Mali Cat Cafe & Bar — Restaurant in Chiang Mai Province

DON‘t COME HERE WITH LITTLE KIDS (unless they are the MOST well behaved kids in the world).

This place delivers on the main attraction: The cats are great, beautiful cats, about 30 of them, also very clean and nice.

I had a Capuchino which was alright, but nothing special for Chiang Mai Standards. The prices are high: 250 Baht per Person for 1 hour, including 1 drink.

My 2 year old daughter counted as an adult so I had to pay 500 😏

They told me I‘d get a better price if I showed her student ID, to which I replied that I‘m no local and she‘s to small for school anyways. The answer „Sorry, those are the Rules.“ (a sentence I would hear a lot over the course of the next hour).

Understandably, picking up the cats, grabbing them at their tails etc is not allowed, my daughter did none of that.

The only thing she did „wrong“ is that she shrieked quite loudly from excitement over the cats. Unfortunately, they demand library-level silence at their place. Every shriek got us bad looks. From the people mind you, the cats slept without a care in the world. Ok, the british short hair ones gave bad looks, but they just can‘t look friendly physically ;)

After a few minutes the girl from the reception came to talk to me to remind me about THE RULES. I wasn’t passive and tried to tell my kid that the cats wanna sleep and we have to be quiet… that works for like a minute or two (because she‘s 2 for god‘s sake and loves cats).

Then that procedure went on for a while.

After 45 minutes I couldn’t take it anymore ans we prepared to leave. You have to take off your shoes and put on their socks, so it took me a moment to handle everything on my own and my daughter got off to play with the jalousies and the entrance door which was of course a big affront against „THE RULES (TM)“ and the receptionist gave me another speech.

At that point I couldn’t take it anymore and switched to bad tourist mode and asked her what her plan would be if talking doesn’t help against my two year old. The place was full of asian guests who gave me weird looks. I don’t know how they get such little kids to comply and I probably prefer not to know. I‘m in Thailand for the 7th time, 3rd of which with my kid and never had such a shameful and annoying experience.

If they don’t want excited little kids in their cat cafe then they could just make a „Not under 12“ rule. They sure seem to have the RULE-making game figured out perfectly well.

Recommended for adults without kids who like to read a book in feline company though.

One more thing: People can’t always be on the same page, so dear Mali owners: next time you have a problem with a guest (or their kid), just offer their money back and ask...

If you're a cat lover like me and need a comfy spot to chill, you'll love Mali Cat Cafe & Bar right here in Chiang Mai! Conveniently located near the bustling Nimman area and the famous Maya Shopping Mall, it's the perfect hideaway when you're tired from shopping or just escaping that blazing Chiang Mai sun.

Walking into the cafe, the first thing you'll notice is a cozy bar setup offering everything from refreshing iced coffees and juices to deliciously cool specialty drinks. After grabbing your beverage, don't forget to check out their special deals before heading into the cat lounge. The cafe thoughtfully provides lockers to store your belongings and even supplies clean socks for you to slip into before entering—talk about considerate!

The cat lounge is surprisingly spacious, home to around thirty adorable furballs, each with its own little hangout spot. Some are curled up sleeping in cozy kitty condos, while others lounge lazily on tiny hammocks. Most cats are snoozing peacefully, but I was super lucky—a sweet little kitty greeted me right at the entrance, almost like saying, "Finally, you made it, I've been waiting!"

The highlight was definitely this cuddly grey cat who seemed to spot a true cat person right away. It followed me around the room, lay down at my feet, and basically demanded some scratches and belly rubs—seriously the most charming cat in the room! Want to get extra popular with these fluffy cuties? The cafe even lets you order some tasty cat treats to hand-feed them, instantly turning you into their new best friend!

Just a friendly reminder though—please don't pick up or disturb the kitties while they're napping. They need their beauty sleep, after all, to stay energized for all the playtime later!

All in all, Mali Cat Cafe & Bar offers an irresistibly relaxing experience with delightful cats, a spotless setting, and a super chill vibe. So next time you're exploring Chiang Mai, make sure to stop by and spend some quality time with these adorable furry friends. Trust me, you'll never...

Fine except for a few things.

Firstly, the space is horribly designed for the well-being of the cats. They have nowhere they can actually go to escape from people if they get stressed or overwhelmed aside from a few perches that are high up (but not high enough that a kid can't jump up and grab its tail, something I saw happen) and inside their litter boxes, which are haphazardly scattered around the space, not within an enclosure of any kind aside from 2 that are.

Secondly, there are a lot of rules to follow while there and zero enforcement of them. There's a rule that says "do not pick up the cats" and 90% of the people I saw come in either didn't read the rules or didn't care and pick them up anyway, even grabbing them repeatedly when the cat tries to leave (which is just bad cat etiquette full stop)

Thirdly, there is no day the cat space is closed for the cats to rest and recuperate. This means that every single day of the week the cats are being swarmed by people and getting stressed out by the people who can't handle a cat properly and staff who don't care to enforce their rules.

I've been there twice in a couple days and in the 3 combined hours I have seen multiple people harass cats to the point of said cats screaming in distress (and the people not stopping), kids running around screaming at the cats, and multiple cats huddled inside their litter boxes because it is literally the ONLY enclosed space the cats have where they are marginally safe from people.

Most cats here are severely on edge and stressed out and it is heartbreaking to see. I wouldn't go here again and recommend against anyone...