Best Isaan Restaurants

[MonsieurHulot]

My girlfriend and I love Isaan food. Unfortunately, the restaurants where we used to go are now all closed.

I’d like to know where one has to go nowadays to enjoy genuine Isaan Cuisine. Thanks in advance for your replies.

[KhunDave]

My personal favourite has got to be Loei - on the Mae Rim Road, a couple of blocks after the prison if heading into the city. Very much a simple roadside joint, but superb home-made sai krok, and excellent som tam amongst others. Gen Chai 2 on the Canal Road is pretty good too.

[seesip]

I've had some good meals at "Issan 1 million Percent" across from the main entrance at CMU. It's in the strip of small restaurants along Huay Kaew. Grilled fish, Tom Sep, Namtok were all really good. They get busy but the service is decent and quick.

[uptoyoumyfriend]

My personal favourite has got to be Loei - on the Mae Rim Road, a couple of blocks after the prison if heading into the city. Very much a simple roadside joint, but superb home-made sai krok, and excellent som tam amongst others. Gen Chai 2 on the Canal Road is pretty good too.

i really like isaan food too and find bits and pieces here and there like at oasis soi 2 tha phae

or kampangdinrd near loi kroh but

the canal road is a bit long and wide too to really serve as an address......

[HTWoodson]

There are a couple on Suthep Road along the back side of CMU. The first is an open air street vender in the parking lot of TMB bank a few hundred meters after the Canal Road intersection. It opens around sunset and stays open late. The food is delicious but the servings are a little small. I have no idea what the name is.

The second is a permanant restaurant just a few blocks further down. Sorry, don't know the name either, the sign is all in Thai. It's on the corner of a tiny little soi just before Soi Wat Umong. Just look for the large grill and the Somtum morter&pestle, which are facing the street. The food is great but no one speaks English and there is no English menu, so read Thai or know what you want already. One of the best things about this place is that they stay open late, till about 2 or 3 am. I recommend the Nam Dok Moo. Delicious!

Edited June 9, 2009 by HTWoodson

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Here's a recommendation for the little stall that's at the end of Moon Muang Soi 1 during the day, and along Loi Kroh at night. It's really quite good; it'd have to be given all the connoisseurs of the cuisine nearby. And it's cheap. Young couple, usually with their 5-6 year old kid nearby. Try the Kaeng Om, it's amazing.

Other than that, Kaen Chai opposite Siam TV is a solid choice.

Edited June 9, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Earl]

Ken Chan Restaurant across from Siam TV inside the moat on Singharat Road has tasty papaya pok pok and barbecued river fish. They have a variety of Issan dishes. My tongue has been well served. I go there weekly for my fix.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Here's another nice one, It's called Issan Tab Thai and is just behind the 89 Plaza on the old Lamphun Road, not far South from the Nong Hoi intersection.

[MonsieurHulot]

Try the Kaeng Om, it's amazing.

Thanks to all for your replies. Isaan Tab Thai, on the old Lamphun Rd, is not too far from our house (We live in Amphur Saraphi). Special thanks to WTK for having taken the time to post a photo.

I believe that Kaeng Om, which I like very much, is not Isaan food but a northern specialty.

Please keep on posting names & locations.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Could be that the style is different... Already between Issan Tab Thai and the little Loi Kroh stall the Kaeng Om is readically different.. The Issan Thab Thai actually was actually pretty similar to Northern 'Kaeng Khae'.. (The small stall's version would likely get wider approval from an Issan audience..)

[KhunDave]

My personal favourite has got to be Loei - on the Mae Rim Road, a couple of blocks after the prison if heading into the city. Very much a simple roadside joint, but superb home-made sai krok, and excellent som tam amongst others. Gen Chai 2 on the Canal Road is pretty good too.

i really like isaan food too and find bits and pieces here and there like at oasis soi 2 tha phae

or kampangdinrd near loi kroh but

the canal road is a bit long and wide too to really serve as an address......

Guess I was a bit non-specific there...

If heading out of the city on the Canal Road towards Mae Hia, Gen Chai 2 is on the right a couple of kms after the Best Western. Large yellow and red sign in Thai only.

[HTWoodson]

My girlfriend sent me this link to one of the Thai forums she reads. The thread is about an Issan restaurant on the canal road just a little north of Huay Kaew. There is a map a few posts in. Check out the pictures. Yum!

http://www.cm108.com/bbb/11018.html

[HTWoodson]

My girlfriend sent me this link to one of the Thai forums she reads. The thread is about an Issan restaurant on the canal road just a little north of Huay Kaew. There is a map a few posts in. Check out the pictures. Yum!

http://www.cm108.com/bbb/11018.html

I just tried this place and it is now my favorite Issan restaurant in Chiang Mai. It's called Chai Sii, and is every bit as good as the pics on the above link look.

