🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
If you eat vegetarian, vegan, or just want more plants on your plate while you travel, Chiang Mai makes it easy. These spots cluster around the Old City along Mun Mueang and Tha Phae roads and out in Nimman, all within walking distance or a short songthaew ride. Many places clearly mark which dishes are vegan and which contain egg or dairy, so ordering is simple. We've ordered the list with the most accessible and most-talked-about places first, but every spot here is worth a try.
Our 11 vegetarian, vegan & healthy picks
Aum Vegetarian
A long-running vegetarian spot across from Tha Phae Gate that does almost every Thai dish meat-free — curries, spring rolls, and a vegan khao soi made with potato and tofu. Simple plates at local prices, and a great first stop for a plant-based trip.
Anchan Vegetarian
A vegetarian restaurant in Nimman that changes its menu with seasonal organic produce — soups, salads, curries, and pasta, all balanced rather than over-seasoned. Reviewers single out the clean ingredients and good value.
Goodsouls Kitchen
A vegan café in the Old City's Si Phum area, open since 2017, serving all-day breakfast — tofu scramble, smoothie bowls, veggie burgers, Thai curries, and falafel. The mix of Thai and Western dishes makes it a place you can come back to all week.
Free Bird Café
A 100% vegan café run for a cause — proceeds support a learning centre for refugees. The food mixes Thai, Western, and Burmese flavours, with smoothie bowls, creamy ramen, and peanut-butter noodles, plus a charity second-hand shop on site.
Asa Vegan Kitchen & Studio
A vegan spot in the Tha Phae–Chang Moi area serving coffee, smoothie bowls, and vegan Thai food. The standout is the big Asa Big Breakfast plate and the peanut-butter French toast, with a yoga/workshop studio upstairs and a relaxed vibe.
Reform Kafe
A garden restaurant inside the Green Tiger guesthouse in the Old City, fully vegan since 2017. It does Thai and Western dishes and serves beer and wine, with a shady garden setting that suits a long lunch or an easy dinner.
Ming Kwan
A vegan Northern Thai restaurant in the Suthep area at friendly prices, doing khao soi, noodles, curries, and proper Northern-style mock meat. Open from seven in the morning, and a good pick if you want Northern food without the meat.
Downtown Vegan Garden
A bohemian garden-style vegan spot in Chang Moi, cheerfully overgrown, serving all-day breakfast, pancakes, smoothie bowls, and homemade pasta. There's a cocktail/craft-beer bar and live music, so it's an easy place to settle in for the evening.
Vegan Heaven
One of the city's earliest vegan restaurants, with branches both in and outside the Old City, doing Thai and Western food. Crowd favourites are the crispy mock-pork basil stir-fry, pineapple fried rice, and mango sticky rice, at light-to-mid prices.
Mr Green
A vegan spot on Soi Mun Mueang 7 that grows its own organic vegetables and cooks with little oil, focused on Thai dishes like tom yum, pad thai, pad see ew, fried rice, and som tum. Good for anyone watching fat intake but still wanting Thai flavours.
Hummus Vegetarian
A Mediterranean/Middle Eastern vegetarian place, known for smooth hummus, falafel wrapped in pita, and baba ganoush. A nice change of pace from Thai food — light eating with protein that comes entirely from legumes.
How to order for your diet
Most places use vegetarian loosely, and a few dishes may contain egg or dairy. If you're strictly vegan, telling the staff "no egg, no milk" up front is the surest bet. If you're eating jay during the vegetarian festival, also ask about garlic and onion, since ordinary vegan spots still use them.
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.
Want Northern Thai food without the meat?
The charm of Chiang Mai is that you can genuinely eat Northern Thai food meat-free — you don't have to settle for salads. Places like Ming Kwan and Aum make a vegan khao soi using tofu and potato instead of chicken, with a full-flavoured Northern coconut curry broth. Vegetarian versions of nam prik ong and nam prik num turn up at local jay restaurants too, eaten with steamed vegetables and sticky rice.
- Vegan khao soi — tofu/potato instead of chicken, in a Northern coconut curry broth. Try it at Aum (~฿60) or Ming Kwan
- Vegan nam prik ong / nam prik num — eaten with steamed vegetables and sticky rice, found at local jay restaurants
- Gaeng hoh / vegan gaeng kae — a mix of vegetables in Northern curry paste, fragrant and spicy, good for anyone who likes bold flavours
Healthy bowls & plant protein
If you're not fully vegetarian but want to eat clean, Chiang Mai has plenty of bowl cafés and plant-protein spots. Smoothie bowls, grain salads, and burgers made from beans or mushrooms are easy to find across Nimman and the Old City. Several places on the list above already serve bowls, so just pick whichever is nearest your hotel.
Bowls in the Old City
Goodsouls, Asa, and Downtown Vegan Garden all do smoothie bowls and all-day breakfast, and they're walkable from each other in the Old City.
Nimman side
Anchan and Free Bird sit on the Nimman side — handy if you're staying near the university and Nimman and want organic plates and bowls.
Lighter Thai food
Mr Green cooks with little oil and grows its own vegetables — good for anyone watching fat intake but still craving punchy Thai flavours.
Cash & timing
Many local spots take cash or PromptPay transfers mainly, so keep some cash on hand. Bowl cafés usually serve breakfast all day but close the kitchen in the evening — if you want dinner, Downtown Vegan Garden and Reform Kafe stay open later than most.
Plan a full eat-and-explore trip in Chiang Mai
See the Chiang Mai travel guide →