Chiang Mai has become quite well known for its vegan & vegetarian food scene. I began my transition into eating mostly plant-based about 6 months ago, and someone gave me a mission to search for vegan food when I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand, so I spent a week doing so. Here are 12 vegetarian and vegan restaurants I’ve tried when I was in Chiang Mai.
Bodhi Tree Cafe (V+VG)
Situated on a quiet street, Bodhi Tree Cafe is a quaint organic vegan vegetarian restaurant that also sells organic fruit and vegetables. All the ingredients are straight from their own garden or purchased at the organic farmer’s market/local organic stores.
Serving traditional Thai home cooking, what touches me the most about this cafe was the owner actually remembered me when I walked by the restaurant a few days after I visited. (I was also only there once.) This care and attention to their customers led me to believe that she devotes an equal amount of love and intention into her food. They cook with Himalayan pink salt!
Bodhi Tree Cafe also offers cooking classes and daily yoga classes.
? Facebook | ⏲️7 am – 10 pm daily
Happy Green (V+VG)
Happy Green is a vegan/vegetarian hidden gem outside of the center of Chiang Mai. They are famous for their daily vegan lunch buffet, which is all-you-can-eat for 100 Baht! However, it was too hot when I visited, so they weren’t putting up the cafe since “no one wants to come out.” (It was 40 Celsius. I do not blame anyone.)
I ordered a pad thai – Good portion and it was delicious. There’s a wild garden in the back of the restaurant, and apparently, if you order their fresh salad, they’d pick and serve the vegetables directly from the garden – Organic garden to the table!
? Facebook | ⏲️ 9:30 am – 7 pm daily
Amrita Garden (V)
Amrita Garden is an organic Japanese style cafe that uses macrobiotic and a lot of fermentation technique in their cooking. The vegan classic burger was good, but it wasn’t my favorite. (I don’t like ketchup and mustard.) Their best deal is their macrobiotic lunch set, which comes with brown rice, a few veggie side dishes of the day, soup, and papaya leaf tea.
The cafe has a nice relaxing ambiance. My only complaint would be its music. Although it’s meditative, it was also very repetitive! (Just a little musician pet peeve right here.)
? Facebook | ⏲️ 11:30 am – 9 pm daily
Goodsouls Kitchen (V)
Goodsouls Kitchen is an elegant restaurant and romantic atmosphere. It’s also one of the few vegan restaurants that have an AC. It was my little oasis in Chiang Mai for this reason. Their mushroom steak took me two hours to finish as the taste was quite heavy in my opinion, but I love the dressing and its sour cream. The lemon poppyseed cake was alright.
The service is good in general. One thing I didn’t like was the server kept wanting to take away my plate when I hadn’t finished the food, which was very weird.
They also got power sockets – A perfect place for digital nomads.
? Facebook | ⏲️ 7 am – 10 pm daily
Da’s Home Bakery (V+VG)
A good breakfast place and a cute small western bakery, Da’s fridge and shelves are packed with vegan sweets and homemade bread! All vegan options are clearly labeled. Their granola bar and the brownie were yummy – Perfect easy breakfast combo. (Yes, I had a brownie for breakfast. That’s the perk of being an adult.)
? Information | ⏲️ 6:30 am – 5 pm daily
Free Bird Cafe (V+VG)
I love the cozy vibe at Free Bird. Substituting the typical crispy egg noodle with grated purple carrot, Free Bird Cafe has the best Khao Soi I had in Chiang Mai. The menu is a mix of western, Thai, and Burmese. The price is higher than other vegan restaurants, but that’s because it is also a social enterprise. All profits go to the Thai Freedom House, an education project and full resource center that was created to support refugees from Burma and Thai minority tribes.
They also have a store that only sells organic and eco-friendly products. I purchased my first moon cup there!
? Facebook | ⏲️ 9 am – 9 pm daily
Snooze Smoothie Bowls (V)
I know it’s hard to go wrong with smoothie bowls, but there’s still a difference between the good ones and the very good ones. Snooze’s smoothie bowl is thicker and richer than your usual smoothie bowls. It wasn’t cheap (189 Baht), but it definitely kept me going for a long time. I had a Greenery Twelve, which uses kale, spinach, mango, banana, matcha powder, and coconut water as the base; with granola, coconut flakes, chia seeds, goji, and seasonal fruits as toppings. Outdoor seating.
? Facebook | ⏲️ 10 am – 3 pm daily
Reform Cafe (V)
Reform Cafe is a part of Green Tiger House, which is a lovely plant-based hotel in the heart of Chiang Mai’s Old City. I went to Reform Cafe twice during my time in Chiang Mai, and I’d love to stay at the hotel if I return to Chiang Mai in the future.
The pesto mushroom bruschetta was delicious, so was the khao soi (I still prefer Freebird tho). Be mindful that they use coconut sugar syrup in all their drinks, but you can ask them to make it without.
The Thai iced tea was very thick. I asked them to make it without sugar, and they thoughtfully served the coconut sugar syrup on the side.
? Website | ⏲️ 11 am – 9:30 pm daily for non hotel guests
By Hand Cafe (V+VG)
By Hand Cafe is an excellent pizza place that has something for everyone, so it’s the perfect restaurant if you want to hang out with friends who need meat in their diet. They have a list of decent vegetarian-vegan options on the menu! All pizzas are made on spot, freshly out of the oven. Their crust is the best!
I had their Green Vegan pizza, which contains pesto sauce, eggplant, four Italian mushroom mix, capers, and pink Himalayan salt on the crust. And yes, I ate this baby all by myself.
? Facebook | ⏲️ 11 am – 11 pm
Peppermaint Guest House (V+VG)
Hands down, THE BEST GREEN CURRY I’ve ever had. Also a guest house, Peppermaint is a friendly family owned business that serves inexpensive Thai and Western food. They also serve pizza with or without the cheese.
? Facebook | ⏲️ 7 am – 9:30 pm daily
Ming Kwan (V)
Ming Kwan is a local Buddhist vegan restaurant. You choose the sides you want from their precooked buffet along with brown rice. 50 Baht can get you a plate of healthy deliciousness! They also have khao soi and noodles kept in the big pot. It’s a popular place among people who are in Chiang Mai for yoga training and meditation.
⏲️ 7 am – 7 pm daily
Vegan Heaven (V+VG)
The vibe at Vegan Heaven felt like a fast food chain which is not my favorite. I had their tom yum noodle (around 90 Baht), and it wasn’t bad. It’s as close as it can get to the original version that uses shrimp in the soup base. They have a pretty big menu. However, if I remember correctly, all their breakfast combos include eggs. A couple from the hostel I was staying at recommended their chicken burger to me.
? Facebook | ⏲️ 9:00 am – 10 pm
Other vegan places I wanted to check out:
- Nourish Vegan Bar + Bed & Breakfast:
I walked by Nourish on my last day in Chiang Mai. It’s another vegan boutique hotel in downtown Chiang Mai that serves vegan breakfast every day from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. Open to the public.