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Tucked away on the 11th floor of the new Akyra hotel, this place gives off a soft yet masculine vibe, with dark brown woods tying everything together and serving high-quality (re: strong), spirit-forward drinks. This is a serious cocktail drinking spot, but it maintains a fun and lively vibe that can be enjoyed by everyone from your dad on weekdays to a big group of friends on a Friday night.
 
11/F, Akyra Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 55, 02-392-8959. Open daily 6pm-midnight
 

12 x 12

Like the sign says, “No music, no life.” Thonglor’s hidden hipster haunt sees an unassuming backstreet townhouse turned into a cozy hangout, where musicians and DJs oversee esoteric sounds spanning reggae and Afro trap to funky disco and world music. Despite the sometimes cliquey crowd, the unique lineup of music keeps drawing us back in. Don't expect any fancy cocktails here (B140 for a Leo), only a good vibe with cool music.
 
810/22 Thonglor Soi Thararom 2, 094-260-4713. Open Tue-Sat 5pm-1am

 

The Bar Vagabond

One of the most underrated, nicest whiskey collections—50+ labels—you'll find in Bangkok and it’s still doing a pretty good job of being disguised as a speakeasy after so many years. The bar is handled mostly by one Japanese man who also does the social media himself and even cooks; the bar serves a variety of food from burgers to ramen. An old-fashioned will set you back B340.
 
69/1 Ekkamai Soi 1, 095-661-2733. Open Mon-Fri 6pm-3am; Sat 6pm-3am 

 

Beam

Beam opened in 2016, bringing Jacques Greene and Alex from Tokyo to kick off the party. Since then, Thonglor's clubbing scene hasn't been the same—and they continue to bring more and bigger line-ups. The venue serves up quality, energetic deep house and techno tracks from live DJs. Here, you'll also find Asia’s first "body kinetic" dance floor that shakes vibrations into revelers’ feet—you literally feel the rhythm as you dance. Finally opening its doors again in May 2022 after the Covid pandemic, a G&T here will set you back at B330.
 
1/F, 72 Courtyard, Sukhumvit Soi 55, 02-392-7750. Open Wed-Fri 9pm-2am; Sat 9pm-2am

 

Beer Belly

Probably 72 Courtyard's most easygoing pub, Beer Belly boasts a hefty 20 beers on tap, from Leo and Asahi to quality imported craft brews. These are served alongside East-meets-West drinking snacks like pork wontons and barbecue ribs. There's bar seating and tables outside for when the weather's nice, and inside has larger spaces suitable for games like jenga, chess, and even beer pong. A pint of La Chouffe goes for B420.
 
G/F, 72 Courtyard, 72 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 02-392-7770, Open daily 5pm-1am

 

The Beer Cap

Thanks to The Beer Cap we can get decent beers at The Commons, not just the usual wine options. The Beer Cap focuses on more niche craft beers, both on tap and by the bottle. When we last visited, there were six beers on tap: BrewDog Punk IPA (B160/260 per pint/half-pint), Holgate (B220), Chainbreaker White IPA (B240), Epic Escape IPA (B220), Epic Mid Mountain mid ale (B220) and Limburgse Witte (B140/240). Bottles are categorized by style, not country of origin like at Brew, with brands like Hitachino, La Trappe, Rogue and Chimney. 
 
355 Thonglor Soi 17, 02-185-2517, Open daily 11am-midnight

 

Ekamai Beer House

Set in a three-story rustic brick building, this beer house boasts 20 draft beers on tap alongside a wide selection of imported brews and international wine. The dining area on the second floor serves up Western and Thai classic dishes, plus roast lunches and dinners every weekend. Meanwhile, the third floor is a sports bar featuring a pool table, shuffleboard and large TV screens showing major matches and games live. 
 
Ekkamai Soi 2, 02-714-3924. Open daily 11:30am-11pm

 

Find The Locker Room

This not-so-secret speakeasy combines the cocktail prowess of some of Asia’s best bartenders who revamped their past-present-future menus. This is a serious speakeasy bursting with innovation, yet it all comes at thankfully friendly prices (note: they're all net). The easily understood menu, with its short and sharp descriptions of each drink, makes the whole experience less daunting and more fun. 
 
