N. MICHELIN GUIDE TO CHIANG MAI

MICHELIN GUIDE TO CHIANG MAI

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23 November 2025

Here we look briefly at what the MICHELIN Guide is, how it applies to Chiang Mai, and five recommended restaurants near Chang Khlan.

NOTA BENE: This article on Michelin listed restaus in Chiang Mai was written on research by ChatGPT - more mistakes from ChatGPT here - we had a lovely evening last night in the Ginger Farm, which is a two star Michelin in Chiang Mai... so there are starred Michelin restaurants.

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PART I - WHAT IS MICHELIN

1. Origins

The MICHELIN Guide began in 1900 as a small red handbook created by the Michelin brothers to help motorists travel. It listed maps, mechanics, petrol stations - and eventually restaurants. Over time, the dining section became the most significant part of the guide.

2. How the Stars Work

Today the guide is the world’s leading restaurant rating system. Anonymous inspectors judge only the quality of the food.
• One star: very good cooking, worth a stop.
• Two stars: excellent cooking, worth a detour.
• Three stars: exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.

Michelin also awards 

• Bib Gourmand for good cooking at fair prices, often the heart of the guide - and 

• Selected restaurants.... surely no restaurant wants to be left out.

3. Michelin in Asia and Thailand

Michelin’s expansion across Asia reflected the growing importance of the region and the depth of its culinary craft. Thailand now has editions covering Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai. Street vendors, family-run kitchens and modern restaurants are all assessed on the same five criteria: quality of ingredients, technique, personality, value, and consistency.

4. What to Expect in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai’s selection is rooted in Northern Thai identity: khao soy, hang lay curry, grilled meats, artisanal / street cafés, and contemporary Lanna cuisine. The guide here offers direction rather than prestige - it's a curated map of skilled, characterful cooking at all price levels.

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PART II - MICHELIN IN CHIANG MAI

1. Introduction

Michelin’s arrival in Chiang Mai highlighted the city’s mix of tradition and creativity. The inspectors recognise not only high-end restaurants but also street stalls and kitchens where skill has been perfected over long periods of time, decades even. 

Chiang Mai’s blend of Lanna heritage, Burmese influence, international cuisine with the arrival of expat communities and tourism, and street culture, fits well into Michelin’s criteria.

2. What to Expect

2.1 Variety

From riverside dining rooms to smoky roadside grills, the guide celebrates skill, leaving formality (and price!) to the high class hotel-restaurants.

2.2 Local Flavour

Many entries champion northern staples: khao soi, hung-lay, nam prik noom, grilled pork jowl, and herb-rich sticky rice dishes.

2.3 Value (Bib Gourmand)

Chiang Mai has many Bib Gourmand listings — ideal for travellers wanting authentic quality without fine-dining prices.

3. Street Food

Street food is central to Chiang Mai’s Michelin selection. Many stalls have cooked the same dish for 20, 30, 40 years with the same exact techniques and unwavering quality flavours. They are "custodians of culinary heritage", and Michelin recognises this by selecting them for the Guide.

4. Example: Rotee Pa Dae (Bib Gourmand)

Link: https://guide.michelin.com/en/chiang-mai-region/chiang-mai/restaurant/rotee-pa-day

A simple roadside stall on Thapae Soi 4 (18:00–00:00) outside the temple.
What makes it special:
• Eggless roti dough for extra crispness - just organic flour and water
• Cooked slowly in coconut oil
• Crunchy outside, soft inside, almost pastry-like
• Around 20 topping choices including a flavoursome goat curry.

Michelin values Roti Pa Dae's precision, consistency and honest flavour. Eating here is "a street-side experience", they say - paper no plates, on the hoof no seats - ... unforgettable. And popular, numbered queues, hungry waits, maybe 50 people sometimes in the early evening.

As it happens, the entrepreneur who created Roti Pa Dae also has a butchers shop in the Chinese / Muslim Friday Market at Phaploen, an organic livestock farm at Hang Dong and he built a place of worship for his people. 

At school, he tells us, he was the Student Leader (Phu Nam Yao Chon) - the only Muslim in his class, the rest being buddhist. The role in a Buddhist school is about leadership + moral example, rather than prefect-style authority, emphasising guidance, calm behaviour, and responsibility, not discipline.

Hamza and goat topping - no photo of his aunt Pa Dae. Being in Michelin and word-of-mouth + organic has meant long queues and a ticket-number system. A roti costs $80c.

 What This Means for Diners

Chiang Mai’s Michelin entries show that:
• excellence doesn’t require high prices
• heritage recipes matter
• quality can appear anywhere
• a guide-worthy meal may cost only 30 - 60 baht

For visitors, this Guide offers a curated map of dependable, character-full cooking. For locals, it affirms and honours long-standing tradition.

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PART III - FIVE RECOMMENDATIONS NEAR CHANG KHLAN

1. Belén by Paulo Airaudo

153 Sridonchai Rd
Fine-dining with global influences and elegant plating. Among the most formal options.

2. The Service 1921 Restaurant & Bar

123 Charoen Prathet Rd
Colonial-era setting, contemporary Thai dishes, refined atmosphere. Book ahead.

3. Kiti Panit

19 Tha Phae Road
A beautifully restored teak mansion serving classic Northern Thai dishes with finesse.

4. Roti Pa Dae 

(Street food)
Michelin Bib Gourmand. Crisp roti, coconut oil, brilliant simplicity.

5. The House by Ginger

199 Mun Mueang Rd
Relaxed, stylish, modern takes on Northern dishes; ideal for lunch or dinner.

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Glossary

MICHELIN Guide: Global rating system evaluating food quality and consistency.
Bib Gourmand: Excellent cooking at moderate prices

Selected: cf not selected!
Street Food: Specialised dishes cooked in public spaces.
Roti: Thin fried flatbread.
Coconut oil: Aromatic oil used widely in Thai Muslim-style roti.

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