BANGKOK BAR

Dickinson’s Culture Cafe

The buzz: Blending the name of its two older and very successful siblings, Culture Café is the newest brainchild of the Dickinsons, the family behind legendary electro havens Club Culture and Café Democ. Their latest nightspot is more handily located though, right in the heart of bar hopping paradise Pra Arthit between the Jazz Happened Bar and Mango, and looks to bring a distinctly dancey vibe to this indie enclave.

The décor: The bar looks like a cute bakery thanks to the homemade pastries display out front. Inside, the tiny two-story space goes for a classic indie-bar vibe, crammed as it is with colorful, retro sofa seats and a handful of wooden tables. They do also spill out onto the street with some al fresco sidewalk seating, great for watching the world go by.

The music: There’s nowhere else on this resolutely indie strip that offers such a good choice of dance music. While Club Culture is all about dubstep, progressive house and drum n’ bass, and Café Democ’s vibe is little bit more trancey, Culture Café goes for more soulful, funky house alongside the occasional electro party night by DJ Chrisking and live gigs from bands like The Standards.

The crowd: Club Culture and Café Democ regulars make the occasional visit when they want a chill night off from partying.

The price: The menu focuses on classic homemade western dishes ranging from snacks like potato skins (B95) to mains like steak (B200-250), New Zealand mussels B100, steak sandwich (B150) and homemade sweets like French toast and pancakes (B85-120). Martinis are the recommended drink here, such as the signature Culture Martini (vodka, Malibu, orange and pineapple juice, B150). Other cocktails start from B140 a glass, with some like the mojito coming with a bucket option at B350. Beer is B90-110 by the bottle, whiskey B220-1,600 by the bottle and mixers are B30-50.

Why you’ll come back: Pra Arthit is beautiful and wonderfully chill at night and Café Culture offers a thankful respite from the Thai live bands and boring pop music, you usually get in this neighborhood. Vasachol Quadri

Venue Details
Address: Dickinson’s Culture Cafe, 64 Pra Arthit Rd., Bangkok,
Phone: 089-497-8422
Website: facebook.com/pages/Dickinsons-Culture-CAFE
Open since: January, 2012
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am-midnight; Sat-Sun 4pm-midnight
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