Chiang Mai Sunday Market
Rachadamnoen Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
1600hrs – 0000hrs every Sunday
Every Sunday, Thonon Rachadamnoen Road, the main East/ West road of Chiang Mai’s Old City, and its surrounding streets are closed for the night market to take place.
We decided to ask our host to help us flag down a tuk-tuk to get to the market. The journey from our Airbnb to the market took quite a while, not only because of the distance but also due to the narrow and busy roads in Chiang Mai.
The driver dropped us off at “Three Kings Monument”, right in the middle of the market. We arrived at around 1630hrs. Some of the stalls were still setting up and it was not yet packed with people.
One unique experience we had during the market took place at 1800hrs. We were having Pad Thai when we heard an announcement over the PA system. The hustle and bustle of the market came to a standstill as everyone rose to their feet. All activities came to a complete halt as the National Anthem was played. Right after the anthem was over, everything resumed as though nothing has happened. It was quite an interesting experience. Seeing how everyone stopped what they were doing, even those who were in the midst of cooking, I was able to feel the strong sense of pride that the Thai Nationals had in them.
Chicken Wings (35 THB for 2)
This stall was tucked away at the end of the street away from the main road. The skin was super crispy and the meat was super moist as well. The wings were packed with flavours.
We decided to stop at some random street side ‘coffeeshop’ which is essentially different food stalls grouped together with tables and chairs in a small alley.
Khao Soi (30 THB)
Northern Thai Curry Noodles. I was really looking forward to trying Khao Soi after reading that it is one of Northern Thailand’s signature dishes. The Khao Soi was a huge disappointment and it was just underwhelming. The crispy noodles topping was hard. The taste of the curry was somewhere in between a green curry and Indian chicken curry and it was super spicy. While the curry base itself was quite decent, the overall presentation and the lack of love put into the food was a huge letdown for me.
Pad Thai (25 THB)
Stir-fried Thai rice noodles. The Pad Thai was wrapped in an omelette almost like a mee goreng pattaya. It tasted very ordinary and there was nothing much to rave about.
Watermelon Smoothie (20 THB) & Strawberry Smoothie (25 THB)
The fruit smoothies may not be as healthy as they seem due to the amount of sugar syrup added. But they are sure refreshing. The watermelon smoothie really helped cool us down after the spicy popcorn chicken. The strawberry smoothie however was too sour for my liking.
There are a number of Wats (temples) along Rachadamnoen Road and there’s a market at one of the Wat’s courtyard. We spotted a food court located inside the courtyard of Wat Phan On and we decided to take a look. Inside, you can find various stalls selling a wide variety of street Thai food.
Pad Thai (40 THB)
This Pad Thai in my opinion was the best that we had for the entire Thailand trip. Although we opted for the Pad Thai without any shrimps or meat, it was packed with flavours.
Sprite (10 THB)
I bought a cup of sprite from a drink stall located within the same food court. Although the sprite was poured out from your typical 1 litre bottle, it tasted more like sprite syrup cause it was so sweet.
Mango Sticky Rice (30 THB)
There were a lot of stalls selling mango sticky rice within the market itself. Most of the stalls were selling them at 40 THB a portion, and when we saw a stall selling it at 30 THB, we thought why not give it a try. We packed the mango sticky rice and brought it back to our Airbnb apartment. The mango itself was very sweet and it was super nice. The sticky rice however was very hard by the time we ate it. The coconut milk had a very strong milky taste.
Honestly for 30 THB, it really blew me away. During my previous trips to Bangkok, I have never found any mango sticky rice that sold for less than 80 THB, and most of the cheaper mango sticky rice always ended up with the mango tasting super sour.