25 Laptop-friendly cafes to work in Chiang Mai (2025)

During our three months living in Chiang Mai as digital nomads, we faced a big challenge: finding the best cafés to work from in a city packed with laptop-friendly spots.

With so many options, it was hard to know where to start without wasting time and money! To solve this problem, we decided to test as many cafés as possible—sometimes even working from two or three in a single day.

After all this trial and error, we’ve narrowed it down to what we believe are the 25 best cafés in Chiang Mai for getting work done.

Whether you’re a digital nomad, expat, or just someone in search of a productive workspace, this guide has you covered.

For each of the coffee shops, we’ll share the wi-fi speed, opening hours, cost (based on the price of one latte), and a quick review of our experience—highlighting both the pros and cons to help you find your ideal cosy coffee corner in Chiang Mai.

Note: all Wi-Fi speeds recorded in this guide were tested using https://www.speedtest.net/, are in Mbps, using the 5GHz option if available, and are the nearest round number. If the Wi-Fi speed states “N/A”, it means that we didn’t get a chance to test it.

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Working cafés in Chiang Mai at a glance:

A little note about cafe etiquette

Before we start, we just want to go over some basics about etiquette when it comes to working in cafés. At the end of the day, we want to make sure we’re respectful of the space and remember that these cafés are businesses, not coworking spaces.

With that in mind, here are our top tips for not overstaying your welcome in a café:

• Keep buying things: As a rule of thumb, we always try to buy something from the café at least once every two hours. Think of it as your “payment” for using their space. Also, consider trying their higher-priced menu items to support their business.
• Don’t hog tables: If you’re by yourself, there’s no reason to take a table meant for four people—unless there’s literally no other option. Stick to tables that match your party size.
• If it gets busy, get out: We get it, you were there first, but remember that the café is a business. If you’re taking up space and customers are walking away because there’s nowhere to sit, you’re costing them money. We follow a simple rule: if there are at least two other available tables, we stay; if not, we pack up and leave.
• Keep compact: There’s no need to bring your entire desk setup with cables everywhere. Keep your gear and workspace as compact as possible.
• Just be nice: Be friendly with the staff and treat them with respect. Say hello, ask how their day is going, and don’t forget your pleases and thank-yous.
• Ask about café policies: Some spots might have time limits for how long you can work. Don’t accidentally overstay your welcome—ask about their rules.

Best cafes to work in Chiang Mai Old City

1. Carrot Coffee

Carrot Coffee quickly became our favourite café to work from in the Old City. Located by the south wall, it has a rustic charm with décor that leans into an “unfinished” aesthetic.

From our experience, the upstairs area felt like an unofficial “coworking” space, while the ground floor was more of a social spot for catching up over drinks. Upstairs, there’s a large communal table—perfect for group collaboration—as well as several smaller tables. Plus, we noticed plenty of power outlets lining the walls, which is always a bonus for remote workers.

Whenever we needed a break from our screens, we’d head downstairs to the little courtyard at the back of the café for some fresh air. This small outdoor space was a game-changer for recharging and boosting productivity.

Carrot Coffee’s menu has all the classic drink options you’d expect, plus a selection of fancier choices on their “signature” menu. They also serve up tasty brunch sandwiches throughout the day, making it a great spot for a working session with a bite to eat.

2. Into The Woods

Moving from the south wall of the Old City to the north wall, Into The Woods is a café that definitely stands out. Embracing a full-on witchy theme, the space is decked out with tree-shaped pillars, grand fairytale wall murals, and an array of witchy memorabilia scattered all over.

We stopped by for lunch and were pleasantly surprised to find it super quiet, with only one other group inside. It had a peaceful atmosphere and some great table options for working, plus a few comfy armchairs if you’re in the mood for a more relaxed session.

The menu at Into The Woods is surprisingly diverse, offering everything from breakfast sets to lunch options and dinner dishes. Some of their dinner items feature spaghetti based plates with a unique Thai twist. What really caught our eye, though, was the drinks menu, with sodas and smoothies named after fairy tales and fictional stories!

