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Both the Airport Plaza (basement floor) and Kat Suan Kaew (south wing, 3rd floor south) have food centers for shopper's convenience.
The Airport Plaza is the better of the two. The Galare Food Center (Chang Khlan Road, Night Bazaar) serves a wide variety of food and offers free shows of traditional dancing and Thai boxing (19:00-22:30).
A fine Thai food experience can be enjoyed at the eastern end of Inthawororot Road near the Three Kings Monument (mornings and lunch-time only). Several good food shops operate, including some excellent noodle shops. Well-known for steamed chicken on rice is "Kiat Ocha" (Hrs. 06:00 - 13:00 or when the chicken runs out). The popularity of the area at lunch-time attracts local vendors who sell an array of tasty delicacies and desserts from carts in front of the shops.
Noodles make a simple, inexpensive meal that can be enjoyed anytime. Thai noodles are amongst the best in Southeast Asia and no visit to Thailand is complete without trying them at least once. The current price for a bowl from a street stall is 20 to 25 Baht. The price of a bowl of noodles is a good yardstick for a quick measurement of inflation. In 1975 the price was 5 Baht.
Noodle shops are usually only open in the daytime until mid or late afternoon. Prices are inexpensive.
In the cold season, hot soya milk and a couple of fried butter rolls known as pa tong ko can keep the chill out. This, along with instant coffee, is also served in the evening at the main markets.
If you have a sweet tooth and want to sample Thai desserts, go to one of the markets (Sompet market on Moon Muang Road is good). Stalls sell desserts in plastic bags for just a few Baht.
The markets also provide the best opportunity to sample some of Thailand's fruits. Amongst the best are mango, which is especially good when eaten with sticky rice, longan, mangosteen, sapodilla and lychee.
See also: [Fruits in Chiang Mai]