Chiang Mai Nightlife

The city is lively at night with plenty of pubs, clubs, go go bars, and sports bars . Add to that a vibrant Karaoke scene (which locals enjoy), very good restaurants and cinema complexes, and you can see that Chiang Mai is a great place for the night owl.

Pubs and Bars:
There are the customary Irish bars, namely O’Malley’s on Chang Klan Rd and The Irish Pub in Ratvithi Rd. Too numerous to mention there are bars in and around the night market, such as The Saloon, an American burger bar, and WOW bar in the Shangri La Hotel.

The most up market bar is in the D2 hotel and is The Mix. Very much a place for the socialites of Chiang Mai, and visitors.

For the bars where you might meet a Thai lady, or want to watch some go go dancing,, then Loy Kroh Rd is the place to be. It’s nothing like Soi Cowboy in Bangkok but more discreet.

There is an arcade of go go bars near the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel where you will receive a hospitable “welcome”.

Karaoke bars:
Karaoke bars thrive in the big cities of Thailand, and in many Thai visitors and locals will be very much part of the scene. There are lots of bars in the city centre, with welcoming Thai ladies outside inviting customers in for a sing a long.

There is a purpose built Karaoke ‘street’ at Chiang Mai Land, off Chang Klan Rd

Live music:
A lot of the bars feature live music, as do some of the restaurants. One which has consistently been high on the list of places to go is The Riverside. Situated right on the river this bar – restaurant has music nightly, a wide range of food, and a good atmosphere.

Great for a family night out. In this area along the Ping River there is also The Good View and La Brasserie.

The mix of music played goes from Thai songs which will become recognizable to the visitor after a while, through to western soft jazz and classic Eagles. Like the Filipino bands, Thai bands seem capable of doing almost anything that is standard.

For a more lively music set with less emphasis on setting and food, there is Inter on Tha Pae Road which has more 70’s rock and roll, while The Monkey Club has grown to become a favorite haunt.

For real out and out heavy rock, The Drunk with its raucous crowd and old machine parts has very live music from 8pm through to 1am.

Discos:
The discos tend to be housed in the hotels and probably the most popular and well known is Bubbles in Porn Ping Tower. Also here is the disco at the empress Hotel known as Spicy.

Cabaret:
There are two caberet shows venues in Chiang Mai at The Blue Moon, Moon Mung road, and Simon Cabaret who have a number of places across Thailand. Simon is at G Building, Chang Peuak Road.

Restaurants:
A huge range of international and Thai food can be enjoyed in Chiang Mai. Some have the added attraction of live music (see Live Music), whilst others provide a sophisticated evening of good wine and fine cuisine.

Equally there are plenty of small restaurants offering good local food at very low prices. The Wok Restaurant is one of the best Thai restaurants in town, on Ratchamanka Rd, and so it should be since it is the home of the Chiang Mai Cookery School.

The prices are much the same as any local vendor with a Phad Thai costing just 40 baht. Recommendations for The Gallery have been consistent over the years, and internationally, the Le Coq D’or is regarded as the best French restaurant in the north of Thailand.

Chiang Mai can offer any type of cuisine, with any number of restaurants in the city. Have a look around and find the ones you like!

There are two Dinner Shows where a meal is combined with a performance of the traditional Thai Dancing – this is from The Lanna culture of Northern Thailand, and is special to the region.

The venues for this experience are the Khantoke Dinner Show at the Old Chiang Mai Cultural enter and Khum Khantoke on Nong Pakrung. The local TAT office will be able to give further information or our hotel concierge.

Cinemas and Entertainment Centers:
Cinemas are mostly attached to shopping malls with the biggest in Chiang Mai being the Kad Suen Kaew Mall. Here there are cinemas, shops, restaurants and games arcades. The mall is in Huay Keuw Rd.