Charlie&lek — Restaurant in Mae Hong Son Province

💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 Outstanding Dining at Charlie & Lek in Pai

🍜 Delicious Authentic Thai Cuisine Every dish exceeded expectations—whether it was their khao soi, papaya pad thai, or massaman curry. One reviewer said: “Absolute 10/10 meal … easily the most we enjoyed so far in 2 weeks in north Thailand.”

🌱 Great for Vegetarians & Vegans Plenty of vegetarian‑friendly and vegan options. The menu caters thoughtfully to dietary needs.

😊 Warm & Welcoming Staff Service is friendly and efficient. One guest highlighted the quick service and local feel: “Really quick service and a lovely local restaurant!”

🥗 Quality & Fresh Ingredients The food feels home‑cooked with care—fresh vegetables, balanced flavors, and generous portions. The website Travel guides call it “some of the tastiest Thai food in Pai.”

📍 Solid Location Located on Rangsiyanon Road, near Pai Walking Street—easy access while still offering a relaxed setting.

🎯 Good Value Reviewers repeatedly mention portion size and price as a strong point: “Excellent, some of the best meals I’ve had in Thailand.”

✔️ Highly Recommended If you’re in Pai and want a memorable meal with authentic Thai flavors, fresh ingredients, friendly service, and a comfortable setting—Charlie & Lek checks all the boxes.

Would definitely return and recommend to friends...

Had lunch here everyday during our three days in Pai The service was very good, staff is super friendly and the food really delicious which is why I still give 3 stars after what had happened to us yesterday:

After having the muesli in the morning at our accommodation that we chose every morning we had lunch at Charlie And Lek’s. Super tasty as always. After leaving the restaurant, my girlfriend started feeling sick but she was still fine so far. In the minivan on our way back to Chiang may a couple hours later I started sweating like never before and feeling super car sick (for the first time in my life. The bus ride from Chiang Mai to Pai 3 days earlier hadn’t been a problem at all). Finally, yesterday night at our hotel, we both threw up several times almost simultaneously and still feel sick now 24hrs later..

I think it must’ve been the water the restaurant offers for free (which is super nice of them!) in that container. My gf thinks that it was her curry soup that I only had some spoons of (which is why she was feeling sick already right after leaving the restaurant she says). This was our last meal of the day btw.

Overall this is a really good restaurant with good prices and super nice people and we might just’ve...

First of all this is a service review, it is not about the food. 99,99% of my reviews I write are positive reviews so I actually don't enjoy doing this but we felt it was needed.

We heard very good things about this place and came on an evening to get some quality healthy food. When we arrived the owner spoke with two couples and explained them some plants. We sat down and waited to get the menu by him or his staff. Unfortunately, even though he realized we where there, and he even explained to the others he talked to that he had I think 4-5 people working in the restaurant, he completely ignored us for at least 15 min or even more and none of his stuff came out either.

My girlfriend owned a cafe and works in the gastronomy scene for more than 15 years and she was absolutely astonished about this behaviour. Especially during these times you would think restaurants are happy about every customer and tourist. Instead we were completely left aside. At one point it was enough and we were hungry so we left.

I'd be interested to know what the owner has to say about this. I am pretty sure he remembers...