🔄 Last checked 2 Jul 2026 · details and hours can change — check the venue before you go
If you drive out of Chiang Mai city toward San Kamphaeng for about twenty minutes and turn into the Long Him Kao community in San Klang subdistrict, you'll find a wooden house sitting in the middle of a pond, ringed by trees and the quiet atmosphere of a craftspeople's village. That's Meena Rice Based Cuisine, a Thai restaurant that makes "rice" the star of every plate. The name says it plainly — this is a restaurant that honours rice above all — and MICHELIN agrees: it has held its Bib Gourmand continuously from around 2020 through the 2026 guide, and keeping that status this long in a city where restaurants compete as fiercely as Chiang Mai's is no accident.
What MICHELIN singles out for praise is the five-colour rice, made from entirely natural colourants — blue from butterfly pea flower, green from pandan leaf, yellow from turmeric, plus brown rice — plated together so beautifully that many people photograph it before eating. But the beauty isn't the whole story, because the rice is served alongside home-style Thai and Northern Thai dishes cooked with real care in every plate. The one dish worth calling out is the pork rib curry with longan, rich and spicy with a touch of sweetness that pairs perfectly with the five-colour rice. Another dish that's a heavy seller is the rice-battered fried shrimp — crisp outside, springy inside. The restaurant leans farm-to-table, sourcing directly from local farmers around San Kamphaeng, so you get freshness and support the community at the same time.
The setting adds another layer of charm — Long Him Kao is a creative neighbourhood along the Mae Kao stream that brings together weavers' homes, craft workshops, and art studios. Eat at Meena and you can walk on afterward to see natural-dye textile work in the same soi. It's ideal for a day when you want to escape the bustle of the old city moat and slow down to the pace of San Kamphaeng life. A review score of 4.4 from over two thousand reviewers confirms this restaurant isn't only known among tourists — locals in Chiang Mai routinely drive out here too. Prices start from just over a hundred baht a dish, making it one of the most rewarding Bib Gourmand restaurants in Chiang Mai for the money.
Meena
Budget around 200–400 baht per person, with standout dishes running 120–140 baht (MICHELIN rates it ฿฿). Credit cards accepted and there's parking on site. The restaurant is in the Long Him Kao community, San Klang subdistrict, San Kamphaeng district, about a 20-minute drive from Chiang Mai city centre. Hours are inconsistent across sources — local listings like Wongnai/Tripadvisor say 10:00–17:00, closed Wednesdays, while the MICHELIN page says 10:00–20:00 daily. Best to check the restaurant's Facebook page before heading out.
Walk-ins are fine, or you can book ahead via the restaurant's Facebook page. The phone number listed on the MICHELIN page is +66 95 693 9586. Saturdays and Sundays get very busy with both Thai and international customers, and a 2025 review complained the daily queue system isn't very organised — going before noon is the safer bet. After eating, don't rush off — you can walk around Long Him Kao and browse the craft work and natural-dye textiles right there.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| MICHELIN award 2026 | 🍽️ Bib Gourmand |
| Province | Chiang Mai |
| Cuisine | Thai / Northern Thai, centred on natural-coloured rice |
| Approx. price | Around THB 200–400/head; standout dishes THB 120–140 (MICHELIN ฿฿) |
| Booking | No online booking — walk-in |
| Hours | 10:00–17:00, closed Wednesdays (local sources Wongnai/Tripadvisor) — MICHELIN page states 10:00–20:00 daily; sources disagree, check the page first |
| Landmark / getting there | Long Him Kao community, San Kamphaeng |
| Area | San Klang–San Kamphaeng (out of town, ~20 min from the city centre) |
Tips before you go
Call +66 95 693 9586 (per the MICHELIN page); credit cards accepted, parking available · Draws a lot of international customers, and a 2025 Wongnai review complained the daily queue system isn't very organised — go before noon on Saturday/Sunday for the surest bet.
Stay in Chiang Mai nearby and hit every MICHELIN stop
See all hotels on AgodaChiang Mai has several more MICHELIN restaurants — see the full list across every tier and province on our roundup page
🏅 All MICHELIN restaurants across Thailand 2026