11 Best Work-Friendly Cafes in Chiang Mai for Digital Nomads (2024)
If you, like me, are a digital nomad in search of the best cafes in Chiang Mai for getting work done, then this list is for you. In fact, I am writing this very article from one of the many excellent coffee shops/coworking spaces I found during my 2022-2023 three month long extended stay here in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.
Pack your digital nomad gear to the plethora of work-friendly coffee shops in Chiang Mai, but not all establishments are created equal. Wifi speeds, prices, and vibes can vary drastically from place to place. The Chiang Mai coffee scene is literally infinite, but more cafes are notably eliminated from this list than there are remaining on it.
The below coffee shops are rated on and offer at least the following amenities:
- Decent wifi speed (tested with Google’s internet speed test)
- Comfortable height-appropriate seating
- Air conditioning
- Plenty of space to stretch your legs out and work documents
- Good coffee
Plus, these best cafes in Chiang Mai are located in various prime locations around the city, so you can easily grab some food (in-house or around) or go for a Thai massage when you want to take a break.
Best Work-Friendly Cafes in Chiang Mai for Digital Nomads
1. Story 106 Cafe
Neighborhood: Night Bazaar
- Wifi Speed: 250+ mbps, with 2 routers
- Price of Hot Latte: 60 baht
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Brunch, Lunch & Baked Goods
Once I walked into Story 106, I knew it was going on the top of this list as my personal favorite. Story 106 Cafe has generous coffee prices, picturesque decor, and lightning-fast wifi–three qualities that surpass most other coffee shops. I mean, it’s over 250+mbps! You don’t get that speed (almost) anywhere else in Chiang Mai.
Opened in 2021, this two-story new coffee shop has high ceilings and a lot of natural light from the big windows, an ideal workplace. The downstairs vibe is more for socializing, while the upstairs is more of a coworking area, with plenty of open space and various wooden tables. There’s even a small outdoor balcony with benches and a view of the nearby temple, Wat Bupparam.
The cafe’s rustic wooden minimalist interior is cozy (a great place to spend all day). Story 106 also sells a wide range of food and non-coffee options and even has a small lifestyle shop selling wooden goods attached next door.
Downside: Cafe 106 is located on a one-way street with limited parking right next to it. Try looking for an alley or side street to park your scooter around the corner and walking over.
Address: 200 Tha Phae Road, Tambon Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
2. The Xym Cafe
Neighborhood: Nanthana Village
- Wifi Speed: 120+ mbps
- Price of Hot Latte: 70 baht
- Drink Price Range: 60 – 100 baht
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Baked Goods & Dessert
The Xym Cafe is the perfect coffee shop for Chiang Mai digital nomads to get some work done. Not only does it have great wifi speed, but it’s also decorated with plenty of aesthetic greenery and hanging plants.
With both outdoor and indoor seating, choose from any of the wooden, woven, or minimalist styles to find a great spot that’s comfortable for you. Plus, this Chiang Mai coffee shop offers a huge space and different seating options, from couches, benches, long tables, or bar tables.
Along with a great selection of coffee, they display beautiful cakes and cheesecake options if you have a sweet tooth and close the latest on this list at 6:30pm.
Minor Downside: Bring a jacket; the AC temperature can get a bit low.
Address: QXCH+WRF, Tambon Hai Ya, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand
3. Artisan Cafe
Neighborhood: Wua Lai Road (Saturday Market Street)
- Wifi Speed: ~30 mbps, with 4 routers
- Price of Hot Latte:
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Baked Goods
You can find a relaxed atmosphere at Artisan Cafe coupled with a delicious cup of joe. Its dark wood tones and minimalist decor give it a very low-key and chill vibe. Soft background music plays as you take a sip from their fantastic coffee, creating an ambiance perfect for focus.
You’ll see plenty of MacBooks with fingers typing away as people take advantage of the multiple wifi routers. The couches are exceptionally comfortable, making it easy to spend hours at this cafe without even realizing it. And if you need to step outside for a bit, they also have a small outdoor seating area where you can often chit-chat with the cafe owner.
