2015's best new outdoor bars & restaurants in Bangkok
Come winter, we list the 13 best new spots to eat and drink alfresco.
8 years ago
Want our all-time favorites? Visit Bangkok's best outdoor bars / 5 new Bangkok rooftop bars
Garden
Ifitis
The name might be familiar, but what’s new is the location. This Thai/fusion restaurant has moved from its adorable little plot on Sukhumvit Soi 38 to a bigger, even nicer spot on Thonglor Soi 23. The highlight, of course, is the big outdoor space right in front. Diners can kick back on the bean bags strewn on the grass, while enjoying the menu of French fries available with some of 36 house-made dips (starting B275) and spaghetthi white cream with shrimp roe and poached egg (B250), brought over from the original location.
17 Thonglor Soi 23, 094-449-4426. Open daily 11am-midnight
Terraces
The Courtyard
The name says it all. At the very center of The House on Sathorn, the beautifully restored mansion next to W Hotel, you’ll find this open-air courtyard, prettily decked out with chic furniture that sticks to the overall vintage tone. Chef Fatih Tutak whips up comforting yet delicate food and dessert like the tuna tartare with ginger dressing and pistachio (B450), wagyu steak with polenta and Singapore black pepper sauce (B1,200) and Hong Kong waffle with berries (B300). The highlight, however, may well be the much-hyped afternoon tea set (B1,150), which lets you go crazy with refreshing sorbet, scones, sandwiches and other delicacies with a choice of TWG tea from the House collection, under the shade of the patio umbrellas. Available from 2:30-5:30pm daily.
The House on Sathorn, 106 Sathorn Rd., 02-344-4000. Open daily noon-midnight
Pizza Massilia
This truck offers something new for Bangkok’s Italian scene—alfresco courtyard pizza. Anchored at Sala Daeng’s MK Gold parking lot and surrounded by majestic banyan trees, Pizza Massilia stems from a collaboration between two French and Italian powers, namely French restaurateur Frederic Meyer (Issaya Siamese Club and Namsaah Bottling Trust) and Italian chef Luca Appino (La Bottega di Luca). And the toppings here are some of the best in town. In addition to the classic margherita (B250), other options include spicy andouja and garlic (B380) and burrata culatello (B490). Drinks range from soft drinks (B70), wines (B1,000/bottle), Peroni (180) and Heineken (B120) beer.
MK Gold Parking Lot, Sala Daeng Soi 1, 094-552-2025. Open Tue-Sun 5:30pm-11:00pm. MRT Silom/BTS Saladaeng
Black Beer’d
This new addition to the arty 9:53 Community mall is the brother bar of fellow beer specialist White Beer’d at Crystal Design Center. There’s a small, boxy interior, but we recommend grabbing a beer on the outdoor terrace (where you can actually order from other bars in the mall, too). We particularly like that the place sticks to what it knows: nine craft beers on tap (rotating), burgers and grill dishes. The indie/electro-pop soundtrack is also on point.
9:53 Community Mall, 124 Sukhumvit Soi 53, 091-769-2640. Open daily 5am-midnight
Superflow
The beach club vibe has spread to Khao San with this recent opening. The owner, who spent 12 years in the Ibiza party scene, aims to present a similar atmosphere here, beginning with the decor: thatched rooves, sandy dance floor, beach-evoking artwork. The drink options are pretty basic (Singha, Asaha; B120/bottle), plus buckets (from B300) for the more adventurous.
Khao San Rd., 086-088-0129. Open daily noon-2am
7th Street Thonglor
This beer terrace opened its first branch a couple years back at Mega Bangna, before branching out this year to the busy Thonglor Soi 10, in the spot once home to Hint Cafe next to the German bar Brotzeit. Decked out like a modern sports bar with plenty of big screens, the beer-friendly mood extends to the Thai and international fusion dishes like spaghetti cabonara with crispy chicken (B247) and larb salmon (B227). Seven draught beers are available, inclusing Hoegarden, Stella Artois and Leffe (B157/277 per half/pint).
1/F, Ten Building, Thonglor Soi 10, 02-714-8052. Open Sun-Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri-Sat 5pm-2am
Whiteline
Located on the corner of Silom Soi 8, this six-story, renovated shop-house-cum-gallery looks like something from Charoenkrung (Speedy Grandma and Soy Sauce Factory). The first floor is dedicated to a grungy art space that sees white-washed walls covered with film projections and colorful lighting. The venue holds an eclectic range of events, from live music to craft beer meetups, but the place to be is out on the sidewalk, where the city’s coolest food trucks are often parked.
