Lampang

Lampang

There are a bunch of small restaurants and cafes in the main tourist area that are worth a look, with three that are worth particular mention.

Riverside run by the same folks who brought you the Riverside Guesthouse, is an old wooden structure right on the river (go figure) with tables in the garden as well. It is very popular, particularly with locals. There is a wide variety of dishes available, including Thai and western favorites. The staff are efficient but prone to being a bit disinterested. The Riverside's Italian Pizzaria is open on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1830 until 2200.

Huean Chom Wang is set in an even more scenic spot and has great food too. It looks like a hole in the wall down an alley as you approach from (276) Talad Kao Road, but expands into a lovely wooden structure space with a deck hanging out over the banks of the Wang River. The fact that the name and the sign doesn't make it clear it is a restaurant unless you speak Thai, is why there were only two tables of people there when we visited. That's a real shame. The service can be slow and a bit clueless, but genuinely friendly. Let's just say it was served in an "unhurried" atmosphere, which given the view wasn't a problem. The food was exceptional and not particularly expensive.

The final place worth specific mention is Aroy Baht Diaw on the corner of Thipchang and Suandok. It is open from 16:00 until 24:00 and is packed pretty much all night. It's an old wooden house serving seriously cheap and seriously good Thai food. Service is lightening quick! Worth a look if only stopping by for a few appetizers before heading out for the evening.

There is also one place that is worth avoiding. That's Khrua 312 at 312 Thipchang Road. The food was okay, but overpriced considering the style and quality. Worse, the service was grumpy, as in really grumpy, and glacial (50 minutes for a Butmee Heng).

Bars
There is a happening local bar scene developing in Lampang. The best ones all seem to be bunched together along a section of Thipchang Road just up and over from the Riverside Guest House. As in Kamphaeng Phet, these bars emphasize Lao Pun, e.g. Whiskey (or Vodka, etc.) shakes. Yummy and dangerous! Three Lampang night spots particularly worth a look are:

Please - a pleasant, largely outdoor spot centered around a fountain with live fish swimming in it. The good-natured staff seemed to get a kick out of us visiting their establishment. Live music most nights begins at 21:00. Nice snacks too, which we are pretty sure are sent down to Please (and other bars on the street) from Aroy Baht Diaw.

Tap House, also on Tip Chang just kitty corner from Aroy Baht Diaw hosts the more cutting-edge local music scene with a slant towards reggae. Open from 18:00 to 24:00, it also has live music most nights, they were hosting a really great Reggae/Ska band from Chiang Mai the night we visited and the place was PACKED! It was awesome. We were the only non-Thais in the place, and folks couldn't have been more friendly and welcoming to us.

Gibbon is the the other bar that looked really great to us with music and drinks specials. But we over did it a bit at Tap House the night before so didn't make it here as planned.