The Riverside Bar and Restaurant

For dinner we ate at the Riverside Bar and Restaurant located on the west bank of the river Ping. It's a Chiang Mai icon, having been serving up food, drinks, and entertainment for over 20 years.

Our table was located right next to the river with an excellent view of the bridge and its twinkling white lights reflecting on the river's surface.

The menu was expansive, with more than 500 options to choose from and a mix of western and Thai dishes. Having had had a Northern Thailand specialty for lunch at Just Khao Soy, and yet not feeling quite right about eating strictly western food in Thailand, we decided to split the difference and ordered Hors D'oeuvre Chiang Mai as an appetizer, and then western entrees.

The appetizer included three types of northern sausage, fried pork skin, and some vegetables accompanied by a dip. I really enjoyed the classic northern sausage, which is seasoned with green curry powder, but the other two types were nothing special. This may however simply be a result of my Milwaukee, WI upbringing where top quality sausages are a way of life.

For dinner, I had the mixed grill, which came with generous portions of steak, chicken, and pork, along with a choice of potato and a serving of mixed vegetables. The meat was well prepared and came with a garlic/herb butter that was delicious.

John ordered the barbecue spare ribs, which were OK, but wouldn't win any awards back in the U.S. The prices however were much better than in the U.S. where I cannot think of a restaurant where I could get a mixed grill of decent quality for around $12.

The atmosphere was by far the jewel of the night however, as the river views were gorgeous. For those looking for a little more upbeat atmosphere, the Riverside also has you covered. Inside the bar, there were two bands (one on each side), which means there is non-stop music from around 18:30 until closing time (around 1:00).

I would definitely recommend the Riverside as a must visit in Chiang Mai.