They roast their own beans, and espresso drinks are pulled using a manual piston-based espresso machine.
Nimmanian Club exudes a cocktail bar vibe, and it is, but a coffee-focused cocktail bar — there is no alcohol here, just really good coffee-based concoctions alongside the usual suspects.
Everything here is done by hand: the espresso is pulled using a ROK Presso, coffee is ground using a ROK Coffee Grinder, and milk is steamed using a Bellman. The result? Pretty good, but pricey.
Perpetually busy with expats and locals, easily serves some of the tastiest coffee around. They are big on espresso drinks and have several milk drink options based on strength of the espresso flavor.
The Lab has a more relaxed vibe (but gets just as busy) than their original location looking out on the main road. This is also where the coffee is roasted.
Located east of old town, Khagee, which in Thai means “lively” or “fresh”, is a husband-and-wife run café serving coffee using beans by Bangkok' Happy Espresso, and bake bread using wild yeast.
Located in a courtyard on a quiet alley off the main road, Nimmanahaeminda, Nine-one serves decent pourovers and espresso based drinks. The staff is very courteous and friendly.
Tucked away down a residential street north of Maya mall, you wouldn’t expect to find a bright, airy, and modern coffee shop. But here it stands, serving coffee using beans roasted in-house.
North of old town, on the outskirts, Omnia cafe’s plant-filled front porch leads you into a white brick-walled tight but comfortable space indoors that leads you to a small backyard with more seating.
The cabin-like space is small, but comfortable. We enjoyed a Thai Doi Chang on Aeropress and a piccolo (55 baht), both made using beans roasted by local roasters Fieow Coffee Room.
Dontree (Miles), Namfon and Boy (Hippo the Dripper) bring wild yeast breads and great drip coffee (pourover and aeropress) to one place. Excellent pourovers using beans from Fieow Coffee Room.
Located in the heart of old town in Chiang Mai, the chain-store vibe is a bummer, but the coffee is on point.
Located on a main road in old town, the La Fattoria location serves excellent espresso-based drinks and filter coffee.
Northwest of Nimman, located in an enclave of a cluster of what looks like abandoned stores, off route 121, is Penguin Ghetto. Coffee can be good, depending on who's making it.
Trakool Roikaew serves pourovers and nitro cold-brews out of a kiosk-like space.
In the heart of Nimman, Impresso Espresso Bar has a large, covered outdoor space. Inside, bar stools line the narrow coffee bar. They serve coffee made using beans from Bangkok’s P&F Coffee.
Primarily a roaster supplying to local cafés, the old city location is also a airy café with a few chairs by the sidewalk serving expertly made coffee.
Jing was a documentary photographer based Bangkok for over ten years, before moving to Chiang Mai to be closer to his family, where he started this space — a café and lodging space — with his wife Ben
Located on busy Huaykaew road, just outside the old town, Cafe Racer is attached to a Yamaha motorcycle store. Beans are roasted by the owner, younger sister of the owner of Casa Lapin in Bangkok.
Trakool was brewing coffee at the ground level in a shared space while living upstairs, in the east of old town. He has moved not far from that location, to a space that's smaller, but all his own.
Minimalist, all-white, plush haven, the high-ceilinged café has plenty of seating at the lower level, a communal table at the back, and a loft-like space upstairs. Well-made coffees using Ponganes.
Lee Ayu Chuepa transformed the agricultural practices of his family to be organic and sustainable, primarily growing Arabica varietals. The specialty coffee bastion's original location is lovely.
Graph Table is Graph Café's food-focussed café in a much bigger space. As you'd expect, coffee is just as good.
If you tire of the cramped coolness (and pollution) of Chiang Mai proper, make your way to Asama Cafe. When I visited, they were using beans roasted by Tim Wendelboe and Square Mile for pourovers.
Away from all the cool sois east of Nimmanhaemin road, newly opened Taste Cafe has a clean aesthetic. They serve coffee using beans from Doi Chang (the region) roasted by the owner
