MAD Bar - Chiang Mai: This is more my type of place
When it comes to a night out drinking I am more of a fan of places that have expensive options but primarily focus on cheap food and drinks with some entertainment going on that isn't really "in your face" or too loud. MAD Bar fits this description perfectly.
I recently wrote a blog entry about an expensive yet nice craft beer place and how it was fun, but the cost of the items on the menu made it impossible for me to really enjoy myself there. I am the type of guy that goes out to eat and drink almost every day so spending $25 on 2 pints and a taco isn't exactly my cuppa. MAD Bar is more my style.
The place is mostly open air, which would present some very real problems if it were to rain because I didn't notice a great deal of any seating that was under cover.
If i had to guess I would say that MAD Bar wasn't initially meant to be a bar at all. The individual small buildings that are contained there give the impression that this was perhaps a failed 'mini-mall" project that the developers probably picked up for very little money. The location doesn't make sense for a bar either because there isn't really a whole lot else nearby other than gigantic shopping malls.
There were a number of satellite restaurants offering varying degrees of snacks and what not and it made me very happy that one of them was a sushi / sashimi place that actually had very reasonable prices... it was so low actually that I was a little concerned about whether or not it would be safe to eat.
I'm no fish expert, but I can tell when salmon is off due to the coloring. This was not off. They provided plenty of wasabi and for me anyway, this is something I really enjoy snacking on while drinking cheap beer. Speaking of which: Large bottles of locally-brewed lagers (Chang / Singha / Leo) were all 75 baht each (around $2.25.) I was able to order with reckless abandon and not even worry about the bill.
Overall consensus and tl;dr
For the frugally minded traveler that still enjoys a bit of entertainment and access to lower-priced food / snack options, MAD Bar is definitely a good choice for a place to party. The band was talented and was at just the perfect volume to still allow for conversation at your table. There were plenty of staff and lots of inexpensive options. If you wanted something fancy like a craft beer they have that too, but it is at least double the price of the local brews (which is understandable.) Their location is a bit whack but since Grab Taxis are so cheap in this city, this isn't much of a problem
231/12 1004 ตำบล ช้างเผือก อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ 50200
No phone no. provided
Open from 6pm to 1am every day
What a quint name for a bar!! So all the customers must be infected by the ‘mad’ vibes!! Hahaha
Quite an unpretentious place! I like this kind of eating place, feel relaxed and informal atmosphere. The prices are friendly too!
Crazy you! You eat out everyday! I wouldn’t be able to remember wher I had been😆😆
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Looks like a good time for sure! Plus, you can't beat 75baht beers! Sometimes I get charged 120ish... or more. Every time I read your posts it gets me excited to come back to Thailand late June! I'll be in China working for 3 months again and then I am free again for a bit!
What a fabulous looking place and the prices are really decent. You made me laugh though with your Salmon comment saying it was so cheap you didn't know if it was safe to eat. It is great when you can just order and not worry about the bill and actually just have a good time. These types of places are rare today and everything just seems like a total rip off. If we had more of them they would be well supported.
This is really cool that it is a kind of food court theme with different types of foods here and there. I am with you, I enjoy a craft beer from time to time, but if I am looking for a go-to place I am much more likely to pick the joint where I can get $1 cans of PBR on a Thursday night. We actually have a place down the road from where @mrsbozz and I live that does just that. They have food specials each night and serve great food. I also agree with you about having good music that isn't too overwhelming. I am pretty sure I have ADHD so it is hard enough for me to focus in normal conditions let alone if there is an overly loud band blaring in my ear. Thanks for this awesome review!