BK Readers' Choice Awards 2018
From burgers to barbers, Thonburi to Thonglor, here are your absolute favorite things in Bangkok.
6 years ago
NIGHTLIFE
Favorite Cocktail Bar
Bamboo Bar (18.4%)
While standing round in crumbling Chinatown shop-houses is great and everything, it turns out you prefer tiger-print armchairs sat in by the likes of Mick Jagger, accompanied by the smooth sound of a baby grand. Who cares if it’ll cost B500 for a top-up.
1/F, Mandarin Oriental, 48 Charoenkrung Soi 40 (Oriental Avenue), 02-659-9000
Runner up: Rabbit Hole (13.4%)
125 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 081-822-3392, 098-969-1335
Favorite Jazz Bar
Bamboo Bar (21.6%)
Again? Jeez, you are keen, picking this swanky hotel joint over raucous jazz hangouts from Sathorn’s Smalls to the Old Town’s Brown Sugar. Get there before 9pm to snag the best seats with a front-row view of performers.
1/F, Mandarin Oriental, 48 Charoenkrung Soi 40 (Oriental Avenue), 02-659-9000
Runner Up: Saxophone (20.9%)
3/8 Phaya Thai Rd., 02-245-3592
Favorite New Bar
Penthouse Bar (23%)
When we heard Bangkok was getting its own version of the Tokyo bar where Bill Murray brooded over all those Hibiki 17s in Lost of Translation, our mind turned to a refined, minimal space for quiet contemplation. No. Bangkok’s Park Hyatt Bar instead goes for a vintage playboy look, complete with walnut woods, marble and tufted leathers—as well as the best-priced cocktail list you’re ever likely to find in a hotel bar.
34-36/F, Park Hyatt, 88 Wireless Rd., 02-011-7480
Runner Up: Iron Balls Phrom Phong (12.5%)
Sukhumvit Soi 45, 02-662-4478
Favorite Club
Sing Sing (19.6%)
Almost one-quarter of you voted Ashley Sutton’s Mad-Max-meets-Swinging-Shanghai nightspot as your favorite in the city. Put it down to the intricate decor and hidden drinking nooks, put it down to the international heavyweight DJ lineup, or put it down to the foreigner hotties, but this place pumps.
Sukhumvit Soi 45, 063-225-1331
Runner Up: DJ Station (16.9%)
Silom Soi 2, 02-266-4029
Favorite Big Local Beer
Singha (32.6%)
It’s a win for the roaring gold lion, whose brews (according to this survey) you like 16.2-percent more than Chang. And we agree with you! (Even though in a blind taste test we couldn’t tell the difference.)
Runner Up: Heineken (22.4%)
Favorite Wine Shop
Wine Connection (32.5%)
Runner Up: Central Chidlom Wine Cellar (16.3%)
DINING
Favorite Hotel Brunch
Marriott Cafe, JW Marriott (10.8%)
A lineup of sashimi, curries and prime rib (FYI any Brits reading: best Yorkshire puds in town), supplemented by that essential of any award-winning Bangkok brunch: the a la minute pan-fried foie gras station. Add in leafy views and a venue that feels custom-built for daytime dining, and it’s easy to see why this one wins.
4 Sukhumvit Soi 2, 02-656-7700
Runner Up: Anantara Siam
155 Ratchadamri Rd., 02-126-8866
Favorite Local Coffee Shop
Roast (18.2%)
Of course it is. How could it not be? Not only will they do a stack of waffles sweet enough to please any cafe-hopping photo gang, but they’ll also serve a latte that competes with the best of them. And in the biggest shock twist of all, here’s a coffee shop where the savory food actually tastes great.
3/F, The Commons, 335 Thonglor Soi 17, 02-185-2865
Runner Up: Casa Lapin (16%)
51 Sukhumvit Soi 26, 02-000-5546
Favorite New Restaurant
100 Mahaseth (13.6%)
Clearly, you’ve been tucking into prime cuts of pampered Japanese cattle for too long and needed a break. 100 Mahaseth arrived with its nose-to-tail menu late last year, and proved straight away that pig’s brain stews and fried tripe can, in the right hands, be just as tasty as buttery Miyazaki tenderloin. What a win!
