Auf der Au Best buffet in Chiang Mai Open NEAR CM Gymkhana

Auf der Au: Chiang Mai's Best Buffet

If you have lived in Chiang Mai for more than a year, you have probably heard someone mention Auf der Au. It is one of those places that regulars do not like to talk about too loudly. Not because it is a secret, but because it is already busy enough. This all-you-can-eat buffet on the Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road has been feeding expats, locals, and returning visitors for years, and it earns that loyalty every single service.

The concept is simple. You pay a flat rate, you walk in, and you eat everything. Lunch is 250 THB (around $7 AUD). Dinner and Sunday lunch are 300 THB. For Chiang Mai, that is outstanding value when you consider the range and quality of what is on offer.

The Food: What to Expect

Auf der Au feels like a large family home, because it essentially is one. The dining room is set in a converted house surrounded by greenery, and the atmosphere is relaxed rather than institutional. You are not queuing through a hotel corridor. You wander, you graze, you come back for more.

The main courses rotate but consistently include roasted meats, braised dishes, pasta, and Northern Thai staples. The meat section is where most regulars head first. Roast chicken and slow-cooked dishes are common fixtures. The pork knuckle, served with proper crackling, appears at dinner and Sunday lunch. On busier days the selection broadens further.

Alongside the mains you will find a generous salad and cold meats station. The bread selection is legitimate. There are usually two or three varieties freshly made, which matters more than it sounds when most buffets in Thailand treat bread as an afterthought.

Dessert rounds things out without being extravagant. Fresh fruit, a few baked options, and something sweet to finish. The focus throughout is on substance over spectacle.

Why Regulars Keep Coming Back

The pricing is part of it, but not all of it. At 250 to 300 THB you are eating well below what comparable quality would cost at a sit-down Western restaurant in Chiang Mai. But the reason people return weekly rather than just occasionally is the consistency. The food is reliably good. Not every dish on every visit will be your favourite, but the overall standard holds.

The service is relaxed and unobtrusive. No one rushes you. No one hovers. You eat at your pace, which for a long lunch on a weekend is exactly what you want.

The location also works in its favour. The Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road, sometimes called Big Tree Road, is easy to reach from the Old City, Nimmanhaemin, and the southern suburbs. The Gymkhana Club intersection is a useful landmark. There is parking, which matters if you are coming by car or motorbike from further afield.

Who Is Auf der Au For?

It suits almost everyone in the expat and long-term visitor community. Families with children appreciate the relaxed setting and the variety that lets picky eaters find something they will eat. Retirees come for the long, unhurried lunches. Working expats treat it as a reliable weekly ritual. First-timers often become regulars after a single visit.

It is not a fine dining experience. The decor is homely rather than elegant. But that is entirely the point. Auf der Au positions itself as the place you go when you want real food in generous portions without a fuss, and it delivers on that every day of the week.

Practical Details

Lunch service runs from 10:30am to 2pm. Dinner is 4:30pm to 9pm. Sunday lunch carries a slight premium at 300 THB rather than the weekday 250 THB, which is still exceptional value. The restaurant opens every day, including public holidays, which makes it a reliable fallback when other places are closed or operating reduced hours.

Arrive slightly before peak times if you want the best selection. By 12:30pm on a weekday and 1pm on weekends, the dining room fills and the most popular dishes can run low before the kitchen tops them up. Coming at 11am or just after 4:30pm for dinner means you see the food at its freshest.

Cash is standard. Bring small bills. There is no complicated ordering system. You pay at the front, find a table, and help yourself.