These three new eateries are not your average noodle shop. From a carnivore’s buffet to authentic Hong Kong cuisine to…wait for it…Chiang Mai’s first restaurant served by robots (!) the only thing these three spots have in common is their uniqueness!
Hajime Robot Restaurant
It’s 2015, your smartphone talks, your car is practically driving itself and robots are serving your food. Wait, robots…serving food? Yes, you read that correctly! Hajime Robot Restaurant (Hajime means “first time” or “beginning”) has taken dining out to a new level, mixing modern innovations from the automotive industry with authentic Japanese food to create Chiang Mai’s most futuristic restaurant experience. With a metallic staff, designed in Japan and fitted with a system developed in Thailand, the restaurant boasts efficient, attentive, and smooth service with no human intervention after the kitchen. Think interacting with a robot would be mechanical and cold? Think again. These modern servers are designed to express emotion, interact, and even dance, all while serving a classic shabu, yakiniku, and teppenyaki spread with unlimited beef, pork, chicken, seafood, fresh vegetables along with sushi, sashimi, sweets and drinks (with a limit of 1.30 hours eating time). Don’t miss your chance to dine at the very first robot restaurant in Chiang Mai!
Central Festival Chiang Mai, 5th floor
Open daily, Mondays to Thursdays 11am – 9pm,
Fridays 11am – 10pm, Saturdays and Sundays 10am – 10pm
www.hajimerobot.com
Hong Kong Lucky Cafe
As the only authentic Hong Kong restaurant in Chiang Mai, complete with Hong Kong-born owner and chef, the new Hong Kong Lucky Cafe is poised to please. Their prime location in a two-storey glass building off Nimman is already quickly gaining a slew of loyal customers, and the owner tells us that one couple from Hong Kong came four times in their two day trip! Here, customers can watch their food prepared fresh in the open kitchen, from tender steamed noodle rolls with fresh shrimp (110 baht) to stir-fried steamed noodles with beef slices (180 baht). The preserved egg and lean pork congee is surprisingly flavourful, and the fresh shrimp wonton noodle soup is delicate and divine. Swoon over plates of roasted meat (480 for three), from honey roasted barbeque pork to crispy roasted pork to roasted duck, served with an array of authentic sauces including mustard, plum, and a yummy green onion blend. Beer is also available.
Open daily, 10am – 11pm
Nimmanhaemin, Soi 7
www.facebook.com/hongkongluckycafe
089 077 2170
Retro Steak
Carnivores, we’ve got a treat for you. Why decide between pork, chicken, beef or seafood when – for the shockingly low price of just 139 baht per person – you can have it all? Introducing Retro Steak, Chiang Mai’s newest steak buffet. With a quintessentially retro style more akin to a bar than a restaurant, Retro Steak is a fun place to hang out and stuff your face with a wide range of meaty options. Pork, beef, chicken, fish, sausage, shrimp…the possibilities are endless. If that’s not enough choice then don’t fret, there is also a large salad buffet, two types of pasta (with two types of sauce), French fries, pizza, toast and some of the best mashed potatoes in town. Over 200kg of protein is sold every day, meaning there is no end to the free flow meat party. Drinks include water, beer and soft drinks for a little extra cost.
Open daily, 5pm – 11pm
(closed every last Wednesday of the month)
Weing Bua Road, Santitham (Opposite the 7-Eleven)
www.facebook.com/RetroSteakCafe
080 491 8394