Unfortunately, the menu is completely in Thai and the owner doesn't seem to speak any English, so either know what you want before you go, read Thai or bring a Thai friend. The owner seems to be the only person in there, so if it's crowded you might have a long wait for your food.

Also, the food was so hot that I couldn't finish everything. I like spicy Thai food and can handle the heat, but this was at another level. I got spanked. I had a few minutes when I just had to sit with snot and tears running down my face waiting for the pain and ringing in my ears to stop. If you don't like your food NASA hot you better let her know when you order.

[elektrified]

My personal favorite is Ruam Jai Kai Yaang. It's always packed with locals and is consistently good. They opened a 2nd branch on Chiangmailand Soi 2? I believe, but the last two times I went there it was closed and the sign said "closed for remodeling" which is odd because they only just opened that location a few months ago.

[Scrubber]

I've had some good meals at "Issan 1 million Percent" across from the main entrance at CMU. It's in the strip of small restaurants along Huay Kaew. Grilled fish, Tom Sep, Namtok were all really good. They get busy but the service is decent and quick.

It's my favourite too!

[HTWoodson]

My personal favorite is Ruam Jai Kai Yaang. It's always packed with locals and is consistently good. They opened a 2nd branch on Chiangmailand Soi 2? I believe, but the last two times I went there it was closed and the sign said "closed for remodeling" which is odd because they only just opened that location a few months ago.

I ate there and remember it being really good. A little pricey though right?

My personal favourite has got to be Loei - on the Mae Rim Road, a couple of blocks after the prison if heading into the city. Very much a simple roadside joint, but superb home-made sai krok, and excellent som tam amongst others. Gen Chai 2 on the Canal Road is pretty good too.

i really like isaan food too and find bits and pieces here and there like at oasis soi 2 tha phae

or kampangdinrd near loi kroh but

the canal road is a bit long and wide too to really serve as an address......

Guess I was a bit non-specific there...

If heading out of the city on the Canal Road towards Mae Hia, Gen Chai 2 is on the right a couple of kms after the Best Western. Large yellow and red sign in Thai only.

My girlfriend just gave me an interesting piece of info. She was talking with the owner of Chai Sii when we went there this afternoon and the owner told her that she worked at Ken Chai for 20 years. She left and opened Chai Sii 9 months ago and is serving the same dishes as at Ken Chai (but cheaper).

[mcgriffith]

Mon ami...have you tried Isan Laan %? Sign in Thai only, but you can't miss it.

Directly opposite the main gate of CMU on Huay Kaew Rd. 2 shopfronts put together; usually packed with clients from open till closing time.

Give it a try, and let us know what you think.....

[HTWoodson]

My personal favorite is Ruam Jai Kai Yaang. It's always packed with locals and is consistently good. They opened a 2nd branch on Chiangmailand Soi 2? I believe, but the last two times I went there it was closed and the sign said "closed for remodeling" which is odd because they only just opened that location a few months ago.

This thread got me fired up about Issan food, so my girlfriend and I decided to go out and try most of these restaurants everyone has suggested.

The first one I went to a few days back was "Roum Jai Kai Yang". This is the one on the moat just before Chiang Mai Ram Hospital. I think it's the same one elektrified was talking about in the above quote, the original location. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I think this was my least favorite place we've gone this week. I wasn't bad at all, it was good, I just thought some of the other places were better.

For starters, there's no parking unless you park in Kad Suan Kaew and walk, which we did in the rain.

On the plus side, they do have an English menu, though predictably it has only half as many items on it as the Thai menu. I speak and read Thai so I don't really care about English menus, but if you do this is one of the few restaurants that has an English menu.

Here is the menu:

What I really didn't like about this place was that the food seemed like it was made for "the farang" at the table. There was no chillies in anything, maybe 4-6 chillies in all 4 dishes put together, including somtam! The tom yam gung had no heat at all and so much coconut milk in it that it was more like a curry than a soup, and the somtam was the sweetest one I've had anywhere, just loaded with sugar. I can't say this was a bad thing, because I think many people would prefer the food this way rather than rocket hot and true Issan style. But it wasn't for me.

My second biggest complaint was that the portions were very small, smaller than any other restaurant we went to this week, and the prices were also pretty high. You definitely get a lot less food for your money here than any of the other restaurants suggested in this thread.

I would say this is a good restaurant for people that like Issan style food, but want it more to farang tastes, ie. not so phet, lots of coconut milk, etc... Good place to take your family to when they're visiting Thailand.