100 Mahaset Rd., 02-235-0023
Runner Up: Penthouse Grill (11.5%)
34-36/F, Park Hyatt, 88 Wireless Rd., 02-011-7480
Favorite Supermarket
Gourmet Market (35.4%)
With a cheese and cold cuts counter that’ll serve you a mean local burrata to go with that fatty, nutty Iberico ham, as well as a parade of Japanese supplies that even impressed His Monacleness Tyler Brule, it’s no surprise that Gourmet Market marks the cornerstone of any BK reader’s weekly shop.
Runner Up: Villa Market (25.8%)
Favorite Pizza
Peppina (19.6%)
Awesome, pillowy, crispy-in-all-the-right-places bases topped with tomatoes that zing—Peppina's been living up to those authentically Neapolitan claims since 2014. Just make sure you save room for the mussels and grilled meat, too.
27/1 Sukhumvit Soi 33, 02-119-7677
Runner Up: Scoozi (16.7%)
Try 174/3 Surawong Rd., 02-234-6999
Favorite Burger
Daniel Thaiger (22.1%)
The only surprise here is that Bangkok’s burger truck pioneer only scooped 22.1 percent of the vote, such is this city’s love for those buttery, greasy, no-nonsense handfuls of meat, cheese and brioche.
Sukhumvit Soi 30/1, 084-549-0995
Runner Up: 25 Degrees (16.3%)
G/F, Pullman Bangkok Hotel G, 188 Silom Rd., 02-267-5272
Favorite Restaurant
Greyhound (7%)
The fashion brand turned food empire doesn’t just have 14 cafes in Bangkok; it’s also taken its “complicated noodles” and holy basil pasta to London, where it completely won over hardcore Observer food critic Jay Rayner. “There are things here I want to come back for,” he wrote. Praise indeed.
Runner Up: 100 Mahaseth / Le Normandie (3%)
100 Mahaset Rd., 02-235-0023
The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, 48 Soi Burapa, Charoenkrung Rd., 02-659-9000 #7399
Favorite Online Grocer
Tops (24.5%)
Runner Up: Tesco Lotus (19.3%)
SHOPPING
Favorite Local Interior Brand
Credit: www.facebook.com/Indexlivingmall
Index (23.7%)
If ever we were to enter some unthinkable kind of Ikea-less apocalypse, we could at least take comfort in the knowledge that local label Index would have us covered for Mason jars, neutral cotton bedspreads and wooden chopping boards at affordable prices. And that’s why we rest easy at night.
Runner Up: SB Furniture (17.3%)
Favorite Local Menswear Label
Greyhound (35.7%)
More from Greyhound, and this time for what it does best; fashion—menswear, in particular, and spare us on the cheap-feeling fabrics and whose-body-was-this-measured-on cuts. OK, so we too could do without some of the “playful” tweaks, but we can count on Greyhound to keep us in well-fitting office pants for many more years to come.
Runner Up: Dapper / Chaps-CPS (16.2%)
Favorite Thai Womenswear Label
Greyhound (20.1%)
It’s a Grand Slam for the dog logo—proof that “basic” doesn’t have to mean “boring.” Now if they could only sort out an online shop that works, we’d be even more full of praise for these locally designed basics with a posh-punk edge.
Runner Up: Vatanika (13.2%)
Favorite Mall
EmQuartier (23.2%)
It has a luxury cinema. It has a Kino. It greets you with a corridor of premium luxury labels as you make your way up the elevator to Uniqlo. What more could you ask from a Bangkok shopping mall? A waterfall, that’s what, and it’s got one of those too.
The EmDistrict, Sukhumvit Rd., 02-269-1000
Runner Up: Siam Paragon (17.6%)
991 Rama 1 Rd., 02-690-1000
Favorite Local Online Shop
Lazada (61.8%)
Runner Up: Central (20.6%)
Favorite Electronics Brand
Apple (60.4%)
Runner Up: Samsung (24.8%)
Favorite Automobile
BMW (30.1%)
Runner Up: Mercedes (15.8%)
Favorite Credit Card
Citibank (30.4%)
Runner Up: Kasikorn (16.2%)
LIFESTYLE
Favorite Fitness Club
Virgin Active (37.7%)
Rammed after work, yes. Expensive, yes. But at least they don’t shut branches and disappear from the face of the city, taking members’ money with them—which is saying something for this city’s fitness chains.
