Faces Restaurant
A cast-iron spiral staircase rises through the centre of the room, and an elephant sculpture guards the entrance from the alley off Phra Pokkloa Road. Faces sits near Chiang Mai's south gate in a dark-timbered structure that borrows from Khmer temple architecture — columns, ancient stonework, plants hanging overhead, a small waterfall running somewhere behind the greenery.
The menu moves between traditional Thai dishes and, unexpectedly, pizza. Come evening, live music fills the garden, and twinkling lights thread through the foliage. It is the kind of place that rewards arriving without a plan.
💛 What travellers fall for
Regulars tend to book via LINE rather than walking in cold on weekends. The mezzanine is worth requesting — the spiral staircase isn't just for show, and the view down into the garden changes once the lights come on after dark. Cocktails here get more attention than you might expect from a Thai kitchen.
The story behind Faces Restaurant
Faces opened around 2016–2017 as a family-owned restaurant occupying a purpose-built structure on the edge of the Old City. The Khmer-inflected design — dark wood, cast iron, stone sculpture — was deliberate from the start, giving the space a weight unusual for a mid-sized restaurant.
The property shares a street with the Terracotta Arts Hotel opposite, and the two were once linked under the same ownership before separating. That origin still shows in the attention to atmosphere: Faces was never conceived as a quick-turnover dining room.
Good to know
Find it down Soi 2 off Phra Pokkloa Road, a short walk from Chiang Mai's south gate. Open daily noon to 10 pm; cards accepted. Reservations via LINE are sensible for evening sittings. Budget one to two hours.
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What travellers say about Faces Restaurant
This has got to be one of the most beautiful restaurants I've ever been to. The decoration so authentically Thai, with so much attention to detail. It's worth coming for this alone. We really enjoyed our meal here, everything was very tasty and they were very accomodating of my picky child's requests! Excellent service as well, a wonderful experience!!
This was a truly wonderful experience, the venue and setting are one of the most beautiful places we had seen in Thailand. It felt like a true oasis in the city. Food and drinks were impeccable, service was quick without being rushed and staff all very attentive. We had a main each plus spring rolls to share which we struggled to finish because portions are generous, plus five drinks each including cocktails which were delicious. Really great value for money overall!
Such a lovely place. From the service to the food …to the atmosphere it feels magical. Grateful to have visited this location. Only downside is I wish they had more options to vegetarian meals but otherwise they are a great spot.
The atmosphere was nice and the staff were very friendly and attentive. Not the restaurants faults but obviously there are a lot of bugs so we spent the evening with hands over our drinks to stop them getting in. They did provide big spray though! Maybe keep your table ligjt off to stop attracting them. We felt the food was a little overrated, the flavour didn't match up with the price. Toilet was very small, so had a queue, didn't manage to use it.
What a lovely and thoughtfully designed place! We love such vibe. It reminded us a bit the La Brisa in Bali. So much green and rustic steel that you don't know where to look at. On top of that all the water and mist. Wow! We visited before noon when it was virtually empty and we could use the plant canopy to shelter from the scorching heat. We'd love to return in the evening to check the vibe at night time. Good espresso, not Italian quality, but I'd happily get one more! We all need more places like this, very well designed 👏👏
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