While it might not be the most popular café for remote working in Chiang Mai, it’s a fantastic choice if you’re looking for a quieter spot to focus. We think it’s definitely worth a visit!

3. Fern Forest Café

Fern Forest Cafe is super popular in Chiang Mai, but honestly, it’s more of a dining spot than a work café.

The outdoor seating in the “fern forest” area is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately for us, it was pretty packed when we showed up, so we ended up inside. The vibe indoors was nice though—giving off a kind of “English breakfast tea” energy with the decor.

The food here was delicious though! They’ve got a big menu with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts. I ordered a tuna sandwich, and Sara chose a breakfast set. Both were tasty, albeit a bit on the pricey side compared to other spots around town.

As for working, you can totally set up a laptop either inside or outside. We spotted a couple of people with laptops, but most of the crowd (like 85%) were there just to eat. One thing to keep in mind: there aren’t a ton of outlets, especially inside, since most of the tables are free-standing in the middle of the room.

4. Zohng Coffee

Zohng Coffee is all about the inside-outside vibe, so if you’re looking to escape the heat, this might not be your spot. That said, there’s plenty of seating both upstairs and downstairs, and it wasn’t too crowded when we stopped by for lunch on a Sunday.

What makes Zohng unique is that it’s connected to some sort of accommodation out back. And for just ฿100, you can get access to their pool.

The menu sticks to breakfast and lunch, with brunch dishes and sandwiches being the main options. My shredded BBQ chicken toastie was great, and Sara’s avocado on toast was a solid choice too.

Even on a Sunday, we weren’t the only digital nomads working here. There were quite a few remote workers getting things done. This makes sense with the variety of seating options—everything from proper tables to benches with stools. We found the Wi-Fi to be on the slower side, but the chill vibe and good food seem to keep people coming back!

5. Chiang Mai Breakfast World

Chiang Mai Breakfast World (CMBW) was one of the spots we visited to try out as a breakfast spot in Chiang Mai. After testing the Wi-Fi, Sara and I both agreed that it would actually be a great place for digital nomads to work too!

When we walked into CMBW, we were greeted by a huge and beautiful outdoor seating area, surrounded by lush greenery. There were plenty of tables to choose from, and even a dude with a guitar playing some calming music—he was super talented!

For working, this isn’t the kind of place you’d spend the whole day at, but it’s definitely a space where you could set up for a few hours. Charging your laptop might be a bit of a hassle, and the garden chairs could get uncomfortable after a while.

The breakfast menu is massive—English, American, German, Swiss—you name it! Plus, there’s a good mix of brunch, lunch, and dinner options too, including a German schnitzel. The English breakfast came with proper sausages too—not those tiny Thai wieners! That made me (Ryan) super happy.

6. W8 Coffee

I can’t exactly remember why, but we showed up at W8 thinking we could grab lunch—which wasn’t the case. It ended up being the first café we visited during our mission to check out working spots that only offered drinks, not food. That said, The Bowl Spot is right next door and makes a great option if you’re hungry!

Regardless, we really liked W8 for working. They’ve got huge tables, so you can spread out without feeling like you’re taking up too much space. The layout is pretty unique too—you walk upstairs to the coffee bar, then climb a bit more to the main working area, and then you can head down a different set of steps to a lower working space.

W8 has such a great vibe for getting stuff done. The big windows let in tons of natural light, it’s super quiet, and there were heaps of other people working on laptops. The only downside we noticed was that the outlets are a bit scattered.

Oh, and bonus—there’s a rooftop bar upstairs that opens in the evening and does serve food!

7. STORIES

STORIES felt more like a restaurant than a café, in our opinion. When we showed up at 1 pm on a Thursday, there wasn’t a single person remote working. Instead, the place was packed with people enjoying lunch, so we’d only suggest coming here outside of peak hours if you’re planning to work.

