Why does Nimman have so many cafés in Chiang Mai?

Nimmanhaemin Road was built in 1963 on land the Nimmanhaemin family gave for Chiang Mai University, and the campus still brings younger Thais to its lanes. Ristr8to opened there in 2011, when specialty coffee in Chiang Mai was still mostly an expat taste, and by 2020 Nimman was believed to have Thailand's highest density of coffee shops.

How long is Nimmanhaemin Road in Chiang Mai, and where does it run?

Nimmanhaemin Road is about 1.3 km long. It runs from Huay Kaew Road in the north to Suthep Road in the south, west of the Old City, and forms part of Chiang Mai's first ring road. It was built in 1963 after the Nimmanhaemin family donated land for Chiang Mai University. One Nimman stands at the corner of Soi 1.

Which cafés in Nimman, Chiang Mai, stay open late?

Nimman keeps later hours than most of Chiang Mai: fewer than half of Nimman's cafés close by 18:00. Yesterday, at 24 Nimmanhaemin Road, is open 07:00 to midnight, and Wide-awake 24 hours and Camellia & Co. are open around the clock.

Cafés in Nimman, Chiang Mai: Hours and Map

Nimmanhaemin Road (ถนนนิมมานเหมินท์), Nimman for short, runs 1.3 km from Huay Kaew Road south to Suthep Road, west of the Old City.¹ It dates from 1963, when the Nimmanhaemin family gave land to the government for Chiang Mai University.¹ A Kyoto University study notes the family expected the campus to raise the value of the land they kept, which was later widened into a road and sold as housing plots.²

Those housing lanes became the city's café quarter. When barista Arnon Thitiprasert opened Ristr8to here in 2011, specialty coffee in Chiang Mai drew mostly expats and tourists; by 2020 Nimman was believed to have the highest density of coffee shops in Thailand.³ It still has more cafés than any other part of the city.

Local tip: Ristr8to is closed on Tuesdays. That day, First Officer Coffee Roasters opens at 07:00, four hours before One Nimman's shops.

At a glance

223Cafés listed

80With opening hours

07:00Earliest opening

00:00Latest closing

Opens earliest: Coffee INC. Nicohub, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–21:00).

Closes latest: Posrest, until 00:00 (Daily 10:00–00:00).

Most listed streets: ถนน นิมมานเหมินทร์ (11), ถนนห้วยแก้ว (6), Siri Mangkalajarn Rd (4).

Most common features: wi-fi (27%), outdoor seating (10%), open late (8%).

Finding your way along Nimman's sois

From the Old City's north-west corner, Hua Lin, the road west leads to the Nimman district, Maya mall and on to Doi Suthep.⁴ Nimman itself is part of the city's first ring road; the Department of Highways handed it back to the city municipality in June 2022.¹ The One Nimman shopping center stands at the corner of Soi 1 and opens 11:00–23:00.⁴

Cafés sit on almost every numbered soi. Coffee INC. Nicohub is at 26/1 Soi 5, Morestto at 16/1 Soi 6, Impresso Espresso Bar at 28/1 Soi 11, On the Bread on Soi 13 and Roxpresso at 14 Soi 17. Parallel Siri Mangkhalachan Road has its own run, including Roastniyom Coffee at number 51.

Ristr8to and Nimman's roasters

Arnon, known as Tong, came home after starting a specialty shop in Sydney, and later opened a roasting space a block from Ristr8to where he runs classes.³ He told Cathay's magazine in 2020 that foreign customers were readier to try Thai beans than Thai ones, partly because imported coffee carries duties of 97% and costs more.³ Wikivoyage credits him as the 2017 world latte art champion.⁴

Ristr8to opens 07:08–20:08 and closes on Tuesdays. Nimman's other specialty cafés include First Officer Coffee Roasters (07:00–16:00), Roast8ry Lab (08:00–17:00), Art Roastery Huay Kaew (08:00–18:00) and Taste Cafe (08:00–18:00).

Students, laptops and coworking

Chiang Mai University, founded in 1964, has its main campus on the Doi Suthep side of town, about 5 km west of the center.⁵ Its proximity is why Nimman's evenings draw younger Thais; locals call the university mo cho (มช.), from its Thai initials.⁴

Wikivoyage calls Chiang Mai a hotspot for digital nomads and notes that many coworking spaces are in Nimman, with day, week and month rates; its 2024 listing for Yellow Coworking, open 24/7, gives 6,000฿ a month.⁴ Nimman has more cafés with Wi-Fi than any other area.

Nimman keeps later hours

Nimman closes later than the rest of town. Fewer than half of Nimman's cafés shut by 18:00, against more than half citywide. Yesterday, at 24 Nimmanhaemin Road, runs 07:00–00:00, and two cafés, Wide-awake 24 hours and Camellia & Co., never close.

Early starts are common too: Nine One Coffee on Soi 11 opens at 07:00 Tuesday to Sunday, and Umami Matcha at 19 Boonruangrit Soi 2 opens at 07:00 Monday to Saturday.

Cafés in Nimman

At a glance

8 Lot of Taste

A.B.C.D.

Art Roastery Huay Kaew

Bangpun coffee bar

Beans + Liquor

Catmosphere Cat Café

Coffee INC. Nicohub

Coffee or Me

Cottontree

Creativitea

Diciotto

Fernpresso

First Officer Coffee Roasters

GOKAKU (โก กา กุ)

Mazz

Middle 11

Morestto

Nine One Coffee

Ombra Cafe

On the Bread

PAK Cafe

Paper Plane CNX

Posrest

RabBrits café

Ristr8to

Roast8ry Lab

Roxpresso

Rune Coffee

Smile Coffe 2

Something Like Cat & Daughters Bag

Street Coffee Crew

Taste Cafe

Taste of Art

Timely Cafe

Umami matcha อูมามิ มัจฉะ

Wake Up Coffee

Coffee chains in Nimman

Café Amazon

Roastniyom Coffee

Mingmitr Coffee

Starbucks

Black Canyon Coffee

GRAPH Coffee Co.

Finding your way along Nimman's sois

Ristr8to and Nimman's roasters

Students, laptops and coworking

Nimman keeps later hours

Sources

More of Chiang Mai

Old City

Santitham

Tha Phae & Night Bazaar

Riverside & Wat Ket

Suthep & CMU

Chang Phueak & north

South Chiang Mai

Nimman cafés: questions

Why does Nimman have so many cafés in Chiang Mai?

How long is Nimmanhaemin Road in Chiang Mai, and where does it run?

Which cafés in Nimman, Chiang Mai, stay open late?

Own a café in Nimman?