Bars in Bangkok behind the city’s legendary nightlife

Bangkok’s bars offer a remarkable breadth of drinking: day sipping by the river, expertly crafted cocktails at a rooftop bar, or an ice-cold beer with your street food are just a few of the opportunities for imbibing here. Embrace the city’s notorious nightlife in areas such as Nana, Thonglor or Silom, or sample award-winning serves in globally recognised drinking dens before visiting one of the city’s acclaimed restaurants.

Nondescript doors are a secret portal to elegant spaces where an affluent crowd quaff floral-scented champagne concoctions; dive bars ladle up homemade umeshu (Japanese plum wine); and reggae DJs set the mood for nights that last well into the morning.

These are the Bangkok bars we endorse, whether looking for a roadside refresher or all-out nightlife.

Bars in Old Town

Stretching from the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok’s Old Town is as mysterious as it is intriguing, with meandering alleys bustling with activity. In recent years, hip bars have unexpectedly taken root, which stand in contrast to the area’s centuries-old temples.

Tax Bar

Best for: Offbeat cocktails behind a hidden facade
Location: 695-697 Maitri Chit Road, Khwaeng Pom Prap, Khet Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok
Price: $$

There’s no sign at Tax Bar, but you’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the graffiti on the wall that reads, “Nothing is certain but death & tax.” A menu of vinegar-based alcoholic drinks was created in response to the harsh government taxes on traditional alcohol and the lack of support for bar and restaurant owners during the pandemic. The dark and moody space continues to serve this politically slanted menu, alongside more refined offerings such as the Chrysanthemum Fizz with a full bloom floating in the glass. Tax Bar is run by the team behind Teens of Thailand (more on that below).

Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar

Best for: A lauded space for daring libations
Location: 104 Maha Set Road, Si Phraya, Bang Rak, Bangkok, 10500
Price: $$

A sumptuous bar with souk-inspired decor, this otherworldly space serves creative cocktails with the utmost attention to detail. These complement the menu of edgy bar snacks provided by 100 Mahaseth, the nose-to-tail restaurant downstairs. Drinks feature unusual ingredients like blue cheese air and beef fat and feel like a whole experience rather than a drink. For thrill-seekers, the Squid combines vodka, mezcal, mirin and dried squid before being topped with a black layer of squid ink. For those feeling less adventurous, the coffee cocktail is a sweet salvation that still packs a boozy punch.

Tai Soon Bar

Best for: Homemade beer with a retro Chinese vibe
Location: 190 Maha Chai Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
Price: $

This duplex bar is dotted with picturesque red lanterns, and sits directly across the street from the obscurely located Jay Fai, Bangkok’s only Michelin-starred street food joint. Pro tip: arrive at Jay Fai, put your name on the waiting list, then nip over to Tai Soon to while away the hours with Thai lagers, IPAs and stouts. The time is guaranteed to fly by.

Messenger Service

Best for: Inventive flavours in a design-oriented space
Address: 306 Thanon Santiphap, Pom Prap, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100
Price: $$

Messenger Service is housed within Chinatown’s Baan Trok, a century-old townhouse turned multifaceted gathering space. Softly lit, communal cherry wood tables create an intimate atmosphere, while scattered clay vases and shelves of amber glass bottles evoke a space that feels part living room, part laboratory.

Cocktails are crafted from everyday supermarket ingredients, playfully presented in a grocery-list format organised by category. A creamy punch mixes distilled guava, pomegranate and rice vinegar, topped with a whipped cream cheese foam.

Buddha & Pals

Best for: Jazz melodies and bohemian charm
Address: 712 Krung Kasem Road, Wat Sommanat, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100
Price: $$

Listen to live jazz in a century-old shophouse in Bangkok’s historic Nang Leong neighbourhood. Buddha & Pals is a cosy cafe by day serving jasmine-scented lattes, and a buzzing jazz bar by night. Order signature cocktails, like “A Walk in the Old Town” with hints of Laphroaig whiskey, pair with bowls of spicy seafood pasta. A bohemian spirit is marked by distressed walls, dark wood tables and sheer curtains that filter sunlight, while musicians sing moody melodies tableside beneath a sparkling chandelier.

Teens of Thailand

Best for: Gin cocktails in a compact, grungy setting
Location: 76 Soi Nana, Chinatown, Bangkok 10100
Price: $

Ready to kick things up a gear? Kratom is a natural leaf with stimulant properties native to South East Asia that’s making its way into cool cocktails. Try it for yourself at Teens of Thailand, alongside unique juniper-scented concoctions and an excellent array of G&Ts. The tightly packed bar is tucked away on Soi Nana, an alleyway in Chinatown, where Thai posters hang on from bare cement walls and a low-key hip hop plays overhead.