The tables were okay for laptop use, and the big windows surrounding the restaurant let in a decent amount of natural light. That said, the seats were a bit uncomfortable, and there weren’t many outlets to plug into.

Where STORIES really shines is the food! Even though it’s on the pricier side for Chiang Mai (฿520 for two meals and a drink), we thoroughly enjoyed the club sandwich and grilled chicken burger.

Although, to be completely honest, we probably wouldn’t come back here to work.

The Old City location is conveniently right next to W8 Coffee, so you could always work there and then escape to The Bowl Spot for a lunch break!

Neither location is usually super busy (though the Nimman one can get a little busier on Sundays), and the owners are incredibly friendly. They even gave us tips about places to check out around Chiang Mai! Plus, they’re totally cool with remote workers coming in, setting up, and grinding away while enjoying a fresh poke bowl.

Side note: We didn’t check the Wi-Fi speed at the Old City branch, but the Nimman location has very fast internet. Also, we never got around to buying a latte here, so we don’t have a price for that one…

9. The Hideout

Initially, we didn’t include The Hideout on the list of working cafés we planned to visit, but we ended up here one Sunday for breakfast—and honestly, it turned out to be a lovely little spot to spend a morning working.

The breakfast menu here is absolutely mouthwatering, with plenty of sweet, savoury, and sandwich options. The seating arrangements kind of gave me the vibe of a cozy café back home in the UK, so realistically, there’s only space for one person to work at each table.

The Hideout definitely leans more toward being an eating café than a working café, so there weren’t too many outlets around. But if you’re looking for an early-morning spot to grab a scrumptious breakfast bagel and get a few hours of work done, this place is a great option!

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Best cafes to work in Nimman

10. On The Bread

On The Bread was one of the first cafés we stopped by for lunch during our first time living in Chiang Mai. It’s a cosy little spot tucked away on a quiet back street in Nimman, and we ended up coming back multiple times.

We found the place has that charming ‘farmhouse’ vibe, with a fresh bakery right next door. The café itself is quite small, but it was never particularly busy whenever we visited, so it made for a great work spot. Plus, there’s a dedicated outlet at every table inside.

If you prefer some fresh air while working, we also worked at a small breakfast bar area out front. However, the furniture inside is fairly comfortable, and the quiet atmosphere is perfect for deep focus sessions.

But honestly, the main reason we kept returning to On The Bread was the set breakfast menus. They’re crazy affordable, and the food is genuinely amazing. We could choose from a few options, all of which come with freshly baked bread, a hot drink, and a juice.

11. Rosemary

Just a few doors down from On The Bread, we found a quaint little café called Rosemary. This space has a few tables available indoors, plus some extra tables in a ‘greenhouse-like’ area.

Honestly, we’d recommend avoiding it if you plan to work around breakfast time (especially on a Sunday), as it can get super busy. The furniture is mainly wooden or metal, with sporadic cushions, so it might get pretty uncomfortable after a while.

But the food is amazing, with some really unique bread options like scrambled eggs in a hot dog bun or eggs benedict over a baguette.

12. Stoic Cafe

We don’t think we’d be too hard-pressed to say that Stoic has the best bagels in Chiang Mai—we’d love to hear your alternative options though! But in addition to the bagels, we found that Stoic has an awesome, brightly lit space and great Wi-Fi.

The main downside, though, is that there isn’t a ton of seating. When it’s full, we’d imagine that Stoic could probably only fit around 12 people inside. So if it’s busy, it could be difficult to find a spot to sit.

However, the couple of times we visited were fairly early in the morning, and we never had issues finding somewhere to perch our bottoms.

13. The Barisotel

The Barisotel is a café and restaurant that’s spread over two levels. We decided to sit at a table downstairs near the counter, and the natural light here was amazing. The huge windows at the front of the property, combined with the white decor, provided a bright atmosphere to work.

Sara and I visited for lunch and a short work session around midday. At this time, there were a lot of other people working inside The Barisotel too, both upstairs and downstairs. We found the tables to be great for both individuals or groups looking to work together.

