Chiang Mai has a relaxed bar scene — nothing like Bangkok's intensity, but with plenty of good options. The old city has a cluster of backpacker bars near Ratchaphakhinai Road, anchored by Zoe in Yellow, which fills up every evening with live music and cheap drinks.
The Ping River riverside strip is a more grown-up alternative, with Good View drawing a mixed Thai and foreign crowd for live music and cold beers. The Riverside Restaurant nearby is another long-standing favourite.
For coffee, Wawee Coffee uses locally grown northern Thai arabica beans and has several branches across the city. The Nimman Road area has a high density of specialty coffee shops catering to the city's large digital nomad population — many of them in pleasant shaded settings with reliable wifi.