406 Sukhumvit Soi 55, 061-524-2689. Open daily 6pm-1:30am

 

Iron Balls Distillery

Before Iron Balls Gin Parlour opened on Sukhumvit Soi 45 and became more popular than its first location, this is where you'd go to get full-blown, locally made gin, Iron Balls. This snug drinking hole bears all the extravagant hallmarks of Ashley Sutton design and you can drink your G&T right next to the boiler that makes your gin.
 
Parklane, 18 Sukhumvit Soi 61, 061-403-4000. Open daily midday-2am

 

Bar Marco

This project is from the Rabbit Hole group (Canvas, Crimson Room, Draft Land, Rabbit Hole), so you can expect some serious quality drinks. Bar Marco transforms a two-story town house on Thonglor Soi 20 into a warmly lit den for vinyl geeks who like good drinks. Bar Marco serves clever but easy-sipping cocktails, like the refreshing 130 Little Bastard (coconut rum, simple syrup, absinthe, cacao liqueur; B300) and the spirit-forward Non-Ban-Puen (B380), a riff on the Negroni made with spiced rum and a splash of sparkling wine.
 
946/9 Thonglor Soi 20, 065-464-6925. Open daily 6pm-2am

 

Mikkeller

It’s hard to top 30 rotating taps and hundreds of hard-to-find cans and bottles you can drink on a huge, secluded lawn. This craft beer stronghold is set in a great location away from the main street in one of the charming mid-century residential houses scattered around Ekkamai.It's affiliated with the Danish microbrewery of the same name, known for its unique, small-batch beers, and is the first Mikkeller bar in Asia.
 
26 Ekamai Soi 10, Yaek 2, 02-381-9891. Open Mon-Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat-Sun 11am-midnight

 

Modern-Day Culture

This strictly vinyl-only bar is the Bangkok hipsters' wet dream. It's a speakeasy, the music is played strictly on vinyl, and the cocktails are inspired by old Thai herbs and packed with homemade ingredients. If you can't decide what to drink, you can also ask the bartender to make the choice (B350-380). They also offer easy drinking snacks on the menu like cold cuts (B350) and smoked duck noodles (B220).
 
4/F 70 Soi Sukhumvit 63, 062-362-6362. Open Wed-Sun 6pm-midnight

 

Nowhere

This Ekkamai rooftop restaurant might only be six floors up, but nothing obstructs its cool, 180-degree view of the neighborhood. Once up there, you'll be greeted by bare concrete steps in the center of a minimal glass cube. And thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows, you can enjoy sunset from either indoor or outdoor tables. They regularly host DJ nights and even mini markets. 
 
6/F, Tha City Loft hotel, Ekkamai Soi 6, 094-516-6663. Open Tue-Sun 5pm-midnight

 

Octave

Ideally located on the corner of Sukhumvit 57, right next to Soi Thonglor, the recently opened Marriott Hotel just introduced its multi-level rooftop bar Octave, which boasts an impressive trendy-but-mature vibe accentuated by striking views from the top floor. Cocktails don’t come quite at street-level prices, but you do get a stunning view of downtown Sukhumvit coupled with an upbeat crowd of tourists.
 
45/F, Marriott Sukhumvit, Sukhumvit Soi 57, 02-797-0000. Open daily 5-11pm

 

Orihara Shoten

Ekkamai’s new sake specialists are collaboration with Japanese sake exporters Orihara and local booze distributors BB&B to offer a 100-plus-bottle selection of both chilled and hot sake starting from as little as B180 per glass. You can also order bar snacks from next-door Tori Tama, a Tokyo-hailing yakitori restaurant run by the same people. 
 
Park Lane, Sukhumvit Soi 63 (Ekkamai), 02-382-0131. Open daily 5pm-midnight

 

Rabbit Hole

Step inside this three-story shop-house and you’ll find a charming, dimly-lit, narrow bar with a huge rose gold booze rack behind a marble bar. The classic drinks with technical twists and infusions attract Thonglor’s pretty faces, as well as a lot of bar owners and veteran mixologists. 
 
