Free Bird Cafe

It was very busy. The shan salads were good. I also tried hummus which came with these crispy fries that looked like and had the texture of a deep fried snacks found in 7 eleven but not sugary though and I'm sure they made it themselves.

Drinks were nice, nice choco shake with no sugar in a jar.

We felt so healthy and refreshed after our delicious meal here, ready to tackle a full day of touring temples. The food is not only healthy, beautiful, and delicious, but local, organic, and often raw. We had the amazing salad sampler where you can choose 3 of their many salad choices. We had the pumpkin, ginger, and chickpea salads, all with amazing taste and freshness. We also enjoyed their kaosoi curry noodle, and the tempe, which went well with brown rice. Overall, great food, good prices, lovely atmosphere, felt good knowing our patronage also helps Burmese refugee support programs. Highly recommend!

If you go to Chiang Mai you have to visit the free bird cafe. They have so much variation in their menu it's amazing. There should be something for everyone as long as you like healthy food. The sandwich I had was a bit tasteless, but everything else I tried was really really good. Also it's a charity cafe, so everything you buy is for a good cause. One negative: The place is a bit loud as it's directly near a main street.

Great organisation and fantastic food. Wish they opened earlier - 9am is not nearly early enough for breakfast for this early-rising reindeer (and there are so many fantastic breakfast options!). Really tasty food and a great organisation.

My friend showed me this place not realizing it was a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. She saw a picture on Instagram of the food here and wanted to check it out. It was delicious! Tons of options! If you wanted to try the famous Thailand Khao soi but couldn't because it's egg noodle - come here! They have a lentil noodle instead and vegan version. It's delicious! And lisas smoothie (I think that's the one I had) is one of the best! It's pretty easy to find - on the corner.

Great initiative from the owners. 2 days a week closed due to study for burmese refugees. And all organic!!

Updated from previous review on 2016-10-08

I reviewed Free Bird cafe first time 2,5 years ago and now I want to redo it, because the place has got so much better! It´s now one of my favourite Chiang Mai restaurant, or maybe the most favourite.

I love the salads, because I like salty Asian salads that have lots of taste. The Shan salads at Free Bird are something you don´t get vegan in many places at all.

The smoothie bowls (cacao or spirulina) are so good! They are tasty and sweet as I think they should be.

If somebody thinks it´s unhealthy then hey, all vegans don´t want to eat superhealthy food and it would be bad reputation for veganism if everything was superhealthy. I love to get my deep fried, sugary and salty foods. But I would not call the food of Free Bird as unhealthy (and I´ve been vegan for 22 years).

My old review:

I ate tea leaf salad and it was well spiced (not with chili) and good. There was only little bit of fermented tea leaves for taste.

I also had vegan key lime pie, which was not so tasty. It was still frozen.

My spouse had porridge (named warm oats of something) that was supposed to be with coconut milk, but it did not taste like coconut at all. Still it was good.

Nice atmosphere, not too far from any places inside the old town.

Updated from previous review on 2014-03-28

I love Free Bird! Great food, fantastic breakfast (the smoothie bowls... wow) and they no longer serve milk. I love the whole concept as well. This is a must visit when in Chiang Mai! ;)

I visited Free Bird Cafe this week but unfortunately they're closed. Don't know why..

Cafe has a really nice interior! And we were so excitied to try out their food. We ordered vegan pancakes and my sister a gluten free version. It was delicious!! And the Cappuccino I had with it (with home made almond milk) was to die for! Great experience! We were happy to have such a huge selection of vegan food and drinks.

I really liked the mango shake and the hummus sandwich with eggplant! I would have given it 5 star if there was AC...

Good atmosphere and good cause!
Their vegan kao soi is to die for!

I was at FBC today with my wife and 2 y.o. son. We had Samosas, Salad Sampler of 3 and Vegan Pancake (400 baht total).
Here is what I have to say:
If you are on a healthy side of veganism and/but not just for moral reasons you have to stay away from this place.
1. Salads were SUPER HEAVY LOADED WITH SALT.
Thai food is supposed to be spicy but that much salty.
We could barely taste the actual salad. All our mouths could feel was THE SALT. Remember we had sampler of 3! salads? But that were SALT + SALT + little bit of spices + EXTRA SALT! And I can't stress this enough!!!
2. Samosa is DEEP fried. You kinda expect healthy version of a meal at a vegan restaurant? Wrong. You get loads of hydrogenated over time oil. And we have experience of having samosas at other places in Asia - it doesn't have to be fried at all.
3. Vegan pancake is just a piece of dough with A LOT of coconut. Basically - oil again! + Some cane juice pretending to be kinda maple syrup. And some freaking pieces of UNRIPE fruits my son even refused to eat. You could not afford to go to market and buy ripened ones? In THAILAND!!! Really?

