Good Places To Eat In Chiang Mai

[pirate1]

I bought Willy's Wine Bar last December, and opened Pirates Cove in March. Great Thai and western(american style wings ect.) food. Thai food served Falang size. My name is Kevin an My wife is Robbin. We are americans. Best burger in Chiang Mai!!! Stop by for Happy Hour!!

[mobile69]

I bought Willy's Wine Bar last December, and opened Pirates Cove in March. Great Thai and western(american style wings ect.) food. Thai food served Falang size. My name is Kevin an My wife is Robbin. We are americans. Best burger in Chiang Mai!!! Stop by for Happy Hour!!

Yet another "Best Burger in Chiang Mai"

[pirate1]

I bought Willy's Wine Bar last December, and opened Pirates Cove in March. Great Thai and western(american style wings ect.) food. Thai food served Falang size. My name is Kevin an My wife is Robbin. We are americans. Best burger in Chiang Mai!!! Stop by for Happy Hour!!

Yet another "Best Burger in Chiang Mai"

I'll wager on that!! If it isn't the best, it's on me!!!

[chuchok]

Was out Ban Twai /Hang Dong for quite a few days last week.Had lunch at The Secret Garden three times.

The Ginger Pork Curry was just bloody b-e-a-utiful.

Shame about the host though.

[groo]

I bought Willy's Wine Bar last December, and opened Pirates Cove in March. Great Thai and western(american style wings ect.) food. Thai food served Falang size. My name is Kevin an My wife is Robbin. We are americans. Best burger in Chiang Mai!!! Stop by for Happy Hour!!

Yet another "Best Burger in Chiang Mai"

I'll wager on that!! If it isn't the best, it's on me!!!

hi mr. pirate, (aka Kevin), would u be kind enough in letting us (me) know where this place is? and also what time is happy hour??? or more precisely whats available during happy hours? (normally referred to drinks and beer but buy one burger get another one free?

.. really would like to know where u are at. someone mentioned irrigation canal area, but i hardly go around there. so perhaps a small description would help. thanks. hope to see the Pirates of the Carribean theme in your restaurant.

[chuchok]

I bought Willy's Wine Bar last December, and opened Pirates Cove in March. Great Thai and western(american style wings ect.) food. Thai food served Falang size. My name is Kevin an My wife is Robbin. We are americans. Best burger in Chiang Mai!!! Stop by for Happy Hour!!

where abouts is your place kevin.Will give it a go!

[mrmillersr]

I bought Willy's Wine Bar last December, and opened Pirates Cove in March. Great Thai and western(american style wings ect.) food. Thai food served Falang size. My name is Kevin an My wife is Robbin. We are americans. Best burger in Chiang Mai!!! Stop by for Happy Hour!!

Kevin,

Do you have a website up yet and where are you from in the states?

[geckobooksguy]

Double Post.

Edited April 8, 2006 by geckobooksguy

[geckobooksguy]

I like The Laughing Leprechaun Irish pub near The Cozy Corner Bar and Da Stephanos Italian food near Thapae Gate. Good quality and not too expensive.

Stephanos tender, fillet mignon Argentinean steak with potatoes and veggies is only 280 baht and probably the best in town for the price!

[chuchok]

I like The Laughing Leprechaun Irish pub near The Cozy Corner Bar and Da Stephanos Italian food near Thapae Gate. Good quality and not too expensive.

Stephanos tender, fillet mignon Argentinean steak with potatoes and veggies is only 280 baht and probably the best in town for the price!

Argentinean steak..really!! do they give you a decent serving....and I don't mean veges...just the meat (as the Actress said to the Bishop )

[Loaded]

This is a nice time to go to the Mae Kuang dam. For the first time in my memory, the resevoir is overflowing down its spillway -- and they have the gate open at the top of the dam so you can drive to the *top* of the spillway, thus being able to view the waterfall from both top and bottom; plus a nice clear view of the mountains and resevoir, as the seasonal burning has not yet begun to obscure things.

But anyway, this section is about restaurants. So on your way to Mae Kuang on route 118 to Chiang Rai, turn left about half a mile past the Doi Saket exit -- it's the exit to Tao Gardens (and easy to miss, so if you begin to go uphill, you've missed it). The country road meanders along a waterway for several clicks, then passes an abandoned PTT gas station. Just around the left hand curve -- on your left hand side -- is Sorn's Cafe. A blackboard with his specialties marks the footbridge to his very-nicely adorned eatery. Plenty of parking on the roadside.

