Here are Bangkok's best wine bars
Trendy wine bistros are something of a fixture at Bangkok's shopping malls, but few really hit the spot. Here's where to head for both natural, biodynamic labels and good ol' free-flow wine promotions.
6 years ago
BK's annual B.A.D. Awards celebrate all that's good in Bangkok nightlife. When it comes to wine, we couldn't leave the list to just three bars. The venues hit the spot for great wine lists, as well as a good food, served up with just the righ atmosphere.
About Eatery 
Hailing from Turin, Italy, Giulio Saverino turns conventional wine culture on its head at his rustic Bangkok bistro, instead educating his customers on the beguiling characteristics of natural wine. The menu—as thick as a phone book—is chock-full of biodynamic, natural and organic rarities that’ll challenge your perception of what wine should taste like.
G/F, Ocean Tower 2, Asoke 3, 02-665-2772. Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30-11pm. Fri-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30-midnight. Sun 5:30-11pm.
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Bar@494
Well known among wine lovers for their appealing prices, Bar @494 offers a wide selection by the glass suited to drinkers who want to explore new bottles without paying a premium. Monthly wine socials and daily after-work free-flow wine promotions also ensure this hotel institution is always well populated. Those feeling peckish can order Italian classics from Spasso as well as Thai and Asian bites from You & Mee.
L/F, Grand Hyatt Erawan, 494 Ratchadamri Rd., 02-254-1234. Open daily 3pm-midnight
The Bar Upstairs
The folks behind Havana Social and Above Eleven provide refuge from Soi 11’s party spots at this casual wine bar atop their French restaurant Brasserie Cordonnier. 150+ labels of wine and dainty French nibbles.
3/F, 33/30 Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02-821-5110. Open Sun-Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri-Sat 5pm-2am.
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Carbar
This wine bar serves up carb-loaded dishes, amid rustic-industrial wood, concrete, neon signage and hanging bulbs. To go with that pizza, enjoy a long list of wine or cocktails like the smoothie-like Strawberry Frose.
72 Courtyard, 72 Sukhumvit Soi 55, 02-392-6922. Open daily 6pm-2am.
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La Casa Nostra
You have partner Aman Sachdev’s wine merchant business, The Wine Merchant, to thank for the long, extensive and restorative list of bottles for under B1,000 at this Sathorn resting spot for refined, produce-driven Italian comfort food. Enjoy the cozy terrace (complete with petanque court) during the cooler months or take a seat inside the stately old home at the well-appointed bar.
22 Sathorn Soi 1 Yaek 2 (Goethe), 02-287-2402. Open daily 11:30am-midnight.
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Casa Teo
This vintage-style tapas bar claims to be home to Bangkok's largest Spanish wine collection (which goes well beyond tempranillo), and it’s hard to argue with the bottle-lined shelves. Here, you can also stop by for a great range of tapas bites. Top picks include the Iberian platter which combines jamon iberico, manchego cheese, quince paste, two kinds of chorizo and bread buttered with their homemade creamy tomato paste.
W District, Sukhumvit Soi 69-71, 086-366-0034; 086-281-6114. Open Mon-Sat 5-11pm. BTS Phra Khanong.
Chez Jay
After Bellino Wine Room and Boutique on Thonglor Soi 13 closed, one of the owners went solo and found a new home for his new wine bar named after himself. Blended in nicely with the outdoor trees with minimal lightings, the small bar counter is placed right in the middle of 49 Terrace. Small tapas dishes are made to go with the wine menu (big on Italian and Californian labels) that changes every two weeks.
49 Terrace, Sukhumvit Soi 49, 092-639-2895. Open Mon-Sat 5pm-1am.
Kangkao
The team behind Ku Bar, our favorite spot for Pra Sumen cocktails, has opened another hard-to-find venue, this time dedicated to natural and biodynamic wine. This petite place is so peaceful and cozy that you could just sit with a glass—OK, a bottle—looking pensively out the window for hours.
2/F, 469 Phra Sumen Rd., 02-067-6731. Open Wed-Sun 7pm-midnight.
Opus
There is a reason why this stylish restaurant has remained such a consistently popular hotspot for the city’s corporate movers and shakers. Owner and wine expert Alex Morabito—formerly of Vino di Zanotti—ensures the house-turned-eatery retains a homey feel with its leather seats and light, glass-fronted facade. The kitchen, too, serves reliably solid traditional Italian cooking. The star of the show, however, is the more than 400 Italian wines.
64 Pan Rd., 02-637-9899. Open daily 6pm-midnight.
Quince
Is there anything Quince can’t do well? Mediterranean dinners, coffee dates, complex cocktails, lazy brunches and, yes, awesome wines at the right price. Partner Kim Wachtveitl’s day job sees him fraternizing with the best small-batch producers in the world to bring their prod-ucts to Bangkok, making Quince a hub for local oenophiles.
Sukhumvit Soi 45, 02-662-4478. Open Sun-Thu 11:30am-mid-night, Fri-Sat 11:30am-1am.
Riedel
Gaysorn’s ultra-fancy wine bar boasts one of Bangkok’s largest selections by the glass thanks to a state-of-the-art wine dispenser. Its lavish interior, with elegant open-pore wooden tables and swooping circular booths, stirs well with the prim-and-proper types who drink and eat here. With that said, the wine list isn’t as wallet-damaging as you might expect.
2/F, Gaysorn Village, 999 Phloen Chit Rd., 02- 656-1133. Open daily 10am-midnight
Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant
Not many wine bistros straddle the line between quality and affordability quite so effortlessly. Sweeping, 47th-floor views of lower Silom and the river set the tone for well-executed comfort food, from bang-for-baht pasta dishes up to some of the finest cuts of meat around. Those views call for a big, bold cabernet sauvignon to match.
37/F, Pullman Hotel G, 188 Silom Rd., 096-860-7990. Open daily 6pm-1am. BTS Chong Nonsi.
Wet Coming Soon!
Anyone who’s had the wine pairing at Gaggan in the last two years will know that thanks to somm’ Vladimir Kojic the experience is right up there with the 20-plus course degustation menu—you just go along for the ride and enjoy. That’s why Bangkok’s foodie community has been waiting eagerly for his long-touted natural wine bar, Wet, to open up shop in the house next door for sometime. We can report that this temple to organic, biodynamic and small-batch producers is expected to open for real in the not-too-distant future. Grab yourself one of the 40 counter seats and you’ll also get to try how Gaggan interprets bar food.
Wine Depot
Head to this cozy nook for affordable wine mostly from the Old World (more 150 labels by the bottle, more than 40 by the glass), along with homey French and Italian. Thursday's ladies' night, with two hours' free-flow sparkling for under B500, is an enduring favorite.
28 Sukhumvit Soi 22, 02-000-4238. Open daily 10am-11pm.
B.A.D. Awards is BK Magazine's annual guide to all that's good in Bangkok nightlife. Read the full list here or download the PDF version here.
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