BK Readers’ Choice Awards 2015
The votes have been counted. Here’s what you, the readers of BK Magazine, ranked as your favorite places and brands in Bangkok.
8 years ago
See also: BK's Best Eats guide
Favorite Restaurant
Gaggan
Is this because you eat there regularly? Or is it because a self-described panel of “international restaurant industry experts” called this the very best restaurant in Asia earlier in the year? Whatever the reason, this to us is still a very deserved winner.
68/1 Soi Langsuan, Phloen Chit Rd., 02-652-1700. BTS Ratchadamri
Runner Up: Eat Me (1/6 Phiphat Soi 2, Convent Rd., 02-238-0931. BTS Sala Daeng)
Favorite New Bar
Smalls
One of a number of cool new places making Suan Phlu the Ekkamai of Sathorn: a ramshackle three-story shop-house filled with artwork way too valuable to be kept near drunk people. And a deserved winner for the city’s best new bar.
186/3 Suan Phlu Soi 1, 095-585-1398
Runner Up: A.R. Sutton Engineers Siam (G/F, Park Lane Ekkamai, Sukhumvit Soi 63)
Favorite Mall
Emquartier
The latest opening from the Mall Group just managed to do everything right: enough luxury names to make you feel fancy; enough highstreet brands to make you actually shop; and snacks (arguably) worth queuing up for. Pair that with plenty of green space (even if it is only viewed from air-conditioned comfort) and you’ve got a winning shopping mall combination.
Sukhumvit Rd., 02-269-1000. BTS Phrom Phong
Runner Up: CentralWorld (Ratchadamri Rd., 02-635-1111. BTS Siam/Chit Lom)
Favorite Hotel for F&B
Mandarin Oriental
Le Normandie has the kind of old-school, starched tablecloth vibe you’ll find nowhere else in town; China House is about the only dim sum restaurant we can think of that actually looks good; and Bamboo Bar (see Favorite Cocktail Bar) has recently been transformed into somewhere we now go out of choice—a very rare thing for a hotel bar.
48 Oriental Avenue, Charoenkrung Soi 40, 02-659-9000
Runner Up: Sofitel Sukhumvit (168 Sukhumvit Rd., 02-126-9999)
Favorite Food Truck
Daniel Thaiger
We’ve been on the receiving end of public opinion when you say something even remotely bad about this place. Believe us, it’s not pretty. Hopefully it’s position here means we can show our faces in public again.
Sukhumvit Soi 23, 084-549-0995
Never Say Cutz
And we can’t argue. Once you realize that, left to their own devices, these barbers will give you the kind of fade that should never be seen outside a Drake music video, there’s no beating these cheap (B350 every time), efficient (forget the shampoo and scalp massage) and reliable men’s cuts. Just remember this: mai krien!
Try 927 Sukhumvit Soi 51. BTS Thong Lo
Runner Up: Black Amber (Sukhumvit Soi 55, between Thonglor soi 5-7, 081-869-9393)
Favorite Hairdresser
Chalachol
Award-winning hairstylist and national celebrity Somsak Chalachol’s 15 branches across the country never fail to impress us with their take on a classic pixie cut (B750) and modern ashy pastel highlights (B3,000). Even today, the 27-year-old business continues to evolve and seems sure to earn our stamp of approval for many years to come.
Try Sukhumvit Soi 55, between Thonglor soi 9 and 11, 02-712-6481
Runner Up: Panipa (Ekkamai Soi 19, 02-392-6218)
Favorite Men’s Fashion Brand
Greyhound
We agree, even if the lack of new menswear contenders is a little disheartening. The label’s been around for decades and its bold collections never fail to impress. With its audacious prints and graphics, Greyhound continuously smudges the line between formal and casual, bouncing from wildly eccentric to minimalistic, but somehow always remaining hip.
3/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-251-4917. BTS Siam
Runner Up: Dapper (2/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-255-3931)
Favorite Women’s Fashion Brand
Greyhound
The world doesn’t begin and end with Greyhound and Playhound, people. Though the women’s line exudes similar quirkiness and is undeniably chic, it seems less accessible and much harder to pull off than the guys’. We kind of saw this one coming given the brand’s popularity, but we say leave the hounds to the men.
3/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-251-4917 BTS Siam
Runner Up: Kloset (3/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-658-1729. BTS Siam)
Favorite Cinema
Paragon Cineplex
All the city’s much-hyped new VIP screens and dying indie cinemas combined weren’t enough to topple this classic. Now, if someone could do something about the air-con, we’d be in full agreeance.
