Bar Not Found proves Chiang Mai’s cocktail scene is brighter than ever

For years, Thailand’s cocktail crown sat firmly on Bangkok’s head, a city that’s saturated with rooftop bars and hidden speakeasies. But, in more recent years, energy has been shifting further afield, with a number of out-of-the-capital bars capturing the interest of drinkers and critics alike. 

While Phuket’s beach-side cocktail scene has a wealthy market ready to sip on gold-infused martinis, Chiang Mai is taking a more creative approach that’s more in tune with its own audience. And out of the many Chiang Mai cocktail bars we’ve reviewed and shared along the way, a little speakeasy-style spot hidden up a flight of bright orange stairs is pushing the city onto the national (and now international) map: Bar Not Found.

In just over a year, this bright, quirky, colour-soaked cocktail den has snagged spots on multiple awards rankings and produced mixologists now making waves on the competitive circuit – from World Class Rising Star Thailand to the Sip Supernova finals in China.

Not bad for a bar that opened its secret living room lair for the first time in September 2024.

Colour first, then the cocktails

The Bar Not Found story is disarmingly humble. Before launching a venue together, Foam, Game, Jane and Amber were already friends – bartenders, chefs and industry folks moving around Chiang Mai’s growing drinks scene. 

Lockdowns, hidden bars and late-night ‘what ifs’ eventually solidified into a plan and the idea for Bar Not Found was born. But if Bangkok was already drenched in moody speakeasies and leather-bound dark-wood dens, then how could the team stand out from the crowd – not to mention Amber already has her own John Wick-themed bar in Nimman that plays heavily into this trope. 

‘Each of us kind of wanted our own bar,’ Foam says, ‘but then it just became obvious – why don’t we do it together?’ But instead of starting with spirits or flavour profiles, Amber pitched the question, ‘If colour had a taste, what would it be?’  

This quickly became the bar’s entire philosophy. ‘Truthfully, the bar menu came first,’ said Amber – the venue’s award-winning mixologist. ‘It was weird at first. We themed our first creations around colour, and, despite some arguments, we were inspired to play with the colour palette even more.’

Step inside and you’ll be greeted with bright, orange-hued lights that shine a spotlight on a multicolour speckled bartop, bright plush furniture and city pop album covers on the walls. 

‘Our drink signature menu is built from Pantone swatches,’ explains Game. ‘With each drink interpreting a colour not just visually, but emotionally and flavour-wise.’ No doubt they argued over their ‘opinions’ (explained very diplomatically) – but now spend more time debating with customers than with each other.

So what do the bartenders actually drink?

With 18 signature drinks and a small collection of classics, the vibe here is very experimental. And while we have our favourites at Time Out, the crew at Bar Not Found have very strong ‘opinions’ about which is the best.

• Amber – winter sea: ‘I don’t drink it too often, but when I do, it gives me a buzz. The colour is more inspired by the flavour, infused with grilled coconut, chrysanthemum and topped with salt foam – it’s like drinking a palm tree.’
• Game – charcoal velvet: ‘It’s like a gin fizz crossed with a dirty martini. Savoury and salty, black and trendy.’
• Foam – turquoise: ‘I’m a bit biased but this was the first drink I created for the bar. Think vesper vibes but made with local bai ngiem and seaweed.’
• Jane – mustard yellow: ‘I love snacks and creamy treats, so this one is made for me. Mustard, cream and mango shouldn’t go together, but they really do.’

But with so many to choose from, you’re bound to find your fave. According to Amber, salmon blush is by far the best seller – fruity, friendly, and almost impossible not to like – however if I had to recommend a boat pusher, it would be pine green. Think jasmine rice infused gin with a pine needle and neem fizz. But whichever you choose, they pair perfectly with a trip to Chiang Mai in search of something new. Here’s a spot we love that’s just next door, making it easy to say yes to just one more.

A colourful array of awards

‘We didn’t go into this thinking about awards at all,’ Amber says. ‘But we did want to hold ourselves to a high standard and have that confirmed by others.’ So they entered competitions. Not expecting to win – but to ‘see where we stand,’ as Game puts it.

Starting with competitions, Amber and Game walked away from Sip Supernova – an international mixologist competition based out of China – both awarded with world top 20 positions. Then Amber took home both finalist and rising star awards at World Class Thailand – another international mixologist comp on home turf.

Then came the message from Bangkok Bar Show Awards – ‘you’re top 12 in the country.’ 

‘It was humbling,’ Game says. ‘We were impressed with each other, honestly.’ 

Bar Not Found didn’t set out to be anything special, but as you can see, they really fell into the space with a bang. If there’s any bar in Chiang Mai that proves the city’s creative bar scene is deeper, louder and more interesting than outsiders give it credit for – this is it. 

So when someone says you have to go to Bangkok for good bars, point them north instead – where the colours come in 18 shades and are absolutely worth the hangover.