Bottom-line:
I really get where the good reviews are coming from.
Newbies! It is a great place to start if you try to ditch the SAD diet. Loads of salt and oils from vegetable sources + little of unripe fruit is a VEGAN diet and better than SAD. People who is used to a lot of these ingredients probably will be happy. But it is UNHEALTHY!
And for those of you who is on the HEALTHY vegan lifestyle with something like high carb, low fat, low salt approach please stay away for your own sake. You will be disappointed! It is not healthy, not tasty at all and expensive for Thailand. I would give it a one star rating if happycow would have it for a vegetarian restaurant.

On the bright side the place is chill, the waitress is super nice, kind, polite and beautiful. It's the food guys.. sorry..

Had an amazing fruit salad and coffee here, and it's great to know the money is going for a good cause! Also has a nice second hang store with some interesting stuff :) highly recommended

Il locale e' molto carino e le stelle sono per l' idea avuta.. Il servizio e' estremamente lento..

Awesome vegan pancakes. The Burmese Tea Leaf Salad was awesome too!

Cosy little cafe with second hand shop that serves a delicious vegan pancake. Highly recommend.

This cafe is comfortable and a good place to chill. The Thai food was very tasty, the Western quesadilla a bit tasteless but I guess one should not expect authentic Mexican food in Chiang Mai. I like the fact that most of the produce is organic and that the proceeds go to a good cause. For me that is reason enough to return! Will have breakfast here tomorrow.

We had the glutenfree vegan pancakes which were really nice. Sadly the fruits were cut with an onion-knife, not that pleasant. The Black and White smoothie was ok. Like that it's a non profit cafe with a second hand shop inside.

This has to be one of the best if not the best place to eat a veg meal in Chiang Mai.
The vegan pancake is huge and so tasty you can add whatever fruit you like - beats any other that I have had in Chiang Mai. They also give you coconut flower sugar instead of honey for vegans which I thought was great.
The Burmese salads are better here than anywhere else since this restaurant are the ones who started this trend before all the others followed. If you want the real genuine thing, then come and eat it here. The taste and flavours cannot be beaten. The Shan somtam is simply amazing!

This place is amazing. They use very little oil, quality ingredients and the place is supporting a great cause.

The pad thai has very little oil but is packed with delicious flavour.
Vegan pancake is a winner!
The Jok, rice porridge is a tasty dish that truly satisfies.
The salad sampler is perfect for trying out all the salads that they have on offer.

Very impressed.

I think I had a berry vegan sweets and lime juice
the sweet was a smaller than I thought.
Over all both of them were ok

The cafe was non-air conditioned. They also sell charity goods and used clothing. I bought Nancy Chandler's map of Chiang Mai (300 THB) at the free bird cafe. I was satisfied with the map which made my stay in Chiang mai much better:)

A Great "Earthy"Cafe with Opportunty Shop!

Curries, Smoothies, Salads Etc.

Immune Boosters, Super Foods Etc.

A Taste Explosion with Amazing Fusions of Thai Flavour...

Organic, Raw , Vegan , Vego!

HELP Support Thai Community WWW.ThaiFreedomHouse.Org

Been 3 times and i love the warm oats for breakfast but the real highlight was the curries. Bursting with flavour.

There is no garden.

Very original menu with many different vegan options available. We try the tea leaf salad which was good but not the best I have had. The yellow noodles were good but a bit dry, overcooked and not very tasty... I really liked the "Black and White" smoothie (almond, cocoa and coconut). It was refreshing and light. Some people might thing that is too watery but in my opinion it was perfect! My boyfriend loved the coffee and the gluten free brownie. The shop sells second hand clothes, Spirulina, Triphala an other natural goods. Great place and menu. The recipes could be better...

Enjoy a great vegetarian meal, for a low price, in pleasant surrounds, while contributing to the welfare of those in need.

All the profits go to help Burmese refugees and members of other minority groups here in northern Thailand, so you can feed your body and soul at the same time.

As a volunteer at Thai Freedom House, I get to eat in this lovely cafe everyday. Upon coming to Thailand, I found that eating vegetarian made me feel much better and I've begun to adopt a veggie lifestyle. This restaurant makes it fun and easy to begin my vegetarian lifestyle. There's SO many delicious options free of the nasty MSG and grease that is so present in all of the other establishments in Chiang Mai. The Tea Leaf Salad is...perfection. Really, anything the chef makes here is perfect and so fresh. I've never had fresher veggies or fruit! I've also never had the same meal twice...and I've been here for a while. I can't wait to (try) and try everything on the menu. SO DELICIOUS.