Address: 149, 153 Wua Lai Rd, Tambon Hai Ya, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand
4. Heartwork Cafe
Neighborhood: Chang Khlan
- Wifi Speed: ~15 mbps
- Price of Hot Latte: 65 baht
- Drink Price Range: 65 – 90 baht
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Lunch, some baked goods
As part coworking space, part coffeeshop and lunch spot, the minimalist-style Heartwork Cafe is an all-in-one space for grinding digital nomads. For an entrance fee of purchasing a drink, you can enter and work in the upstairs area, which has ergonomic office chairs and an outlet for every table.
In the back, there is an office area where you can print or copy anything for 3 baht per page. If you need a meeting space, they have a room you can rent by the hour, complete with whiteboard and AC for 1000 baht/hr. Plus, if you’re vying for a lunch break, Heartwork Cafe offers a small selection of freshly-made food too.
Address: 196 1-2 Kampangdin Rd, Tambon Hai Ya, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand
5. BOB Coffee
Neighborhood: Santitham
- Wifi Speed: ~75 mbps
- Drink Price Range: 45 – 65 baht
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Breakfast & Lunch
With its high-speed wifi, inexpensive drinks and food options, and creatively crafted space, BOB Coffee entices laptop techies as well as those hoping to adorn their social media feeds with insta-ready snaps.
The coffee shop’s unique aesthetic features a loft-style look with intentional paint cracks and purposeful incomplete walls to invite an abundance of natural light.
BOB Coffee offers a large parking lot, an outdoor seating area (although not ideal for working from), and a dining establishment connected to the cafe with breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner options.
Address: 20 ถนนมรกต ซ. 4 Tambon Si Phum, เมือง Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
6. CAMP Creative and Meeting Space
Neighborhood: Santitham x Nimman
- Wifi Speed: ~15 mbps
- Price of Hot Latte: 75 baht (cold drinks are minimum 100 baht)
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Meals (But quite pricey)
CAMP Creative and Meeting Space, situated on the fifth floor of the Maya Mall, is the perfect place to “camp out.” The cafe has a modern vibe and plenty of space to boot. If your parents ever brought you to Borders or Barnes and Noble to read as a kid, that’s what it feels like coming into Camp, quiet and focused.
There’s a seat for everyone here – from colorful, creative seating arrangements to individual cubbies, multiple private rooms, and conference rooms. And best of all, every single spot has an outlet!
Plus, there’s plenty of outdoor seating with a view of the nearby Chiang Mai hills – a perfect spot for fresh air and trying out Camp’s several food options.
Downsides: The great aspects definitely outweigh the bad at Camp, but the native wifi speed is not the fastest and has a usage time limit. If you want extended use of the wifi, you have to order something overpriced every two hours. However, if you already have an AIS Sim card, you can use the AIS Smart Login that functions throughout the mall for free.
Finally, their coffee could be better, but you don’t need to purchase anything to enter. You’re just not allowed to bring outside drinks and food inside. Being in a mall, plenty of other snack and caffeine options are available on B1 or F5.
7. Carrot Coffee CNX
Neighborhood: Chiang Mai Old City
- Wifi Speed: 18 mbps
- Price of Hot Latte: 65 baht
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Baked Goods & Dessert
At Carrot Coffee CNX, you’ll find a uniquely austere environment, with its old wood and bare concrete wall finishing creating a warehouse-like feel. The coffee here is pretty good, with their specialty being carrot cakes and “carrot x coffee” concoctions. You’ll also find some baked goods and desserts if you need a break.
With its two floors of seating options, Carrot Coffee has a mix of couches, couples tables, and one conference table that works well with your computer setup. So far, I have yet to find many digital nomad coffee shops in Chiang Mai Old Town, so this is a rare find within the moat walls.
8. Ombra Caffe No. 3
Neighborhood: Santitham
- Wifi Speed: 18 mbps
- Price of Hot Latte: 60 baht
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Baked Goods & Amazing Coconut Ice cream Affogato!
Ombra Caffe is a funky option if you’re looking for a slightly strange yet quaint cafe to get some work done in Chiang Mai. With five maze-like rooms to choose from, each with its own unique style and feel (AC, non-AC, and an outdoor garden), it can be easy to find the right environment conducive to productivity.