Nice menu -- Western and Thai. Sorn is Thai, but lived in San Francisco for a few decades, plus went to school in England prior to that. So, his input to his restaurant doesn't have the boring sameness that seems to hit many of the other eateries in the CM area.

But anyway, if you're out for a drive, the Mae Kuang dam and Sorn's Cafe make for a nice afternoon combination. (Ask Sorn how to get to the spillway if you're unsure.)

Oh, Sorn's is closed on Mondays, and, I believe, from 2 to 4 pm.

I've done the dam and Sorn's myself a few times. Very difficult to give directions but if you cut across from Sansai to the dam rather than go the DoiSaket Rd. you'll travel through some very beautiful countryside: paddy, villages and mountain views.

Between the dam and Sorn's is a nice little Thai massage place within the local government health compound. A platform over a small lake, very relaxing late afternoon if you've just had a feed. 100 baht/hour.

[geckobooksguy]

I like The Laughing Leprechaun Irish pub near The Cozy Corner Bar and Da Stephanos Italian food near Thapae Gate. Good quality and not too expensive.

Stephanos tender, fillet mignon Argentinean steak with potatoes and veggies is only 280 baht and probably the best in town for the price!

Argentinean steak..really!! do they give you a decent serving....and I don't mean veges...just the meat (as the Actress said to the Bishop )

It's not huge, but it is a decent sized portion wrapped in bacon; filet mignon is never very big.

All I can say is that it is tasty as well as nice and tender and I always feel perfectly satisfied with the portion and I'm a pretty big eater.

[chuchok]

It's not huge, but it is a decent sized portion wrapped in bacon; filet mignon is never very big.

All I can say is that it is tasty as well as nice and tender and I always feel perfectly satisfied with the portion and I'm a pretty big eater.

Try the Angus SteaK House in Albert street, Auckland.They serve a Fillet Mignon the size of two of my clenched hands..not small George, but neither are we Kiwis.

I'll give Da Stephanos a shot.Probably when the wifes away, as she eats like a horse.

[true blue]

moc mol very good great surroundings good singer nice food not dear

[mrmillersr]

"where abouts is your place kevin.Will give it a go! "

"hi mr. pirate, (aka Kevin), would u be kind enough in letting us (me) know where this place is? and also what time is happy hour??? or more precisely whats available during happy hours? (normally referred to drinks and beer but buy one burger get another one free?

.. really would like to know where u are at. someone mentioned irrigation canal area, but i hardly go around there. so perhaps a small description would help. thanks. hope to see the Pirates of the Carribean theme in your restaurant"

"Do you have a website up yet and where are you from in the states?"

Hey Kevin,

As a new business, it would be a good idea to reply when someone asks for more information, especially, how to get to your place. Chances of surviving and making a living at what you are doing are slim at best, so I would jump at every opportunity that might get another customer to come thru your doors.

[cdnvic]

Try the Angus SteaK House in Albert street, Auckland.They serve a Fillet Mignon the size of two of my clenched hands..not small George, but neither are we Kiwis.

I'll second chuchok's opinion on this place. Hard as it is for a Canadian to admit this, New Zealand beef, particularly from the north island, is the best in the world.... by a long shot.

cv

[Ulysses G.]

Try the Angus SteaK House in Albert street, Auckland.They serve a Fillet Mignon the size of two of my clenched hands..not small George, but neither are we Kiwis.

I'll second chuchok's opinion on this place. Hard as it is for a Canadian to admit this, New Zealand beef, particularly from the north island, is the best in the world.... by a long shot.

cv

Really?

I'm not saying that you are wrong, but I haven't been that impressed with the quality of the Aussie and New Zealand beef that is exported to Thailand. I had a piece of NZ "roast beef" in a good restaurant a couple of days ago that tasted like chuck roast to me.

Is there a reason for that?

[chuchok]

Really?

I'm not saying that you are wrong, but I haven't been that impressed with the quality of the Aussie and New Zealand beef that is exported to Thailand. I had a piece of NZ "roast beef" in a good restaurant a couple of days ago that tasted like chuck roast to me.

Is there a reason for that?

Depends where it comes from.you can buy cheap beef anywhere.I would think that if it was tough, then it hasn't been hung and was "new' before freezing.

The best beef is 'chilled' for export and not frozen.

