What To Do In Chiang Mai
← Back to Explore

Food and drinks

Garden cafes around Chiang Mai

Our favourite cafes with outdoor space, from city gardens to quiet stops beside the river and in the hills.

Updated 27 October 2026

Sometimes the nicest cafe table is outdoors. These are places we enjoyed for their gardens, riverside seats and atmosphere, whether we ordered coffee, iced cocoa or matcha. Some are in town; others make a pleasant stop on a longer outing. Our Google Maps collection includes these and other garden cafes around Chiang Mai.

Cafes near the city

Cafe de Sot has indoor and outdoor areas, a pond and a waterfall feature. Its work with a nearby school for Deaf students is another reason this cafe has stayed in our memory.

Misted garden paths at Cafe de Sot
Misted garden paths at Cafe de Sot

The garden paths lead past water and shaded seating, making it an easy place to linger rather than just pick up a drink.

Pond and garden seating at Cafe de Sot
Pond and garden seating at Cafe de Sot

Peace Place Pause sits by the Ping River, with food, drinks and space to draw or paint. Its tables look out onto the riverside garden.

A drink and work table beside the river at Peace Place Pause
A drink and work table beside the river at Peace Place Pause

The colourful handmade details and wooden structures give the place its own character.

The Peace Place Pause garden entrance and sign
The Peace Place Pause garden entrance and sign

WhyD.cnx is a quieter place for a drink, a chat or a game with friends. Light Beverage and MORE is another small riverside stop, with outdoor tables among the trees.

Outdoor tables at Light Beverage and MORE
Outdoor tables at Light Beverage and MORE

Near Chiang Mai University, Inchala has a leafy, creative setting and has hosted activities including pottery. Early Owls has a wooden house, pond and seating on the grass.

Garden chairs outside the wooden house at Early Owls
Garden chairs outside the wooden house at Early Owls

LUBE Coffee & Special Drinks, behind Chiang Mai University, is a calm spot surrounded by greenery. We have kept it in our garden-cafe collection, although Google Maps currently marks it temporarily closed. It is one to enjoy again when it reopens.

Stops further out

Baan Doi Cafe feels like a small home garden outside the centre. Its outdoor seating sits under trees, while the cafe counter is close by for another drink or something to eat.

The garden and cafe counter at Baan Doi Cafe
The garden and cafe counter at Baan Doi Cafe

There are also shaded corners to sit and talk away from the busier city streets.

Visitors sitting beneath the trees at Baan Doi Cafe
Visitors sitting beneath the trees at Baan Doi Cafe

The Extraction is surrounded by greenery and can fit a trip west of the city, perhaps alongside Baan Kang Wat. The setting has both open-air tables and a small cafe building.

Outdoor tables in the garden at The Extraction
Outdoor tables in the garden at The Extraction

The coffee bar is inside, with views back towards the garden.

Coffee shop building among the trees at The Extraction
Coffee shop building among the trees at The Extraction

If the beans themselves are your main interest, School Coffee is a great place to continue exploring Chiang Mai’s coffee scene.

Shaded garden path at Cafe de Sot
A cat beside a coffee table at Cafe de Sot
Colourful handmade decorations at Peace Place Pause
Coffee counter inside Baan Doi Cafe
Staff preparing drinks inside The Extraction
Visitors enjoying drinks outside the wooden house at Early Owls
Visitors sitting on the lawn at Early Owls

Garden coffee shops around Chiang Mai

Open in Google Maps

Open the shared Google Maps list to browse its saved places, locations and directions.

Keep reading

Food and drinks

Early Owls garden cafe

Food and drinks

Light Beverage and MORE

Food and drinks

School Coffee Chiang Mai

Open original