Khao Soi is a popular noodle dish that can be traced back to Singapore, India/Pakistan, China, and Myanmar, but its association with Northern Thailand is what it is commonly known for. Khao Soi, locally known as Chiang Mai Noodle, is a popular Southeast Asian dish in Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand.
This dish is mostly associated with Chinese Yunnanese Muslims, migrants who made their way to Thailand from the South of China. After settling in the northern region of Thailand, these migrants started to refine the Chiang Mai Noodle dish with local Thai ingredients such as freshly made red curry paisa, curry powder, and turmeric. These ingredients, along with sidelines such as lime wedges, shallots, pickles. Chilies and more elevated the origin of Khao Soi exponentially. Hence, making this version exquisite tempts the eye, salivates the palette, and helping it earn its popularity today.
Khao Soi
Thailand is popular for its mouthwatering dishes, and Khao Soi is no exception; this noodle dish is the talk of the town and can be bought anywhere from street stalls to fancy restaurants. However, each place offers something unique, from taste to texture to the overall experience; eating this dish is an adventure in itself.
The locals here are acquainted with which version of Khao Soi they prefer and will recommend you to go to their preferred place, but with thousands of people telling you to check carious places can get overwhelming. Therefore to ease your confusion and make decision-making slightly easy, we have gathered the best places for you to check out if you are on a time crunch or seek to try this amazing dish for the first time.
From thousands of recommendations from locals vendors to chefs to home cooks and more to put our taste buds to test, we gathered a list of top Khao Soi eatery places found in the heart of Northern Thailand, the town where this dish came to be Chiang Mai.
So without further ado, let us dive into the supremacy of Khao Soi and find you the best eatery place to dine in.
For those who find solace in less fancy local places, this Saturday market is perfect for a great experience from shopping to walking to being mesmerized by Khao Soi.
Having Khai Soi here is incredible; not only does the dish tastes divine, but the quantity is out of the world. At an affordable price point, you get a large bowl of this Chaing Mai noodle dish that is cooked to perfection, the chicken is tender, the soup is rich and creamy, and the noodle is ala Dante.
From hundreds of vendors here serving numerous dishes, the lines at Khao Soi stall will be the longest by far, but don't let that overwhelm you because good things come to people who wait, and waiting here is not just good but delicious.
Chiang Mai Saturday Food Market
A popular local restaurant raved by everyone who visits the place can retain old and attract new customers; this restaurant has different versions of Khao Soi. From spicy to mild, from creamy to soup, everyone is able to find the best version for themselves.
Paired with great sidelines and the quantity is great, and the price is even greater; hence the restaurant seems to be flooded with locals and tourists almost all day long.
But don't let that discourage you from stepping into the restaurant because one slurp, one bite, one sniff will make you gush all day long. However, if you happen to prefer less crowded places, head to this restaurant around 3 to 4 pm to have a comparative low-key dining experience.
Khao Soi Mae Sai
Khao Soi Fah-Haam does not only offer a great Chiang Mai noodle dish, but it also fosters a home-like feeling which elevates the taste and the whole experience of this comfort food.
Located outside the city, this restaurant gives an authentic traditional Thai feel with its large canopy-style seating arrangement and food presentation. However, despite its simple interior and arrangement, the food in specific Khao Soi is to die for, and rightfully so as the chef of the restaurant, Chef Yoon received an award for its Khao Soi in the year 2016.
The quantity was Khao Soi was great; whether it's a chicken version or pork, the flavor is balanced, and the add-on is just perfect, elevating the taste and texture of the dish.
If you are unfamiliar with the Thai language, navigating your way to the restaurant and its menu can be quite challenging as everything is Thai. If you get some sort of assistance, trust us, the experience you will have here will be a treat, to say the least.
Khao Soi Fah Haam
Arak is unquestionably a solid competitor at Chiang Mai for Khao Soi, located in the old city; the restaurant was unique in its own way, a great way, by the way.
With a simple menu and great hospitality, the experience was very heartwarming for us and our appetite. Offering a wide ray of Khao Soi from classic chicken to beef to pork with different textured gravy, condiments, and spicy levels, the place is definitely made to serve Khao Soi lovers.
The Chiang Mai noodle served here is great paired with a nice low-key ambiance; the experience is very enjoyable and filling. With an excellent proportion of the meats and Al dente noodles, the bowl was flavorful and aromatic.
Positively a must-visit place for a great experience and a great bowl of awesomeness.
Unassuming Khao Soi Arak
Don't let the name of the restaurant discourage you; in fact, you should be looking forward to dining at this thriving Muslim-owned restaurant that will take treat your taste buds like no other.
Known to be offering authentic Khao Soi by Chinese Yunnanese Muslims, the Chiang Mai noodle found here will take you on a journey through its exquisite taste and the large open space along with the great ambiance that accompanies the dining experience.
The restaurant is perfect for individuals who are in seek of halal alternatives as the restaurant is a popular place that offers only halal food. In fact, the quantity of food here is relatively more than in other restaurants.
