Cafe Yuva
-Trendy Semi-Outdoor CafeTucked away in our old village of San Phak Wan, Hang Dong
Cafe Yuva – Hidden away in the small village of San Phak Wan
We would never have come across this place had we not lived a few moments drive from it when it was first built. Cafe Yuva was the first trendy cafe to spring up in our little village of San Phak Wan.
We were pleased when this place opened so close to our old home
Cool Cycle Ornaments line the shelves
Little Cycle models adorning the shelves on the counter and classic tracks from ‘Sting’ playing over the sound system while we relaxed in the outdoor seating area enjoying simple Steak and Salad dishes, fried rice with Chicken or a delicious cappuccino and Italian soda.
A spicy Khao Phat Gai for Lunch
Cafe Yuva is set on a cross road intersection on a suspended deck over a body of water. There are farms spreading out into the distance and it is a rather nice place to sit despite the occasional traffic noise. Sacha and I often went there to get a break from the house, have a little business meeting or just talk about life and our future plans. The food and coffee is pretty tasty.
Smoothies, coffees and sodas – everything you’d expect 🙂
Yuva is also set up as a homestay and they have tours available too, although as local expats we didn’t explore those options.
Cafe Yuva Google Map
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The Giant Cafe Chiang Mai
-A Coffee shop and hotel that is also a GIANT TREEHOUSE
After a 1 hour drive we arrived at The Giant 😀
When we first heard about The Giant, we were just about to move house from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. So we made a promise to return to visit this amazing looking tree house cafe.
Such a unique looking cafe, we had to go there!
It is quite difficult to find if you are not familiar with the roads in Thailand. But when you start getting closer it really does feel like you’re on the path to a hidden gem. As usual, like all remotely located establishments, the staff were shocked to see our old car arriving up the very steep unpaved roads, and expressed their disbelief that such an old vehicle could make such journeys. 😉
Eden HATED the rope bridge 😀
But she made it across in the end 😉
We arrived early at 9.30am to be told by the staff that they now only serve food for guests that stay in their new cabin rooms that are attached to the tree underneath the cafe itself. However because we were so hungry they went out of their way to go out and get ingredients for a few meals. Which was nice because otherwise it would have been a long time before we ate having driven such a long way to get there :-S
The Cool Rope Bridge Entrance
After crossing the cool parallel rope swing bridges to reach the cafe, we spent ages drinking Mochacinos and staring out at the beautiful view. Being the only customers there for many hours we had the whole tree deck to ourselves. It was very peaceful.
We had a lovely time at The Giant Cafe, but it would be much better if they served food or even packaged cakes / snacks to all the customers rather than just guests in the rooms. We feel it would make the journey all the way up there a much more complete experience. If they didn’t go out of their way to get us food when we asked we would have been disappointed. But it is a very beautiful and unique cafe.
The Giant Chiang Mai Map
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9 Moo 9 Garden Cafe
– Like finding a little home away from home. Complete with amazing homemade sausages and cakes
This little garden cafe is definitely a hidden gem for local British expats. Every time we have been there we are accompanied by several other Brits enjoying a gourmet lunch courtesy of the owners Siripan & Tony.
Sacha & Our Friend Gillian Enjoying a Lunch at 9 Moo 9
9 Moo 9 Cafe has a very laid back feel and it is very easy to just sit back and forget the time. Drinking good coffee, tea and sampling the freshly made cakes.
Siripan makes these delicious cakes daily
For us, the main edible attraction of 9 Moo 9 is the rotating lunch menu. There is always something deliciously tempting written on the wall in Chalk which changes daily, and the quality of the foods made there is outstanding. Especially the sausages which are the best British sausages we have tasted since moving to Thailand. They are so good in fact that the regulars often ask Siripan if they can buy the left over stock for themselves when they go home. 9 Moo 9 is one of our favourite cafes outside of Chiang Mai old city. We wrote a more in depth review about 9 Moo 9 here.
9 Moo 9 Cafe Map
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My Secret Cafe
– A Cafe that really lives up to its name, it’s like a little secret hidden away from prying eyes. But worth finding.
Unsure if we were in the right place – My Secret Cafe is well hidden
After a few minutes driving around a little lost, we finally closed in on what we thought might be the entrance to ‘My Secret Cafe’ Chiang Mai. At the time there was no sign on the outer gate and we hesitated at the thought of driving into somebodies private garden by accident.
The grounds leading to the secret cafe
After a moment in thought, we parked under a tree, still unsure if we had found the cafe or not. Laid out before us was a pretty garden pathway with two Thai gardeners digging away at the soil to plant some vegetables. We began walking along the path and said ‘Sawat Dee Krap / Ka’ to the nice people and continued toward what looked like a little garden house. After passing over a small bridge we were finally rewarded with a big sign notifying us that we had indeed found the Secret Cafe and not just trespassed on private property!
Finally found it!
The reassuring sign telling us we weren’t trespassing
The drinks menu welcomed us with some unusual additions, namely the Nutella Cocoa and Chocolate Cappuccino with Soy Milk. But it was the cake selection that really stands out at ‘My Secret Cafe’. If you have a sweet tooth you are in for a treat.
