Life Abundant

Rustic and Blue

One thing that we were looking forward to the most in Chiang Mai, was the food. We were so excited to try some northern Thai dishes, as well as try out some of the fun restaurants that we had read about in Chaing Mai’s trendy neighborhoods. If you’re a foodie, like we are, the first place on your list should be Rustic and Blue.

This restaurant not only serves some delicious and funky dishes, it is also cozy and cute, with a beautifully decorated indoor restaurant and a charming garden area where you can also sit and enjoy your meal or sip your iced coffee in the morning sun. Rustic and Blue is decorated with antique-like furniture, with marble or wooden tables and mismatching chairs. The garden is green with something in bloom year round, and they bring pieces of the garden to the indoor seating space with chandelier-like plants hanging from the ceiling throughout the space.

Rustic and Blue is in the Nimman neighborhood of Chiang Mai, which sits just north and west of the old city. To get there, we rode bikes that we borrowed from the wonderful Airbnb that we stayed in which you can read about in our blog post “Chiang Mai // Where to Stay and Explore”.

We decided to start our day off with breakfast here and were not disappointed. Their breakfast menu is fresh, with a number of Acai bowls with fresh seasonal fruit to choose from, and some funky Thai twists on some breakfast favorites, like Chris’s Chicken and Waffle with fried basil and cheese, or my incredible french toast with sage a fried egg and sausage.  To drink we both ordered their chocolate chai, which was honestly one of the best drinks I’ve ever had,

 

Anna Farm and Eatery

The Anna Farm and Eatery is a beautiful hotel, farm, event venue and restaurant about a 45-minute drive outside of Chiang Mai. There are beautiful villas with private pools that look out onto the charming foothills of the Mai Rim, and the bright green rice fields that blanket the rugged terrain. Their farm and expansive grounds are filled with orchards of organic produce, which fuels their rustic and casual restaurant, serving traditional Thai dishes fused with international flavors.

We rented a moped in downtown Chiang Mai and drove out through the beautiful northern Thai countryside, across rivers and past little homes and farms. After arriving at Anna Farm and Eatery, we explored the grounds and watched the sunset over the mountains in the distance as we waited for our meal in their open-air restaurant. I ordered pad thai, and Chris, a red coconut curry soup, both were incredible! We washed it all down with some Thai iced tea, my favorite!

 

Woo Cafe & Art Gallery

I’ve never been to any place like the Woo Cafe & Art Gallery. This place will make you want to remodel your whole house, and outfit it with items from their adorable shop which sells most of their wares that you see decorating the restaurant. Vases, candle holders, wooden stands, platters, art pieces, and kitchenware; this place is adorable and inspiring. We rode our bikes here one night for dinner which did not disappoint, but our favorite part of the meal was dessert!

They have pies and cakes of all different flavors on display in the restaurant, we tried a slice of the coconut custard pie with whole chunks of fresh coconut meat, which was honestly to die for (especially for me as I LOVE coconut!)

You can head here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, grab a great bite to eat, browse through the art gallery upstairs, or venture into their shop that’s attached to the restaurant. But be aware that this place is a little more pricey than most in Chiang Mai, and the shop is super tempting. It’s located just on the far side of the ping river from the historical district.

 

Street Food

Northern Thailand has some of the best street food we’ve ever tasted, with night markets galore, and lots of cheap tasty options, you don’t have to spend more than $3 on a meal and be completely satisfied. We stopped by a few night markets while in Chiang Mai, and tried a several of the local dishes.

One of our favorites was Khao Soi, a soup-like dish made with a mix of deep-fried crispy egg noodles and boiled egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, lime, ground chilies, and meat (we chose chicken) in a curry-like sauce containing coconut milk. You’ll be able to find this dish at pretty much any night market around Chiang Mai for $1-$2 for a bowl. Be sure to give this dish a try for some true local flavors.

One night market stop that is absolutely worth your time is the Khao Kha Moo Chang Phueak (which is the name of the famous dish – Khao Kha Moo, and the location – Chang Phueak the north gate in Chiang Mai). Khao Kha Moo is made of stewed pork leg served with an egg and some rice, and special sauce (that you’ll find on the tables set up behind the stall).

The Thai woman who runs this gem is well known for her signature cowboy hat that she wears. Every evening, starting at about 5 pm or so, you’ll find the lady in the cowboy hat happily pulling tender pork for her famous dish.

The Barn Eatery & Design

Half cafe half architecture firm, The Barn Eatery and Design was started by a few students from Chiang Mai University – who, instead of handing in a final portfolio, decided to design a cafe and present a real functioning place as their final project! This cafe is located near the beautiful Wat Suan Dok Temple, in a super cute neighborhood. It’s full of antique decor, with mismatching chairs and tables, fun decorations, and a beautiful garden and patio area with more seating and lots of greenery.

Chris and I stopped here during our visit to the Wat Suan Temple and stayed for a few hours. I, of course, ordered a Thai iced tea, and Chris an iced coffee. We heard that their baked goods are amazing, but had just eaten a big breakfast before coming here, so we didn’t order any. With lots of attention given to the details that make the space cozy, we were so inspired that it led us to deep conversations and dreams about the future.

So whether you’re into trying some of the artful foodie creations or the best street food you’ll ever taste, be sure to check out Chiang Mai, Thailand! It will not disappoint!