Good Places To Eat In Chiang Mai

[CalicoConsulting]

Rasseru, I wish I owned an authentic Indian restaurant. I'd never eat anything else.

[Ulysses G.]

Ganga Jamuna Restaurant, very close to the Prince Hotel, opened in late June and has the best and most authentic Indian food I've ever eaten in my life.

Thanks for this, CalicoConsulting. Turns out it is just down the street from me. Based on your endorsement, I'll be checking it out very, very soon.

Your review is so positive, though, that I am forced to wonder: if I ask to meet the owner, will I be introduced to you?

I am wondering the same thing.

[ihop]

GANGA JAMUNA INDIAN RESTAURANT

1/1 Taiwang Road, next to Prince Hotel

I'd like to second CalicoConsulting's enthusiasm for Ganga Jamuna. Been there twice the past month and had a great meal both times. I've been looking for a good Indian restaurant in Chiang Mai to go to on a regular basis when the craving for naan and masala strike and Ganja fits the bill perfectly.

One of the things I enjoy is dipping my naan in curry and this place provides enough sauce in their dishes for dipping and eating with my rice. The other Indian restaurants i've tried in town seem to be very conservative with their sauce...barely enough to go with the rice which makes me have to ration for my naan...mai sanuk.

The Chicken Butter is delicious...a great substitute for Chicken Tikka Masala fans. Also recommend the Aloo Tikki (fried potato cakes) served with a light tamarind sauce. Looking forward to trying their Samosa.

I can add that the prices are very reasonable, the atmosphere is clean, relaxing and a nice change of scenery, the service is family-oriented, bottled beer is served in a chilled mug, and street parking is not too difficult for those with a car (at least the two times a went in the evening). It's a one-way street so you can easily park on either side.

Enjoy!

_ihop

[Ulysses G.]

An American freind of mine who was born and lived in India until he was 20 says this new restaurant is pretty good, but that the Royal India across from the Porn Ping Hotel in the Night Bazaar is the best in town.

He invited me to lunch there yesterday, and, as he said, the food was good before, but has gotten even better recently.

Try both places and post your opinion here!

[CalicoConsulting]

We almost ate at the Royal India on my birthday, but we had a little trouble finding them and settled for German instead. I think I'll get my regular Indian food fixes at Ganga Jamuna because they're close (I live near Wat Santitham) and they'll deliver to my house, but I'll find my way to Royal India one of these days.

[Ulysses G.]

We almost ate at the Royal India on my birthday, but we had a little trouble finding them and settled for German instead. I think I'll get my regular Indian food fixes at Ganga Jamuna because they're close (I live near Wat Santitham) and they'll deliver to my house, but I'll find my way to Royal India one of these days.

On Charoen Prated Road, the street that runs the same way as Chang Klan Road (the Night Bazaar Road), but one block closer to the river, almost across from the Porn Ping Hotel.

Thanks for recommending Ganga Jamuna. It certainly looks homey and inviting.

[hong]

Anyone know where got good buffet to eat? The one that i visit is near the museum insect there, but i wish to visit other good recomend buffet.

Edited August 20, 2006 by hong

[likite]

CalicoConsulting

post Yesterday, 2006-08-19 09:32:32

Post #267

Do you love Indian food?

Ganga Jamuna Restaurant, very close to the Prince Hotel, opened in late June and has the best and most authentic Indian food I've ever eaten in my life. The menu is huge, with a whole lot of English, and I suspect everything is delicious. I know everything I've ordered is delicious. I found them one afternoon, and returned later in the afternoon for more food. If you visit, you might see me. I think I'll be there that often.

I get questions in my email about why I left China after 6.5 years and why I moved to Chiang Mai. Well, aside from the fact that I wanted to come here while I still had two functioning brain cells to rub together, I've discovered at the age of 40 plus that culinary considerations matter to me. Having an awesome Indian restaurant matters. Having an awesome Indian restaurant that delivers rocks my world.

The menu is huge. The proprietors are from India. The food is phenomenal. The phone number is 053-233771. The address is Taiwong Road, Muang Chiang Mai, and if you find that you're there since the road's rather small. The place is large and roomy, the music is Indian and subdued, the menu is large and mouth-watering, the staff would rather speak English than Thai which really messes with my head, the ceiling fans are quite effective, the decor is quite beautiful, the atmosphere is just so great, the kitchen is huge, the smells are such that you actually hate to leave if you're buying takeaway. They also deliver, which I plan to experience quite soon. But ######. Get yourself some Aaloo Gobi and some Chicken Curry and some Chicken Tandoori and just wet yourself.

