Why Not Italian
Reviews (15 collected)
- Written December 16, 2025tripadvisor
Good Italian with quiet terrace
Italian restaurant with a nice and quiet terrace, accompanied by Italian music. Pizzas are good and the atmosphere invites you to relax. The staff is attentive and friendly. Sausages are nothing special, but overall the experience is very good. Recommended.
positive - Written April 26, 2025tripadvisor
Italian cuisine in Chiang Mai
Great restaurant! Quality products! Very kind owner Attentive and caring staff!! Recommended!!!👏👏👏👏
positive - Written February 27, 2025tripadvisor
Good value for money
There are many choices for eating pizza in Chiang Mai. This one is a good compromise with its beautiful terrace, a beautiful choice of pizzas , pasta .. snacks and appetizers that recall Italy and the Mediterranean, a great break when you want to leave the beaten track of Thai food.
positive - Written October 13, 2026tripadvisor
Perche Si !!!!! Buonissimo !!!
Okay, you had me at the best Mortadella I’ve ever had - everything was really good - and a fussy 62yr old Italian isn’t pleased easily !!!!
positive - Written December 16, 2025tripadvisor
As in Italy
It's not the first time I've had this experience of Italian cooking. In this restaurant you never go wrong, and 'u authentic Italian cuisine, especially Southern, excellent pizza with fish cuisine and even imported meat. Excellent choice of cheeses and cold cuts Cuisine that often offers new proposals with weekly proposals. Dining in the garden is a great experience. To try
positive - Written June 21, 2026tripadvisor
Ridiculously small mussels
I am not one for writing reviews but I can't hold back on this one, especially as the staff were totally unconcerned by my complaint. Apparently the miniscule mussel in the picture is acceptable at Why Not. Every one in my bowl was this size. If you can't source decent mussels, don't put them on the menu!
neutral - Written January 5, 2025tripadvisor
Feel at home... a corner of good Italian cuisine
We stayed at Why not for 3 nights in a row. Immediately we felt calm, Emilio owner of the place and 'a champion: he entertained us with stories and advice on what to eat. Italian products, which travel half the world but that you can taste in a pasta to the norm, orecchiette alla barese. Of course the pizza is delicious. Thanks Emilio and thanks also to the staff, guys who want to work. Highly recommended!
positive - Written June 10, 2026tripadvisor
A taste of Italy in Chiang Mai
This place is a must visit. A real taste of Italy in Chiang Mai. Hardly a week goes by where we don’t go to the restaurant or order from Tuk Tuk. The owner, Emedio, is Italian and prides himself in using the finest authentic ingredients. Every thing is top notch, the cheese, olives, pasta, pizza, wines, everything. For someone who doesn’t eat meat like myself there are still plenty of options. The Cici pasta is a favourite. So simple but so good. That with a started of a caprese salad and a barese focaccia is a go to. My wife loves the salmon. The wine choice is excellent with even the house wine being real good value. The atmosphere is lovely, inside being like a little taste of Europe and outside a more Asian feel. On top of the the staff are amazing. Book in advance to avoid disappointment especially in high season.
positive - Written July 18, 2026tripadvisor
Delicious food
Great food with 5 people, 3 courses for 125 euros. Lots of choice in pastas, pizzas and other dishes and drinks. Friendly staff, everything goes very smoothly.
positive - Written February 21, 2025tripadvisor
Whay Not? Highly recommended
We stayed in this restaurant on the advice of a friend and congeiamo in turn. Excellent quality-price. Excellent cuisine and wine list. Nice and pleasant environment.
positive - Written January 12, 2026tripadvisor
A slap ♥️
I came with a friend for the first time. A slap. Simple and uncomplicated result: I went back every day for a week. Not out of habit, out of desire. And when a restaurant becomes a reflex, something serious happens. Clear advice: reserve. Between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., even if the place is huge, with a very large outdoor terrace, it is easy to be without a table outside. Personally, I booked every night, always for 7 or 8 p.m., always outside. No regrets. It is an Italian restaurant. Pizza, pasta, meat, fish, antipasti. On paper, nothing original. Except that the difference is immediate: the products are of remarkable quality and above all authentically Italian. Not an imitation, not a rough adaptation. Real. And it changes everything. Vongole spaghetti is impeccable. Controlled pizzas, including dough. The antipasti set the tone: excellent olives, truffle sausage perfectly chosen, net products, frank, without shambles. Everything is fair. The prices for a European restaurant in Thailand are more than correct. Really okay. And in terms of quality, it becomes almost indecent. We pay for what we eat, not the decor or storytelling. The wine list alone deserves attention. Very broad, consistent, well thought out. Special mention for an Argentine Malbec at 990 baht: very good wine, frank, balanced. I took the bottle for myself... which I finished over two days. No shame. All wines are available by the glass, between 200 and 250 baht. And homemade wine, which I have not tasted but almost regret: 160 baht a glass, 900 baht a liter. At this price, it is not a trap, it is an invitation. And then there's the gin and tonic. We need to talk about it. Big drink. The tonic served separately, so it's not cracked by ice. And a small saucer with orange, lemon, cucumber and rosemary wedge, to dose yourself. I have never had a gin and tonic served like this in Thailand. And, honestly, even in Belgium, it is rare. The service is impeccable. There are many, maybe twenty, maybe thirty, whatever. They are present, attentive, smiling, efficient, without heaviness. The boss is Italian, of course. I have spoken several times with him: accessible, warm, professional. A real restaurateur, not a remote manager. If I return to Chiang Mai, this place will be my headquarters. Without hesitation. When you don’t want to eat Thai, or just want to eat very well, Why Not is a no-brainer. A restaurant that does exactly what it promises, and does it remarkably well.
positive - Written December 25, 2024tripadvisor
Ok but not more than that....
Christmas eve, were there for Dinner, probably the 7th time...two years ago it was excellent, last year it was good, this time it was ok...still nice to spend time there but quality decreases. Then we were asked to go since they need the table....we were not informed before☹️
positive - Written December 27, 2024tripadvisor
Delicious food!
Delicious food, fantastic service and a great atmosphere! Reasonably priced, make sure you book a table always busy. I had penne pesto simple but full of flavour. Perfect place if you want a break from Thai food.
positive - Written April 21, 2025tripadvisor
Highly recommended
I was unprepared for how authentic this restaurant is. The food and wine - one could be in Italy! My only quibbles are that they serve no complimentary bread- which one would expect from such a restaurant. And my gnocchi Gorgonzola was a little bland. Skimping on the Gorgonzola!! but the salad - simple garden salad was huge! Enough to share. It must be said it is quite a noisy place- because it is so popular!! Oh and the sitcom was just right. I didn’t freeze!
negative - Written November 13, 2025tripadvisor
Why not, indeed
They are located in a very central area. The atmosphere was warm and romantic. The service was excellent. While they are not inexpensive, they are worth the cost. We were seated immediately. I ordered the classic lasagne. My wife had the Japanese pumpkin-and-ricotta-stuffed ravioli. We shared the garlic bread. Everything was amazing. For dessert, I had the lemon delight. It was too bitter for my taste. My wife had the lava cake with strawberry sorbet. She thought it was decent. We definitely recommend this place
positive