5/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., 02-129-4635. BTS Siam
Runner Up: SF Cinema World (7/F, CentralWorld, Ratchadamri Rd., 02-264-555. BTS Siam/Chit Lom)
Favorite Dessert
After You
Croissant Taiyaki, Hot Star chicken—pfft. Even after eight years, you’ll still find the biggest queues in Bangkok outside After You, and all for the Shibuya honey toast.
Try G/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., 02-610-7659. BTS Siam
Runner Up: Mandarin Oriental Shop (1/F, Central Chidlom, 02-252-6863)
Favorite Cocktail Bar
Bamboo Bar
When it came to overhauling this classic, jungle-kitsch bar, P49 design agency managed to forget its back-catalogue of uninspiring hotel projects and created something truly beautiful. Meanwhile, Mirko Gandelliano of Water Libray did a similar job on the drinks menu, creating one of the best lists of barrel-aged and molecular cocktails in town.
1/F, Mandarin Oriental, 48 Charoen Krung Soi 40 (Oriental Avenue), 02-659-9000
Runner Up: Hyde & Seek Gastro Bar (65/1 Athenee Residence, Soi Ruamrudee, Wireless Rd.,02-168-5152)
Favorite Jazz Bar
Saxophone
The only appearance on this list for anywhere even remotely near Victory Monument comes from the only jazz bar in town which every Friday night confuses reggae for jazz. Still, there’s an undeniable charm to this old-timer.
3/8 Phaya Thai Rd., 02-245-3592. BTS Victory Monument
Runner Up: Brown Sugar (469 Phra Sumen Rd., 081-805-7759)
Favorite Dim Sum
Din Tai Fung
Good prices and service aside, we’re still of the opinion that the offerings at Din Tai Fung are little more than above average. Even if you don’t agree with us that Chef Man was robbed, chances are if you like dim sum you’re salivating over the impending arrival of Tim Ho Wan, aka the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant.
7/F CentralWorld, Rama 1 Rd., 02-646-1282
Runner Up: Chef Man Express (9/F, Helix Quartier, EmQuartier, Sukhumvit Rd., 02-269-1000. BTS Phrom Phong)
Favorite Pizza
Limoncello
Really? After an 18-month wave that gave us Peppina, Sfizio, Pizza Massilia and a follow-up to Pala, you still voted this your favorite pizza. It seems old habits die hard.
17 Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02-651-0707. BTS Nana
Runner Up: Peppina (27/1 Sukhumvit Soi 31, 02-119-7677)
Favorite Burger Restaurant
Nerd by Daniel Thaiger
Put the produce of Bangkok’s best-loved food truck (see Favorite Food Truck) in a huge Thonglor bar dedicated to gaming and you have one irresistible package for Bangkok’s frat-pack eternal. We’re just glad we can get those salty, buttery delights without fear they’ll run out.
Liberty Plaza, Sukhumvit Soi 55, 02-170-7684
Runner Up: The Firehouse (Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02-651-3643)
Favorite Local Coffee Shop
Roots
Roast, probably the first Bangkok coffee shop to roast and blend its beans in-house, moved its giant roasting machine over to a tiny shop-house in Ekkamai which for about a year we couldn’t find. But we’re glad we did, because it still serves some of the fruitiest slow-drip in town. Weekends only, people.
295 Sukhumvit Soi 63, between Ekkamai soi 15-17, 088-190-5950
Runner Up: Rocket Coffeebar (Try 149 Sathorn Soi 12, 02-635-0404)
Favorite Breakfast & Brunch
Crepes & Co
Some things change. Some things stay the same. Despite a wave of egg-centric restaurants that has swept vast stretches of Sukhumvit and Sathorn, you still voted this, the down-to-earth crepe and tagine specialist that first opened in 1996, to be your go-to breakfast haunt.
59/4 Langsuan Soi 1, Phloen Chit Rd., 02-652-0208
Runner Up: Cafe Tartine (Athenee Residence, 65 Wireless Rd., 02-168-5464)
Favorite Mexican
La Monita Taqueria
The past year saw an explosion of new Mexican restaurants—all pretty amazing: Casa Azul, Mejico, the return of Coyote. Not even the opening of its own high-end spin-off (La Monita Urban Cantina) could take the shine off this institution, which continues to serve up Mexican classics that are big on flavor, if not presentation.
88/26-25 Phloen Chit Rd., 02-650-9581. BTS Ploen Chit
Runner Up: Tacos & Salsa (Sukhumvit Soi 18, 02-663-6366)
Favorite Ice-Cream
iBerry (J Avenue Thonglor)
The store that made dessert cafes a thing is still setting the bar for Bangkok’s icy treats. What’s more, the Thonglor branch is actually a really nice place to sit, whether at the huge solid wood table indoors or out on J Avenue’s terrace.