In other words, I'll be eating a whole lot of their food. But you already knew that, right? Of course you did. I'm not being subtle here. Too happy.

Don't hold your breathe with this one. This place served up the worst meal I've ever had. The service was slow and the food was ...............well I didn't eat it after 2 mouthfuls. I'll say no more.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Anyone know where got good buffet to eat? The one that i visit is near the museum insect there, but i wish to visit other good recomend buffet.

I like the sunday buffet at the Sheraton - about 450/500 per mouth. Fantastic choice of food!

PS. Weat elasticated trousers!

[el jefe]

Anyone know where got good buffet to eat? The one that i visit is near the museum insect there, but i wish to visit other good recomend buffet.

Hong, it's a Thai BBQ buffet you're looking for, right? I think the best one is the one behind Hillside 4. You'll see a steady stream of motos entering the alley just to the right (east) of the building. The food is similar to the one you're refering to near the insect museum, but the place is much, much cleaner.

If it's a Western buffet you want, my favorite is at the Amari Hotel. It's about 250B on weekdays and 350B on Sundays. A wide selection of western, inernational and Thai dishes. Plenty of western desserts too. Just about everything is done perfectly and the service is excellent. I can't compare it to the Sheraton since I've never been there, but the Amari is in the area I think your looking.

There's also a Vietnamese buffet on Suthep Road near Neimanheiman, called HaLong Bay. Pretty standard vietnamese selections from the buffet table, but you can order about 20 different items from the menu at no extra charge. The grilled shrimp with sugarcane is worth the 89B all by itself.

[footfall]

Re GANGA JAMUNA Indian restaurant : I thought their food was good - freshly prepared, very tasty, reasonably-priced genuine Indian family restaurant-type cooking. Yum ! I've eaten plenty of Indian food in India, too, though I would not claim to be an expert.

How are the prices at ROYAL INDIA, b.t.w. ?

Edited August 21, 2006 by footfall

[Ulysses G.]

How are the prices at ROYAL INDIA, b.t.w. ?

Cheap.

100 baht for veg thali. Something like 150 for non-veg.

[ihop]

Don't hold your breathe with this one. This place served up the worst meal I've ever had. The service was slow and the food was ...............well I didn't eat it after 2 mouthfuls. I'll say no more.

Surprised you had such an extremely different experience. May I ask what you ordered?

_ihop

[hong]

Anyone know where got good buffet to eat? The one that i visit is near the museum insect there, but i wish to visit other good recomend buffet.

Hong, it's a Thai BBQ buffet you're looking for, right? I think the best one is the one behind Hillside 4. You'll see a steady stream of motos entering the alley just to the right (east) of the building. The food is similar to the one you're refering to near the insect museum, but the place is much, much cleaner.

If it's a Western buffet you want, my favorite is at the Amari Hotel. It's about 250B on weekdays and 350B on Sundays. A wide selection of western, inernational and Thai dishes. Plenty of western desserts too. Just about everything is done perfectly and the service is excellent. I can't compare it to the Sheraton since I've never been there, but the Amari is in the area I think your looking.

There's also a Vietnamese buffet on Suthep Road near Neimanheiman, called HaLong Bay. Pretty standard vietnamese selections from the buffet table, but you can order about 20 different items from the menu at no extra charge. The grilled shrimp with sugarcane is worth the 89B all by itself.

Yes right, that's a thai buffet that i'm looking for. Thanks for the good recomendation.

[CalicoConsulting]

Slow service. I'm willing to concede that one. I never travel without reading material, a habit I picked up in China, so I didn't notice. Now if I'm in a restaurant and I'm hungry, I do notice the serving times. But I was buying takeaway, and I caught them off-peak, so they were slow and I wasn't concerned. I read about the NFL, which is what I would've done at home anyway.

Later the same day, when I returned for a second takeaway order and to get a phone number for future deliveries, I thought I'd order a few quick aaloo gobis to take home. It turns out they weren't quick. Good thing I had more reading material, eh?

