Restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Lunch-only khao soi. Go early, no booking.
Khao Soi Mae Manee is the reference point for khao soi in Chiang Mai, with back-to-back Opinionated About Dining Casual Asia rankings in 2024 and 2025. This lunch-only noodle shop on Chotana Road is a singular-focus kitchen that delivers consistent results at market prices. Arrive before 11 am, Tuesday through Sunday.
Yes — if you are in Chiang Mai and khao soi is on your list, Mae Manee is where you should start. This lunch-only noodle shop on Chotana Road has earned back-to-back recognition on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Asia list, ranking #97 in 2024 and #115 in 2025 — a credible external signal that this is not just a tourist favourite but a shop that serious eaters track. With a 4.2 rating across nearly 1,000 Google reviews, the consensus is consistent. Get there before noon.
Khao soi is a northern Thai curry-noodle dish with a specific technical challenge: the broth needs enough coconut milk richness to coat the noodles without tipping into sweetness, and the two-texture noodle presentation , soft egg noodles submerged in broth, crispy fried noodles on leading , needs to stay distinct from bowl to table. Mae Manee does this well. The kitchen is focused almost entirely on this one dish and its close relatives, which is exactly the kind of singular focus that tends to produce consistently better results than multi-page menus trying to cover all of northern Thai cuisine. If you want broad northern Thai cooking across multiple dishes, Busarin Cuisine is the better fit. Mae Manee is for khao soi specifically.
The address is 18 Chotana Road in the Chang Phueak neighbourhood, north of the Old City moat. For first-timers arriving from the Old City, allow 10 to 15 minutes by tuk-tuk or rideshare. The shop operates Tuesday through Sunday from 9 am to 3 pm. Monday is the weekly closure. The format is casual , expect plastic chairs, an open kitchen, and the kind of environment where efficiency matters more than ambiance. The aroma hits before you sit down: that distinctive combination of warm coconut broth, turmeric, and toasted dried chilies that signals a proper northern Thai kitchen rather than a diluted tourist approximation.
The OAD recognition puts Mae Manee in the same conversation as other single-discipline specialists worth seeking out across Asia, comparable in approach to On Lee Noodle Soup in Hong Kong or Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle in Taipei , shops where the menu is tight and the execution is the point. Mae Manee sits within that tradition.
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am – 3 pm (closed Monday). Reservations: Walk-in only; no booking required. Budget: Expect to spend well under ฿200 per person , this is a market-priced noodle shop. Dress: Entirely casual; no code applies. Getting there: Chang Phueak neighbourhood, north of the Old City , a short rideshare from most central Chiang Mai hotels.
Arrive between 9 am and 11 am for the smoothest experience. By midday the queue builds, and the most popular variations of khao soi can sell through by early afternoon. There is no dinner service, so if you miss lunch hours you have missed the day. For visitors staying in or near the Old City, pairing a morning market visit at Warorot Market with an early lunch at Mae Manee is a practical itinerary that works well. The shop operates six days a week, so the only hard scheduling constraint is Monday.
Mae Manee works for solo diners. The format is counter-and-table casual, the ordering process is simple, and the per-head cost is low enough that there is no pressure to order multiple dishes to justify the seat. Groups are manageable but the space is not large , if you are arriving with more than four people, get there early to claim a table before the midday rush. There is no phone listing available for advance coordination, so larger groups should simply plan to arrive together at opening.
For khao soi specifically, Mae Manee is the reference point in Chiang Mai. If you want a broader northern Thai meal with multiple dishes, Busarin Cuisine is the better choice. For a different style of street-level eating in the city, Chai covers street food more broadly. For something completely different , sit-down Thai with more polish , consider Ekachan. If you are travelling through Thailand more broadly, the serious end of Thai dining includes Sorn in Bangkok and PRU in Phuket for those wanting Michelin-level reference points. Mae Manee operates in a different register entirely , it is a specialist lunch shop, not a destination restaurant, and that is precisely its value.
If you are building out a fuller Chiang Mai itinerary, Aeeen is worth knowing for vegetarian options, and Aunt Aoy Kitchen covers home-style Thai cooking. Baan Landai and its second location on Phra Pok Klao Road round out the northern Thai options for those who want table-service dining. For the full picture, see our Chiang Mai restaurants guide, as well as guides to hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences in the city.
Mae Manee is a casual noodle shop rather than a bar-counter format restaurant , seating is at tables in an open, informal space. There is no bar setup in the traditional sense. Walk in, find a seat, and order. The process is quick and self-directed, which makes it an easy solo stop.
Yes, it is one of the better solo dining options in Chiang Mai. The per-head cost is low, the format is casual, and there is no expectation to order multiple dishes. You will not feel out of place eating alone. For solo diners who want a more formal sit-down experience, Ekachan is worth considering as an alternative.
For northern Thai cooking with a broader menu, Busarin Cuisine is the natural alternative. For street food variety rather than a single-dish focus, Chai covers more ground. If you want sit-down Thai at a slightly higher price point, Ekachan fits that slot. For something outside Thai cooking entirely, Aquila is the Italian option in the city.
There is no dinner service. Mae Manee operates 9 am to 3 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Lunch is your only option , and within that window, earlier is better. Arriving before 11 am gives you the leading chance of a short wait and the full menu available. By early afternoon, popular items can run out.
Groups of up to four are direct; larger parties should arrive at or before opening. The space is casual and not large. There is no phone number listed for advance coordination, so planning ahead means arriving together early rather than calling ahead. The low per-head cost makes it an easy group lunch choice on budget.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khao Soi Mae Manee | Noodle Shop | Opinionated About Dining Casual in Asia Ranked #115 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Asia Ranked #97 (2024) | Easy | — | |
| Busarin Cuisine | Northern Thai | ฿฿ | Unknown | — | |
| Chai | Street Food | ฿฿ | Unknown | — | |
| Dan Chicken Rice (San Sai) | Small eats | ฿ | Unknown | — | |
| Ekachan | Thai | ฿฿ | Unknown | — | |
| Aquila | Italian | ฿฿ | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Khao Soi Mae Manee measures up.
Mae Manee operates a casual counter-and-table format, so seating is communal and informal rather than a dedicated bar setup. There is no bar in the conventional sense. Arrive early (before 11 am) to have the pick of seating, as the shop fills quickly and space is limited at this lunch-only spot on Chotana Road.
Yes, it is one of the easier solo dining calls in Chiang Mai. The ordering process is simple, the format is casual, and at well under ฿200 per head there is no pressure to order multiple dishes to justify the seat. Mae Manee has ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Asia list in both 2024 and 2025, which gives it a credibility anchor beyond word of mouth.
For khao soi specifically, Mae Manee is the reference point, but if you want a broader northern Thai spread with multiple dishes, Busarin Cuisine is the comparison to make. For something more focused on grilled chicken, Dan Chicken Rice in San Sai covers that format well. Aeeen handles vegetarian northern Thai if that is a requirement.
Lunch is your only option: Mae Manee is open 9 am to 3 pm daily, with no dinner service. Within that window, earlier is better — arriving between 9 and 11 am means shorter queues and the full range of khao soi variations still available. Popular options can sell out before the 3 pm close.
Small groups of two to four are manageable, but larger parties should factor in the limited seating at this casual noodle shop. The format is counter-and-table with no reservations, so groups arriving mid-morning on weekends may face a wait. For a group meal with more variety, Busarin Cuisine offers a broader northern Thai menu with more table capacity.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