The Khao Soi here are rich in flavor, great in texture; with the creaminess of the sauce/curry, the dish is balanced perfectly, not spicy, not bland, just perfect. Khao Soi here is served with egg noodles, chopped chicken, and amazing condiments.
The menu here is in English and Chinese, the hospitality here is impeccable, and the value of money is beyond amazing. A must-visit place indeed, especially on Fridays.
Khao Soi Islam
A popular dining place amongst the tourist, this restaurant is situated in Sou 7 in Nimman that offers a more high scale fine dining experience with a large air-conditioned space, great interior, English-speaking staff, and amazing service.
Khao Soy Nimman is definitely an expensive restaurant. It provides a five-star restaurant feel, the potions are relatively small, and the prices are incredibly high, but despite people gravitating towards this place a lot, especially for the value of money and its incredible Khao Soi.
Khao Soi here is available in different flavors, textures, and spice levels, in order to cater to most foreigners who might want to try the exquisiteness of Chiang Mai Noodles without getting overwhelmed by the foreign flavors.
All in all, it's a great eatery place to go to, a well-rounded dining experience that is fitting, especially for tourists. For those who want to try Khao Soi and would want foreign familiarity, this is the place to go too, but for people looking for authentic local Thai Khao Soi experience, this restaurant may not be the best place to dine in, unless trying new or fusion thing is your thing!
Khao Soy Nimman
If you are one of those who like to customize things and have the agency to choose what you eat, then this restaurant is the one for you.
Allowing guests to customize their Khao Soi bowls, from letting them choose the type of noodles to the texture of curry, meat, condiments, and more, this local Thai restaurant offers a wide variety of options to choose from.
Though people often choose between egg noodles, vermicelli noodles, and instant noodles and chicken pork, fish, beef, pork, and more for their main but the one thing that is common amongst all the orders mostly in the style of curry, essentially the texture. The thick creamy coconut curry is the delicacy of this eatery place, which reigns every customer's taste palette, and they order it over and over. The curry is infused with great local Thai flavors that are tasty and rich, making the dish elevated exponentially.
Khao Soi Mae Manee remains a popular choice in Chiang Mai for Khao Soi, from quantity to quality and affordability.
Khao Soi Mae Manee
Huen Phen is an exquisite restaurant in the old city. It is very popular amongst the locals and tourists for its ambiance, hospitality, an extensive menu of northern Thai dishes, and one of the best Khao Soi in town.
This Chiang Mai Noodle delicacy is served with Laab here, a spicy salad made from pork that pairs perfectly with the dish giving it a nudge of greatness. Khao Soi is made here to resemble traditional style, with deep-fried crispy egg noodles served with boiled eggs, pickled greens, limes, fried shallots, grounded chilies, and delicious curry and choice of meat to go with.
The curry is thick and rich in texture and flavor, making the dish elevate on a whole new level, but since it is thick and infused with many flavors, it can get heavy for few people, especially with the fried noodles and add ons.
Either way, this Southeast Asian dish is, regardless very popular au Hien Phen restaurant, with a good portion size or price range; you cannot go wrong by deciding to din in here.
Also, you happen to be looking for a casual lunch experience; this is the place, a patio-style seating experience that fosters a casual environment. While for dinners, food is usually served indoors with an aesthetic interior design made with wooden Lanna Style house and decorated with relics, giving the whole experience a luxury dining feel.
At other than having a great bowl of Khao Soi, dining at this eatery is a great experience because the vibe here at lunch and dinner is completely different, giving you a feel of an entirely new place.
Huen Phen Restaurant
Saving best for last, it won't be an overstatement if this is considered to be the best place for Khao Soi in Chiang Mai. It is not a proper restaurant or a casual eatery place; it's essentially a street vendor that serves the incredible Khao Soi in Chiang Mai, that not only pays homage to the authentic Chiang Mai noodle dish but provides the local Thai experience with breaking the bank.
Located at Chinag Mai outer Ring road at the intersection of Wua Lai road, right across the big laundry center, this food vendor is very popular in its area and the areas surrounding, where locals come every day to indulge themselves in the exquisiteness of the Khao Soi served here.
Usually available during lunch hours, these local eatery places serve only two dishes, one of which is the popular Chiang Mai Noodle dish prepared in front of the customer. The flavors of this Khao Soi are balanced a bit spicy (since the place is more geared towards catering the locals than foreigners), but worth it, the texture is out of the world, a juicy tender chicken that falls effortlessly of the bones, crispy egg noodles that melt in the mouth, thick soupy curry with jam-packed flavors, as for the aroma, it salivates the palette, and the presentation tempts the eye and makes the appetite go wild. Served in a big bowl with all the condiments and add ons, the place is a solid competitor for all the other Khao Soi restaurants in the city.
This may not be the best Khao Soi experience you will get in Chiang Mai, but it is unquestionably the perfect bowl you will get. So try it before you reject it because one sniff of the aroma, one look at the Khao Soi bowl, and one taste will make you an instant fan favorite – our guarantee.
Khao Soi local eatery
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