Thursday 01 January 2026
Happy New Year! Let’s eat dinner!

[This is the second of two food-related blog posts.]

As I said, I eat food every day…every day. And while I am here in Thailand, I eat Thai food most days. A question I was often asked after my first few winters in Chiang Mai —when I first spent a month or more here—and is still asked: “what does the food there look like?” The simple answer is that it looks like food. When I was first visiting Thailand a very pleasant surprise was how fresh the food was and how good it tasted. It is noticeable and many food items just taste better here than at home because of the freshness or the freshness of the ingredients. An Italian man who owned an Italian restaurant told me, when I complimented his food, that he could make better food here than even at his home in Italy because of the freshness of the ingredients: the basil, the garlic, the shallots, and onions, the tomatoes, the peppers, etc., etc. He and his wife returned to Italy to be close to their extended family as they raised their daughters, so that restaurant is no longer.

Western-Style Dinner in Chiang Mai

The Duke’s

In 2005, David and Sophin Anichowski opened The Duke’s in Chiang Mai by the Ping River with a simple mission: serve up big‑portion, American‑style comfort food that’s fresh, tasty, and made from scratch. The sauces, breads, soups, dressings, and even the cakes, are all made daily in the kitchen. They live up to their motto—“No claims, no games, just great food.” Or in essence, a no‑nonsense, quality dining experience.

Meals at The Duke’s are a little more generous (living up to their goal of big portions), so I do not go there often. I do love the quality, and the friendly service. Because the portions are generous, I very seldom partake in dessert, but on the rare occasions where I have, their desserts are excellent.

A favorite at The Duke’s is their burgers. So far this winter, I have not had a burger at The Duke’s. I will at least once before I leave, because they are very good. My first meal at The Duke’s this winter was a salad, their country chili, and French fries. The French fries are (in my opinion) the best in Chiang Mai. While good or even excellent, the fries at The Duke’s remind me that my all-time favorite fries (and chili and burgers) are at Chiefs Burgers and Brew in Solana Beach, California, not far from my home. I am a regular at Chiefs because I love their food so much (the burgers, the tri-tip tacos, the pulled-pork sandwich, the tri-tip sandwich, the chili, chili-rice bowls, the potato salad, and especially those French fries…Chief’s fries are the best!) Back to The Duke’s. The chili dinner with the good fries way over in the left:

Another meal I had at The Duke’s was their pulled pork street tacos. This is an early dinner special, and on that particular day I was hungry early. It came with a pretty generous salad. The tacos were good, but reminded me of how much I love the pulled pork sandwich at Chief’s, and did not quite live up to that. I also usually splurge and get a Coke when I go to the Duke’s. While I do love the taste of the Coke here made with natural sugar, it is a lot of sugar, so I seldom indulge myself.

Pizza at Street Pizza

I seldom eat pizza here, but when I do, it is another example of food that tastes better when the ingredients are fresh. There are three pizza places I have come to like, Street Pizza and Wine House, La Fontana, and Bella Madre. All three are slightly different, and all three are the same in that they make their pizza sauce fresh every day. [Also, all three are the same in that my friends John and Rose told me about all three.] Street Pizza is not street food – it is a restaurant upstairs above an antique shop. Their pizza is a thin-crust style, and they make a 10-inch size that is just perfect with a salad for dinner. I like the pepperoni, black olive, and jalapeno pizza, a salad, and a watermelon smoothie.

I posted these photos in an earlier blog post. The pizza, and the very cool chandelier light made up of at least 100 clear wine bottles. I have tried to count the bottles in the past, but always lost count. Very cool.

Other Western-Style Dinners

La Casita

A bit of a theme when I reflect on places I eat is that many, even most, were suggested by my friends John and Rose. They live here, love good food, and are always on the hunt for good food in Chiang Mai. La Casita is a Mexican-style restaurant not at all far from where I stay in the old city. A favorite there is the chicken enchiladas that come with black beans and rice.

Fern Forest Cafe

Another place suggested by John and Rose is Fern Forest Cafe. It is tucked away off a busy street, but surrounded by trees and vegetation so you feel like you are in a forest and the sound of the street disappears. They make excellent desserts, especially their coconut cake. I was there for a late lunch with a friend and decided to have the BLT which came with a small salad and fries. The fries were above average (not at all close to Chief’s fries, though). It was a very good meal with some of their iced tea.

Mad Dog

Mad Dog has been here for many years. Long ago, it was called Mad Dog Farang Food and was allegedly one of the first places to offer American or European style food. (A “farang” refers to a light-skinned American or European.) I go there occasionally when I want a smaller meal. I was on my way to Mad Dog two years ago when a loud motorcycle startled me, I jerked away and hit my head on the edge of a metal sign. I thought it was just a bump (a large bump), but it started bleeding. The ladies at Mad Dog got ice and urged me to go to the hospital to get it checked. I ultimately did and it took six stitches to close the gash properly. Nevertheless, the ladies at Mad Dog still remember that. Unlike The Duke’s, the meals at Mad Dog are smaller. I like their beef stew, and sometimes I get a salad, cheeseburger and fries (again, nowhere neary as good as Chief’s fries).

Wrap ‘n Roll Burritos’

And finally one of the meals I return to many times, the vegetarian tacos at Wrap ‘n Roll Burritos at Phaploen Market. Phaploen Market is an outdoor food court with many small food shops in a horseshoe shape and a band or performers at the open end. While looking for a smaller meal after having breakfast and a late lunch, I came to Wrap ‘n Roll Burritos and rtied their vegetarian soft tacos. They have black beans, corn, lettuce, sauce, and a jalapeno slice. Three is just right when I’m hungry but not ravenous.

Next: Return to the Railway Walk