They had to chop all the ingredients before cooking them. I just assumed they'd have it all chopped up, maybe waiting in a freezer or something. I used to be a prep cook, spending my days buttering bread by the barrelful and making coleslaw in mind-boggling quantities. Maybe that's not a part of traditional Indian cooking, or maybe they're just too new to assume they can move that much food in one day. But the end result is, they're not always 30 minutes or less like Dominos. But if you like the flavor, as I do, it's worth the wait.

(I spent five years working in restaurants to pay my way through high school and university. That means I can be unnaturally understanding of some things and terribly unforgiving about others. And I don't remember what's "normal" where I come from because I left in 1999. So my perspective may be different than yours. Heck, it probably always was. I'm weird.)

Sorry to hear you didn't like the food. As have other posters, I wonder what you ordered. The cook recommended the butter chicken to me, the special of the day. But I'm pretty sure I'll never like anything in which butter is a featured ingredient, so I stuck with my old favorites. Chicken curry. Aaloo gobi, as seen in BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM. Garlic nan. Next time, rest assured tandoori chicken will be part of my order.

Hey, some people don't like Indian food. That's cool. But I do. We don't have it in North Carolina, meaning it was new to me when I moved to Asia. But the best I've eaten, and I assume the most authentic, was from Ganga Jamuna.

(I haven't been to Royal India yet, folks. I'll get there eventually. I plan to spend years in Chiang Mai.)

Oh, and to el jefe, thanks for recommending buffets to Hong. I plan to visit them all. I thrive on variety when I eat, and they're all closer to me than the Indian place I've been on about.

Edited August 22, 2006 by CalicoConsulting

[el jefe]

Oh, and to el jefe, thanks for recommending buffets to Hong. I plan to visit them all. I thrive on variety when I eat, and they're all closer to me than the Indian place I've been on about.

CC -

I'm a fan of buffets too, but I don't consider the Thai buffets to be very good. In addition to the grill-your-own meat, fish, tofu and vegetables, they serve a wide variety of cooked food. Almost all of it was prepared much earlier in the day. Cold fried food isn't worth the calories. The papaya salad and everything else that wasn't meant to be eaten right after frying will be fine. For 89B, don't over-eat. I've learned that I'm happier there when I eat less and walk out full, not stuffed. I've tried several of the buffets and the one behind Hilside 4 is the cleanest. If you go, there will be about 500 Thais and you'll be one of 4 or 5 farang.

You'll have no complaints with the variety and quality at the Vietnamese and Amari buffets. I'm sure the Sheraton is excellent too.

[Mahseer]

Had late lunch today at the recently discussed Ganga Jamuna restaurant next to the Prince hotel and not overly impressed. The mutton curry was 120baht and Sherlock himself would have been pushed finding the meat amongst the bones and what little meat there was was mostly chopped liver. I also ordered 2 types of nan, ginger and garlic which were small in size and completely average. Even the vegetable somasas were disappointing with contents limited to potatoe and a single pea in each!! If there is to be a next time then I'dd do it English style with a skin load of beer first but there just may not be a second time despite the fact its walking distance from home. For the record wife had chicken byriani which was pulai rice with half a dozen cubes of chicken on top and mediocre at best.

Very disappointing after the recent rave reviews.

[footfall]

Well, that is disappointing, Mahseer and quite different to my fairly recent experience and others' accounts ...

Wonder what is going on there. It sounds like cost-cutting to me. Perhaps they are not getting the traffic they need to sustain the quality at the same prices ? I am not a business person but I would imagine it's not easy to get a specialty restaurant going here. And I suppose they don't get a chance to get things happening if the patronage drops off ... .

Hope they can succeed here. I can only repeat that my experience was good. Not gourmet, of course, but it was fresh, genuine, home-style Indian; very enjoyable.

[CalicoConsulting]

I haven't tried any of their mutton dishes. I can, however, report that the Chicken Tandoori is especially delicious and the Daal also impressed me. Given the small portions -- they are new -- I throw it over rice. I love the flavors.

[blackbart]

I love the Dukes, but I didn't dig the burger too much. Haven't found a good burger in CM yet.

Then you obviously have not been looking!

