Food Delivery Apps in Chiang Mai: Grab vs LINE MAN

GrabFood and LINE MAN are the two main apps for Chiang Mai orders. LINE MAN translates menus and rider chat into English. GrabFood takes cash, cards or GrabPay Wallet. ShopeeFood also operates in the city. Foodpanda is gone: it ceased operations in Thailand on 23 May 2025.

By Vincent Nguyen

Foodpanda is gone. The closure was announced on 23 April 2025, and the app stopped operating in Thailand on 23 May 2025 after 13 years. Any Chiang Mai delivery guide that still lists it is out of date. Three apps are worth opening: GrabFood, LINE MAN and ShopeeFood.

Quick picks

• No Thai bank account, ordering tonight: GrabFood with Cash at checkout. LINE Pay, the wallet behind LINE MAN, needs a Thai ID number and a local phone number.
• Payment choices: GrabFood takes cash, debit or credit cards and GrabPay Wallet, set in the Grab app.
• Local food: LINE MAN, with 700,000+ restaurants and food menus translated into English.
• Paying cash: GrabFood. Hand over exact change, or message the rider about larger notes.
• Planning dinner: GrabFood lets you order up to 2 days ahead.
• Skip the delivery fee: GrabFood pickup. Order in the app and collect the food yourself.
• Regular orders: LINE MAN VIP costs THB 19 a month or THB 99 a year.

Which apps still run in Chiang Mai

GrabFood, LINE MAN and ShopeeFood take Chiang Mai orders. Foodpanda does not.

Coverage depends on your street. Type your address into each app before you choose one. If no app takes your address, use GrabFood pickup or walk to the restaurant.

Two more apps. Robinhood charges restaurants no commission. Its owner sold the app on 30 September 2024 and customers could keep using it. Check your street in the app before relying on it.

ShopeeFood operates in Chiang Mai.

GrabFood: the easy start

GrabFood sits inside the Grab app, which lists Chiang Mai among its Thai cities. The same app books rides, so see Grab vs Bolt in Chiang Mai if you also need a car.

• For a first order, keep Standard, the default. Switch to Saver Delivery when you want a lower cost and can wait.
• The delivery fee follows the distance between the restaurant and your address.
• Order up to 2 days ahead, or from up to 4 restaurants at once.
• The service runs 24/7, and a restaurant that cannot deliver shows as closed.
• Choose pickup to skip the delivery fee and the wait.

Good for: cash, card and GrabPay payers. Skip if: you want a flat fee, since the fee changes with distance.

LINE MAN: the local app with English menus

LINE MAN listed 700,000+ restaurants in April 2025, from street food to chains. Food menus are translated into English. You can chat with the rider in English, and the message reaches the rider in Thai. Chiang Mai is one of the tourist cities where its foreign user base is growing.

The delivery fee can start from THB 0, but only under the conditions the app marks with an asterisk. Your checkout screen shows the real fee before you pay. LINE MAN VIP costs THB 19 a month or THB 99 a year and adds discount coupons across its services.

Good for: local food and small restaurants, and anyone who wants English menus. Skip if: you need a confirmed foreign card or phone-number sign-up. Test it first (see the box below).

Paying, cash and tipping

• Grab: payment follows your primary method in the app: cash, card or GrabPay Wallet.
• Cash: prepare enough cash and give exact change, because riders do not always carry much. Message the rider in GrabChat first if you pay with larger notes. Cash stays the easiest backup if a card fails.
• Foreign card: add it to Grab before you leave home, because the bank’s text code can fail abroad.
• Tip: an extra 20 to 40 baht is a thank-you, in the app or in cash on arrival. More amounts are in tipping in Chiang Mai.
• Finding you: use the in-app chat to tell the rider your gate or lane. LINE MAN translates English into Thai for the rider.

For paying by phone without a Thai bank card, see PromptPay for foreigners.

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Not confirmed: Whether LINE MAN takes a foreign card or foreign phone number: order on GrabFood with cash tonight and test LINE MAN with a small order later. Whether Grab takes your foreign card: add it at home and check. Robinhood and ShopeeFood coverage on your street: type your address in the app.

Reach readers planning life in Chiang Mai. Advertise → hello@chiangmaijao.com

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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