The best smoothie in Chiang Mai

From rickety bamboo stalls to colorful neon carts, Chiang Mai is awash with fruit juice stands.

But of all the smoothie joints that dot the city streets, one stands out -- Mrs. Pa’s Fruit Shake & Bualoy stand.

From her pitch at the food market next to Chiang Mai gate, Mrs. Pa sees a constant flow of customers, both Thai and foreign, every night. 

While she definitely knows how to make a killer smoothie, it’s not just her product that draws the crowds; it’s how she connects to her customers.

Since trading her computer for a blender, Mrs. Pa says she's happier than ever.

Former corporate to smoothie guru

Mrs. Pa hasn't always sold smoothies. She used to work in an office just outside the city, buying food in bulk to supply the bigger restaurants and stores in Chiang Mai, Thailand's "second city."

A friend of hers ran the smoothie stand -- until she met an American, married him and offered the cart to Mrs. Pa free of charge. It was a no-brainer, she says.

Mrs. Pa quickly traded in her computer for a blender and she’s happier now than she has ever been.

Mrs. Pa's smoothie stand is in the food market right next to Chiang Mai gate.

A winning combination

Walk up any day, ask for a fruit of your choice and then tell her to add whatever else she wants. Lime, mango and passion fruit was the last mixture I tried. 

It was good. It always is. I’ve never seen another vendor cobble together a shake with such consistently delicious results. 

Instead of just starting to sell smoothies from the day she acquired her cart, Mrs. Pa sat down with a pile of books to learn about how different fruits blend together. “Still a lot to learn,” she says, opening the fruit-filled page of a glossy book. “But it’s fun.”

Mrs. Pa takes great care in selecting the fruits used in her shakes.

Only the best

Part of what makes the taste stand out is the quality of fruit Mrs. Pa uses for the smoothies. She varies her morning buying routine depending on the season.

In March it’s strawberries first, from a tiny stall far outside the Old City’s gates. While berries are sold at the morning market, they’re far sweeter if they come directly from Samoeng.

From the minute Mrs. Pa arrives, her cart is buzzing with customers.

Her precision isn’t limited to strawberries. At the morning market near the U.S. Embassy she visits a different vendor for each of her purchases.

Weaving through the rows quickly, she chats with each of the fruit sellers, laughing the whole time. Limes first, then oranges, melon and finally passion fruit.

Each is chosen meticulously, and piled high on her motorbike.

At the morning market near the U.S. Embassy, Mrs. Pa visits a different vendor for each of her purchases. As for the syrup, she makes that herself at home.

Going that extra step

Apart from choosing her fruit with care, Mrs. Pa makes her own sugar syrup at home. "Store syrup is no good," she grimaces. "They add chemicals to make it taste better." 

She lugs the syrup and her fruit to her stand every night, balancing it on her motorbike with all the day’s fruit. From the minute she sets up, her cart is buzzing with customers.

Despite the crowds, if you’ve been there before she remembers exactly what you like, and what you don’t. And if you’ve been there more than a few times, you get a bear hug with your smoothie.

"I am happy to work here," she says with a smile. "Many friends, many customers, both Thai and foreign. And more foreign customers mean more English to learn."

“Still a lot to learn, but it’s fun,” says Mrs. Pa.

Some time ago her cart was missing from the market for five days. It transpired that she was in the hospital. 

When she showed up again at the end of the week, within minutes at least a dozen people had stopped by to ask if she was feeling better or if they could do anything.

What other smoothie stall has that kind of concerned clientele? 

Jodi Ettenberg is a former corporate lawyer and current world traveler with a weakness for marshmallows, volcanoes and street eats.

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