10 Mouth-Watering Pai Restaurants – TREKwithBECK
Pai is a beautiful little touristy town, located 135km from Chiang Mai city. It is known as one of the most popular places for backpackers to visit, for its quaint little village and chilled vibes.
I spent a week in Pai and there isn’t much to do here besides sit back relax and of course EAT! I loved Pai for its laid-back atmosphere and the many different restaurants – my life revolves around food a bit when I travel.
Pai is easily reachable via minivan, which can be booked on 12go Asia – I would recommend booking a few days in advance, as the early morning buses do sell out.
1. Bom Bowls
Bom Bowls is a plant based, vegan and vegetarian restaurant located just outside of the main town of Pai. You can either walk here in 20mins or scooter in 3 mins from the town centre. Bom bowls offers fresh and healthy meals at a very reasonable price. The atmosphere is very chilled, with downstairs and upstairs sitting areas (they also have fans, which is needed in the pai heat). The service was very quick and friendly.
You have the option of smoothie bowls, pancakes, authentic Thai dishes and much more. The strength and power smoothie bowl (120 Baht) were delicious and a very good serving size! They also do very good coffee (65 Baht) and the pancakes were tasty (100 Baht).
Open every day between 8.30am and 4.30pm.
2. Carrot on the Moon
I went here for a quick breakfast, and I loved the whole atmosphere. This small café is located within walking distance from the city centre and has a beautiful outdoor setting – with lots of cats! They offer western style breakfasts, a lot of dishes with fresh avocado and some Thai dishes.
They prices are very reasonable, and the serving sizes are plenty. I got the single avocado and poached egg on toast (one slice of bread – 100 Baht) and an iced coffee (60 Baht). The egg was cooked perfectly, the avocado was fresh, and the iced coffee was perfect.
Open every day between 9am and 5pm.
3. Earth Tone
This might be my favourite café out of these Pai Restaurants. Earth tone is a café located about a 20min walk from the town centre or a short scooter ride away. This vegetarian and vegan café serves a variety of drinks, desserts, western style sandwiches/salads and Thai food.
There is a very relaxed and laid-back atmosphere here, and something for everyone. I loved the interior, and the food was delicious. I was looking for something a little lighter when in Pai (especially for lunch with Muay Thai training), and I loved the salads from here.
Highly recommend the homemade kombucha – bit more of a bit then other kombuchas, but so tasty (50 Baht). The Blossom Bowl was also my favourite bowl, full of flavour and the peanut sauce is one of the best I’ve had (150 Baht).
Open between 9.30am and 4.30pm – closed Saturdays.
4. Charlie And Lek
This restaurant is extremely popular and was very popular with the students at my Muay Thai bootcamp! I didn’t dine here in person, but I ordered from Food Panda and got it delivered. I am not sure what the interior or vibe is of this place, but the food was very good. Even with it being delivered, it was fresh and tasty.
They have vegan and meat options here, but most of their dishes are on the healthier side – although it is still authentic Thai food! Recommendations, Northern Style curry noodles (85 Baht) and spring rolls (89 Baht). The serving sizes were very good, and there are heaps of options.
Open between 10.30am and 9pm – closed Sundays.
5. Hedgehog Boba
This isn’t a restaurant, but I am putting it on this list because I loved the simplicity of the menu, and it makes a great easy to go boba. All the drink choices are 40 Baht, which is extremely reasonable!
I go the peach lemonade which was very refreshing for a hot day exploring Pai.
6. Ganita Cafe
This Is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, which serves food inspired by multiple cultures. Here you can get smoothie bowls, Thai, Indonesian, salads, burgers and vegan desserts.
The atmosphere was very laid back, there are limited seating options, and I can see it getting busy during peak times. The service was very quick, but the serving sizes are a bit on the smaller side. I got the Indonesian salad “Gado, Gado” (120 Baht) and the Snickers smoothie (80 Baht). The peanut sauce of the salad was the highlight of the dish, and the smoothie was super thick and tasty. I did however have chunks of seeds in my smoothie, which wasn’t a problem – I just had to split them out as I couldn’t chew them.
Open between 10.30am and 9pm – closed Thursdays.
7. I Love you Pai
This is a great little café located about a 5-minute drive outside of the main town of Pai. It has beautiful views over the mountains and rice fields of Pai, and very cute outdoor sitting areas. It’s a great place to pop in if you are doing some exploring outside of Pai.
They have a range of desserts, drinks, and meals here. I didn’t get any meals here so I can’t speak for the food, but I did get an iced cappuccino (60 Baht) and blueberry cheesecake (80 Baht). Both were delicious. Thailand does very good coffee if you love a caffeine fix.
Open every day between 8am and 5pm.
8. Tham Ma Daa Café
I happened to stumble across this little Cafe on my hunt for the best Pai Restaurants, and it turned out to be a winner! Tham Ma Daa Cafe is located just outside of town, a few minutes away from the Fluid Swimming Pool. This Cafe has some beautiful views overlooking a koi pond.
The menu has Thai food and western food, at very reasonable prices. I got the black bean burger which was very tasty, it did lack some seasoning but never the less it hit the spot! The seasoning on the chips and the garlic dip with it – incredible!
9. Mios Kitchen
This place has the best pancakes out of all the Pai restaurants, and only for 100 Baht! Mios Kitchen is right next the the Pai bus station, so it makes a great place to stop in for a meal before your trip or after you’ve arrived. I got the banana chocolate pancake an it was a massive serving with just the right amount of Nutella and bananas. The pancake was super fluffy and not dry at all.
Mios kitchen has a lot of other dishes on it such as traditional Thai dishes and western style dishes. Mio’s also has the most extensive smoothie menu I have ever seen, it was a little overwhelming!
10 – Pai Night Markets
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Pai night markets! Technically it isn’t a restaurant in Pai, but this is by far the best place to go, if you are looking for any type of cuisine. The markets have Thai, desserts, smoothies, vegetarian, pizza, waffles and so much more. If you are feeling adventurous you can also buy some chilli bugs!
The Pai night markets are located on Pai walking street. This street gets very busy every single night in the peak season, and if you are driving a scooter, I would recommend parking outside the town slightly and walking in. If you are staying in main Pai town, you won’t need a scooter to get here!
I spent $22 AUD (480 Baht) here for one night and got 9 different dishes. This was food heaven.
Open every night 6pm to 10pm.
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