Runner Up: Fitness First (24.8%)
Favorite Hairdresser (Women)
Credit: www.facebook.com/chalachol
Chalachol (25%)
Leave the big-haired auntie look to other salons and head here for a ‘do that’ll break both the bank and your Instagram “Like” record. Whether it’s a dye-job, blow-dry, cut or styling, Chalachol’s expertise means you can sit in that chair worry-free.
Runner Up: Qi by Shiseido (13.7%)
Favorite Hairdresser (Men)
Never Say Cutz (34%)
There’s no beating these cheap (B400 every time), efficient (forget the shampoo and scalp massage) and reliable men’s cuts. But watch what that barber’s doing: left to their own devices, they will give you the kind of fade that should never be seen outside a Drake video.
Runner Up: Black Amber (13.4%)
Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 081-869-9393
Favorite Cinema
Quartier CineArt (20.3%)
They’ve got the popcorn (our pick: cheese with extra cheese powder, please). They’ve got the seats (red velvet—yes!). And they’ve got the ticket machines that actually work.
4/F, EmQuartier, Sukhumvit Rd., 02-261-0199
Runner Up: Paragon Cineplex (15.2%)
991 Rama 1 Rd., 02-129-4635
Favorite Hospital
Samitivej (24.4%)
Runner Up: Bumrungrad (20.1%)
Travel
Favorite Airline for Travel within Southeast Asia
Thai Airways 29.7%
Runner Up: Bangkok Airways 26.9%
Favorite Airline for Travel Outside Southeast Asia
Emirates 27.3%
Runner Up: Thai Airways 25.9%
Favorite Hotel in Thailand
Mandarin Oriental 8.9%
Runner Up: Dusit Thani 2.7%
The Siam Hotel 2.7%
Favorite Hotel in Bangkok for Dining and Drinking
Le Normandie
Mandarin Oriental 10.2%
Runner Up: Banyan Tree 3.6%
Grand Hyatt 3.6%
Park Hyatt 3.6%
And the Winners Are…
Thank you to everyone who voted in our Readers' Choice Awards 2018. Listed below are the lucky prize-winners who've earned themselves a luxury weekend away!
PLATINUM PRIZE
A couple’s 2-night stay at the 5-star JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay in Vietnam, including round-trip air tickets with Bangkok Airways. Prize worth B110,000
Congratulations
Pailin Wongchaikunakorn!
GOLD PRIZES
A 4-person, 2-night stay in the Executive Two Bedroom Suite at White Sand Beach Residences Pattaya. Prize worth B64,730
Congratulations Hyde Kwan!
A couple's 2-night stay in the Deluxe Room at Phuket Marriot Resort and Spa, Merlin Beach inc. breakfast. Prize worth B40,000
Congratulations Jarupat Buranastidporn!
A 4-person, 2-night stay in the Two Bedroom Jacuzzi Suite at Costa Well Resort Pattaya inc. breakfast. Prize worth B37,750
Congratulations Achira Srikasem!
A couple's 2-night staycation in the Executive Suite at Well Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 inc. breakfast and a B2,000 voucher at Well spa. Prize worth B26,130
Congratulations Cillia Bettus!
SILVER PRIZES
A couple's 1-night staycation in the Deluxe Room at The Okura Prestige Bangkok inc. breakfast and the Saturday night Jazz Buffet at Up & Above restaurant. Prize worth B25,180
Congratulations Sirikwan Rajchawat!
A couple's 1-night stay in the Celestial Suite at Marrakesh Hua Hin Resort & Spa inc. breakfast at Al Hamra restaurant. Prize worth B25,000
Congratulations Nujpanit Narkpitaks!
A couple's 2-night stay in the Ocean Suite at Holiday Inn Resort Vana Nava Beach, Hua Hin inc. waterpark access. Prize worth B25,000
Congratulations Merry Puritanita!
A couple's 1-night staycation in Executive Suite at Well Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 inc. breakfast and a B2,000 dinner voucher at Eat Well. Prize worth B15,000
Congratulations Rachata Yothinoupamai!
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