I'll post a little bit about Ken Chai 2 in a little while, ate there yesterday. Today for lunch I'm off to Issan Laan % as suggested by some other posters. My favorite place thus far is still definitely Chai Sii on the canal road.

Edited June 26, 2009 by HTWoodson

[HTWoodson]

Ken Chai 2

Yesterday the GF and I went to Ken Chai 2 on the Canal Road. This place is on the west side of the canal, south of Suthep Road, but much closer to the next light than to Suthep. It's a few hundred meters south of Best Western Hotel.

This is going to test how many pictures I can place in one post!

First off, the location is great. It's quiet, out of the city and cooler, has a huge parking lot and an open air setting that allows the breeze to come through.

The menu here is huge. There is no English menu, but the first half of the menu is pictures, so no problem if you can't read Thai.

Continued...

Edited June 26, 2009 by HTWoodson

[HTWoodson]

Ken Chai 2, part 2

The Thai menu...

Continued...

[HTWoodson]

Ken Chai 2, part 3

And the food...

I have to say that I was a little underwhelmed. Maybe I expected too much when I went here, or maybe it was that the food looked so good when it arrived, but I was just a little disappointing after eating. Again, this is not a bad restaurant at all, it's really good, I just don't think it lived up to all the hype. I've heard so many people recommend it that I guess I was expecting the food to knock my socks off. It didn't.

The somtum was delicious, no complaints there. So was the gaang nong maay (bamboo soup), probably the best dish we ordered. The sua nong hay (sp?) (marinated beef with dipping sauce) was mediocre. It is usually marinated or cooked with spices, this was just plain fatty beef with no marinade or flavor and some so so dipping sauce. I ordered Laab En Muu and got a plate of lemongrass and lime leaves with a few tiny pieces of edible bits hidden inside. And the nam pric (sp?) (steamed vegetables with dip) tasted like chewing tobacco.

Re-reading that above paragraph, it sounds like it wasn't good, which isn't true. It was good, but not great. If my review comes off sounding negative it's just because I'm a really picky eater.

Also, everything was a little pricey by my cheapo standards. I think the bill was near 300 baht, which is kind of high for Issan food IMHO. Maybe 30% more expensive than Sua Gao on Suthep Road or Chai Sii on the canal.

Good restaurant though, great atmosphere and location. The menu is huge, and this is the only place with a good selection of fish on the menu, though I didn't try any. (Wish I had) I will eat here again, maybe in the evening with some friends over a few beers, and try the fish. Anybody wanna go?

Now I'm off to try Issan Laan %. Will let you know.

Edited June 26, 2009 by HTWoodson

[MonsieurHulot]

Thanks a lot, HTWoodson, for your very informative posts.

[HTWoodson]

Issan Laan %

Thanks to seesip and mcgriffith for recommending this place. It was awesome! Half the price of Ken Chai and twice the quality. I was very impressed.

Issan Laan % is directly across the street from the Chiang Mai University north gate on Huay Kaew Road.

Not much for parking, but the fans are blasting inside so it's pleasantly cool, and there are lots of University girls to look at. I of course have a GF and don't notice such things, of course.

First off, they have the best kind of menu, dual-language, meaning everything is printed in both English and Thai, unlike many places that give you a crappy little English menu with 6 items on it. The prices are cheap, with the exception of a few items.

Everything we ordered was great. There wasn't anything we didn't enjoy, and the portions were generous.

The grilled fish was wonderful and the dipping sauce with it was delicious. The somtam was great as was the Sai Yaang. The Geeng Om was meaty and delicious, and was 90% edible. What I mean is that it was only 10% ginger, lemongrass and lime leaves; the rest was all edible bits. It's so nice not to have to spend all afternoon picking lime leaves out of your meal. The Sai Groh (sausage) was delicious but a little expensive (50 baht).

My only gripes are that I would have liked the spicy dishes a little spicier, but I tend to like things hotter than most people. Also, the Sai Groh was 50 baht; I can't figure out why it was so much more expensive than everything else. Other than that everything was very affordable and delicious.

I think I would probably rate this place higher than anyplace else I've eaten so far. I still think the food at Chai Sii was slightly tastier, but Chai Sii is hot, crowded, slow and there is no English menu. The food at Issan Laan is very nearly as good, but the overall experience is better. Great restaurant, 2 thumbs up.

Roum Jai Kai Yaang and Ken Chai 2 come in a distant 3rd and 4th, IMO.

There are a few other places I want to try, but I'm a little worn out on Issan Food this week. Maybe next week.

[mcgriffith]

Glad you enjoyed it, HT!

Isan Million Percent is the shizzle in the minizzle.....