Food delivery in Chiang Mai.

Grab is the default super-app for most expats and nomads in Chiang Mai, with the deepest restaurant coverage across Nimman, the Old City and the central ring. The English interface is excellent, it shares the same account as Grab rides, and you can pay by card, GrabPay wallet, PromptPay or cash. Live rider tracking, in-app chat and one-tap re-orders make it the safest first install for a newcomer.

Built on LINE - the messaging app almost everyone in Thailand already uses - LINE MAN reaches the small khao soi shops, Old City street stalls and family kitchens the other apps miss, with Wongnai restaurant reviews built in. The app works in English, handles food, groceries, messengers and parcels, and accepts card, Rabbit LINE Pay, TrueMoney and cash. It is the strongest partner to keep alongside Grab.

Delivery Hero officially ceased all foodpanda operations across Thailand on 23 May 2025 after 13 years in the market, citing intense competition and accumulated losses. It is not available in Chiang Mai or anywhere else in the country -- Grab and LINE MAN are the two apps to rely on today, with ShopeeFood as a smaller, mostly bigger-city third option.

Beyond the big three, ShopeeFood ties delivery to the Shopee shopping app and its ShopeePay wallet, and Robinhood is a Thai low-commission app popular for supporting local restaurants. Coverage of these is thinner in Chiang Mai than in Bangkok, so keep GrabFood or LINE MAN as your main. Many Nimman cafes and restaurants also take direct orders over LINE for their own delivery or pickup.

Rimping is the upscale, expat-beloved supermarket chain unique to Chiang Mai, stocking the widest range of imported, Western, organic and fresh products in the north (branches at Nimman/Maya, Kad Farang, Meechok and more). It delivers through its own service and via GrabMart, making it the go-to for a proper weekly shop with cheese, wine, imported produce and hard-to-find home ingredients.

For everyday value and bulk, Tops (Tops Online), Big C, Lotus's (the Lotus's SMART app) and Makro all deliver across the city. These are best for household staples, drinks, cleaning products and large orders where per-item price matters more than speed. Makro leans wholesale and is handy for stocking a new condo or villa kitchen from scratch.

For a fast top-up rather than a weekly shop, the food apps double as grocery couriers: GrabMart, and LINE MAN Mart deliver from mini-marts, convenience stores and dark stores in 20-40 minutes. 7-Eleven's own 7Delivery covers 24-hour convenience items, and the density of 7-Elevens and Lotus's Express across Chiang Mai means something is almost always nearby.

Chiang Mai has an exceptional fresh-market and organic scene - JJ Market, Warorot (Kad Luang), farmers' and organic markets, plus specialist Japanese, Korean, Indian, halal and health-food grocers. Many list on GrabMart or LINE MAN or take direct LINE orders. If you want a specific ingredient from home or a box of northern-grown organic vegetables, it can usually be delivered to your door.

Delivery fees are low by Western standards - typically 10-40 baht for a restaurant a few kilometres away, rising with distance and during rain or peak meal times when surge pricing kicks in. Most food orders arrive in 20-45 minutes in the central ring. Apps constantly run free-delivery deals, minimum-spend offers and subscriptions (GrabUnlimited, pandapro) that pay off if you order often.

All the major apps have full English interfaces. You sign up with a Thai mobile number (get a local SIM first) and, for card payments, add a Visa/Mastercard - though many foreign cards work, a Thai bank card or wallet is smoothest. LINE MAN requires the LINE app; Grab is standalone. Ratings, photos and menus are largely in English around Nimman and the tourist core, thinner in outlying Thai neighbourhoods.

You can pay by credit/debit card, cash on delivery, or - increasingly the local norm - PromptPay QR and the in-app wallets (GrabPay, Rabbit LINE Pay, TrueMoney, ShopeePay). Linking PromptPay or a wallet avoids carrying cash and makes tipping and re-orders one tap. Cash on delivery is still accepted almost everywhere if you prefer it, handy for smaller Thai kitchens.

In central Nimman, Santitham and Chang Klan, coverage is excellent and orders are fast. Save your condo with the building name, tower and unit, or - for a gated moobaan or villa in Hang Dong or Mae Rim - add the project name and clear gate instructions, as many riders will not know it. Pin your GPS precisely, since Old City lanes and suburban addresses confuse maps. Expect fewer riders, higher fees and longer waits the further out you live, and note that during the March-April burning season many people order in to avoid the haze.

GrabFood is the usual first choice: the widest restaurant coverage across Nimman, the Old City and the central ring, an excellent English interface, live tracking, and the same account as Grab rides with card, wallet, PromptPay or cash. LINE MAN is the strongest partner because it reaches the small khao soi shops and street stalls the others miss.

Delivery fees are typically 10-40 baht for a restaurant a few kilometres away, increasing with distance and during rain or peak meal times when surge pricing applies. The food itself costs the same as (or only slightly more than) eating in, and Chiang Mai is cheaper than Bangkok. Free-delivery promotions and subscriptions like GrabUnlimited or pandapro are common and worthwhile if you order regularly.

Yes. Rimping is the expat favourite for imported, Western and organic products and delivers through its own service and GrabMart. Tops, Big C, Lotus's and Makro deliver for everyday and bulk shopping through their own apps, and for fast top-ups GrabMart, LINE MAN Mart, pandamart and 7-Eleven's 7Delivery bring convenience items in 20-40 minutes. Fresh markets and organic vegetables can often be delivered too.

The central ring - Nimman, Old City, Santitham, Chang Klan - has excellent coverage and fast times. Further out in Hang Dong, San Kamphaeng and Mae Rim you will find fewer riders, higher delivery fees and longer waits, and some restaurants sit outside the delivery radius entirely. Add clear gate or moobaan instructions and pin your GPS precisely, since suburban addresses confuse the apps' maps.