Favorite Health Food (Vegetarian) Restaurants In Chiang Mai?

[TheVicar]

This thread is a parallel one to the long running thread here on favorite health food stores in Chiang Mai. Only I'm asking posters for their favorite health food (veggie) restaurants in Chiang Mai.

I love Pun Pun Organic Vegetarian Restaurant located behind the Monk Chat Building in Wat Suan Dok (off of Suthep Road) and not far from CMU. Great setting (outdoors under umbrellas) and next to a huge, ancient Bodhi Tree (I think, I'm not an expert on that). Great food presented in an attractive fashion. Great service by Thais who can speak decent English. Great prices (most dishes are between 30-50 baht)(drinks are between B15-30). This restaurant proves that eating healthy, vegetarian food does not mean you have to eat gooey slop that generally has been overcooked and has been sitting around for hours, all cleverly disguised to look like hamburger or hot dogs. It's far more than tofu (they have nice salads, soups, appetizers (spring rolls to kill for), noodle dishes (try their take on Pad Thai which includes local mushrooms) and daily specials (in chalk on a black board). Also, has some bulletin boards with interesting info on local events. The organization running this has an organic farm, seed saving operation and sustainable living and learning center.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Open every day, from 8:30-5:30 p.m.

Can it get any better? Other posters ideas please.

Edited December 6, 2012 by TheVicar

[wjmark]

Recent vegetarian links...

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5625858

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5460055

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5454590

http://www.thaivisa...._hl__vegetarian

http://www.thaivisa...._hl__vegetarian

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry4552671

http://www.happycow....ngmai&lat=&lon=

I regularly eat at three 'Ahan Jay' restaurants:

One on Huay Keow rd - just across from CMU (great Tom Yam Hed - mushroom).

One on the right - 100 meters inside from Chiangmai Gate (great mushrooms!)

My favourite - On Chang Phuak rd going north - just before Superhighway on the left

[Nienke]

Achan Vegetarian restaurant on Nimmanhaeminda Road soi Hillside 2 has very nice food: https://www.facebook.com/AnchanVegetarianRestaurant

Blue Diamond on the Moon Muang Soi 9 as well.

[femi fan]

My favourite - On Chang Phuak rd going north - just before Superhighway on the left

May in enquire as to the reason for it achieving favourite status?! I'm always on the look out for such restaurants to add to my rounds. I think i saw this one the other day, does it have the usual red and yellow sign outside it?

[femi fan]

Nice thread. Similar have been done before, but times move on and people move in.

The other pun pun restaurant, now called im aim, is in santitham near the ymca. At the north-west corner of the moat, head due north at the traffic lights and take the first left turn. Signs will then deliver you to this absolute gem.

Tiang Zi pretty much opposite the imeperial mae ping hotel. Macrobiotic i think, and chinese. No thai food, but lots of different dishes to choose from. Outstanding food.

The old favourite, khun churn's in nimmin road soi 17, lunch time buffet for about 140 baht.

And anyone in the area, i urge you to visit a restaurant that i don't think has a name. If you are heading north out of town along the mae jo road you'll come to the big intersection with the inner ring road (the one with the big mee chok plaza and rimping in it). Turn left so you're heading west, then take the first u-turn and you'll see it on your left. It's in front of a chinese temple with a huge female statue. It's lad kao style, and i go for three choices normally which sets me back 35 baht. Often you struggle to limit yourself to three choices, so much good food and so so tasty. Open early until about 2pm. Lots of goodies to buy too.

[femi fan]

There's also the orchid near the president's hotel, which is pretty good, but a drawback for me is the lack of actual green vegetables. Great spring rolls though.

I'm not a fan of eating food that looks like meat, so none of my recommendations include that kind of food. Seems that some thais are expected to have psychological problems by giving up meat so at least they can think it looks like meat! Not for me at all.

The pun pun mentioned in the OP is truly a great place to feast on food.

Ah yes, din dee. Go up suthep road, past suthep temple, and turn right into nimmin road. Not far along is the car park to cmu arts building i think. In that car park - it's big - is din dee which is a big mud hut run by a japanese lady. Closed on mondays. Very nice and original menu. Just tried it for the first time the other day. If you like your teas, get the buckwheat tea, great taste. Very nice place.

Okay, that'll do me for a while, look forward to seeing other places added to the list.

[wjmark]

My favourite - On Chang Phuak rd going north - just before Superhighway on the left

May in enquire as to the reason for it achieving favourite status?! I'm always on the look out for such restaurants to add to my rounds. I think i saw this one the other day, does it have the usual red and yellow sign outside it?