The menu is extensive, and we dived into a simple breakfast meal and a bacon and egg croissant. But we also noticed a lot of unique, signature drinks on the menu if you’re looking for something a bit more quirky to fuel your work session.

14. Manifreshto

We actually really enjoyed working at Manifreshto and ended up returning multiple times.

It’s a café-restaurant combination that offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. They use a ‘build your own meal’ system, which means that when we arrived, the staff handed us a slip of paper and we had to check off the food and drinks we wanted.

Manifreshto also allows you to bring your own coffee, because they want you to ‘enjoy your time with us’.

There is seating both inside (which is limited) and outside. We tried both arrangements and found ourselves working productively either way—although power outlets are scarce. But the biggest benefit is that Manifreshto has the fastest Wi-Fi connection we’ve seen in any Chiang Mai café.

15. Groon

Groon Bread & Brunch Café was brought to our attention by our friends Dennis and Denise. When we searched for breakfast options in Chiang Mai, for some reason Groon never showed up!

It’s a funky looking, bright ‘Bali villa-style’ building, with plenty of seating inside and out the front. Its forte is definitely its brunch menu, and the ‘Bacon & Egg & Egg Egg Toast’ is one of the best avocado on toast dishes I’ve ever eaten. Sara also praises the pancakes too!

In terms of working, we probably wouldn’t recommend sticking around here all day, but it’s a great spot for a few hours of work. Dennis and Denise would regularly come for breakfast and then stay a couple of hours to grind some client work.

Whenever we visited, there were always digital nomads sitting at laptops. This made sense to us as the food is great, the Wi-Fi was passable, and there were plenty of outlets around too.

At the end of your work session, you can even pick up a loaf of freshly baked bread too!

16. Roastniyom Coffee

This particular cafe was easy for us to find, because it was right outside of our apartment building! So it became Sara’s go-to spot for her morning coffee.

Being so close, we got to see Roastniyom Coffee in action a lot, and there are remote workers here at almost every hour of the day. In fact, we’d even say that the clientele leaned heavily towards local Thai workers, rather than digital nomads or expats.

It offers just drinks and sweet treats, but it does have a ‘specialty menu’ that includes drinks like a ‘Missy Berry’, a ‘Sub Ta Krai’, and a ‘Deep Blue Sea’, among other options.

With inside and outside seating, there were usually a couple of tables free throughout the day. Although we never officially worked at Roastniyom, its popularity suggests a great working environment.

17. BeansLiquor

BeansLiquor is a cosy café just a short walk from our apartment in Chiang Mai. It was actually the first place we visited on our mission to find the best working cafés in the city.

With a full menu of food and drinks, Sara and I ended up coming back a few times because it was so convenient. We tried a couple of pasta dishes—they were okay, but nothing special. The real standout was the thick, sweet, stuffed toast.

The café is great for getting work done. It’s spread over three floors, but the second floor is the most productive. There are four big tables with outlets, and it’s the only floor where the A/C was running.

While BeansLiquor isn’t the most popular working café in Chiang Mai, it gets a steady stream of customers. However, from our experience, there’s almost always a table free, even during busy hours.

18. Ristr8to

Ristr8to is a specialty coffee spot tucked away in a small property at the north end of Nimman Road. If you love coffee, you’re going to love Ristr8to and its super unique coffee blends and drinks. If you’re not a coffee lover (like me), the options are limited—Ristr8to doesn’t have a food menu.

In terms of remote working, this café generally isn’t the best. The tables are small, there are only a few seating options, and space is limited. However, when we visited, there were quite a few digital nomads working away at their laptops.

Sara and I perched ourselves at a table in the front garden of Ristr8to. With a complete disregard to all the unique coffee options, Sara chose an iced latte, which she said was delicious. But we only stayed for about an hour before moving on—mainly because there wasn’t any seating away from the sun.

19. Roast8try Coffee

Sara and I thought we might as well put the coffee shops with the most similar names next to each other on this list, for maximum confusion, lol.

