Boy Blues Bar
Boy Blues Bar runs from a mezzanine perch above the Kalare Night Bazaar food court at the eastern end of the Loi Kroh corridor, looking down over a small open dancing stage. The venue has been a Chiang Mai institution for decades, hosting live blues, soul, and rock most nights of the week. The room is small, dark, and timber-clad, with maybe 50 seats around the stage and a long bar along one side. The house band runs Thursday through Saturday with a rotating roster of guest vocalists, and acoustic acts fill the early-week slots. Drinks are reasonable for the level: standard beer 100-140 THB, cocktails 200-280 THB, and no cover charge most nights. The crowd is heavy on older expats, returning seasonal visitors, and curious Night Bazaar shoppers who stumbled up the stairs. The atmosphere is conversational between sets and music-focused during.
Where to stay near Boy Blues Bar
Hotels and rentals within walking distance.
What to Expect
A small, candlelit mezzanine room with a tight stage and a 1980s blues-bar feel. The music carries warmly through the room, and conversation between sets is easy across tables. A working bar staff who remember regulars by name.
Intimate, smoky-vintage feel, with a working bar and a band that knows its audience.
Blues, soul, classic rock, occasional jazz
Casual. Shorts and sandals fine; the room makes no judgments.
Music fans, older travelers, and anyone wanting a low-key venue with real live performance.
Cash and cards accepted
Price Range
Beer 100-140 THB, cocktails 200-280 THB, no cover charge
Beer ~$2.80-4/€2.50-3.50, cocktails ~$5.50-7.50/€5-7
Hours
19:00 to midnight daily, live music from around 21:00
Insider Tip
Arrive by 9 PM on Friday or Saturday to grab a table near the stage. The Thursday acoustic sets are the most intimate and least crowded. Tip the band 50-100 THB if a particular song lands well.
Full Review
The entrance is easy to miss: an unmarked staircase off the Kalare Night Bazaar courtyard that climbs to a small mezzanine. The room opens up dark and timber-walled, with a stage at one end and a long bar running along the side. Seating is mixed between bar stools, small high tops, and a few low tables. The capacity is around 60 to 80 people, and on a busy Saturday it feels full but not crushed.
The house band carries the room. The blues programming runs Thursday through Saturday with rotating guest vocalists, and the regular musicians have been playing the room for years. Sound is well-managed for the space; the volume is loud enough to feel the music but soft enough to talk during slower passages. Bar service is straightforward; the bartenders know the drinks menu cold and pour generously.
Compared to the larger live venues in Chiang Mai (Riverside Bar, North Gate Jazz), Boy Blues is smaller, blues-focused, and notably more expat-heavy. The crowd skews older than North Gate Jazz, which pulls a younger backpacker mix, and more music-focused than Riverside, which leans toward dinner-with-band programming. Boy Blues is where you go specifically to hear the band, not to be seen.
Go on Thursday for acoustic-set intimacy, Friday for the full band, and arrive early on Saturday to claim a table. The bar runs efficiently; ordering at the bar is faster than waiting for table service during peak hours.
The Neighborhood
Boy Blues sits inside the Kalare Night Bazaar complex on Chang Klan Road at the eastern terminus of Loi Kroh. The complex includes a food court, market stalls, and the 6ixcret cabaret upstairs. The Loi Kroh bar strip runs west from here; MAI The Sky Bar is one block south.
Getting There
From Tha Phae Gate, walk 15 minutes east along Tha Phae Road or Loi Kroh. From the Night Bazaar, the venue is inside the Kalare complex on the southwest corner. From Nimman, allow 20 minutes by Bolt for around 130-160 THB. Look for the unmarked staircase off the central courtyard.
Address
Kalare Night Bazaar, 89/2 Chang Klan Road, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand
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Browse Thailand eSIM plansOther Venues in Loi Kroh Road
The Spicy
Late-night licensed nightclub just north of Tha Phae on Chaiyaphum Road. Runs until around 5 AM and absorbs the late crowd from Loi Kroh, Zoe, and Nimman. Mixed Thai and tourist crowd, hip-hop and EDM.
Bus Bar
Outdoor beer bar built around two repurposed buses overlooking the Ping River near Nawarat Bridge, at the east end of the Loi Kroh corridor. Live acoustic music, cheap beer, and a mixed traveler crowd.
6ixcret Show
Drag cabaret bar on the 2nd floor at the rear of the Night Bazaar building, just off Loi Kroh. Free admission with a two-drink minimum. Shows run Wednesday through Sunday from 9:30 PM.
Ram Cabaret
Long-running ladyboy cabaret venue in the Loi Kroh corridor with nightly drag shows starting around 10 PM. Tourist-focused, with seated table service and a two-drink minimum on busy nights.
John's Place
Open-fronted sports-and-beer bar on Loi Kroh with large-screen TVs showing live Premier League, MotoGP, and rugby. Cheap bottled beer, pool tables, and a steady older-expat clientele.
Loi Kroh Lady Bar Strip
A cluster of roughly a dozen open-fronted lady bars along the central section of Loi Kroh between Charoenprathet and Kotchasarn. Bar stools facing the street, neon signage, lady drinks at 150-200 THB, low-key low-pressure.