I don't know if our beef is the best, but a steak off a Black-Angus that has been hung is hard to beat....

[cdnvic]

Alot of crap gets exported. I used to grumble about how terrible kiwi pork was compared to Canadian until I found out it was actually poor quality Canadian stuff.

In my opinion, this is where you get the best meats on average:

Beef- Waikato or Gisborne beef from New Zealand. Alberta (Can) and Montana (US) next best.

Pork- Grain fed Canadian pork from the prairies. (not the crap they export to NZ)

Lamb- South Australian is better by far than any others.

Poultry- Canadian again. I avoid American poultry whenever possible due to excess "enhancements".

Seafood- New Zealand has top quality seafood. Avoid Canadian unless you're sure it's wild. Too much sealice infested farmed salmon being exported lately.

cv

[sabaijai]

After reading so much about Miguel's Mexican here on tv.com, I finally tried it out last night for the first time. My impressions of the place itself: clean, nicely done for a fast-food-style place, more inviting than Mike's Burgers, with tables inside plus counter stools. Kind of a seedy location, with the short-time Miami Hotel next door, and a strip of girlie bars around the corner and down the soi, but it somehow seems to meld perfectly with that spot.

I ordered just one item from the large menu, a pork taco. Technically it was not a taco, since it was made with a wheat-flour tortilla rather than a corn tortilla. Hence it was more like a burrito - a folded burrito. The menu described the pork as 'carnitas', which is a very specific way of preparing pork in Mexico in which an entire pig is braised/stewed for many hours in a copper or cast-iron tub, resulting in super-tender meat. Seasonings that go into carnitas are jealously guarded secrets in Mexico but there is a commonality of flavours you get from a true carnitas (fruit is one of them), and the pork at Miguel's didn't taste like any carnitas I'd ever had in Mexico (or the US for that matter). I'd guess it wasn't cooked in the traditional way.

Setting these two misnomers aside, it was quite tasty. The flour tortillas are made fresh on the premises and were more delicious and more authentically Mexican than most flour tortillas you find in the USA, and pretty close to what you find in northern Mexico. A very pleasant surprise.

The pork, while not nearly as tender as Mexican carnitas, was an acceptable shredded roast pork with Mexican seasonings. Cheese is included automatically, which is very different from tacos in Mexico, where cheese is only added on request. The cheese tasted like mozzarella (maybe it was a jack, not sure) but it worked. The homemade salsa provided at every table was another surprise - fresh, with an excellent, traditionally Mexican balance of flavours (tomatoes, cilantro, lime, salt, chiles, maybe a little onion). Dousing the taco liberally with this salsa, made for a very pleasant dining experience. The taco cost 50 baht, which seems decent value in retrospect.

I brought along two friends, one British and one Thai, both of whom had never eaten Mexican food before. Neither were very enthused about the idea, either, but they both devoured the pork tacos with obvious relish. They also ordered margaritas (80B), which I tasted and found to be excellent. Here again you get the American version - frozen blender-made, rather than on the rocks (in Mexico only tourist resorts serve frozen margaritas, otherwise it's en las rocas).

It looks as if the only tortillas served here are flour tortillas, and the selections looks to be mainly border cooking. There are no Mexican entrees on the menu, only antojitos (snacks). Still, I look forward to coming back and trying other items on the menu.

BTW Miguel himself was nowhere to be seen.

[Ulysses G.]

I may be wrong about this, because my main interest is the burritos with flour tortillas, but I think that the tacos are wrapped in a soft corn tortilla that is imported from America, rather than the hard ones that they use in places like taco bell.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Ulysses G.]

I tried the fish and chips at the Queen Vic English Pub last night.

Not bad, but a small portion for 260. On top of that, they have FRENCH FRIES, not chips.

I prefer the Laughing Leprechan with REAL chips and a simular piece of cod. IMHO it is cheaper and a little more tasty.

[sabaijai]

I may be wrong about this, because my main interest is the burritos with flour tortillas, but I think that the tacos are wrapped in a soft corn tortilla that is imported from America, rather than the hard ones that they use in places like taco bell.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Nope, the pork tacos we were served came in folded flour tortillas. I'm curious whether the enchiladas on the menu also come in flour tortillas. I looked behind the counter and didn't see any corn tortillas in sight, so suspect they're made with flour tortillas as well, which could make for a rather soggy enchilada since wheat flour tortillas absorb a lot more moisture than corn tortillas. Ditto for the taquitos (also known as flautas), which in common practice should be made with corn tortillas. Next time I'll try to sample both. Good flour tortillas though, never expected to find flour tortillas of that quality in Thailand.

