Old Favorites

1.) Nung Len

217 Ekkamai Soi 5, 02-711-6564. www.nunglen.net. Open Mon-Sat 6:30pm-2am
Nung Len, located at the corner of Thonglor-Ekkamai intersection, is Ekkamai’s superstar, while others in the neighborhood might come and go. This one-room bar is all about mainstream hits: live gigs covering inter and local tunes like Bodyslam, Scrubb and Jason Mraz, while DJs during intermissions spin the latest releases from inter divas and rappers. Reservations are highly recommended. If you walk in, make sure to get there before 7pm.

2.)  Escobar

217 Ekkamai Soi 5, 02-711-6564. Open Mon-Sat 6:30pm-2am.
This bar is run by the same group behind Nung Len and located right next to it, but it has a slightly different music policy. While Nung Len is all about pop, Escobar offers chill house tunes during early hours, gets more amped up later with hip hop and offers more space to dance. It’s always filled with people throughout the week, but particularly crowded on Fri-Sat due to the spillover crowd from Nung Len.

3.) Tuba

Room 11-12 A, 34 Ekkamai Soi 21, 02-711-5500. Open daily 11-1am
Tuba has been around for a while, and the crowds keep coming, as this two-story house bar has a distinct retro vibe. You can play pool, listen to some old tunes and even buy a couch. Furniture, decorations, lamps … everything is for sale. On the food side, the bar offers a selection of Thai-inter dishes, along with their signature cocktails Moon Tuba (B190) or Tsunami (B190). Hang out during happy hours from 5-8pm to get the buy-one-get-one-free deal on cocktails.

4.) Happy Monday

3 Ekkamai Soi 10 (Ekamai Shopping Mall), 02-714-3953. Open Mon-Sat 7pm-1am
Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of Smallroom artists or A day Publishing designers enter the bar with their fixed gears, as their companies are in the same compound, plus the people who run the bar work in the media industry. This tiny, one-room bar has indie-pop/rock tunes as the background with special guest DJs on occasion. You can choose a pint of Hoegaarden for an urbanite mood or get a bit more hardcore with Sangsom whiskey and some spicy Thai dishes.

5.) Durty Nelly’s

56-56/1 Ekkamai Soi 2., 02-714-2692. Open daily 10-1am. durtynellysasia.com
The one-and-only Irish pub on Ekkamai Road, Durty Nelly’s offers international dishes with draught beer. The bar has three zones: there are a small number of seats on the outdoor terrace, an indoor room and a third-floor sports bar where you can enjoy games on TV, pool, foosball, darts and shuffle board. Plus, daily happy hours on the third floor are different; ask the waitress.

New Faces

6.) Café de Bangkok

584 Ekkamai, between Soi 26 and 28. Open daily 11am-2:30pm and 5pm-12am. 080-621-8000.
Same, same but different. The former Groove is now called Café de Bangkok. The renovations were interior, so the outside still looks the same. All the walls were changed to red brick, and the faux-leather sofa sets now lend a more low-key atmosphere to this homey bar. Live bands take the stage on Fri-Sat with special gigs from artists like Bell Suphon, Pango and Singto Numchoke on occasion.

7.) Safe House

Ekkamai Soi 7. 02-328-8928. Open daily 9pm-4:45am. facebook.com/pages/Safe-House
This Tron-inspired grungy warehouse had just opened for a couple of months, when it began to draw a lot of Thonglor-Ekkamai partyers for an after-hours drink. The mix of electronic, house and hip hop, makes the bar even more packed on weekend. But no worries, you don’t have to reserve the table and pay for a whole bottle of whiskey like other ultra-Thai clubs. Just go get a beer at the bar, then lose yourself on the dance floor.

8.) Taksura

Ekkamai Soi 8. 089-666-2902 Open daily 7pm-1:30am. www.taksura.com
This bar franchise is a relatively new member in the Ekkamai area. The bar has a homey and laid-back vibe thanks to a retro decoration and familiar Thai-inter tunes throughout the night. Aside from cheap booze and a chill atmosphere, their Thai drinking food is spicy and yummy, too.

9.) Sonic

90 Ekkamai Rd. (Between Ekkamai Soi 10 and Big C). 02-3823956 Open daily 7pm-1:30am.
This former Jet bar has been renovated and reopened under new management with a new name, Sonic, making it the youngest kid on the Ekkamai block. It’s run by the folks behind Cosmic Café, RCA, so there’s no wonder about their music policy—only with slightly more variety in genres and a bigger space. After the Dudesweet crew hosted their ninth anniversary party here last week (Feb 4), their official grand opening will follow on Feb 17 and continue with the exclusive gig from the New York indie band, The Pain of Being Pure at Heart on Feb 27.

10.) Sofa

Ekkamai between Soi 3 and Soi 5. 084-552-1313. Open Mon-Sat 10-1am.
This tiny, pretty bar has been traveling around Bangkok since 1999. Formerly located down near Rama 8 Bridge, the bar then moved to the Lan Luang area and finally arrived in Ekkamai last year. The bar has a similar vibe to Tuba, with its retro decor, but you can’t buy any furniture here. They keep it simple when it comes to the food and booze choices: Thai dishes, beer and whiskey that start from Sangsom up to the JW family, while classic hits are playing the background.