Restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Family recipes, Michelin recognised, easy on budget.
Chum is a Michelin Plate-recognised Northern Thai restaurant in Saraphi District, cooking directly from a family grandmother's recipes at a mid-range ฿฿ price point. The colourful, parasol-hung dining room is warm enough for a date or celebration, and the kitchen's consistency — confirmed by back-to-back Michelin recognition and a 4.6 Google rating — makes it a reliable destination for anyone serious about regional Thai cooking outside the city centre.
At the ฿฿ price point, Chum delivers something genuinely hard to find in Chiang Mai: Northern Thai cooking built directly from a family's grandmother's recipes, recognised by the Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025. If you are weighing up where to spend a dinner or a long lunch on a special occasion, Chum earns its place ahead of most mid-range Northern Thai options in the city — but the Saraphi District address means you need to plan the trip, not stumble in.
Walk into Chum and the first thing you register is colour. Red and yellow walls set a warm, vivid backdrop, and brightly painted Northern Thai parasols hang from the ceiling in a display that reads as genuinely decorative rather than staged for social media. The aesthetic is simple and deliberate , this is a family restaurant that looks like one, without apology. For a special occasion or a date meal, the setting carries enough character to feel considered without the formality that might make a celebratory dinner feel stiff. Compare this to the quieter, more neutral interiors of some of Chiang Mai's smarter Northern Thai rooms, and Chum's visual warmth gives it a distinct personality that suits a relaxed but meaningful meal. If you are choosing between venues partly on atmosphere, this room rewards the decision.
The menu draws directly from the grandmother's recipe archive, which means the cooking sits closer to home-style Northern Thai than to the polished, reinterpreted versions you find at some of Chiang Mai's higher-profile restaurants. Two dishes stand out in the venue's own record: the stir-fried pork and liver, cooked with Thai herbs, wild pepper and coriander in a combination that is assertively seasoned without being aggressive; and the mixed Northern Thai starter, built around a young chili relish with green chili fragrance that the kitchen keeps at a heat level accessible to most diners. Northern Thai cuisine leans on fermented, pungent, and herb-forward flavours as a category , dishes like these sit squarely in that tradition, and the Michelin recognition suggests the execution is consistent. With a Google rating of 4.6 across 433 reviews, the quality holds across visits and across a broad range of diners.
No specific counter configuration is confirmed in the venue record, but the family-restaurant scale of Chum suggests a dining room where the kitchen is close and the service is personal rather than managed at a distance. At this price tier and in this type of Northern Thai setting, that proximity matters: you are more likely to have dishes explained, substitutions discussed, and the meal paced in a way that suits a table celebrating something rather than turning covers quickly. For solo diners, that accessibility is a practical advantage , a room this scale rarely leaves a single diner feeling sidelined. For a group marking a birthday or a family occasion, the warmth of the space and the approachable service model make it a sensible choice that does not require the formality of a booking at one of Chiang Mai's grander venues. Comparable Northern Thai experiences in the city with similar family-kitchen credentials include Huen Muan Jai and Huan Soontaree, both of which operate in a similar register , but Chum's consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions give it a verifiable edge in credibility.
Chum is in the easy-to-book category. No phone number or online booking platform appears in the confirmed venue record, which likely means walk-ins are the primary model , common for family-run Northern Thai restaurants operating outside the city's tourist core. That said, Michelin recognition tends to shift demand, and a venue with two consecutive Plates and a 4.6 Google rating across 433 reviews will attract informed visitors who do their research in advance. Arriving at off-peak hours , early for lunch, or before 7 PM for dinner , is the sensible move if you want a relaxed experience rather than a wait. The Saraphi District address, south of the city centre, means this is a destination visit rather than a drop-in. Plan the journey as part of the booking logic: get there early, and the experience will be on your terms. For broader context on where this fits in the city's dining options, see our full Chiang Mai restaurants guide.
Budget: ฿฿ , a mid-range spend by Chiang Mai standards, and strong value given the Michelin recognition. Reservations: Walk-in model likely; no confirmed booking platform or phone number available , arrive early to avoid a wait, particularly at weekends. Dress: No formal dress code; smart-casual is appropriate and consistent with the relaxed but characterful room. Location: 1/1 หมู่7 ท่าวังตาล, Saraphi District, Chiang Mai 50140 , south of the old city, requiring a taxi or rideshare. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google Rating: 4.6 (433 reviews).
Book Chum if you want a Northern Thai meal that is rooted in family tradition, recognised by Michelin, and priced accessibly enough that the occasion does not need to be a major financial event. It is a better choice for a meaningful lunch or dinner than most similarly priced Northern Thai options in the city, and the visual warmth of the room makes it work for dates and celebrations without requiring formal dress or a months-in-advance reservation. The Saraphi location is the only real friction point , account for the journey and it is direct. For other family-style Northern Thai restaurants worth considering in Chiang Mai, Gongkham, Kinlum Kindee, and Busarin Cuisine are all worth comparing before you decide. If you are building a broader trip around Thai regional cuisine, Sorn in Bangkok and PRU in Phuket show how different the category can look at higher price tiers , useful context for calibrating what Chum offers at ฿฿. For more on what Chiang Mai offers beyond the plate, see our full Chiang Mai hotels guide, our full Chiang Mai bars guide, and our full Chiang Mai experiences guide. If Northern Thai cooking interests you further afield, Huen Lamphun (Taling Chan) in Bangkok and Khao Soi Thai Yai in Udon Thani are two regional touchpoints worth knowing.