You ever have been to a restaurant that you love the staff, the cause and location but not the food. I am torn in writing this review because I really like what Free Bird Cafe's mission. I've have been three times to date.

The people behind this mission are awesome. However, food is not their business. Its a great idea and works for many people who are looking for something other than Thai food.

For me the food lacks luster. I ordered the famous Black and White smoothie. This could really be an awesome smoothie if it were smooth. The blended almonds are a bit gritty to be slurping through a straw. They could add more cacao powder to bring this to optimal goodness. The ice offsets the chocolate smoothness. I would suggest using frozen bananas instead of ice to give it more richness.

I ordered the Burmese Tea Salad and it was very delicious. But the portion could be prepared with one cup of more of leafy vegetables.

On my second visit I was not happy about my meal. I didn't finish it. My friend ate it out of pity and not being wasteful. I don't like wasting food at all. But the Pad Thai missed the basics of Pad Thai seasonings. For example, it didn't have any tamarind in the seasoning. Tasted more like buttered rice noodles.

I also ordered another smoothie without ice. I wanted to just get the coconut milk with mango. In my mind it would be this nice creamy blend. As I began to suck down this creation my tongue told my brain to stop. Why is there water in this smoothie? You can see the coconut milk separating from the water and the mango bits floating around. I sipped down a quarter of it and stopped.

I am not impressed with the food. So one last try. I really want to support the business and NGO. I met another friend there for lunch. Ordered the stir fried vegetables and the carrot pineapple juice. The juice was excellent!

Stir-fried you got to be kidding me. My blood pressure shot up from the amount of salt in this dish. It contained a good amount of vegetables but lacked original flavor. Basically, seasoned with soy sauce and salt. The red rice that comes with the dish is very good.

I hope the business continues to blossom and the free bird brings more goodness back to the nest.

The place looks nice except that if you want to sit upstairs you have to be willing to take off your shoes. Even though we don't eat with our feet, I feel that taking off shoes lessens my dining experience. The food was humdrum. Another diner warned us that they use a brand of soymilk which actually has real dairy milk in it, go figure. But that eliminates many items from the menu for vegans. Not a repeat.

Despite all the rave reviews-by strangely single reviewers only- this place is nothing outstandingg. The menu is limited and offers nothing really unique. The food is over-priced for the quality and portion.

Im sure the owner's intent is good to help Burmese refugees, but, the menu and food really need some work. It might be better if they specialized in Burmese Veg cuisine as none of the dishes here impress or have much flavor. It is a place I want to give a better review to for intent but I cant because the food just wasnt good.


Updated from previous review on Monday December 05, 2011

When I first got to Chiang Mai I decided to go straight to Free Bird Cafe for breakfast, as I had heard so many good things about it from fellow travelers. Alas, it was Monday and Free Bird was closed. And really this is the only mild complaint I have about Free Bird. Sure it is totally selfish to want the workers not to get a day off, but after tasting the absolutely amazing pickled green tea leaf salad, you will understand why I would love to see it open 7 all days.

Aside from that first day and the next Monday, I went to Free Brid everyday while I visited Chiang Mai. Sometimes for breakfast, sometimes for lunch, sometimes just for tea, I was instantly smitten with cafe with an amazing consious. The staff are beyond friendly and you can tell they love that you are there. They constantly offered to add hot water to my tea, even when I was more than willing to buy another pot.

The prices are beyond reasonable. And as I said before the Pickled green tea leaf salad was extraordinary. Facts are facts: this is beyond a doubt my favorite salad I have ever eaten. I ordered two the day I left Chiang Mai. And really & truly, as my bus got further and further away from Chaing Mai I wondered why I did not order a third.

As an added bonus there is a used clothing store on site. Sadly for me, most of the clothes are ladies, but I bought a few t shirts for myself and a dress and a few shirts for the lady I love.

That all profits go towards helping Burmese refugees makes what was already an amazing cafe near perfect.

Please note that during the week the cafe closes at 4:30 for good reason, as it morphs into an education center for those same Burmese refugees.

I can't lie, I more than 1/2 wanted to move to Chaing Mai and live next door to Free Bird Cafe, alas the stars were not aligned for this. But I can say any visit to Chaing Mai without a/numerous visit/s to Free Bird = you not doing it right. And if you are lucky you will be able to meet the amazingly adorable neighborhood kitty that will curl up next to you as you read/write/enjoy your tea/meal -- such an added bonus to such an amazing place.

