Restaurant in Mae, Thailand
Hyper-regional Northern Thai soup, no fuss.
Him Tang Pig's Blood Soup is a no-frills specialist in a hyper-regional Northern Thai dish that rarely makes it onto city menus. Walk-in only, morning hours, and best treated as part of a broader Mae On valley excursion. For food-focused travelers wanting genuine Lanna cooking away from Chiang Mai's tourist circuit, it earns the detour.
Him Tang Pig's Blood Soup is easy to get to and easy to get into — no reservation system, no waitlist, no drama. For travelers making the drive out to Mae On District from Chiang Mai city, the question isn't whether you can get a seat, it's whether the trip is worth the effort. If you're already exploring the Mae On valley or heading toward the Ob Khan National Park area, the answer is yes. If you're making a dedicated round trip from central Chiang Mai just for this, you'll want to calibrate expectations: this is a local specialist, not a destination fine-dining experience.
The name tells you exactly what this place does. Pig's blood soup — known in Northern Thai as him tang , is a hyper-regional dish that sits at the functional heart of Lanna food culture. The broth is built on pork bones and aromatics, the blood adds a dense, ferrous depth that you either want or you don't, and the whole bowl arrives smelling of charred galangal and fresh herbs. This is the kind of cooking that doesn't travel well to city restaurants, which is precisely why places like this exist at the rural edge of Chiang Mai province. The aroma alone signals that you're eating something made from a recipe that hasn't needed updating.
For food-focused travelers, the context matters: Northern Thai cuisine is distinct from the central Thai cooking most international visitors know. Dishes here lean toward bitter, pungent, and fermented flavors rather than the sweet-sour-chili balance of Bangkok cooking. Him Tang sits firmly in that tradition. If you've been eating your way through Mae's restaurant scene or working through Sorn in Bangkok and want to understand the regional source material, a stop here provides real context.
Morning visits are the practical choice. Soup kitchens of this type in Northern Thailand typically run from early morning through midday, with the leading stock and the freshest blood early in the service. Come after noon and you risk finding a depleted pot or a closed shutter. The Mae On District sits east of Chiang Mai city , factor in travel time and plan this as a morning excursion rather than a dinner detour. Parking is not a problem. Walk-in seating is the norm.
There is no website, no phone number on record, and no booking system to navigate. Turn up, order, eat. For explorers who've already visited PRU in Phuket or AKKEE in Pak Kret and want to fill in the grassroots side of Thai food culture, this is that kind of stop. Check our Mae experiences guide and Mae bars guide if you're building a full day in the valley.
Quick reference: Walk-in only, morning hours recommended, Mae On District east of Chiang Mai city, no booking required.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Him Tang Pig's Blood Soup | Easy | — | ||
| Sorn | Southern Thai | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Baan Tepa | Thai contemporary | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Côte by Mauro Colagreco | Mediterranean, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Gaa | Modern Indian, Indian | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sühring | German | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
This is a single-focus, no-reservation spot in Mae On District, Chiang Mai — you show up, you eat, you leave. The dish is him tang, a hyper-regional Northern Thai pig's blood soup that you won't find on most tourist itineraries. Go in the morning; venues of this type in Northern Thailand typically sell out by midday. The address is 1229 On Klang, Mae On District, and it's worth confirming hours locally before making the drive.
The name is the menu: pig's blood soup is what this place does. Him tang is a Northern Thai preparation distinct from central Thai versions, so if you're familiar with one, don't assume the other. Order the soup, arrive early for the best selection, and don't expect a written menu with multiple options — this is a specialist operation.
There is no bar setup here — this is a casual Northern Thai soup kitchen in Mae On District, not a restaurant with counter seating in the conventional sense. Seating is informal and communal in style. Come prepared for a functional, no-frills environment rather than a structured dining room.
For more polished Thai cooking in the broader Chiang Mai region, Baan Tepa (Bangkok) and Sorn (Bangkok) represent the high end of regional Thai cuisine, though both are a long way from Mae On and operate at a completely different price and booking level. For a like-for-like local alternative in the Mae On area, ask locally — this is the kind of spot where word-of-mouth beats any published list.
Not in the conventional sense. This is a morning soup kitchen in a rural district of Chiang Mai, not a venue with a private room or occasion-friendly format. If the occasion is 'eating something genuinely regional and hard to find elsewhere,' it earns that designation — but for a birthday dinner or celebration meal, look elsewhere in Chiang Mai city.
The core product is a pork-based soup, so vegetarian, vegan, or pork-free diets are not accommodated here. There is no documented menu variation on offer. If pig's blood soup is not something you eat, this is not the right venue — it's a specialist spot, not a broad-menu restaurant.
Casual clothes are the right call — this is a roadside soup kitchen in Mae On District, and anything smarter than a clean t-shirt and comfortable shoes is unnecessary. There is no dress expectation here beyond basic practicality. Given the soup format, wear something you don't mind spilling on.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
