Breakfast in the Old Town: our 3 favourite spots
Dozens of cafes tested, three clear favourites — where we actually go for breakfast in Chiang Mai's Old Town, and what to order at each.
Photo: Shixart1985 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
We've eaten our way through a few dozen cafes and restaurants in the Old Town by now — some great, plenty forgettable. These are the three we keep going back to, and the three we'd happily send anyone to. All of them do proper Western breakfasts and Thai classics, so nobody at the table has to compromise.
One thing worth knowing first: the Old Town wakes up slowly. Most cafes don't switch on until 8 or 9am — if you're up at dawn, that's what the markets are for. Here's where to find all three, then the details.
Hanna Restaurant & Cafe
Tucked down a soi off Samlarn Road, a three-minute walk from Wat Phra Singh. It's a family-run place and it shows — they're some of the friendliest people we've met in the city, and the prices are remarkably fair for being right in the middle of the Old Town. The whole thing sits under a big, pleasant canopy, half-outdoors, and somehow the atmosphere just works. (The name, by the way, means "over there" in the northern Thai dialect.)
What to order: the granola (oats with yogurt and a pile of fresh fruit), the curry chicken panini — which turns up with chips and veg on the side — or the Hanna club sandwich: bacon, cheese, egg, veg and their own sauce. They also cook without MSG and skip the microwave, which you can taste. Eggs are a big deal here too — they do them just about every way you can think of, and they're one of the most-ordered things on the menu.
And whatever you eat, get the Thai tea or the Thai lemon tea with it. Both are absolutely spot on — we haven't found better in the Old Town.
Hours: daily, 8am–4pm.
Nice Kitchen Breakfast & Brunch
On Moon Muang Soi 6, in the north-east corner of the Old Town near Somphet Market. Another proper family story: the owner's mum opened it almost twenty years ago, and her son runs it today — he's a genuinely pleasant guy, and the place still feels like someone's home kitchen that happens to serve you.
The menu runs both directions — Thai plates and Western breakfasts — with granola and fresh fruit and several versions of panini (our pick: the avocado chicken). But the real highlight here is the smoothies: a whole page of combinations, big portions, all made fresh. That freshness cuts both ways — when it's busy, you'll wait a little. It's worth it.
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 7am–3pm — closed Mondays. That 7am start makes it one of the earliest kitchens in the Old Town, which matters if you're a dawn person.
Fern Forest Cafe
On Singharat Road in the north-west of the Old Town — and the prettiest of the three by a distance. It's a renovated old family house wrapped in a lush, fern-filled garden courtyard (locals call it the last green patch in the Old Town), and the family has been running it since 2003, with coffee from their own plantation out in Doi Saket.
This is where you come for the smoothie bowls — they're the thing everyone orders — plus an all-day breakfast, homemade cakes (the coconut cream pie is the signature), and unlike most breakfast spots it also does a proper lunch menu: green curry with roti, pad thai, pastas, sandwiches. It's a bit pricier than the Old Town average, but you're paying for that garden, and it's worth it.
One honest warning: it's popular, and there's often a queue at the entrance — especially on weekends and in the afternoons. Come on a weekday morning and you'll usually walk straight in.
Hours: daily, 8am–8pm.
Which one should you pick?
Honestly, you can't go wrong — that's the point of this list. Hanna for value, the friendliest welcome and that Thai tea; Nice Kitchen for smoothies and the earliest start; Fern Forest when you want the prettiest setting and don't mind paying a little extra for it. All three sit inside the moat, a few minutes apart on a scooter.
Quick questions
What time do cafes open for breakfast in the Old Town?
Most cafes in the Old Town open at 8–9am. Nice Kitchen is one of the earliest at 7am (closed Mondays); Hanna runs 8am–4pm daily and Fern Forest 8am–8pm daily. If you're up at dawn, head to a market like Somphet instead.
Do these places serve both Western and Thai breakfast?
Yes — all three do proper Western breakfasts (granola, paninis, eggs, smoothie bowls) alongside Thai classics, so a mixed table is never a problem.
Where are the best smoothies and smoothie bowls in the Old Town?
Nice Kitchen for smoothies — a whole page of fresh-made combinations in big portions. Fern Forest for smoothie bowls, which are the thing to order there.
Is Fern Forest Cafe worth the queue?
We think so — the fern-filled garden is the prettiest cafe setting in the Old Town, the coconut cream pie is famous, and the queue moves fast. Come on a weekday morning and you'll usually walk straight in.
Are these breakfast spots expensive?
Hanna and Nice Kitchen are very fairly priced for the Old Town. Fern Forest costs a bit more than the area average — roughly ฿200–400 a head — but the garden setting is what you're paying for.