Roast8ry Coffee is a coffee lover’s dream. If you’re a connoisseur of coffee, your taste buds are in for a treat! This coffee shop has a ‘luxury’ aesthetic—dark vibes, a monotone style, and large benches that lead to the best coffee experience.

We noticed that Roast8ry has won several coffee awards worldwide for both their coffees and their latte art (which you can choose for an extra ฿200). The menu itself is extensive; we saw a lot of coffee being served in unique glasses—champagne flutes, martini glasses, etc.

Besides coffee, there was a healthy mix of digital nomads working here, as well as people just coming to socialise over a unique drink. The Wi-Fi is great, there’s free water in hidden compartments in the tables, and there’s seating both inside and out. However, the seating can get uncomfortable after a while.

20. The Bowl Spot (again)

This particular Bowl Spot was our ‘homeground’ branch. We would work at Life Space around the corner and then come here for lunch on a regular basis.

The Nimman branch is essentially the same as the Old City branch, so I’ll skip most of the details. If I can offer a suggestion, I loved ordering a Super Bowl with brown rice, extra chicken, and spicy mayo, for me this was a winning combo!

We also made sure to grab a loyalty card. Every bowl you order wins a stamp, and we completed two cards. Along the way, you win free goodies up until the final prize—a free poke bowl!

21. Cottontree

Cottontree is a small café that we found a little ways north of Maya Mall. Sara and I rode the scooter there, arriving at a huge car park with sports halls around it. We thought we’d arrived in the wrong place, but Cottontree serves as a break spot for a lot of sports players.

It’s a quaint little café to work in, with a decent drinks menu and even bagels, sandwiches, and sweet treats for lunch. We set up our laptops in the corner, and there were a few other remote workers dotted around the space.

However, we noticed that all the outlets had been taped up, which makes us think they don’t want people hanging around for too long. This might be because large groups of people regularly come in and out, before or after playing badminton in the halls. These groups can result in some significant noise too!

The staff were all super friendly, though! And if you need the loo, you need to ask the counter, and they’ll give you a key to the small toilet across the car park.

Best cafes to work in Santitham

22. BOB Coffee

Buckle in, ladies and gents, because we’ve reached our favourite café for working in Chiang Mai! BOB Coffee is a fun establishment. The coffee counter is just off the main road, but the working area is through the car park and to the left. If you head right instead, there’s also a bar—we never used the bar.

BOB Coffee felt more like a coworking space to us than a café. Literally everybody that walked through the door was here to work (apart from the occasional Thai girl who wanted IG photos). Each table is almost perfectly set up for work, with outlets and plenty of space.

Being around the back means that staff rarely pass through, so it never felt like we were overstaying our welcome. The café space and the surrounding area are very aesthetic, a characteristic we regularly took advantage of to create content. If you’re familiar with our ‘Nomad Advent Calendar’ over on Instagram, three out of the four weeks were filmed at BOB, as well as several of our nomad interviews!

Something else that contributed to the coworking space feel was that it was almost the same people turning up to work at BOB every day. Sara and I made multiple digital nomad friends while working here, and many more acquaintances.

We found the drinks menu to be one of the most affordable in Chiang Mai, and the sweet treats were delicious. They embraced holiday vibes, with Halloween decorations when we first worked here, and Christmas decorations going up before we left Chiang Mai.

Finally, one of my core memories will be walking through the photo booth ‘shortcut’ to reach the restrooms.

23. Ombra Cafe

Ombra Cafe is a spot we only visited once. It’s right on the border (at least, what we think is the border) between Nimman and Santitham. It has that cosy, darker vibe that some cafés have, with seating both inside and outside.

The menu here offers coffees, smoothies, specialty drinks, breakfast, and lunch items. Sara went for her usual iced latte, which she found below average, and I demolished a smoothie, which was above average.

There were a lot of people working at Ombra when we visited, probably thanks to the sign outside stating that it’s ‘laptop-friendly’. However, like many small coffee shops in Chiang Mai, seating is fairly limited, especially inside.

