Bangkok's best bars for broken hearts
Dry your tears and start drinking.
2 years ago
Heartbroken? Sad? Doomed to be alone? Well, hey—you know what?—the calendar is not the boss of you. St. Valentine is also the patron saint of epilepsy and beekeeping, so what does that nerd know anyway? Drown your sorrows. Maybe even meet a kindred, lonely spirit.
Here, we gather some of the best bars where the drinks and honeytrap bartenders can mend your hurting heart.
OFTR Bar
Why: If you love Wong Kar Wai’s latest produced film One for the Road, this is for you. In fact, it’s the very first bar that Kar Wai has sponsored and co-owned. After finishing with all the filming, Thai film director Nattawut “Baz” Poonpiriya decided to bring that bar from the movie alive. The place draws heavy cinematic references from Kar Wai’s films—think a mix of conserved modernist architecture like the ones from In the Mood for Love and Happy Together.
The drinks: Each signature cocktail at OFTR has its own cameo in the 2021 film, and they are all the tributes to the character’s past romances. Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn from Backstage bar lent his expertise to design these cinematic drinks. Noona’s Tear (B360) takes on Italian Sparkling wine Divici Prosecco blended with ST Germain elderflower liqueur while the strong yadong Dragon’s Dick (B280) arrives in the most comical way: two scoops of dragon fruit and a tiny cucumber in the middle–yep, you guessed it. Our favorite, however, is New York Sour in New York City, a bourbon-based cocktail with a burst of sweetness from sour apple Pucker, mellowing eggwhite foam, and white wine. It’s also topped with a spoonful of caramelized sugar that lends a crunchy texture to sipping.
OFTR Bar. 245/11 Ground Floor Sukhumvit 31 (Sawasdee), 02-004-2429. Open Tue-Sun 5pm-11pm. For reservations: www.fb.com//OFTR-BAR
Opium Bar
Why: It’s another hidden jade in historic Chinatown. Sitting above chef Pam Utarntam’s Thai-Chinese fine-dining, Opium Bar used to be her great-grandfather’s opium den and was renovated with modern charm while keeping its old structure intact. Upscale as it is, though, you’ll find that the drinks are surprisingly affordable—at least cheaper than some of the places in CBD Thonglor and Phrom Phong.
The drinks: Choose from a 15-page cocktail menu—yes, we counted them. On our last visit, we asked head bartender Matteo Cadeddu to make something sweet. His Bananalada (B380), a bourbon-based cocktail with an appearance that can dub as dessert, sees a blend of Evan Williams Black Label, corn husk syrup, and citrus topped with Giffard Banana Colada foam, and the chewy corn mochi.
Opium Bar. 422, Soi Vanich 1, Samphanthawong, 082-979-3950. Open Wed-Sun 5pm-midnight.
Asia Today
Why: Though the place is a little cramped and tucked away in one of those sub-sois in Soi Nana, this Chinatown’s bar is exquisitely charming with its unique creative spin on Thai local ingredients. Head there and sit at the stools at the side of the bar for more privacy. The founder, Nicks Anuman-Rajadhon, also made a cameo of Netflix’s latest series Midnight Asia.
The drinks: The drinks here are mostly focused on wild honey and other ingredients found locally. This is very noticeable in drinks like the “Bitter Have My Moni” (B440), a simple and refreshing cocktail with a mix of bitter cerana honey, gin, house pickled cherry liquor, blanc vermouth, verjus, and Italian bitters. A torched ginger flower gets dropped on top as a garnish, but it’s perfectly edible and adds a fun, fizzy tang to the drink.
Asia Today, 35 Soi Maitri Chit, 097-134-4704. Open Tue-Sun 6pm-11pm.
008 Bar
Why: This Thonglor speakeasy is every boy’s dream lounge. It’s pricey, sure, but 008 Bar also has one of the most nuanced cocktails in town, which guarantee to make your mouth sing—and scream when the bill arrives.
The drinks: The mysterious location needs mysterious concept drinks. On our last visit, they were all about Sherlock Holmes. We tried A Study in Scarlet (B420), a fancy vodka-based cocktail with maraschino liqueur, grenadine syrup, and a slice of peach. We also love 7th of July (B420), a mix Scotch whiskey, French herbal liqueur, and lady gray tea, topped with a chocolate bar for more depth of flavor in every sip you take
008 Bar. 11/F, Akyra Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 02-392-8959. Open daily 6pm-11pm.
Find the Locker Room
Why: Do you need somewhere to cry where no one will see you? Then this Thonglor speakeasy bar is a perfect spot. True, it’s not hidden or private anymore, but the bartenders there are very attentive and are willing to lend their ears to all of your past fiery passions.
Drinks: How do you move on after a bad ending? This bar has the right glass for you. The Happy Endings (B430) is a fresh take on the rum-based El Presidente, featuring blueberry wine jam, Frangelico, creme brulee syrup, and Greek Yogurt.
Find The Locker Room, 406 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 098-287-1898. Open daily 5pm-11pm.
Behind the Curtain
Why: If you want to soothe your heart with booze and dessert, you’ve got the new Behind the Curtain. Frequent patrons at the decadent European restaurant Mia might have been wondering what exactly lies behind that curtain area downstairs. Recently, the mystery was unveiled to be the bar promising a dessert omakase pairing with cocktails.
The drinks: Don’t let the ‘dessert’ part scare you if you’re not into sweet things. The course opts out the ‘sugar overload’ options and instead presents drinks that can accentuate the flavors. The experience consists of five desserts by Mia’s very own Michelle Goh and five cocktails (mocktails available, B3,200), including mango sorbet, homemade fish floss, lime, and ikura as a dessert, paired with champagne with roasted mango cordial. Or there’s the moscato custard, shiso, and plum sorbet with salted plum served with sake in grapes, red wine reduction, bitters, and limoncello perfume.
30 Attha Kawi Soi 1 (Sukhumvit Soi 26). 098-862-9659, Open Thu-Sun 6pm-9pm. For reservations, click here.
Mahaniyom
Why: Forget about the innovative drinks you may know. This bar transforms every flavor imaginable—and unimaginable—into cocktails. The brains behind this cool bar are none other than Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn and Chennarong “Jan” Bhumitchitr, formerly at Find the Locker Room and the now-closed Backstage Bar. Here, you get to drink arguably one of the most resourceful drinks in Bangkok as the two dissect each ingredient to deliver unique tastes.
The drinks: It’s all about raw ingredient power, which might help the ache in your soul. Though you won’t see the squid in your drink at Mahaniyom Bar, it’s there. The pitch black Squid arrived in a two-layered black-and-white glass. To capture the squid flavors in the drink, Neung slowly cooks dried squid in clear tomato juice and mixes it with ginger brine cordial before mixing it with vodka, sake, and mirin. The black part, you probably guessed, is squid ink. Blended with sake it’s surprisingly easy to sip.
2/F, 100 Mahaseth. 100 Maha Set Rd. Open 5pm-midnight.
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