Food: Clean, nutritious food in portions that won’t overburden your digestive system. Amrita Garden serves macrobiotic food, which means no animal products, processed or refined foods. Here, whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables are the staple. Followers of the macrobiotic diet belief that what we eat has a profound impact on our physical health, energy levels as well as psychological and emotional wellbeing.

Service: There are usually only a few servers as this a small place run by Japanese owner Makiko Yamauchi and her Thai husband. Service may be a little slow when the café is busy, but everyone is friendly and helpful.

Must try: The set lunches, which included ginger brown rice, fried brown rice, brown rice wrapped in pickled mustard leaf or soba noodles accompanied by a changing variety of vegetables and homemade soup. Following the principals of Japanese macrobiotics, the café offers simple and delicious fermented vegetables and plums and soy products that are good for digestion and detoxification. The vegan cheese made with nuts is pretty good too. 

Ambience: A cool hippy café complete with store area selling kombucha and natural dye apparel. You’ll find many yogis, cyclists and Peace Corps types here.

Average price per person: 100 THB with a drink.

Address: Amrita Garden. 2/1 Soi 5. Samlan Road, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Tel: (66) 86-053-9342