Despite the upload speed being a bit strange—maybe it was a bad test—Ombra is a perfectly okay café to work in!

24. Tora Bake

Tora Bake was a café that we accidentally stumbled across while visiting all the coworking spaces in Chiang Mai. It’s attached to One Workspace and also acts as its reception.

However, you can also just come here to visit Tora Bake. There are a couple of seating options, but it wasn’t particularly busy when we visited around lunchtime.

If you buy a coffee or a homemade sweet treat, you’ll receive a complimentary 1-hour pass to the Wi-Fi. For more, you’ll need to purchase a day pass to One Workspace.

The vibe here was super relaxed, and the staff were incredibly friendly. If you’re looking for a quick one-hour work session or an offline work session, Tora Bake is a cosy spot to do so!

Other great cafes to work in Chiang Mai

25. Artisan Cafe

Artisan Cafe is a bit of an outlier on this list because it’s a bit of an outlier in the city. It’s found a bit further south than the south wall of the Old City, but this location means that it’s a quiet café—very quiet.

We visited around late morning for brunch and a work session, and there was literally only one other customer using the space. For those looking for a peaceful atmosphere to get work done, Artisan Cafe is literally perfect.

Artisan has a sort of rustic, ‘mismatched’ furniture vibe, with plenty of variety when it comes to seating options. They offer drinks, sweet treats, breakfast, brunch, and lunch options—everything you need to see you through until dinner!

Alongside this, rapid Wi-Fi speeds and tons of available outlets make us wish we’d made the pilgrimage south to Artisan more often!

Which café in Chiang Mai was our favourite to work in?

Well, if you’ve been concentrating while reading this article, it’s not hard to guess which café in Chiang Mai was our favourite to work in. Without a doubt, it’s BOB Coffee. It was such a great spot for us that, towards the end of our stay in Chiang Mai, we were visiting practically every day!

There was just something about the atmosphere at BOB that resonated with us. We always felt relaxed, not pressured to keep buying things (although we always did, see our café etiquette suggestions), and it had a coworking feel.

When we inevitably end up back in Chiang Mai again sometime, we’ll definitely be returning to BOB!

Some honourable mentions

Our initial plan was to visit 30 different cafés in Chiang Mai for this guide, but as you can see, that didn’t happen—although we think 25 is pretty darn good!

So here are some honourable mentions that we’ve heard are good for nomads to work in, but we haven’t been able to confirm it ourselves:

Which cafe is best for you and what’s next?

The goal of this article was to bring you the most extensive list of laptop-friendly cafés in Chiang Mai on the internet. With all the details Sara and I have been able to provide, we hope that you have at least a handful of spots you want to check out!

However, if you’re not really a café person, maybe you’re a coworking space person. There are plenty of coworking spaces throughout the city to check out as well, so you’ll definitely find your productive place!

Because you’re here right now, we assume that you’re thinking of choosing Chiang Mai as your next digital nomad space, or maybe you’re already there? Regardless, we have the best article with all the information you’ll need to live in Chiang Mai as a digital nomad!

And if you’re a nomad, or an aspiring nomad, currently looking for your tribe of people, we’ve created a free Facebook group which we’ve called the “Digital Nomad Collective“. Our goal is to make it one of the best resources for digital nomads, and a safe space devoid of ridicule and hate.

Finally, if you haven’t already, check out our free guide to “the best digital nomad locations for under $1500 per month“. You might find your next favourite nomad spot!

We hope that our guide covered everything you need to know about cafés to work in Chiang Mai. We always strive to offer the most accurate and up-to-date information we can but if you think something we’ve said is wrong, please let us know!

Read more about digital nomad life in Chiang Mai:

• Complete guide to living as a digital nomad in Chiang Mai in 2025
• 22 Best coworking spaces in Chiang Mai for nomads
• 25 Laptop-friendly cafes to work in Chiang Mai
• 7 Best Chiang Mai coliving spaces to stay in as a digital nomad