2014's best new outdoor bars & restaurants in Bangkok
The coolest time of year is on its way. Here’s where to eat, drink and party outdoors without breaking a sweat.
10 years ago
Want our all-time favorites? See Bangkok's Best Outdoor Bars
Rooftops
Opened last January, this bar-within-a-bar takes inspiration from the New York park of the same name. In keeping with Above Eleven (one story below), it features lots of bright furniture plus graffiti by local artists. Food-wise, it’s all about ceviche, sushi and sashimi. Signatures include the tiraditos octopus with white onions and olive oil (B470) and seabass and prawn ceviche (B450). Cocktails are equally refreshing, like the Summer Jardin (Grey Goose, cherry blossom syrup, lime and grapefruit juice, B350).
35/F, Fraser Suites, Sukhumvit Soi 11, 083-542-1111. Open daily 6pm-2am. BTS Nana
Inspired by the iconic Japanese film Always: Sunset on The Third Street, the wood-dominated upper floor of Do Not Disturb is great for some outdoor Japanese barbecue in a hip and relaxing atmosphere thanks to a large, stylish balcony area. Its menu focuses on imported beef, like tokujo karubi (B380) and jo karubi (B260), plus kurobuta pork farmed in Thailand (B290). To add to its easy-going vibe, live acoustic acts perform daily from 8:30pm till close.
Behind Nunglen and Escobar, Ekkamai Soi 7. Open Tue-Sun 8pm-2am. BTS Thong Lo
Yes, this rooftop joint does use fake grass (and even grass-covered tables), but we like the laidback atmosphere and good tunes. The mismatched wooden sofas and rattan chairs make it feel a little like a traditional riverside restaurant, but the clientele is way less tourist-y. Most of the cocktails are girl-friendly—sweet and sour, pretty and not too strong. Try the strawberry mojito (classic mojito with strawberry juice, B199) or Ocean 10 (a Long Island ice tea with blue caracao, B199).
5/F, Nakiya Restaurant Building, Thonglor Soi 13. Open daily 5pm-2am. BTS Thong Lo
Gardens
This Frenchie favorite that blurs the lines between proper dining and street eating upped sticks from Sri Nakarin and moved to town earlier this year. Sit under the stars and order the tasty fusion Tuk-Tuk galette (lamb merguez, tomatoes, eggs and emmental cheese, B189), along with some decently priced French wine (starting B179 by the glass). From 4-6pm on Sunday evening, get a free sweet crepe when you buy any ice cream sundae, like the boozy Madagascar (B189).
459/59 Suan Plu Soi 8. 02-679-3393. Open daily 10am-10pm. MRT Lumpini
Ekkamai can seem like a pretty gray place at times, so it’s great that Mikkeller has chosen a location away from the main street and in one of the charming old residential houses tucked down a side street. The spacious lawn hosts some fun garden barbecues, complete with Bangkok’s best craft beers on tap. Right now the focus is on 3 Floyds Brewing Co. (from B220), the Indiana-based ale and lager specialists.
26 Ekkamai Soi 10, 02-381-9891. Open daily 5pm- midnight. BTS Ekkamai
Retro house, big garden, unfussy Thai dishes—a classic restaurant formula that sadly seems to be in decline. This place does it just right with great dishes such as gaeng kua poo bai chaploo (curry with crabmeat and wild betel leaf, B340) and khao soi gai (Northern-style noodles with chicken, B140). Inside is homey and relaxing, but the best spots are outdoors where you’ll find bean bags and movies projected on the wall.
113 Sukhumvit Soi 39, 092-938-6690. Tue-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30-10pm; Sat-Sun 11am-11pm. MRT Petchaburi
Terraces
This long-term outdoor pop-up bar serves only craft beer. There are 20 labels on tap rotating monthly and 50 bottled varieties, with a particular focus on hoppy, high-alcohol-content IPAs from familiar names like Deschutes, Rogue and Anderson Valley, starting at B260 per glass. With Daniel Thaiger’s burger truck making an appearance at Craft once a week, what more could you want? Check www.fb.com/craftbangkok for updates.
16 Sukhumvit Soi 23, 02-661-3220. Open daily 2pm-12am. BTS Asoke
Ashley Sutton of Maggie Choo’s latest project is a small bar and restaurant dishing out a sophisticated menu of creative or rare Thai dishes (created by Peter Pitakwong of Smith) and elaborate, fruit-heavy cocktails. The bar quickly gets packed but there are plenty of tables outdoors, with views of Sutton’s mad greenhouse-slash-distillery next door.
Room A103, G/F, Park Lane, Sukhumvit Soi 63, 02-714-2575. Open daily 6pm-midnight. BTS Ekkamai
More beer. But then what goes better with a sunny afternoon and a light breeze? This place has over 100 different varieties, ranging from Deschutes Inversion IPA (B260) to the stronger and slightly bitter St Bernardus Abt 12 (B290), plus some pretty satisfying tapas dishes. Still feeling the heat? Beer Bridge is one of a dozen places in Bangkok with an Asahi super cold beer dispenser, which freezes the beer at -4 degrees Celsius for a supposedly smoother, less bitter drink (B150).
1/F, Portico, 31 Soi Lang Suan, 02-652-1979. Open daily 11-1am. BTS Chit Lom
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