J Avenue, Thonglor Soi 15, 02-712-6054. www.iberryhomemade.com
Bankara
Fending off stiff competition from any number of “Ramen Champions” and globally recognized Japanese noodle chains, this dark tavern with its sinfully decadent bowls of fatty, buttery pork tonkotsu broth is still on top. We approve.
The Manor, 32/1 Sukhumvit Soi 39, 02-622-5162
Runner Up: Ippudo (3/F, Central Embassy, Phloen Chit Rd., 02-160-5672. BTS Phloen Chit)
Favorite Casual Thai Bistro
Greyhound
We were talking to Gaggan Anand the other day. You know, the guy whose restaurant ranks #1 in Asia (see Favorite Restaurant), and even he said that Greyhound’s Complicated Noodles are one of his fave dishes in town. We can’t argue. And neither, it seems, can you.
Try G/F, J Avenue, Thonglor Soi 15, 02-712-6547
Runner Up: Taling Pling (Baan Silom, 653 Silom Soi 19, 02-236-4829)
Favorite Budget Sushi
Sushi Hiro
Seeing how many branches it has opened in the past year, and how long the queue gets outside each one, there must be something more to this place than its massive promotions. Or maybe not. For now, we’ll still be spending our money in Sushi Cyu.
G/F, The Shoppes at Belle Grand Rama 9, Rama 9 Rd., 089-888-2078.
Runner Up: Sushi Masa (359/1 Soi Phayanak Phetchaburi Rd., 02-215-9289)
Favorite Vietnamese
Le Dalat (Emquartier)
The most refined Vietnamese restaurant in town now has a shopping mall branch. The updated decor and contemporary presentation haven’t done much to lower the prices, but the buzz was presumably enough to beat more down-to-earth offerings of Vietnamese & More and Saigon Recipe.
7/F, Emquartier, Sukhumvit Rd., 02-269-1000. BTS Phrom Phong
Runner Up: Saigon Recipe (Piman 49, Sukhumvit Soi 49, 02-662-6311)
Favorite Barbecue and Wings
BonChon
The chicken wing scene has been on fire, whether it’s the New-York-hailing Mono Mono or the Korean big chain Kyochon, not to mention other fried-chicken specialists from Japan and Taiwan. But it seems the first on the scene is still on top.
Try 4/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-658-1575. BTS Siam
Runner Up: Tony Roma’s (4/F, Terminal 21, Sukhumvit Soi 19, 02-108-0790)
Favorite Fitness Club
Virgin Active
This fitness club (found only at Empire Tower and Emquartier) just screams classy classy classy. The three-story facility encompasses all your exercise needs from rock climbing, fly yoga classes, crossfit training, cycling and weightlifting to salt steaming saunas. Wow. If Virgin Active doesn’t get you going to the gym, then nothing will.
Empire Tower (linked to BTS Chong Nonsi Skywalk), South Sathorn Rd., 02-110-9772.
Runner Up: Fitness First (Siam Paragon Shoping Cente, 7/F, 02-610-6777)
Favorite Local Online Shop
Lazada
After reading many negative reviews earlier this year that Lazada products were not quite up to par, we’re surprised. But maybe they’ve turned a new leaf with their promo codes and mid-year sales that earned them the reputation for being the “Amazon of Southeast Asia”--or maybe it’s because there’s an apparent lack of other options in Thailand.
Runner Up: Central (www.central.co.th)
Favorite Yoga/Pilates Studio
Credit photo: facebook.com/AbsoluteYogaandPilates
Absolute
4/F Amarin Plaza Bldg, Phloen Chit Rd. 02-252-4400
Runner Up: Yoga Elements Studio (23/F, Vanissa Building, 29 Soi Chidlom, 02-655-5671)
Favorite Hospital
Credit photo: facebook.com/bumrungrad
Bumrungrad
33 Sukhumvit Soi 3 (Nana Nua), 02-667-1000
Runner Up: Samitivej (133 Sukhumvit Soi 49, 02-711-8181)
Favorite Airline for Travel within Southeast Asia
Thai Airways
Runner Up: Air Asia
Favorite Airline for Travel Outside Southeast Asia
Thai Airways
Runner Up: Emirates
Favorite Hotel in Thailand
W Hotel
North Sathorn Road, Bangkok, 02-344-4000. BTS Chong Nonsi
Runner Up: Mandarin Oriental (48 Oriental Avenue, Bangkok, 02-659-9000)
Favorite Credit Card
Citibank
Runner Up: Kasikorn
Favorite Wine Store
K.Village, 93-95 Sukhumvit Soi 26, 02-661-3940
Runner-up: Villa (city-wide)
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