Adirak Pizza — Restaurant in Chiang Mai Province

If you want to experience the worst service on Earth, this is the place.

I’m someone who doesn’t usually leave bad reviews unless absolutely necessary. However, I feel compelled to share my experience at Adirak Pizza.

Let me start with the positive: the food is genuinely delicious. The cauliflower bites were fantastic, and the pizza dough was so chewy and flavorful that it tasted great even after it had cooled down.

That being said, the service issues here are severe. In Thailand, where service charges are uncommon, Adirak Pizza adds a 7% service charge. I wouldn’t have minded if the service matched the charge, but boy, was I wrong!

First, the pizza we ordered was mistakenly served to the table next to us. While the other table inspected it, took photos, and had a good look at it, the staff remained unaware until later. Once they realized their mistake, they simply moved the same pizza to our table. We were dumbfounded and couldn’t believe what had just happened. Before we could even say anything, the staff dropped the pizza on our table without a word and left. The pizza was already cold, and the whole experience felt unsanitary and disrespectful. At the very least, they could have offered to make a fresh one. If they had done so, we might have just shrugged it off and eaten it anyway. But their complete lack of acknowledgment left us questioning the hygiene standards of this place.

Second, the sauces and drinks we ordered to go with the pizza didn’t arrive until more than halfway through our meal. Despite going to the counter twice to remind them, we were met with annoyed expressions and a dismissive “just a moment.” It took forever for them to finally bring the sauces and cola to our table.

As I’m writing this, we’re still waiting for the crème brûlée we ordered for dessert. We’ve finished our meal and watched the entire restaurant turn over with new customers while our dessert hasn’t arrived. It eventually did, but only after what felt like an eternity.

To anyone planning to visit: if you want to leave in a good mood, just don’t come here. The pizza is insanely delicious, though. If you’re desperate to try it, I suggest ordering for takeaway—it still tastes great even when it’s cold.

Finally, a word for Adirak Pizza’s management: please pay attention to the staff working at the counter and the female staff member working in the dining area on Sundays until 6 PM. It wasn’t just our table; several other tables were also waiting for food and utensils for at least 20 minutes. While waiting itself isn’t an issue—we understand when the restaurant is busy—it’s unacceptable that the food was not served together or that there was no proper communication with customers. The staff at the counter seemed completely unaware of the orders, and the servers ignored situations where explanations were necessary. I hope you address this issue and improve the training of these...

What else needs to be said about Adirak Pizza that the glowing reviews here haven’t already said? Wood-stove oven-cooked pizzas that have the light thin-crust that supports the freshest ingredients combined. Best to dine-in and eaten just when the pizza is served.

This restaurant focuses on pizza. Unlike other places where they offer distracting sides and other mains, here the success of this place rests completely on their pizzas. And having eaten here 3-4 years ago, and returning here today, it’s clear they’ve rightfully gained the reputation they have in Chiang Mai. They’ve expanded and the dining-in experience is even more special, with swing jazz in the background, and an earthy aesthetic that complements their wood-stove oven.

Having focus and delivering upon that focus is what makes this place stand out. There are 30 pizzas offered here. And just a handful of appetizers. That’s it. That’s the food menu. That’s how confident they are regarding their pizza-craft. 3-4 years ago, when this place was starting to gain a reputation, they had fewer tables and chairs, and felt more like a rustic dining spot, with no frills, except their beautiful wood-stove oven which was the main draw, along with their uncanny ability to pair the right ingredients to create their signature pizzas. Fast-forward to today, and the wood-stove oven remains but everything else feels elevated. The ambience, the interior decor, the overall vibe enhances the same signature pizzas that they have kept, along with an expanded range of pizzas. I think they started with 10-15 pizzas originally.

I ordered #19: Chorizo. And it was amazing. Put this place on your must-try place if and when you’re in Chiang Mai.

Hot Tip: The location here is perfect for an afternoon of rustic exploration and discovery because it’s right between two open-air creative handicraft spaces. Baan Kang Wat and LANDIN. So, after an afternoon of exploring these spaces, grab an early dinner at Adirak Pizza since they only open from...

I used to love this place, and have been many times over the years since it opened but I will not be back.

The menu has been completely scrubbed from the blackboard and you now have to scan a barcode to order. I took my two older relatives who were completely bewildered, and I did not have my phone with me, so we ended up having to prod at the cash teller’s screen, which she tried to pull round as much as possible to be seen but was still almost unreadable, with grumpy staff having to squeeze past. This is totally unnecessary and embarrassing – what on earth is wrong with still having the menu on the board and customers just telling you what they want, in addition to having a scan option? It’s fine if you want to modernize but to take it to the point where you exclude elderly patrons for not being completely up to date with their phones, or who cannot read screens easily, is just ridiculous. It was a horrible experience, and completely unnecessary.

After all this, the pizza quality has gone seriously downhill. I ordered the pesto ricotta and there was barely any pesto on it at all. Similarly, my relatives’ pizzas looked like they were hastily done with half the ingredients missing.

A huge...