The main event! Cakes Galore
Beautiful and delicious
My Secret Cafe had a nice little garden for Eden to run around in, but as usual she choose to sit right by us in the outdoor seating area. We sat and enjoyed a small slice of cake each and drunk the well crafted drinks in the peaceful surroundings for over an hour.
Eden the pup enjoying the cool breeze
My secret Cafe is a cool find and is a wonderful place to satisfy any sweet cravings you may be experiencing. If you can find it 😉
My Secret Cafe Chiang Mai Map
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Asama Café
– Fizzy Ice Cold Espresso Anyone?
Asama Café, hidden inside a quiet gated neighbourhood area that looked like it had been partially abandoned. To get inside, you have to drive up to the Chiang Mai Lake Land security gate and the guards will just let you in without question.
Asama Cafe is inside this gated Complex
Signs on the main road (Canal Road 121)
After riding our noisy Kawasaki Victor around in circles for several minutes, past beautiful looking homes that had seemed to be left to ruin we finally found Asama Cafe.
The outside of Asama Cafe
A tiny air conditioned room set in the same grounds as a popular Thai restaurant. Asama has a very interesting coffee menu that would stir the interest of even the most seasoned coffee enthusiasts.
Sparkling Espresso – Very Unique… And Strong
Cue the coffee shakes…
The specialty Black & White – Recommended!
The owner Asama (Or Mook), also the name behind the cafe, proudly told us about her speciality menu which has won her barista awards. Another example of why Asama Cafe is great!
Asama Aka Mook, the wisdom behind the Spirit Coffee Machine
A double Cappuccino
Make sure you try the Espresso Panna Cotta. An expertly made, silky smooth Italian panna cotta topped with espresso. Presented ice cold in a stylish glass, She only makes four of these each day so get them while you can!
Espresso Panna Cotta – Fantastic
Outside seating & view
A cool piece of machinery 
’Cos everyone loves cake!
Asama Cafe is open from 8am – 5pm every day, however they close on the 1st and the 16th day of each month.
The Thai restaurant in the same grounds is open from 9:30am – 2pm.
Give us a mention if you decide to head for coffee at Asama 🙂
You can read our full review of Asama Cafe here.
Asama Cafe Map
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Coffee Villa at The Chill Park
– A Barn Styled Café Full of Reindeers
Already High on Caffeine from Asama we decided to pad our stomachs with Lunch and Cakes at Coffee Villa before ordering some Cappuccino goodness.
The outside of Coffee Villa
When it comes to Coffee we often judge the Café on its Espresso, Americano or Cappuccino making abilities. We find that these 3 beverages will usually indicate the quality of the bean, whether the Barista is skilled with foaming milk and also if fresh warmed milk is provided with the Americano without asking. 😉
Coffee Villa Cappuccinos
Coffee Villa did well with the Cappuccino, but we have had better elsewhere, the thing that we liked most about Coffee Villa was its dessert menu and also the little hidden seating area upstairs (only one table).
Looking down from the upstairs table
If it isn’t taken by other patrons, it is worth walking up the spiral steps to sit there. Featuring a cool little floor level table with cushions to rest on and a hidden people watching spot over the café below. It felt like being in a secret loft room just for us, complete with very low ceiling beams to bash your head on when you stand up so be careful.
There is also an outside roof terrace with tables set out – although there were no shade umbrellas up when we were there and it was far too hot to sit in the direct sun!
As mentioned the desserts were a great selling point at Coffee Villa, in particular the Chocolate Lava cake. A difficult cake to get right but this Café did a good job of keeping the outside solid but moist and the centre full of runny chocolate. It also came with a glace Cherry on top but I quickly discarded that (I hate them lol) along with good quality vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
Chocolate Lava Cake with Ice cream
Sacha opted for the chocolate brownie, which we didn’t get a photo of as it was half eaten by the time the camera was pointed in its direction! It was a very good brownie, and came with whipped cream.
Coffee Villa is the place to go for all you sweet tooth’s out there as it has a very good cake selection. Including waffles, roti’s, crepes and chocolate souffle.
There is free drinking water on offer at Coffee Villa and they also serve simple western style snacks, such as French Fries and Ham & Cheese croissants.
Basket of French Fries
The interior of Coffee Villa is rather funky with drawings on the walls and a cool sun glass wearing reindeer all over the place. The seating is comfortable and there are lots of magazines to read, inviting you to stay a while.
Coffee Villa is located on the 118 towards Hang Dong just past the Bic C.
Coffee Villa at the Chill Park Map
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Pet Friendly Hotels in Chiang Mai
* Dhara Dhevi Hotel Chiang Mai
* Studio 99 Serviced Apartment
* 3b Boutique Bed & Breakfast Hotel
* Four Seasons Residence at Chiang Mai
* Viva Chiang Mai Nature Home Stay
Jmayel El-Haj – 8 Miles from Home
*Other Useful information
The Real Cost of Living in North Thailand – We break down how much we spend in a month
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? – Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand – The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets – Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
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We both love coffee! Why not ^treat us^ to a cafe lunch if you found this info useful.
Jmayel, Sacha & Eden El-Haj