Try:

Pirates Cove Bar: Across the street from the Arnodad (sp?) hotel inside the old city. this has got to be the best, juiciest burger i've had in CM. I've only had a couple of them as I have only recently deisovered the place. The burger is tops among some very strong competition. It has replaced all the others in CM as my favorite burger. some of the other choice fromteh menu are eaqually as good. BTW the website has improved, no menu, Nice mapf of the inner city (especially if you read Japanese). For a young business with relative newcomers running it the place is definitely a place to keep an eye on. The owner is a man that listens to his customers when it comes to the food. The Thai food is excellent. prices are good too. Thai food is just tad above street food prices. I would vote it the "Best Burger in Chiangmai" but only by a very thin hair and some folks taste would vary.

Chaingmai Saloon: "now with two locations to server you" the new one is much larger and The food is not quite up to the Loi Kroh rd location, But I've wathced Ron running herd on the folks there and It will be shortly, I believe. The burgers there are made from imported beef but the cheapo Chiangmai burger made from local beef is quite tasty in it's own right. The rest of the menu is quite good as well typical fried foods not high cuisine to be sure but good heart fare. Until PCB this was my favorite place for a sit-down burger and few beers.

The Rose guest house: This is just up the road from Pirates cove and the burger there is somewhat smaller, still quite good, it comes with grilled onions. The menu is spotty as far as quality though. They do make one of the best breakfasts in town. The english breakfast has english style bacon and beans and the american has american style bacon and some frozen hasbron patty, still god though. The sausage is tasty but a bit dry (as with everywhere else, not enough fat) The portions are good sized. Wife tells me to avoid the Thai food though.

Mikes original: been discussed quite a bit on the board from what I've read. Still a great fast food burger modeled after the In 'n Out burger in the US. having been eating there since the place opened I am not to happy with the new menu and being cajoled into buying a "set" then having it "super sized," or whatever. The new owner has added fountain sodas as opposed to the canned variety, a definite improvement.

if after trying those places you still feel that mcDonalds is still the best burger, I fear there is really no hope for you your definition of a Good Burger is not necessarily that of the majority and you might wish to refrain from offering further reviews on any kind of food. (all in good fun now)

[tigerbeer]

I haven't tried any of their mutton dishes. I can, however, report that the Chicken Tandoori is especially delicious and the Daal also impressed me. Given the small portions -- they are new -- I throw it over rice. I love the flavors.

the northern indian style of making mutton in my opinion is no where near that of the south indian. no where in CMI do they have a south indian restaurant. maybe some entreprenuer would come up soon from malaysia to serve us dishes that of banana leaf rice with mutton, fried spanish mackerel, dosai, masala dosai, idlis, phrathas, masala chicken, mutton, cutlets. phew! the list goes on..

punchline is that i normally stay away from eating mutton in any restaurants in cmi. at the moment.

[Mahseer]

Sunday roast - when I'm in town I normally frequent The Pub for roast dinner (lamb/pork/beef for 250baht) as they are serving late afternoon/early evening but this week decided to give Queen Vic a go as I was up early for once. QV is a carvery and all you can eat and choice of 3 meats (chicken / lamb / beef +3 veg+ roast and mashed spuds) and found it excellent even though I am not a big eater plus there was a good crowd in which to me is a plus when dealing with carveries. Talking to the chef they run from 1130 until basically sold out which can be 1600-1800. Certainly recommended.

[footfall]

the northern indian style of making mutton in my opinion is no where near that of the south indian. no where in CMI do they have a south indian restaurant. maybe some entreprenuer would come up soon from malaysia to serve us dishes that of banana leaf rice with mutton, fried spanish mackerel, dosai, masala dosai, idlis, phrathas, masala chicken, mutton, cutlets. phew! the list goes on..

punchline is that i normally stay away from eating mutton in any restaurants in cmi. at the moment.

Yes, a Malaysian place would be nice.

Good point about the mutton. Perhaps not the best choice.

Also, don't forget that the small quantities of meat are normal in India. Indians would be amazed to see the quantites used in restaurants in our home countries - as would the Chinese, Thais and others.

The flyer for the Ganga restaurant says, "Indian and Bengali Arabia Pakistan food" (no commas )

so perhaps they are from Bengal ? The food may be a little different to what we might be accustomed to getting in Indian restaurants in "the West", or what we are expecting. I think the trick may be to figure out what they do best and stick with those dishes - perhaps the Bengali ones. If anyone goes there, try to strike up a conversation and share the info here.

