Chiang Mai nightlife

[heybruce]

I know there is, or was, a group posting on Chiang Mai nightlife, but now I can't find it.  Can anyone help me out?

 

I recently returned after four years away and have determined that Nimmanhamin's long decline continued in my absence; it was great ten years ago, now it is pathetic.  I'm looking for alternatives, ideally in the mold of BlarBlar or the original Nimmanhamin OMG, not the new OMG near the river.

[sqwakvfr]

I just stayed at hotel off of Nimmanhaemin last night and it was a royal yawner.  Had one beer at Beer Lab and called it a night.  If you want night life you could try Loi Kroh or venture down to BKK.  

[heybruce]

9 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I just stayed at hotel off of Nimmanhaemin last night and it was a royal yawner.  Had one beer at Beer Lab and called it a night.  If you want night life you could try Loi Kroh or venture down to BKK.  

Sad, isn't it.  The only places I've found on Nimmanhamin with any activity are Beer Lab (expensive) and Warm-Up (too young). 

 

I'm not a Loi Kroh fan; hooker bars lost all their charm  after the novelty value wore off.  I'd like to find a few restaurant bars that have pretties serving the customers.  Serving food and drink, not "full service".

[Sparktrader]

CM never had good nightlife. Go Bangkok.

[novacova]

T-Bar or Hom bar. My local friends like hanging out at those bars, if you like hanging out with Thais

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, heybruce said:

I'm not a Loi Kroh fan; hooker bars lost all their charm  after the novelty value wore off.  I'd like to find a few restaurant bars that have pretties serving the customers.  Serving food and drink, not "full service".

If you're looking for Thai style rock music and food ........

There's the lake at Chang Puak https://goo.gl/maps/HgLwUWA9pQwJdqgD6

And the roadside bars near the airport, beside BigC car park https://goo.gl/maps/btnbJ6wWm8XeoW6E9

 

A bit too Thai for most foreigners though (no English spoken).

Edited October 31, 2022 by BritManToo

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, novacova said:

T-Bar or Hom bar. My local friends like hanging out at those bars, if you like hanging out with Thais

T-Bar is on my list.  Where is Hom bar?

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

If you're looking for Thai style rock music and food ........

There's the lake at Chang Puak https://goo.gl/maps/HgLwUWA9pQwJdqgD6

And the roadside bars near the airport, beside BigC car park https://goo.gl/maps/btnbJ6wWm8XeoW6E9

 

A bit too Thai for most foreigners though (no English spoken).

I went to the lake bar (one of them) with my students over a decade ago.  It was nice, but this time I'm being lazy, I want to stay close to town.

[Paul Catton]

2 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

CM never had good nightlife. Go Bangkok.

Chiang Mai has always had good a nightlife scene spanning over the decades.

Nana Plaza, nor Soi Cowboy and other flesh entertainment venues was never the charm for the "Rose of the North" adventurers.

Pay for play was always available and best venues were not Loi Kroh, but rather the smaller bars on the left hand side of the old city within the moat.

Of course, I am only "repeating" gossip, being told third hand sitting on a bar stool.

[Sparktrader]

5 minutes ago, Paul Catton said:

Chiang Mai has always had good a nightlife scene spanning over the decades.

Nana Plaza, nor Soi Cowboy and other flesh entertainment venues was never the charm for the "Rose of the North" adventurers.

Pay for play was always available and best venues were not Loi Kroh, but rather the smaller bars on the left hand side of the old city within the moat.

Of course, I am only "repeating" gossip, being told third hand sitting on a bar stool.

I never saw it. Looked lame to me. 

[novacova]

1 hour ago, heybruce said:

T-Bar is on my list.  Where is Hom bar?

Chang Phueak near Lotus off 11

[1FinickyOne]

I went to Casablanca for the waters... so don't ask me. 

[Paul Catton]

11 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

I never saw it. Looked lame to me. 

"Sherlock Holmes - Dr Watson". You see but not observe, Would perhaps look lame with

maybe having Bangkok expectation. 

[elektrified]

18 hours ago, BritManToo said:

If you're looking for Thai style rock music and food ........

There's the lake at Chang Puak https://goo.gl/maps/HgLwUWA9pQwJdqgD6

And the roadside bars near the airport, beside BigC car park https://goo.gl/maps/btnbJ6wWm8XeoW6E9

 

A bit too Thai for most foreigners though (no English spoken).

Suan Luang bar area is really dilapidated now after years of neglect and closure during Covid. I went recently and there were only 3 places open and hardly anyone there. I didn't stop. I used to like going there a few years ago.

 

There is also Thannon Sri Ping Muang which was also quite a dump but the government has improved the road and the flooding situation and some of the bars have come back.

[Berkshire]

Santitham?  Haven't been in ages, but used to be loaded with restaurant/bars and plenty of hot serving girls.  Mostly caters to Thais, not many foreigners.

[novacova]

3 hours ago, Berkshire said:

Santitham?  Haven't been in ages, but used to be loaded with restaurant/bars and plenty of hot serving girls.  Mostly caters to Thais, not many foreigners.

Santitham is my favorite area. Lots of different shops, Kad Thannin. Id prefer to hang out with Thais anyway, foreigners not so much. Come to think of it, I’ve only spoken to one foreigner in the last two years.

Edited November 1, 2022 by novacova

[Paul Catton]

The best bar for nightlife I have ever attended was located in the Anusarn Market area.

@CMKiwi took me there which was prior to Covid-19 decimating life as we knew it.

It definitely was not a flesh trading operation, in my imposed blinkered opinion.

