Best Khao Soi in Chiang Mai: 8 Shops, Prices, Hours

For the cheapest bowl go to Khao Soi Arak, THB 50. For the famous lunch, get to Khao Soi Khun Yai early because it runs out by midday, or to Khao Soi Maesai, the Michelin Bib Gourmand shop. For air-conditioning pick Han Thueng or Maepasri.

Khao soi is cheap enough to eat twice in a week, so choose by timing rather than by fame. The two best-known shops punish a late arrival, and several others are calmer, cheaper or cooler. If you have not picked a base yet, start with where to eat in Chiang Mai by area, and if street food worries you, read the food safety guide first.

Quick picks

• Cheapest and plainest: Khao Soi Arak, THB 50 a bowl.
• Famous lunch, early: Khao Soi Khun Yai, because the beef and chicken go first.
• Michelin-listed: Khao Soi Maesai, and go when it opens to skip the queue.
• Mild and clean: Khao Soi Mueang Klaeng, with wrapped chopsticks and spoons.
• Air-conditioned: Han Thueng or Maepasri.
• Nimman: Muay Khao Soi, big bowls and an English-speaking owner.

Checked November 2026.

Khao Soi Arak: the cheapest, plainest bowl

Arak is a basic family shop in an Old City alley with no air-conditioning, and it serves a mild khao soi that is not heavy on coconut milk. Order the chicken-leg bowl, because the drumstick comes very soft. Skip it if you need a cool room, and do not plan a weekend visit, since it is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Open 10:30 AM to 4 PM on weekdays · 36/2 Arak 7 Alley, Old City · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Khao Soi Khun Yai: the famous lunch, if you are early

Khun Yai is the old-school lunch inside the moat, and its khao soi runs spicy for first-timers. Beef and chicken go first, so arrive early: it runs out by midday and late arrivals get pork or nothing.

Finding it is half the job, because the shop sits inside a walled compound beside the main road with no signboard, almost directly across from Wat Lok Molee. There is car parking in the compound. Skip it if you arrive after noon or cannot handle chilli.

Open 10 AM to 2 PM, closed Sunday · Sri Poom 8 Alley, Old City · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Maepasri: air-conditioning and a long menu in the Old City

Maepasri is the pick for a group that wants more than khao soi: the menu is long and translated into English, and there is an air-conditioned room as well as an outdoor area. The khao soi comes with beef or chicken, grilled or fried, and you can ask for it without chilli.

Skip it if you want a one-dish noodle stall, because this is a full restaurant with a menu to match.

Open daily 9 AM to 9 PM · 179 Ratchamanka Road, Old City · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Khao Soi Maesai: the Michelin-listed queue

Maesai is on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list, and it runs like a canteen: you write your order and seat number on a slip and give the number when you pay. The bowl is mild to moderate, toned down from the traditional one. The cost is the queue, which runs from 15 to 45 minutes at peak lunch, so arrive when it opens.

Paid parking opposite is THB 20 an hour. Skip it if you need air-conditioning, because the shop has fans only and the line outside is hot.

Open 8 AM to 4 PM, closed Sunday · 1 Ratchaphuek Alley, Chang Phueak · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Khao Soi Mueang Klaeng: mild, creamy and clean

Mueang Klaeng is the bowl for people who dislike heat: it is mild and creamy, and the shop hands out wrapped chopsticks and spoons and keeps itself clean. Besides khao soi it serves a few noodle soups, and you can have chicken or braised beef or pork in the bowl.

Skip it at midday if you hate heat, because the shop is open-air. Check the menu board before you order, since one recent diner paid THB 65 to 80 for a beef bowl.

Open 9 AM to 3:30 PM, closed Tuesday and Sunday · Changphuak Soi 2 · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Muay Khao Soi: big bowls and English in Nimman

Muay Khao Soi is the easy Nimman stop: bowls are big and generous with meat, the owner speaks English, and the room is clean and airy. Order chicken or pork and say so if you want it less spicy. It is cooled by fans, not air-conditioning, so skip it at the hottest hour if that matters to you.

Open 10 AM to 9 PM, closed Sunday · 36 Soi 12, Nimmanhaemin Road · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Han Thueng: a northern table with air-conditioning

Han Thueng is a full northern restaurant that opened in 2009 and lists more than 200 dishes, so khao soi is one choice among many. There is an air-conditioned room, which makes it the comfortable choice at midday. Skip it if you want the cheapest bowl in this list, because beef and crispy pork cost more than chicken.

It sits behind Chiang Mai University on Soi 4 of Wat Umong, so give your driver that soi name rather than the street address.

Open 10 AM to 4 PM and 5 to 9:30 PM daily · Suthep · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Khao-So-i: a modern take east of the river

Khao-So-i serves a fusion take rather than the old-school bowl, in a compound of small Japanese-style buildings that photograph well. The broth is thick, rich and coconut-sweet, bowls come in small, medium and big, and the staff are attentive. There is parking beside the restaurant.

Skip it for a cheap bowl: a medium chicken-and-pork bowl was THB 258 before the 10% service charge, against about THB 60 at many local shops. Sunday lunch means a queue of around 15 minutes.

Open 9 AM to 9 PM daily · 430 Charoen Rat Road (ถนน เจริญราษฎร์), Wat Ket · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Getting there

Inside the city a red truck has kept to about THB 30 per passenger. Show the driver the alley name and a landmark, such as Wat Lok Molee for Khao Soi Khun Yai or the Wat Umong soi for Han Thueng. For how to ride and pay, see the red truck guide, and for what else to budget, tipping and prices.

How we picked: shops with a high Google rating, then closed days, queues and prices from recent reviews and each shop’s menu. Checked November 2026.

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Not confirmed: Maepasri's khao soi price: not found, so ask before you order. Card or scan payment at Khao Soi Khun Yai and Khao Soi Arak: unclear, so carry baht. Khao Soi Mueang Klaeng: its menu boards and one recent bill differ, so read the board first.

General information checked against the sources listed above. Prices, opening hours and other details change; confirm them with the provider before you act. See how guides are checked.

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