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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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. 

 

 

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. 

 

 

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. 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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).

 

 

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. 

 

 

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.

 

 

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. 

 

 

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. 

 

 

 

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+.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.