The House by Ginger (Chiang Mai)

The House by Ginger occupies 199 Moon Muang Road on the eastern edge of Chiang Mai’s Old City, a Thai restaurant, lifestyle shop and cocktail lounge in one compound since 2004. It works as a sit-down break between moat walks and temple loops, and as a slower evening table when you want northern Thai plates without leaving the walls.

Official address is Moon Muang Road (Si Phum), not Ratchamanka. If a guide points you to the wrong soi, trust the pin on thehousebygingercm.com.

Two moods in one compound

Daytime trade is the practical stop: quicker tables toward the front, useful when you are already sightseeing and need lunch without a long ceremony. After dark the inner wooden rooms take over (antiques, carvings and a more deliberate dinner pace) while The House Lounge opens from 5pm in a 1937 heritage house for cocktails. Private dining rooms sit on the same site if you are booking a group.

Insider Tip: Treat lunch and dinner as different products. If you came for the house atmosphere, do not only do a rushed midday plate and assume you have seen it.

What to order

The kitchen focuses on Thai cooking made from scratch, including northern dishes people specifically queue for. Look for khao soi (chicken or beef), khanom jeen nam ngiew, gaeng hung lay (slow pork belly curry), and a northern appetizer spread: sai oua, nam prik noom, nam prik ong, kaeb moo, naem and boiled vegetables. Boards change. Ask what is frying that day, and say early if heat or pork is a hard limit.

For how it sits against other Old City and Nimman tables, see best restaurants in Chiang Mai. Street-side northern snacks and market plates are covered in street food Chiang Mai.

Hours, queues and timing

The official site currently lists restaurant service roughly 11am–11pm (last order 10pm) and The House Lounge 5pm–11pm.

Queues build at peak lunch and dinner. Arrive around 11:30 or 17:30 if you want to shorten the wait, or slip in mid-afternoon for a lighter stop. Weekends are the hard days.

Getting there and nearby stays

Moon Muang runs along the eastern Old City. From Wat Chedi Luang it is a short walk east toward the moat; from Tha Phae Gate, cross into the walls and follow Moon Muang south or north to 199. A tuk-tuk or Grab drop on Moon Muang is fine if heat or rain wins.

If you want a bed still inside the Old City, Old City Boutique House is a simple nearby base; De Naga Hotel Chiang Mai sits on the same eastern-moat band. For a rolling look at the walls and temples, the historic Old City bike tour pairs cleanly with a late lunch here.