With the rain hammering down outside and the streets running slick, Chiang Mai’s families know where to head — into the gloriously air-conditioned comfort of The Duke’s at Central Chiang Mai Airport. This newest branch, freshly opened at Airport Plaza right at the entrance to the cinema entertainment complex on the 4th floor, has quickly become one of the mall’s busiest draws, with Thai and international families piling in from the easily accessible car park and delivery riders queuing up out front.
This is not entirely surprising. The Duke’s has been feeding Chiang Mai for twenty years, building up its loyal customer base one consistently delicious meal at a time, year after year, decade after decade. In the early years it was mainly the expatriate crowd, seeking the taste of home comfort food, that filled up The Duke’s first restaurants. Today the majority of clients at its newest branch is clearly Thai, drawn to the large portions, great tastes and fair value that The Duke’s has long cemented its reputation upon.
At a moment when half the city’s newer restaurants are showboating their sourdough credentials and scratch kitchens, The Duke’s has been doing both since the early 2000s — semi-sourdough bases, house-ground beef, buns made in-house, sauces built from scratch, no premixes, no shortcuts, no small print. The consistency is the point. You know what you’re getting, it arrives as you expected and the portion is large enough to make local customers very happy (especially when they get to take a doggy bag home!). As The Duke’s has always promised — no claims, no games, just great food.
The monsoon promotions, tied to the Airport Plaza opening, are structured with The Duke’s well known value-forward thinking. There are a great number of deals, steals and discounts…so pay attention!
First off is dinner: order any main — steak, seafood, pizza, whatever you came for — and a complimentary salad arrives, large enough to share, with a choice of house-made dressing.
For the early evening crowd, the Early Bird promotion runs daily from 4.30pm to 6pm at all branches — a full dinner with salad for 295 baht. It rewards people who wish to dine early and before the crowds descend.
July’s Burger of the Month, running through the end of the month at all five branches, is the Cajun Burger — a juicy imported beef patty seasoned with bold Cajun spices, topped with cheddar cheese, roasted garlic hot salsa and chili mayo, served with a choice of hand-cut fries or onion rings. It’s on offer daily throughout July for 265 baht. A few words on the beef are warranted here. The Duke’s uses grain-fed cattle, not grass-fed, and this is a considered choice rather than an oversight. Grain-fed produces fattier, more flavourful meat — and juicier burgers.
Also new this July is the Peach Cobbler — warm, house-made, with a buttery crust and sweet, juicy peaches, served with premium vanilla ice cream. Buy any meal and it’s 50% off its regular 310 baht price, for a limited time at all five branches.
Desserts are half price across the board this monsoon season, from cookies to cheesecake, and the same discount applies on Grab, where The Duke’s is already among the platform’s more active kitchens. Dessert sales are apparently running at three to four times their usual volume, which suggests either that Chiang Mai has developed a collective sweet tooth or that people love things at half price.
The Duke’s now operates five branches across the city — Rimping, Maya, Ruamchok, The Gallery Hang Dong and the new Airport Plaza — and delivers via Grab. In July, in Chiang Mai, with the rain doing what it does, The Duke’s beckons.
