Located on a side street that it is pretty unlikely someone is just going to happen upon, Siri-Chai restaurant specialized in quickly made rice and noodle dishes at an extremely low price.
To call this place "low-key" would be an understatement. They make very little effort to advertise and after being in this place (I was a bit lost) I can say that they don't really need to change anything. The furnishings are basic and their locations isn't the best, but they tend to attract a big crowd of locals - which I have said time and time again, is a fantastic sign you are in an authentic Thai dining experience.
They focus mainly on boiled Chinese-style chicken on rice with a mildly spicy brown sauce (Khao man guy) and yellow curry with egg noodles (Khao Soy.) Both of these dishes already have the ingredients prepared sometime in the morning, so from the time you sit down to the time you are served is mere minutes.
this is "Khao Man Guy"
Not a huge portion, but at 30 Baht (less than $1) I think it is more than fair. The sauce was great as was the side of soup that I have no idea how it is made but is offered at all of these establishments.
All over the country it is customary to provide free drinking water but Siri-Chai goes one step further by offering unlimited iced-tea. For an American, this is a very welcome change of pace. It is the really inexpensive Chinese tea but was still the "icing on the cake" for my very budget lunch.
As you can see they have a very limited menu and from experience I can say that all of these things will be ready in no time at all. I get a bit fussy if i have to wait for my food so these sorts of establishments are exactly what I am looking for at lunchtime.
Overall opinion and tl;dr
Siri-Chai is a hidden gem that is frequented by locals and the few tourists that are able to find it. Their food is about as authentic as it gets and the added bonus for tourists is that it is inside the "Old City" so it will take very little time to locate if you have a maps app of some sort. I highly suggest this very inexpensive, friendly, and quick restaurant for a cheap lunch.
ตำบล ศรีภูมิ อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ 50200
Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
no phone number provided
I think the reason that the food is cheap with limited menu is because this is intended for customers with a tight budget who wants eat worthy of how much money they have. But hey, good tasting foods can be found in this places.
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For less than 1$ that looks definitely nice. I mean, what the heel could you eat for 1$ in the West? Stones? :D
I also like the vibe of the place.
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Awesome man I love these type of places! I love the boiled chicken noodle soups I would have pretty often. On Koh Samui, there was a place I nicknamed "The Shed" which.. well.. you can probably guess why haha! But the food was awesome, cheap, and so great! For about 70-80 baht I would get crispy pork, rice, kale and garlic, 2 fried eggs, and an ice coffee or tea! The perfect meal after a muay thai morning session that's for sure haha. Oh yes and unlimited water, of course ;)
China also is great for these type of things, but Thailand was easier for me to choose. China was difficult due to the language barrier and no-one speaking a word of English. I know minor Chinese and Thai but am making more of an effort to learn now.
How long did it take you to speak Thai?
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This one looks like a real crackerjack where you get bang for your buck. I have often wondered in countries where people are not well off where they eat and this is a prime example. A good find and one to revisit. As I have said before you will find it if it is there as you will try places others would probably walk past.
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That is nuts under $1 for a meal. You can't even do that in the states anymore. That makes sense about the food getting to you pretty quickly. Sounds like Mexican food where a lot of it is just prep work. @mrsbozz and I always joke about how fast our dishes come out when we go to a Mexican place. The food looks amazing thanks for the review!
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Inexpensive quality food is what I look for ! It's good of you to add pictures of the place and the free Ice Tea is seriously icing on the cake!
Keep flourishing.
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30 Baht, I can't get 1 tablespoon of rice for that. Lol
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