Pijiu Bar

Best for: craft beer
Location: 16 Soi Nana, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Thailand, Bangkok, 10110
Price: Beers from 150 THB / 4.40 USD

A cosy, retro shophouse with unpretentious vibes, this address on the always-trendy Soi Nana concentrates on craft beer, with a well-stocked fridge of bottled artisanal ales, and a curation of current favourites on tap. Feel free to ask questions, as the bilingual team are well-versed on brews. Pijiu also features an interesting menu of Chinese bar snacks like spicy chicken knuckles and an Asian take on a charcuterie platter that includes smoked duck, sweet grilled pork, and liver hotdogs.

Bars in Thonglor

Cafes, restaurants and rooftop bars all sit cheek-by-jowel in Thonglor for an around-the-clock buzz. Narrow side streets unearth gritty after-hours nightlife spots and late-night noodle stalls, where you’ll find an artsy and affluent crowd drinking until morning.

12 x 12

Best for: Rowdy beer bar down a Thonglor backstreet
Location: 22 Thara Rom Soi 2, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110
Price: $

Behind a gate on a Thonglor side street, this hidden bar is worth finding. Live DJs spin a variety of genres, from soul to funk, reggae and beyond. Attracting a subversive mix of punks, expats and musicians, they make their own umeshu and serve it out of a barrel (we wouldn’t recommend drinking too much of it though).

Rabbit Hole

Best for: Fine cocktails in an industrial-chic speakeasy
Location: 125 Thonglor Road, Bangkok 10110
Price: $$

Rabbit Hole is aptly named, tucked behind an unmarked door in Thonglor. The three-storey speakeasy is renowned for its adventurous drinks, which mix ingredients like absinthe with smoked tea soda. King of the cocktails is Supawit ‘Palm’ Muttaratana, an award-winning Thai bartender that serves up his indulgent recipes to the city’s late-night glitterati. As imagined, the bar is often bustling, but guests are welcome to order and stand with their drinks rather than being turned away for lack of tables. Industrial interiors balance brick and concrete with velvet furnishings, while bottle-filled cabinets line the walls.

Bars in Silom & Sathorn

The riverside neighbourhoods of Silom and Sathorn made up the former mercantile centre of Bangkok, surrounding the ports of the Chao Phraya River. Once home to rich merchants and traders, the area still retains its cache and array of glitzy, high-end residences and restaurants. The Silom area hosts the city’s main LGBTQ+ nightlife area and a lively red light district with tiny bars tucked away in every corner, while Sathorn features envelope-pushing and award-winning drinking dens.

Vesper

Best for: A long-established local watering hole in Lumphini
Location: 10/15 Sala Daeng Soi 2, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500
Price: $$

Friendly yet refined, Vesper offers heady, low-lit romance just steps from the crowds of Silom. Smart suited waiters serve up signature cocktails that mix ingredients like yuzu sake with saffron sorbet, and are eager to share knowledge insights. Grab a stool at the green marble bar, or perch by the window to watch the Lumphini neighbourhood in action.

Smalls

Best for: Multifaceted nightlife
Location: 186/3 Suan Plu Soi 1, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120
Price: Cocktails from 300 THB / 9 USD

Smalls is, er, anything but small: multi-level, packed with locals, and buzzing with energy, it’s a Bangkok bar that just gets better as the night rolls on. It has a rep for being the place to go after-hours, when BKK’s other bars and restaurants close up shop – so you know it’s where a great night out begins (or ends). Get prepared to quite literally rub elbows with your fellow drinkers, too, because it’s never not busy.

BKK Social Club

Best for: High-end libations with Latin American spirit
Address: 300/1 Charoen Krung Road, Khwaeng Yan Nawa, Khet Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand.
Price: $$$

Along the banks of the Chao Phraya River, BKK Social Club resides within the Four Seasons Bangkok, evoking the grandeur of Buenos Aires’ Belle Epoque era. High ceilings and gilded colonial-style gates frame a veined marble bar, where a mix of well-heeled locals and visitors perch on green leather bar stools.

Mixologists in lab-like white coats shake vibrant cocktails that draw on the heritage of Latin America. The Carretera offers a smoky twist on the negroni, stirred with Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej Mezcal, pineapple Campari, coffee vermouth, and olive saline. Match drinks with blue tortilla chips dipped in creamy guacamole or steamed bao prawn tacos.