A large and great variety that changes a lot through the week. Way more dishes than most other yellow sign places (which this is). They must have 12-14 dishes, plus spring-rolls, sai-u-wa sausage, chinese wrapped rice, khaosoy... And always delicious

I haven't seen it for a while, but they used to do fish slices in a great sauce (mock fish - made from lentils).

(One drawback - they don't have many mushroom dishes (those mushrooms at the Chiangmai gate restaurant are great - meaty and a little like French cepe).

---

Femi Fan - "Often you struggle to limit yourself to three choices, so much good food and so so tasty."

Order 4 (or 5 or 6!!!)

[eyecatcher]

and dont forget yet another Pun Pun at the top of Suthep Road....left hand side, very last restaurant on the road.

They obviously have a few as I see their delivery van out and about.

Suthep Road one, again superb, and lovely food and staff. They also have a coffee shop attached and also run their own veggie thai cooking classes from here....but lower profile than the other cooking schools.

Seems to attract better quality customers, not riff raff, hence i dont go more than once a week.

[femi fan]

A large and great variety that changes a lot through the week. Way more dishes than most other yellow sign places (which this is). They must have 12-14 dishes, plus spring-rolls, sai-u-wa sausage, chinese wrapped rice, khaosoy... And always delicious

I haven't seen it for a while, but they used to do fish slices in a great sauce (mock fish - made from lentils).

(One drawback - they don't have many mushroom dishes (those mushrooms at the Chiangmai gate restaurant are great - meaty and a little like French cepe).

---

Femi Fan - "Often you struggle to limit yourself to three choices, so much good food and so so tasty."

Order 4 (or 5 or 6!!!)

Oh well then, fantastic, i shall make my way up there very soon. Just what i like from the yellow and red signs. I go into some of them and too often there's a miserable three of four choices and nothing green. How can a vegetarian restaurant sell no green food?! That lentil fish sounds good too. Marvelous stuff.

My mate orders four, but too much for me.

[Ulysses G.]

That lentil fish sounds good too.

That does sound good. I wish that more vegetarian places here used beans and lentils. Tofu and the fake meats made of mushrooms get old pretty quickly.

Edited December 6, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[elektrified]

And anyone in the area, i urge you to visit a restaurant that i don't think has a name. If you are heading north out of town along the mae jo road you'll come to the big intersection with the inner ring road (the one with the big mee chok plaza and rimping in it). Turn left so you're heading west, then take the first u-turn and you'll see it on your left. It's in front of a chinese temple with a huge female statue. It's lad kao style, and i go for three choices normally which sets me back 35 baht. Often you struggle to limit yourself to three choices, so much good food and so so tasty. Open early until about 2pm. Lots of goodies to buy too.

Been going there regularly since they opened. I particularly like this place because it is spotlessly clean. Not sure how often you go there but the food is usually sold out by 13:00. Mushrooms are great there. We usually go through about 3-4 orders of them.

Edited December 6, 2012 by elektrified

[ricklev]

Chiang Mai is a great city to be a vegetarian. Great Thai and farang options at great prices. I used to really like the veggie burger at aum(I think?) at thaipai gate.

[TheVicar]

Nice thread. Similar have been done before, but times move on and people move in.

The other pun pun restaurant, now called im aim, is in santitham near the ymca. At the north-west corner of the moat, head due north at the traffic lights and take the first left turn. Signs will then deliver you to this absolute gem.

Tiang Zi pretty much opposite the imeperial mae ping hotel. Macrobiotic i think, and chinese. No thai food, but lots of different dishes to choose from. Outstanding food.

The old favourite, khun churn's in nimmin road soi 17, lunch time buffet for about 140 baht.

And anyone in the area, i urge you to visit a restaurant that i don't think has a name. If you are heading north out of town along the mae jo road you'll come to the big intersection with the inner ring road (the one with the big mee chok plaza and rimping in it). Turn left so you're heading west, then take the first u-turn and you'll see it on your left. It's in front of a chinese temple with a huge female statue. It's lad kao style, and i go for three choices normally which sets me back 35 baht. Often you struggle to limit yourself to three choices, so much good food and so so tasty. Open early until about 2pm. Lots of goodies to buy too.

Many great ideas here. Thanks!

[TheVicar]

and dont forget yet another Pun Pun at the top of Suthep Road....left hand side, very last restaurant on the road.

They obviously have a few as I see their delivery van out and about.