The atmosphere is eclectic too, with antique pieces of technology and unique wall art pieces decorating the space. But I love Ombra Caffe because I love Affogato (espresso on ice cream) – they have a bomb coconut ice cream pairing, and way cheaper than other places I’ve seen!
Address: 3 โสตศึกษา ซอย 1 Chang Phueak, เมือง Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
9. W8 x Viangpha Cafe
Neighborhood: Chiang Mai Old City
- Wifi Speed: 30 mbps
- Price of Hot Latte: 55 baht
- Drink Price Range: 55 – 90 baht
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (If I could give more than 5 stars, I would, killer specialty coffee!)
- Offers Food: Baked Goods
W8 x Viangpha is a cozy coffee shop with unique drink flavors like passion fruit and peach honey coffee, all at a relatively affordable price. You really should try their signature Dirty Smoky Cinnamon Coffee! Moreover, it closes at 6pm, which is later than most other Chiang Mai cafes.
You’ll order your coffee at a small bar halfway up the stairs and find comfortable seating on the second floor. The interior of W8 is adorned with aged wooden furniture and a gorgeous old piano in the corner. Plus, the greenery scattered throughout and on the balcony adds a touch of nature’s beauty.
While it may not be the prettiest coffee shop in Chiang Mai, it does offer something that most others don’t: lower and same prices for both hot and iced drinks. Iced drinks typically cost 10-20 baht more elsewhere.
Address: QXRV+4M2, Chang Moi Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
Honorable Mentions…That Almost Made the Best Coffee Shops in Chiang Mai List
10. Akha Ama Phrasingh
Neighborhood: Chiang Mai Old City
- Wifi Speed: 90+ mbps
- Drink Price Range: 60 – 90 baht (medium/dark roast options)
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Akha Ama Phrasingh has a modern exposed wood and concrete interior style splashed with touches of thoughtful greenery. The baristas serve their amazing coffee in an open bar in the middle of the cafe as if it were a stage.
There are two floors: downstairs is more for chilling with low tables and seat pillows, while the open-concept upstairs is better for us computer geeks. High chair tables and small working tables are abundant up here.
Why It Didn’t Make the List
Because the coffee shop is in a busy part of Chiang Mai Old City, it can sometimes be quite crowded. Additionally, the wooden chairs don’t make your butt very comfortable if you plan on staying for a while. The nail in the coffin? The sleek concrete walls have beauty but no outlets, so if your electronic devices need a charge, you won’t be able to stay for long.
Address: 175, 2 Rachadamnoen Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Definitely Not Work-Friendly Cafe: Akha Ama Coffee Shop (The Original)
Neighborhood: Santitham
Though I can’t fully recommend the Phrasingh location, I can’t advise the original Akha Ama in Santitham as a work-friendly location at all. The Santitham locale is tinier and more congested, only offering 4 indoor tables and 4 outdoor tables. Wifi connection here is poor, and there are no outlets. But still, great coffee.
11. Mingmitr Coffee (Chain)
- Wifi Speed: ~25 mbps, with 2 routers
- Price of a Hot Latte: 60 baht
- Coffee Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Offers Food: Baked Goods
Mingmitr Coffee is a chain, but the pictures above are located by the central bus station. This Mingmitr Coffee may not be a bit far to Grab (Southeast Asia’s Uber) to if you live closer to downtown Chiang Mai.
This coffee shop is furnished with a more mainstream modern wood design, but the best part is the five cubby-style tables that provide extra privacy. You can also rent a conference room for 300 baht per hour or 1500 baht all day, complete with a TV hook-up and high-end office fixtures.
Why It Didn’t Make the List
Minmitr may have gotten almost everything else right, but the wifi is average at best and, at times, unstable. If you’re just browsing the web or watching videos, this cafe will more than make that work. However, if you’re trying to do anything else that requires strong wifi, you may be waiting for the spinning circle of death for far too long.
Final Thoughts: Best Work-Friendly Cafes in Chiang Mai for Digital Nomads
Even though, unlike Vietnam, Thailand isn’t particularly famous for its coffee, I had an absolute blast exploring Chiang Mai through its dark roasted beans (whilst getting some articles posted). Of course, more coffee shops open and close every day, so please reach out to let me know any Chiang Mai coffee shops I should add (or eliminate) from this list!
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