[Ulysses G.]

Art Cafe' is right at Thapae Gate.

Real hash browns, blueberry pancakes, American style breakfast bisquits, bagels with cream cheese and all kinds of omelets and unusual American breakfast stuff.

One of the best farang breakfast places in all of LOS, especially for Yanks!

[sabaijai]

Revisited Miguel's, ordered a cheese enchilada this time, and it was made with corn tortillas. So they do have them, wonder why they don't use them for the tacos? It was a decent enchilada, with a Tex-Mex style sauce.

Also ordered nachos, crisp totopos (tortilla chips) topped wth cheese, fresh chiles (enough to make it nicely spicy) and refried beans. In Texas they would call these ponchos rather than nachos. But very good, esp with added salsa.

Historical note: nachos were invented in 1943 in Piedra Negras, a Mexican border town opposite Eagle Pass, Texas, by cook Ignacio Anaya. 'Nacho' is a common nickname for anyone named Ignacio, and the dish was called Nacho's Especiales. In the early 90s I visited his restaurant, El Moderno, still run by his son, Ignacio Anaya Jr, in Piedras Negras. They still made nachos the old-fashioned way, with the cheese and jalapenos layered on each individually, rather than spread over a pile of chips. If you add beans, the dish is called 'ponchos' and if you add beef it's another name I forget, but many Mexican restos in northern Mexico and southern Texas are still scrupulous about the nomenclature.

[up-country_sinclair]

i went into miguels today for a soft taco and quesadilla....whatever the problems may have been with the tortillas, they seem to have been solved.

no evidence of a 'floor show' with mike.

the staff, while disinterested, was courteous.

a bit over priced, but not absurdly.

the 'lowlight' of the meal was when some guy came in with a parrot and sat down next to me at the counter----fyi....just because you like to eat with your parrot, doesn't mean other people want to

[Ajarn]

Just wanted to suggest a place NOT to eat....

The Farang Cafe, located next to Rimping on the middle ring road..

This is a picture of the Fish Sandwich I just recieved.. 4 french fries, and a dried-up teeny tiny piece of foul-smelling fish. The Chicken Cordon Bleu was also inedible after being fried until BLACK

All personaly cooked by the owner...

This is not the first time I've received such food from the Farang Cafe, but it is the last time I 'll go there...

Edited April 20, 2006 by Ajarn

[Rinrada]

I tried the fish and chips at the Queen Vic English Pub last night.

Not bad, but a small portion for 260. On top of that, they have FRENCH FRIES, not chips.

I prefer the Laughing Leprechan with REAL chips and a simular piece of cod. IMHO it is cheaper and a little more tasty.

Noticed a Fish and Chip shop on last visit inside the moat just opposite the UN Irish pub...dont look too bad ...any comments?

JFYI if in UK..we tend to use the cafe in Morrisons on a Sunday morning where they do the whole thing ..big bit of cod,6 inch chips (not <deleted>) a portion of peas (not Mushy )plus a slice of lemon for £2-99...yea I co jai ...sad bast..ds but we get in the shopping for the week at the same time...also it NON SMOKING throughout..... ...cheaper than the Q.Vic....

[Ajarn]

I tried the fish and chips at the Queen Vic English Pub last night.

Not bad, but a small portion for 260. On top of that, they have FRENCH FRIES, not chips.

I prefer the Laughing Leprechan with REAL chips and a simular piece of cod. IMHO it is cheaper and a little more tasty.

Noticed a Fish and Chip shop on last visit inside the moat just opposite the UN Irish pub...dont look too bad ...any comments?

I haven't been there for a couple of years, but I thought their fish and chips were terrible. Refried chips were the nastiest

[Ulysses G.]

Just wanted to suggest a place NOT to eat....

The Farang Cafe, located next to Rimping on the middle ring road..

This is a picture of the Fish Sandwich I just recieved.. 4 french fries, and a dried-up teeny tiny piece of foul-smelling fish. The Chicken Cordon Bleu was also inedible after being fried until BLACK

All personaly cooked by the owner...

This is not the first time I've received such food from the Farang Cafe, but it is the last time I 'll go there...

Hey, you got four french fries and a piece of fish the size of a 50 satang coin.

What are you complaining about?