This particular bar on our visit had a renowned winner of the Thai version to something similar to Britain's Got Talent or Americas Got Talent with his backing group that rocked the night to the early hours. 

Presumably, Anusarn Market is now a huge car-park with shutters closed on the fixed peripheral businesses.

 

 

[DezLez]

14 hours ago, Paul Catton said:

The best bar for nightlife I have ever attended was located in the Anusarn Market area.

@CMKiwi took me there which was prior to Covid-19 decimating life as we knew it.

It definitely was not a flesh trading operation, in my imposed blinkered opinion.

This particular bar on our visit had a renowned winner of the Thai version to something similar to Britain's Got Talent or Americas Got Talent with his backing group that rocked the night to the early hours. 

Presumably, Anusarn Market is now a huge car-park with shutters closed on the fixed peripheral businesses.

 

 

Anusarn market is up and running again but the "Thai European" bar is long closed and is unlikely to reopen!

[JimTripper]

What do you mean by pathetic? Nothing open, or the people?

 

I remember living up there in Nimm 10 years ago. I never really had a good time in the clubs up there. It always felt strange being there like I was trying to pick up on Thai college students on a night out or something or that people were watching what I was doing.

 

Much more comfortable in the foreigner bars in the old city and that scene. Could be just that I was older and it was a younger crowd ????‍♂️ that I did not have much in common with.

 

Try Monkey Club if it's still open, or Warm Up, or that complex of places on the left as you head towards the airport. Live music, dancing, DJ's. What else do you need? There should be club like/drinking places all along the side streets. If that feels weird, it's probably the crowd that's not right.

Edited November 6, 2022 by JimTripper

[thaibeachlovers]

On 10/31/2022 at 8:26 PM, sqwakvfr said:

I just stayed at hotel off of Nimmanhaemin last night and it was a royal yawner.  Had one beer at Beer Lab and called it a night.  If you want night life you could try Loi Kroh or venture down to BKK.  

Loi Kroh is a bad joke idea of night life.

Anyone wanting a nightlife should live in Pattaya or Bkk. C M is a night life desert, IMO.

Obviously I'm talking about farang oriented girl night life. Wasn't interested in hanging out in "club" style places playing music I loath or Thai places with a young clientele.

Edited November 6, 2022 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

On 11/1/2022 at 12:48 AM, Paul Catton said:

"Sherlock Holmes - Dr Watson". You see but not observe, Would perhaps look lame with

maybe having Bangkok expectation. 

There was no reason C M couldn't have night life as good as Bkk. That it didn't says much about the city.

[heybruce]

10 hours ago, JimTripper said:

What do you mean by pathetic? Nothing open, or the people?

 

I remember living up there in Nimm 10 years ago. I never really had a good time in the clubs up there. It always felt strange being there like I was trying to pick up on Thai college students on a night out or something or that people were watching what I was doing.

 

Much more comfortable in the foreigner bars in the old city and that scene. Could be just that I was older and it was a younger crowd ????‍♂️ that I did not have much in common with.

 

Try Monkey Club if it's still open, or Warm Up, or that complex of places on the left as you head towards the airport. Live music, dancing, DJ's. What else do you need? There should be club like/drinking places all along the side streets. If that feels weird, it's probably the crowd that's not right.

Nimmanhamin was a very different place ten years ago.  It had BlarBlar Bar, Monkey Club, Lism, Omg, and other places that closed long ago.  Now it seems to be just WarmUp and Beer Lab.  I have passed one or two buildings that I think housed some kind of dance club, techno music or something like that.  Those don't appeal to me.

 

I miss the open air restaurant bars with good food and pretties that used to be common in Nimmanhamin and other places.  I still haven't checked out Santitham yet, it is my last hope.

[Paul Catton]

12 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

There was no reason C M couldn't have night life as good as Bkk. That it didn't says much about the city.

Chaing Mai always had a nightlife scene albeit without the reputation of  One night in Bangkok 

 

[seedy]

Find a 'Pretty' online - where it's at these days

Go to any restaurant you choose with her.

[heybruce]

3 minutes ago, seedy said:

Find a 'Pretty' online - where it's at these days

Go to any restaurant you choose with her.

I know that is an option, and I don't rule it out.

 

However I'm looking for the kind of random good times that come from going out with no specific plans for a bit of carousing.  I'm looking for some good places to do that.  And, as you might have guessed, I'm too old for carousing in Warm Up or the Zoe complex.

[JimTripper]

Did you try the Riverside Bar & Restaurant on the Ping river near the old city? They have lots of live music, outdoor seating, etc.

Edited November 8, 2022 by JimTripper

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

Did you try the Riverside Bar & Restaurant on the Ping river near the old city? They have lots of live music, outdoor seating, etc.

I've been there, but not for years.  I think of it as more of a date place than a hang-out.

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, heybruce said:

I've been there, but not for years.  I think of it as more of a date place than a hang-out.

Yep, used to take my dates there.

Back in the good old days of Hotshots!

Edited November 8, 2022 by BritManToo

[JimTripper]

9 hours ago, heybruce said:

I've been there, but not for years.  I think of it as more of a date place than a hang-out.

What you are probably looking for is a beer bar.

 

You feel to young for a place like Zoe In Yellow and you don't prefer a date place where more mature people would be.

[heybruce]

20 hours ago, JimTripper said:

What you are probably looking for is a beer bar.

 

You feel to young for a place like Zoe In Yellow and you don't prefer a date place where more mature people would be.

If the old OMG and BlarBlar were beer bars, then yes, I am looking for a beer bar.