Hello, ok, so I am totally biased since this is my cafe but I thought I would write a review anyway. Free Bird Cafe is the place that we at Thai Freedom House www.thaifreedomhouse.org share our love of food, health, happiness and giving with you. Each dish is prepared with love by our Burmese refugee students who work in our cafe/community center. Whether your stopping in for an espresso,latte, super food smoothie or breakfast or lunch, we hope you can appreciate the freshness of the locally grown and sold (organic when available) veggies and our sweet treats prepared daily. We love to share the cuisine of Thailand and of our students from Burma and Shan State along with information about travel in these areas in our community library.
Another bonus of eating here; 100% of the profits go to supporting our school/community learning center for Burmese refugees who have nowhere else to access education.
While your here check out our Pre Loved Charity Clothing Shop downstairs for some funky fashion finds :)
Thank you for all of your love and support!!!

FREE WIFI, COMFY SEATING INSIDE OR GARDEN TABLES, STUDENT ART GALLERY, INFO ON LOCAL BUSINESS' AND EVENTS AND MORE...

Nestled in a sweet garden and surrounded by colorful murals, you'll find the Free Bird Cafe. The profit from the cafe directly funds a school for refugee children in the evening, the Freedom House. The menu has both western and Thai (more specifically Shan) foods you won't find at many other places. Both options are delicious. The food is fresh and authentic. The Thai food is spicy and flavorful, and the western food is home made. There are smoothies, herbal teas and gourmet coffees on the menu to compliment your food or to enjoy with free-wifi. It's a great place to come to eat, work or spend time with friends. There is a pre-loved clothing store downstairs with great treasures to browse through. Also, they will re-fill your water bottle for a small charge. A community cafe with a conscious!!

I lived in Chiang Mai for 5 1/2 years and I can honestly say that after this place opened its doors I was eating here everyday! You can tell they use super high quality fresh ingredients from the local health food stores, and that's super important to me. They have a variety of Thai, Burmese and western dishes so I always found something on the menu that I loved. Usually when I eat out I order the same thing every time so I'm not disappointed but seriously, at this place, every meal will have you coming back for me. Do you see now why I ate here everyday? Oh and and the coffee...iced soy mochas are to die for! Also the lichee blueberry smoothie...luscious. I just have to mention the Burmese salad and the Green Tea Leaf salad...I'm so bummed I didn't try these two sooner! These two salads and an iced mocha soy latte will be my first order when I go back to Chiang Mai. The food's reason enough to check this place out, but they also have one of the best second hand shops in the city, right under the cafe. I found so many unique things in there...staff is also super sweet and cheerful. And, all proceeds from both cafe and shop go to the Freedom House school that teaches language and arts to Thai indigenous people and Burmese refugees. Eating and shopping for a good cause...need I say more? Anyway, I love Free Bird Cafe and recommend it with 5 big stars. Thank you!

Love this cafe near Tha Pae gate. Sweet outdoor garden dining area. Yummy food and drinks: favorites include the Shan som tum, tea leaf salad, and coconut shakes. Several options for Shan food which one doesn't find hardly anywhere else.

And the income from the restaurant supports the school which serves Burmese refugees and hill tribe peoples, who cannot go to school otherwise. Check out the shop which sells really nice Pure Pai products and second hand clothing (donate too if you have extra items or baht).

I loved hanging out at this cafe when I lived in Chiang Mai. The food is good, the smoothies and other beverages are great and the ambiance is excelent. A good place to meet and relax and have a refreshment for a great cause!

Look, i admit it, i am biased. They named a smoothie after me (but i ad flaxseed oil and bee pollen when i get it!) and that gets a guy's heart. But then they feed me, and i can taste the love.

Given that the cafe is not the purpose of the center, but rather a means to the end of funding the Thai Freedom House school, they really could have just thrown something together. But that isn't what they did! The menu is warm plentiful without being too many items, the staff is great, and i swear, eating there only ever leads to eating there more. My favorite is the Shan style som-tam which is so good i am not going to describe it, im just going to tell you to go and try it yourself.

Great for breakfasts and small brunches, envy we lucky Chiang Mai people, we get to go back again and again.

I know you might be worried i'm not on the up and up just because i am on the menu, but once you'll find it, i am sure i will see you there.

"sweet" dougie

No hype here, very average spot. While the people and actual restaurant are cozy and warm, their food is lacking. The pumpkin soup I had was flavorless and oily. I couldn't even recognize it as pumpkin. Our hummus platter was unimpressive despite the focaccia bread. For 125 baht the serving we received was incredibly small, consisting of a tiny cup of hummus and a few raw vegetables. The flavor was good but a poor deal, without a doubt. The sandwiches were tasty but again, expensive for what they were. I realize the proceeds benefit a good cause but this spot is simply nothing write home about. 2 stars for the food, 4 stars for ambiance and well meaning.

I adore this place, but I only had breakfast there. The menu looks amazing though, so you must go!! Great smoothies with spirulina but they are kind of expensive. Such a great thing they have going on there with the school.