125 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 081-822-3392, 098-969-1335, Open daily 7pm-2am
 
 

Bar Scofflaws

After opening Bar 335 in Phrom Phong and Tichuca Rooftop Bar in Thonglor, Thorntan “Pae” Siriwittayacharoen moved on to launch a new cocktail bar further in Ekkamai with two other friends. Inspired by a term coined during Prohibition, the bar follows a speakeasy theme by hiding behind a wall. It rotates drinks every two month, serving signature cocktails under three concepts: Farm, Anti Classic, and Co2+.
 
582/13 Sukhumvit Soi 63. Open daily 7pm-midnight
 

Speakerbox

Hip-hop? Jazz? Sad boys with guitars? Japanese Celtic metal? Featuring a roving collection of creative newbies and old favorites, you never know what night you’re going to get at this one-floor dive staple. The kitchen brews bar fare and good larb moo tod (B139); try a jalapeno-forward Tung Special (B200, B160 Wednesdays) cocktail to spice up your music experience. 
 
1000 40 Thonglor Rd., Khlong Tan Nuea, 086-809-2617. Open daily 6pm-2am

 

Studio Lam

Adventurous live sounds—Thai funk, Ethio-jazz, modern boogie—fill DJ Maft Sai’s compact enclave off Sukhumvit. Retro furnishings and record-lined walls complete the look. Despite being discovered by the elephant-panted masses, nights span from upbeat molam and hip-hop to visiting artists like reggae legend Tippa Irie see us returning to this little gem time and again.
 
Sukhumvit Soi 51, 02-261-6661. Open Tue-Sun 6pm-2am

 

Thaipioka

This stylish, low-key bar’s minimalist interior is cushioned by a jungle of potted plants and warm lighting. Thai-influenced creations play with ingredients that, at first glance, seem to have no place in a cocktail—turmeric vodka, black sesame whiskey, even reduced cow fat. You’ll leave wondering why they don’t feature on more drink menus.
 
Salil Hotel, 44/7 Thonglor Soi 1, 087-713-6943. Open daily 7pm-midnight

 

Tichuca

Set on the 46th floor top of T-One building conveniently located right next to BTS Thonglor. This tribal-vibe rooftop bar brings all the fun over with their cheesy mainstream pop music playlist and easy-to-understand Tiki cocktails (B350). The space is huge and there are levels for you to climb up and down and get full 360-degree views of Bangkok.
 
46/F, 8 T-One Building, Sukhumvit Soi 40, 065-878-5562. Open daily 6pm-1:30am

 

Tuba

This two-story pub, restaurant, and art gallery has a distinct retro vibe. How many places do you know where you can simultaneously play pool, listen to some old tunes, and buy a couch? There’s also a good selection of Thai/international food such as foie gras (B490), or baked snowfish (B450). For cocktails, try the Full Moon Tuba (B190) and get one more free as they run a promotion on both cocktails and beers.
 
Room 11-12 A, 34 Ekkamai Soi 21, 02-711-5500. Open daily 9am-midnight

 

Woodball

The karaoke dive bar to end all karaoke dive bars is mushrooming all around town. The setup is basic: raucous bar downstairs, karaoke rooms upstairs—where you can snare a pretty affordable three-hour all-you-can-drink and all-you-can-sing deal. We’ll plump for the original venue, on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 53, where in our experience they’re most accommodating of non-Japanese.
 
2 Sukhumvit Soi 53, 02-662-4549. Open daily 6pm-2am

 

WTF

Split over three stories, the ground floor of this typical shophouse sees a small corner bar with retro touches like old movie posters, an old-school bench seat, and flowery tiles. Unlike other so-called bar-slash-galleries, WTF is actually serious about art, with the two upper levels dedicated to exhibitions.
 
7 Sukhumvit Soi 51, 02-662-6246, Open Wed-Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 2-6pm

 

Yoshibar

This simple looking bar is tucked away neatly on the residential Sukhumvit Soi 53. Walk through the glass front door to find long wooden tables made for sharing with strangers and socializing. Chalked up on a board, there are 16 labels of sake sold by the bottle, ranging from B1,800-4,900, and 10 by the glass from B200-380. Or you can opt for a flight of three glasses (B660) to sample multiple labels.
 
9:53 Community Mall, 124 Sukhumvit Soi 53, 02-115-2944. Open Tue-Sun 6pm-1am