🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Chiang Mai's dessert scene has grown fast over the past few years. What used to be a coffee-cafe town is now a playground for skilled bakeries, dedicated matcha shops and pastry makers who take their ingredients seriously. Many sit in the same neighbourhoods, so you can walk or drive between them in a single day. We've ordered them by how worth-it they are for people who want to eat dessert properly — not just stop for a photo.
11 dessert, bakery and matcha shops, hand-picked
Forest Bake
A garden bakery in the Wat Ket area that's been baking its own since 2016. It's known for a fragrant Earl Grey tea cake, fruit tarts and homemade bread with no preservatives. The shop is small and shaded with dried flowers, and it fills up fast — go around opening time to get a seat and catch the full cake lineup.
Matcha Cabinet
A dedicated matcha shop in Hatsadisewi Soi 4 using ceremonial-grade powder only, served with a card explaining each cup's tasting notes and grade. The most talked-about menu item is the Coco Cabinet — matcha with fresh coconut water — and the Midori matcha tart with a chewy mochi hidden inside. All the desserts are made in-house.
Morestto
A minimalist, European-leaning shop in Nimman. Its signature is choux cream capped at 20 a day, plus a light, airy coconut cake that's the best-seller, along with chocolate fudge, cheesecake, banoffee and croffles. The seating is quiet — good for eating dessert with a coffee at an unhurried pace.
Kiln Matcha
A matcha shop on the 2nd floor of GRAPH cafe in the Baan Kang Wat area, using matcha sourced directly from the village of Hoshino in Japan. It sits in an artist community, so it's easy to wander around after your matcha. Closed Mondays, so check the day before you go.
Nana Bakery
One of Chiang Mai's long-running French bakeries, with its main branch in Chang Phueak. It's known for buttery croissants and sourdough, and has several branches around town — San Sai, Ruamchok, Doi Saket. Good for grabbing something to take away or for breakfast; the popular items sell out fast by mid-morning.
Magokoro Japanese Teahouse
A Japanese teahouse in the Sridonchai area serving matcha alongside wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets. The mood is calm and teahouse-like, and it stays open until 9pm — making it one of the rare late-evening dessert options in Chiang Mai.
GRAPH One Nimman
A cafe inside the One Nimman complex at the top of Nimman Road, with one of the widest signature-drink lineups in the city. On the dessert side there's a moist carrot cake, blueberry cheesecake and croissants. It's busy because it sits right in the tourist zone — handy to drop into while wandering Nimman.
Bar Cha
A matcha shop inside Jing Jai Market in Chang Phueak, with over 13 matcha powders to choose from. Its standout is a daifuku Biscoff cheesecake. Go on a weekend morning so you can wander the organic market afterwards.
Baristro Asian Style
A cafe on Suthep Road that does a premium, creamy Soft Matcha — there's a matcha-pistachio version too. The shop is nicely designed and photogenic, and it's a good starting point if you're new to matcha and don't want anything too intense yet.
L'Opéra
A French-style bakery that takes classic pastry seriously. Standouts are éclairs, opera cake and pain au chocolat. Good for anyone hunting genuine French pastry rather than fusion cakes.
Kodung Kanom Bakery
A city-centre bakery known for playing with how its sweets look — lava croissants, dragon-shaped pastries, egg tarts and swan-shaped treats. Good for kids or for photos, but the desserts taste good too, not just look the part.
Tip for the sweet-toothed
Limited pastries like Morestto's choux cream or Forest Bake's popular cakes often sell out before noon. If you've got your eye on something, going right when the shop opens is the safer bet. And many matcha shops have limited seating — a weekday mid-morning is far more comfortable than a weekend.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Chiang Mai food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
How to pick the right shop for what you're craving
- Want fresh-baked bakery — Forest Bake (cakes & tarts), Nana Bakery (croissants & sourdough), L'Opéra (French pastry)
- Serious about matcha — Matcha Cabinet and Kiln Matcha go ceremonial-grade · Baristro Asian Style suits beginners who like a softer taste
- Want to sit and linger — Magokoro (teahouse, open till 9pm), Morestto (quiet, minimalist)
- A stop mid-sightseeing — GRAPH One Nimman (right in Nimman), Bar Cha (inside Jing Jai Market)
A 2-day Chiang Mai dessert plan
If you're coming specifically to hunt down desserts, you can spread it across 2 unhurried days. Day one covers the Nimman side and the city; day two crosses over to the Ping River side and the outskirts.
Nimman + the old city
Ping River side + the outskirts
What to know before your dessert hunt
- Hours aren't fixed — many small shops adjust their own hours and have a regular day off, so check the shop's page on the day you plan to go
- Limited items sell out fast — choux cream, signature cakes and some pastries are made in limited numbers each day, so going late risks missing out
- Seating is limited — garden shops and teahouses only fit a few tables, and weekends may mean a queue
- Carry some cash — bigger shops take transfers/cards, but some smaller ones still prefer cash or PromptPay
Plan a full Chiang Mai eating trip — savoury and sweet
See the Chiang Mai travel guide →