the point of Starbucks saturation. (There’s also a Wawee on Th Ratchadamnoen in the old city.) Across the street is 94° Coffee (0 5321 0234; Soi 9, Th Nimmanhaemin).
For coffee drinkers who fancy saving the world, Lanna Cafe ( Map; Th Huay Kaew; 8am-5pm Mon-Sat) is an NGO-run cafe that brews and sells fairtrade hill-tribe coffee.
The mountains of the north also produce Assam tea served in the Victorian-era Tea House (Th Tha Phae; 9.30-6pm), which shares space with Siam Celadon. The House of Thai Coffee (0 5327 7810; 131-133 Th Ratchadamnoen) is a fairly non-descript foreigner cafe with an eclectic tea menu, featuring northern Thai teas that have medicinal properties.
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Dalaabaa Bar & Restaurant ( Map; 0 5324 2491; 113 Th Bamrungrat; dishes 110-350B; 6pm-midnight) One of Chiang Mai’s first urbane eateries, Dalaabaa has aged gracefully into a stylish old friend with subdued lighting washing over orange and red silks that decorate a glass-encased dining room. The Thai menu is artful and affordable considering the sophistication factor.
Antique House ( Map; 0 5327 6810; 71 Th Charoen Prathet; dishes 130-260B; 11am-midnight) A postcard setting for out-of-town visitors, Antique House is a quaint two-storey teak house and garden filled with wooden antiques and mellow nightly music. The menu is mainly northern Thai with all the central Thai classics, but the dishes are just window dressing for the Thai-style ambience.
Whole Earth Restaurant ( Map; 0 5328 2463; 88 Th Si Donchai; dishes 130-300B; 11am-10pm) This confectionery-coloured teak house wears a garden stole of hanging vines, kòi ponds and orchids growing in the crooks of tree limbs. It is the sort of place you might take your mum for her birthday – where the staff will treat her like royalty and the dishes seem exotic (Thai Indian and vegetarian) without being demanding.
Anusan Night Market ( Map; Anusan Night Bazaar, Th Chang Khlan; dishes 200-350B; 6pm-midnight) Further south of Galare Food Centre, Anusan is a buzzing food market best known for its Thai-Chinese seafood restaurants. Stalls surround a large cluster of tables where each ‘restaurant’ has a section allocated with its own waiters. Nearby are other stand-alone restaurants, some of which have their own prawn holding ponds acting as centrepieces for their menu speciality. The prices are higher than they ought to be but these are special-occasion splash-out restaurants for Thais.
INTERNATIONAL
Libernard Cafe ( Map; 0 5323 4877; 36 Th Chaiyaphum; dishes 50-110B; 8am-5pm Tue-Sun) A low-key cafe, Libernard serves fresh Arabica coffee grown in Thailand. The usual backpacker menu is rescued from derision with such care that the banana pancake actually becomes a tasty recommendation. Try also the gaang mát·sà·màn (Muslim-style curry). Pong does everything herself, which means service is a little slow, but comes with a smile.
Tianzi Tea House ( Map; 0 5344 9539; Th Kamphaeng