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The fourth floor of Badmotel has been taken over by a couple of party celebrities, Piyavipa Indradat and Jay Plodpai, who’ve injected it with some serious Andy Warhol vibes. The colorful paintjob comes courtesy of up-and-coming street artists October 29, while a neon-lit Campbell’s Soup can installation is a particularly nice touch. The music is mostly hip-hop and old-school R’n’B, with some live acoustic sets during the early hours on Tue and Fri-Sat. Drinks are fuss-free and well-priced: Singha on tap (B129/330ml) and Jameson by the bottle (B2,140). It’s probably the only rooftop bar in Thonglor to sell your old friend Sangsom (squared bottle/330ml, B375), too. This popup will remain at Badmotel through Feb 28, but we’ve been told the concept will travel to a new venue in March.    

 

The rooftop on Sukhumvit Soi 47’s Rain Hill community mall has been transformed from a Japanese bar to a casual Western and Asian restobar. The industrial glass-house-like venue boasts plenty of rustic markers in the form of faux deer heads and decorative logs, while outside there’s a chill alfresco zone. The comfort food sticks loosely to theme such as the BBQ “Bonfire” ribs (B420), which sees the ribs and some crisp herbs piled up like a bonfire, and the World War Appetizer (deep-fried calamari and Japanese icefish served in a WWII-style Japanese soldier metal rice cooker, B180). The cocktails, created by Niks Anuman- Rajadhon (Teens of Thailand), are even more showy. The metal rice cooker makes a return in the Survivors Kit cocktail (B550), which comprises two cups of vodka-infused pomegranate tea mixed with honey, lime, St. Remy cognac, wild berry syrup and Amaro peach liqueur, accompanied by almonds, rosemary, mint, orange, jelly and apple.

 

Occupying the rooftop garden at Paradise Sukhumvit Hotel, this bar serves up craft beer, cocktails and American comfort dishes beside the pool. The space is dominated by wood and steel furniture but has a definite house party vibe. There’s 12 different taps of beer, from Singha (B12/330ml) and Hoegaarden (B250/pint) to more esoteric drops like Stone IPA (B300/pint) and Stone Delicious IPA (B310/pint). Last time we visited, they also had the limited edition Christmas beer from Mikkeller. The head bartender has worked at both Demo and J. Boroski, so knows a thing or two about flaming shots and customized drinks. As for food, they’ve teamed up with the BBQ Sandwich King restaurant in Chaengwattana to serve ribs, chicken wings, quesadillas and more comforting grub. DJs spin electro-pop and old-school R’n’B, plus live cover bands perform every Wed-Thu and Sat.          

 

Right next to our old fave, Wanderlust, this newbie goes for a similarly easygoing vibe, only with slightly more polished decor (think steel and marble). Food is focused on Thai and Isaan dishes, plus a few curveballs like Thai-style fish ‘n’ chips. The bar focuses on craft cocktails using fresh and seasonal ingredients; try the aromatic Dusk Rosito (B340), a gin-based drink with pomegranate, cucumber, fresh jasmine, lime juice and syrup. Hoegaarden and Asahi are the only draught beers right now. Asahi priced at a special B89 (330ml) throughout Dec 26. We recommend chatting up the bartender for a customized cocktail or to find out the latest bottles in stock.      

 

Over on Charoenkrung, the freshly opened modern-colonial Once boutique hotel is run by the second generation owners of the longstanding Ramada Plaza Bangkok Menam Riverside Hotel. Situated right out front of the mother hotel, Once may not be exactly riverside, but the views from the rooftop bar are pretty amazing. Head up to the eigth floor for the main restaurant room, but take another spiral staircase for a full 360-degree look at the river. Food spans breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the specialty is barbecue (B140 for pork and chicken, B220 for beef, shrimp and salmon) and pasta (from B200 for olio to B250 for fettuccine carbonara). Local and imported beers come by the bottle (B160 for Singha and Beerlao to B280 for Brothers ciders). Going in a big group? You might want to consider their buy-10-get-10-free deal on Beerlao—just be careful with those stairs afterwards.