The FACES Gallery & Gastro Bar — Restaurant in Chiang Mai Province

I was so happy when I first walked in this place, thinking I'd found a gem because the setting is quite lovely. But that feeling quickly disappeared. I saw the menu had very limited vegetarian options but fine, I'll go with the classic Pad Thai with tofu. I explained quite clearly to the waitress in both English and Thai that I do not eat meat, I do not eat egg. They brought out my dish first and it was a good 10 minutes before my companion's entrée was served. Meanwhile I covered my dish so it wouldn't get too cold because as I was raised, you don't eat until everyone's served. I had read in another review of this restaurant the same problem. That they didn't serve everyone's plate at the same time, unconscionable in a restaurant business. Ok, annoying issue but minor. Then I began eating my meal taking several bites of the chewy tofu before noticing egg in the pad thai. The place is VERY dimly lit. And as I tried to discern more clearly what was on my plate, I was horrified to realize that "chewy tofu" was actually chicken!! I was understandably very upset and called the waitress over to show her. I let her know emphatically that I have been a vegetarian for 50 years! And had definitely informed her I didn't eat meat or egg. That this was very disgusting to me to eat dead flesh. She said "sorry for the inconvenience". I told her "This is not an 'inconvenience', This is a violation of my spiritual practice!". Meanwhile still picking pieces of chicken out of my teeth. So gross! Again she only apologized for the "inconvenience." And then they tried their best to avoid me the rest of the meal. They did nothing to try to make it up to me, they even made us pay full price for the meal, didn't offer me a complimentary drink or free dessert… Note: they only have one dessert, again something very disappointing. Their complete disregard and indifference of my traumatic experience they had caused frankly shocked me coming from what I thought was a quality and professionally run restaurant. Perhaps they had no interest in me having a satisfying experience because they thought I was just a tourist who would be gone and never heard from again. They don't know that I live in Chiang Mai every winter, staying at a resort where many of the guests depend upon me for good recommendations and Guidance to the best places in town. I very much wanted this to be my new favorite restaurant. Instead I will definitely discourage anyone from going there lest they be treated with such lack of care...

I found this place with pretty good reviews on Google, so we decided to check it out at night. The ambience was actually lovely—very romantic with a classy, business-like feel, and a bit of that 1950s charm. We were so impressed by the atmosphere that we made it a point to return the next day for lunch.

During the day, the vibe shifted to something almost Bali-inspired—there was a waterfall feature, and the rooftop was framed by natural treetops. Beautiful as it was, I’d strongly recommend bringing mosquito repellent because the mosquitoes there are no joke.

Unfortunately, that’s where the positives stop. The entire dining experience was dampened by the service. It carried this “I can’t be bothered” attitude that made us feel unwelcome. That energy seeps into everything—it affected how we experienced the food. Even basic requests for food alterations due to allergies were dismissed without any consideration, which was disappointing and frankly unacceptable.

Overall, I think if the experience had matched what I saw in the reviews, the price might have been justified. But with what we went through, I honestly wouldn’t return. The food? I wish I could comment more positively, but after the vibe created by the service, it just didn’t land. Sorry to the kitchen team—you probably did your best, but a great kitchen can’t save a place with a poor...

The atmosphere is incredible but they have a few things to learn!

First, there was no wine list which cost me 650b somehow! I could just look at the POS system on the server's phone which showed the first maybe 8-10 character of the wine brand and the price. I selected a bottle that was clearly 1,200b which added it to the order. She looked and confirmed, "Red wine?" Yes.

I noticed on the bill the next day that we were charged 1,850b! I contacted the restaurant on Messenger and explained it very clearly giving him a chance to resolve it somehow. The reply was that they were sorry and the server should have informed me that I was being given an 1,850b bottle instead of a 1,200b bottle. Sorry?? That's it?? Yes, of course I should have been informed that they were serving me something over 50% more expensive than what I ordered! I told them that if their mistake costs me 650b then I will not be going back. No reply!

It's sad because we used to take visitors and family there for special occasions before they closed and re-opened, but obviously not anymore.

BTW, food was average at best. At first we thought the beer prices were pretty fair assuming a "bottle" was large for 120b. But no, you only get a small beer for 120b which is a common price for...