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The Beer Bridge

The owner of cutesy bistro Line-Up at The Portico community mall has teamed up with Chef Chalee Kader of Surface to transform it into The Beer Bridge. Reminiscent of a spacious beer cellar, the venue puts the focus on craft beer and booze-friendly bites, with simple yet thoughtful tapas dishes and comfort food. The highlight, though, is the stellar list of over 100 beers from all over the world, including American Deschutes Inversion IPA (B260) and the stronger, slightly bitter Belgian St Bernardus Abt 12 (B290). 

1/F, Portico, 31 Soi Lang Suan, 02-652-1979. Open daily 8am-midnight. BTS Chit Lom

Hyde & Seek Peek-a-Boo

Inspired by tree houses, this bar-restaurant hybrid offers a sophisticated trip down memory lane. A local former champion of the Diageo Reserve World Class Thailand Competition designed the drinks list, and it shows. The menu is tight and original, from the fruity BKK Cobbler to the old-fashioned-style Whiskey Rebellion. Be sure to order the tasty bar snacks like wagyu beef and stilton Scotch eggs to go with your drinks. 

1/F, Groove, CentralWorld, Rama 1 Rd., 02-646-1099. Open daily 11-12:30am. BTS Siam/Chit Lom

Mejico

The Bangkok branch of the Sydney-based restaurant Mejico does away with Mexican food’s usual format of big portions and low-key vibe. Instead, Mejico aims to give its food a more exciting edge by incorporating modern twists like guacamole made table-side and served with banana chips. On top of the food, there are also over 40 tequila labels behind the bar, which get poured into some delicious cocktails like the signature margarita (B250), which mixes El Jimador blanco tequila, mango, coconut and pandan into a sort of pina colada-margarita hybrid—as delicious as it sounds.

2/F, Groove @ CentralWorld, Rama 1 Rd., 02-252-6660. Open Sun-Thu 11am-midnight; Fri-Sat 11-1am. BTS Siam/Chit Lom

Octagon

This rooftop bar sits modestly on the fourth floor of The Mercury Ville community mall. It's decked out in the requisite fake grass and rattan benches, conjuring a laidback garden vibe, while an octagon-shaped open bar sits at the venue’s center. The food is international fusion, including beer-friendly choices like deepfried seafood, spaghetti garlic and dried chili and barbecue sausage. Asahi is available on tap and they claim to serve it extra cold at -2 degree Celsius. The 360-degree urban views of Chit Lom aren’t bad, either.

4/F, Mercury Ville, 504 Phloen Chit Rd., 088-842-4044. Open daily 5:30pm-midnight. BTS Chit Lom

Riedel Wine Bar & Lounge

Riedel, Austrian maker of some of the world's finest crystal wine glasses, has licensed its name to this wine bar equipped with a state-of-the-art wine dispenser which allows for up to 40 open bottles to be stored without oxidizing. The result is a huge list of wines to try by the glass, ranging in price from just B60 up to B640. The space oozes quality, from the gorgeously smooth, open-pore wooden tables to the wall of cool, brushed-steel wine dispensers, but we recommend heading out to the open balcony—one of the best alfresco dining spots in the area—and ordering up some of the Med-inflenced tapas. 

2/F, Gaysorn, 999 Ploenchit Rd., 02-656-1133. Open daily 11am-midnight. BTS Chit Lom 

Roof 409 Bar & Bistro

This rooftop bistro and bar offers a happening vibe thanks to clean black-and-white industrial decor (think New York subway tiles and metal cafe chairs), a DJ booth that pumps out house tunes and a loungey area overlooking Phloen Chit. The fourth floor views can't compete with the most famous rooftop bar on top of hotels, but you do get a suitably urban vibe due its very central location. Overall it's a laidback and highly affordable option with a menu of fuss-free comfort food such as risottos, pastas or fish and chips. 

4/F, Mercury Ville, 504 Ploenchit Rd., 02-658-5655. Open daily 11am-midnight. BTS Chit Lom

The Speakeasy

This rooftop cocktail lounge takes you back to the jazz age. The two-story space sports prohibition era-inspired decor, featuring lots of dark woods and Art Deco touches. A balcony on the 24th floor lets you take in 180-degree views of Bangkok’s business district, while an alfresco rooftop offers a more leisurely atmosphere. Try classic cocktails that really pack a punch, like the Sazerac 1838, which combines Jack Daniel’s, absinthe and bitters.

24-25/F, Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan, 55/555 Soi Lang Suan, 02-630-4000. Open daily 5:30pm-1am. BTS Chit Lom

Tales of Gold Mine

Dressed up under a California gold-rush theme, this bar/restaurant serves Western-Chinese fusion food with plenty of twists. The Wonton Nachos, for example, use fried wontons instead of tortilla chips, while the quinoa is mixed with Chinese barbecue pork. The drinks are also gold (label) inspired, including the likes of the Gold Chocolate Mint cocktail. They've also just launched as a live rock venue, which they're calling Kicks—the grand opening is on May 14. 

1/F, Groove, 999/99 Rama 1 Rd., 02-613-1270. BTS Siam/Chit Lom