Silom Soi 8, 087-061-1117. Open Thu-Sun 7pm-midnight. BTS Sala Daeng
El Gaucho
The new outlet of the Argentinian steakhouse institution not only is located right on Thonglor but also has a large outdoor terrace. In addition to top steaks, there are a butcher and a bar inside the place.
Eight Thonglor, 88/36 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 088-721-3088. Open daily 11am-midnight
Revolucion
This Shanghai-born, colorful Latin-American-themed bar brings a touch of Suk 11-style nightlife to the thriving Sathorn Soi 10. The specialty is both classic cocktails like mojito (Havana Club 3YO Rum, fresh lime, mint and sugar syrup, B270) and Moscow Mule (Absolut vodka, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, angostura bitter, ginger beer, B330) and reinvented signatures like the Aged Negroni (gin, Martini Rosso, Campari, fresh strawberry, blueberry, orange, passion fruit and soda, B390). The 8.8-meter-long bar showcases more than 500 bottles, while house DJs serve up club-friendly sounds. The tapas dishes come from French chef Julien Lavigne, formerly of Dusit Thani and Oskar bar—and the prime spot to enjoy them is the open-air terrace out front.
50 Sathorn Soi 10, 02-235-4823. Open daily 6pm-2am.
Myst
Thonglor's molecular cocktail specialist has found a new home on Thonglor Soi 10. Out front sits a spacious outdoor terrace with lots of couches, similar to the original venue, while inside the purple-lit glass-house you'll find nightly live bands—plus room for dancing before moving onto the neighboring clubs. They are sill working on the new food and drink menus, but they're talking about proper meals now. The new cocktails stick to molecular techniques, but get a slight refresh. You can still order their most famous drinks like the Flaming Lamborghini ((Blue Curacao, Sambuca, Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlau and Fireball, B300), if shots and liquid nitrogen is your thing, but we'd also recommend long drinks like Tiki Tonga (rum base, mixed berries tea and wine, garnished with fresh grapes, B300) and Strawberry Zulu (crushed strawberry, rum, homemade syrup and lime, B300). The second floor is planned to be a beer bar and expected to open by the end of this month.
171 Thonglor Soi 10, 080-770-9800. Open Mon-Sun 5pm-2am
Rooftops
Octagon
It’s been a quiet year for new rooftop bars, but not for Mercury Ville, which introduced two sharing the same floor: Octagon and Roof 409. Co-founded by Prabt Aurpatcharphon, of Glur Bangkok Hostel and Coffee Bar, Octagon is decked out in the requisite fake grass and rattan benches, conjuring up a laidback garden vibe—think Thonglor’s Wanderlust. Explaining the name, an octagon-shaped open bar sits at the venue’s center. The food is international fusion, including beer-friendly choices like deep-fried seafood (B490) and garlic spaghetti with dried chili (B180). Asahi is available on tap, they claim to serve at an extra cold -2 degree Celsius (B200/pint). Especially for winter, they’re offering draught Singha and Asahi from B200/pint, B285/jug (buy-three-get-one-free) and B678/tower through the end of November. The 360-degree urban views of Chit Lom aren’t bad, either.
4/F, Mercury Tower, 504 Phloen Chit Rd., 088-842-4044. Open daily 5pm-midnight. BTS Chit Lom. www.fb.com/octagonbar
Roof 409 Bar & Bistro
This French casual dining and drinking balcony occupies the same rooftop as Octagon (see right). There’s a happening vibe here thanks to the clean black-and-white industrial decor and DJ booth that pumps out house tunes. During the daytime, it opens for lunch, which spans salads, pastas and burgers, with prices that start at B240 for a main and soft drink to B490 for starter, main course and dessert. Head there for Thursday mojito night, with glasses priced from B150-250, and Tuesday ladies’ night, which offers buy-one-get-one-free on cocktails.
4/F, Mercury Ville, 504 Phloen Chit Rd., 081-995-6984. Open daily 11am-midnight. BTS Chit Lom. ow.ly/JeYVg
Bangkok Bar Infinity
This 20-year old veteran of the Bangkok nightlife scene moved from Ekkamai Soi 2 to Thonglor’s Opus Building a couple of years ago. Now, the outdoor bar has been taken over by a new group of owners, who've given it a minor renovation to welcome winter. You can still expect the same quality lineup of bands, plus local and international DJ acts spinning of-the-moment soundtracks.
8/F, Opus Building, Sukhumvit Soi 10., 02-713-8581. Open Tue-Sun 6pm-2am. www.fb.com/bangkokbarthonglor
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