Suthep Road one, again superb, and lovely food and staff. They also have a coffee shop attached and also run their own veggie thai cooking classes from here....but lower profile than the other cooking schools.

Seems to attract better quality customers, not riff raff, hence i dont go more than once a week.

Great! I didn't know about that one. Will check it out.

[ricklev]

http://www.happycow.net/asia/thailand/chiang_mai/

Happy Cow is a great resource!

[femi fan]

And anyone in the area, i urge you to visit a restaurant that i don't think has a name. If you are heading north out of town along the mae jo road you'll come to the big intersection with the inner ring road (the one with the big mee chok plaza and rimping in it). Turn left so you're heading west, then take the first u-turn and you'll see it on your left. It's in front of a chinese temple with a huge female statue. It's lad kao style, and i go for three choices normally which sets me back 35 baht. Often you struggle to limit yourself to three choices, so much good food and so so tasty. Open early until about 2pm. Lots of goodies to buy too.

Been going there regularly since they opened. I particularly like this place because it is spotlessly clean. Not sure how often you go there but the food is usually sold out by 13:00. Mushrooms are great there. We usually go through about 3-4 orders of them.

Couple of times a week normally. Yes, very clean indeed! And often some rather nice buddha kind of music going on.

[femi fan]

http://www.happycow....and/chiang_mai/

Happy Cow is a great resource!

It is a very good resource, but so are threads like this if they take off because we get reviews and personal opinions of the locals. And many places don't make the happy cow.

Happycow also confirms what you said about chiang mai being such a great place for vegetarian food.

[ryanjss]

Recent vegetarian links...

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5625858

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5460055

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5454590

http://www.thaivisa...._hl__vegetarian

http://www.thaivisa...._hl__vegetarian

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry4552671

http://www.happycow....ngmai&lat=&lon=

I regularly eat at three 'Ahan Jay' restaurants:

One on Huay Keow rd - just across from CMU (great Tom Yam Hed - mushroom).

One on the right - 100 meters inside from Chiangmai Gate (great mushrooms!)

My favourite - On Chang Phuak rd going north - just before Superhighway on the left

I would recommend the new organic vegetarian place inside of the new plaza 89 food square at Nong Hoi. Delicious Thai food and good salads serving Tempeh

[ryanjss]

Recent vegetarian links...

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5625858

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5460055

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5454590

http://www.thaivisa...._hl__vegetarian

http://www.thaivisa...._hl__vegetarian

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry4552671

http://www.happycow....ngmai&lat=&lon=

I regularly eat at three 'Ahan Jay' restaurants:

One on Huay Keow rd - just across from CMU (great Tom Yam Hed - mushroom).

One on the right - 100 meters inside from Chiangmai Gate (great mushrooms!)

My favourite - On Chang Phuak rd going north - just before Superhighway on the left

You should try the new organic vegie place inside of plaza 89 food square. Serving delicious food and nice salads with tempeh

https://www.facebook.com/pages/89-Organic-Vegetarian-Food/500797773336654?ref=hl

[Krupnik]

Yes!!

It has been open just a couple of days and I absolutely love it. It is more expensive than the typical Thai ones but it has many other advantages such as:

1) Not just open until lunchtime but open 7 days per week until 8PM!

2) They use all organic local produce

3) Wide variety of Thai dishes but also includes western style salads with amazing dressings

4) Do not use that soya protein fake meat stuff

5) Very dry and no oil

Please go, I really want them to get good business. By the way I have no affiliation with this establishment other than it has just opened up and it is right near my house, it is the best!

Recent vegetarian links...

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5625858

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5460055

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry5454590

http://www.thaivisa...._hl__vegetarian

http://www.thaivisa...._hl__vegetarian

http://www.thaivisa....an#entry4552671

http://www.happycow....ngmai&lat=&lon=


I regularly eat at three 'Ahan Jay' restaurants:

One on Huay Keow rd - just across from CMU (great Tom Yam Hed - mushroom).

One on the right - 100 meters inside from Chiangmai Gate (great mushrooms!)

My favourite - On Chang Phuak rd going north - just before Superhighway on the left

You should try the new organic vegie place inside of plaza 89 food square. Serving delicious food and nice salads with tempeh
https://www.facebook.com/pages/89-Organic-Vegetarian-Food/500797773336654?ref=hl

[femi fan]

Huh, i will go! I live near there. Which side of 89 plaza is it? As i go north towards town is it on the left hand side bit? Near where? Yellow and red sign make it unmissable?

[DaamNaam]

Pun Pun (Wat Suan Dok) hands down.