No bar seating is confirmed in Chum's venue record. As a family-run Northern Thai restaurant, the seating is most likely table-based throughout the dining room. The setting and service model are personal enough that solo diners and small groups will feel comfortable regardless of seating format , you are unlikely to feel lost without a counter option here.
No formal dress code applies. Smart-casual is the right call , the room has character and colour, but it is relaxed in register. At the ฿฿ price point and with a family-restaurant atmosphere, you do not need to dress for a fine dining occasion. Clean and comfortable is enough, even for a birthday dinner or date.
No confirmed information on dietary accommodation is available in the venue record, and there is no website or phone number to check in advance. Northern Thai cuisine as a category is heavily herb and meat-forward, with fermented ingredients common across dishes. If you have specific restrictions, arriving early and speaking directly with the team on the day is the practical approach , the family-kitchen scale of the operation makes that kind of direct communication more feasible than at larger, higher-volume restaurants.
Yes. At ฿฿ with a family-restaurant format and personal service, solo dining at Chum is a low-friction experience. The Google rating of 4.6 across 433 reviews suggests consistent hospitality, and the accessible price point means ordering a range of dishes to explore the menu is realistic without the bill becoming uncomfortable. If you are a solo diner interested in Northern Thai cooking, Chum is a more characterful and credentialled option than many city-centre alternatives at a similar price.
Three things: it is in Saraphi District, south of Chiang Mai's centre, so plan your transport. It is a family restaurant built around grandmother's recipes, not a polished modern interpretation of Northern Thai cuisine , expect home-style flavours, not fine dining presentation. And it holds consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) with a 4.6 Google rating, which means the quality is consistent and the reputation is earned. For context on the broader Northern Thai category, our full Chiang Mai restaurants guide covers the field well.
Chum falls into the easy-to-book category, and the likely model is walk-in rather than advance reservation , no booking platform or phone number is confirmed in the venue record. That said, two consecutive Michelin Plates and a strong Google rating attract a more research-forward crowd than a typical neighbourhood restaurant. Arriving early in the service , first seating for lunch or before 7 PM for dinner , is the practical buffer, particularly on weekends or during peak travel periods in Chiang Mai.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chum (Saraphi) | Northern Thai | ฿฿ | Easy |
| Busarin Cuisine | Northern Thai | ฿฿ | Unknown |
| Chai | Street Food | ฿฿ | Unknown |
| Dan Chicken Rice (San Sai) | Small eats | ฿ | Unknown |
| Ekachan | Thai | ฿฿ | Unknown |
| Khao Soi Mae Manee | Noodle Shop | Unknown |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Chum operates as a family-style restaurant rather than a bar-format venue, so there is no counter or bar seating confirmed in the venue record. Seating is in the main dining room, decorated with the red and yellow walls and hanging Northern Thai parasols the restaurant is known for. If bar-counter dining is important to you, this is not that kind of place.
Chum is a casual, family-run restaurant at the ฿฿ price point — think clean, comfortable clothes suitable for a relaxed local meal, not a dressy night out. Northern Thailand's heat and the restaurant's informal setting make lightweight, practical clothing the obvious choice. No dress code is documented for this venue.
The menu is rooted in grandmother-recipe Northern Thai cooking, which typically features pork, liver, fermented ingredients, and fish-based condiments — so strict vegetarians, vegans, or those avoiding pork will find limited options. No specific dietary accommodation policy is confirmed in the venue record. If restrictions are a concern, it is worth clarifying before visiting, as this style of cooking is not easily modified without losing what makes it distinctive.
Yes — at the ฿฿ price point and with a walk-in-friendly model, Chum is a low-friction solo option. The family-restaurant format means you can order a couple of dishes and eat comfortably without the commitment of a set menu or the awkwardness of a reservation for one. The mixed Northern Thai starter and stir-fried pork and liver dish both work well as a solo order.
Chum holds two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) for Northern Thai cooking drawn directly from family grandmother recipes — this is home-style regional food, not a polished tasting-menu experience. It sits in Saraphi District, outside central Chiang Mai, so factor in travel time. The stir-fried pork and liver and the mixed Northern Thai starter with young chili relish are the confirmed standout dishes to anchor your order around.
No phone number or online booking platform is confirmed for Chum, which points strongly to a walk-in model. Arriving at opening time or during off-peak lunch hours on weekdays is the safest approach. Given the Michelin recognition and the drive required from central Chiang Mai, showing up at peak weekend dinner time without checking ahead carries some risk of a wait.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