Also, give a little polite feedback if there are problems. They may be new to the restaurant business. It could be very helpful. If you'd like more meat in your curry and are willing to pay more for it, let them know. They could have an "extra meat" option . (I actually prefer little meat.) Mention that it might be nice to use a few other veggies in the samosas. ("That pea was delicious ! I wish there had been more !" ) Tell them the things you think they are doing right, too.

I think there are a few of us hoping to see this restaurant offering consistently good stuff ! A bit of communication with the owners and staff might help that happen.

P.S. I did a little googling to find out something about Bengali cooking. If you're interested, take a look at http://milonee.net/bengali_recipes/intro.html#how . Seems they should be good with fish.

Edited August 27, 2006 by footfall

[The Dan Sai Kid]

"That pea was delicious ! I wish there had been more !"

LOL!

[CalicoConsulting]

I happen to love Mexican food. So yeah, I know all about Miguels. When I was managing an all-Latino hog farm in North Carolina, my amigos called me Miguel.

(Gavachos call me Michael. Thais assume it's phonetic and call me Michelle.)

I also know about the guy inside Rimping with "Burrito House."

What else Mexican is there in this town? Miguel's a little pricey, and Burrito House is a bit too much like what I could cook after shopping at Rimping. I eat there too much. Hey, he's got a convenient location.

[sabaijai]

the northern indian style of making mutton in my opinion is no where near that of the south indian. no where in CMI do they have a south indian restaurant. maybe some entreprenuer would come up soon from malaysia to serve us dishes that of banana leaf rice with mutton, fried spanish mackerel, dosai, masala dosai, idlis, phrathas, masala chicken, mutton, cutlets. phew! the list goes on..

punchline is that i normally stay away from eating mutton in any restaurants in cmi. at the moment.

Yes, a Malaysian place would be nice.

Good point about the mutton. Perhaps not the best choice.

Also, don't forget that the small quantities of meat are normal in India. Indians would be amazed to see the quantites used in restaurants in our home countries - as would the Chinese, Thais and others.

The flyer for the Ganga restaurant says, "Indian and Bengali Arabia Pakistan food" (no commas )

so perhaps they are from Bengal ? The food may be a little different to what we might be accustomed to getting in Indian restaurants in "the West", or what we are expecting. I think the trick may be to figure out what they do best and stick with those dishes - perhaps the Bengali ones. If anyone goes there, try to strike up a conversation and share the info here.

Also, give a little polite feedback if there are problems. They may be new to the restaurant business. It could be very helpful. If you'd like more meat in your curry and are willing to pay more for it, let them know. They could have an "extra meat" option . (I actually prefer little meat.) Mention that it might be nice to use a few other veggies in the samosas. ("That pea was delicious ! I wish there had been more !" ) Tell them the things you think they are doing right, too.

I think there are a few of us hoping to see this restaurant offering consistently good stuff ! A bit of communication with the owners and staff might help that happen.

P.S. I did a little googling to find out something about Bengali cooking. If you're interested, take a look at http://milonee.net/bengali_recipes/intro.html#how . Seems they should be good with fish.

Haven't been to the place yet, but I doubt they're serving Bengali cuisine. More likely the sign reading "Indian and Bengali Arabia Pakistan food" is a signal that the food served is halal, ie, can be eaten by Muslims following Muslim eating traditions. This means the usual, somewhat generic moghlai menu you find at "Indian and Bengali Arabia Pakistan" restaurants around Soi 3, Sukhumvit or much of Pattaya, where Muslim tourists and residents (from the Middle East, India, Pakistan, Bangla Desh, etc) congregate. Look forward to trying it, hope it's not the usual north Indian/Middle Eastern hash ....

[footfall]

Ah, I see ... might well be indicating halal.

Still, I figure that if we all encourage such places to cook what they'd eat at home & cook best, and support them, they might move away from the typical menus.

[CalicoConsulting]

The Burrito House is no more. Alas, poor Yorick, we hardly knew you.

[piet pompies]

Went to Khun Chuan Nimanhaemin Soi 7, Veg food. Great lunch, thanks all for this good section on food in Chiangmai

[loveandlaughter]

Heads up on Mexican place - MIGUEL'S - i think is name.....opposite Sompet Market just before the corner of Moon Muang.

VERY GOOD and you can add on extras........

This is the Mexican you've been waiting for!