What to expect: Americana meets old England at a gas station

This bar’s styled as an old garage and gas station, complete with classic Mini Coopers, Jeeps, signs, license plates and other roadster paraphernalia. Sit indoors around wooden barrel tables or outside where there’s a pool and live music. Food is Thai, often spicy and fried and therefore well-suited to the laid-back, beer-tower culture of the place.

What to expect: Shabu Shabu served by intergalactic robots

You’ve heard about robots replacing human labor? Hajime takes you there with server robots in Samurai headgear. Even the menu is human-free, involving a touch-screen tablet. And robots don’t idle the way we humans do, when unoccupied, they dance to J-pop. The 145-minute buffet (B449) features sukiyaki and shabu.  

What to expect: A true-to-Japan maid cafe

Are maid cafes ever not a little awkward? This one, deep in MBK, is indistinguishable from many cute dessert destinations until you’re confronted with a waitress in full French maid character. They’ll sing, they’ll dance and they may even call you “Master.” The omurice (B320) takes the shape of an omelet blanket covering two rice bears.  

What to expect: Alice’s Wonderland

It’s the Mad Hatter’s tea party come to life. A fake maple provides a red canopy, while the floors are mesmerizing black and white tiles, a pattern that extends into the mural of a scene from Alice in Wonderland. The desserts, include the Blue Bunny Egg (a blueberry cheese pie covered with purple chocolate eggs, B190) and the recommended Daniel’s Cup (a double-layer vanilla cake served with ice cream, crumble and berry puree, B160).  

What to expect: A curiously tasty experience from the North Korean regime.

After a brief shutdown in June, the restaurant has relocated its beauty-queen waitress and surreal dance routines to Sukhumvit. Novelty and kitsch aside, the food has its high points,whether it’s the bibimbap (B280), bibim myun (cold noodles with sweet chili sauce and egg, B280), or Pyongyang sausage (B250). Note: The staff work under poor conditions.

 

 

 

 

What to expect: Theme park meets Italian restaurant

It’s not quite Europe, but this restaurant 45 minutes outside Bangkok packs in lots of kitsch charm for a uniquely-Thai, faux-Italy experience. Dine alfresco under the looming Colosseum replica, or at a table in the pool area. Dishes are… Thai, or at least Thai-inflected, going from traditional seafood som tam (B180) to fried kurubota pork with pepper (B180).