Your guide to a Phra Khanong bar crawl
Craft beer, rooftops and tapas descend into speakeasies and dive bars
The area near BTS Phra Khanong is full of hidden gems, each with their own unique vibe. With so many cool spots just minutes’ walk apart, the neighborhood is practically made for bar-hopping.
This tiny, corner craft beer bar in the W District outdoor dining zone is packed with selections from around the world, as well as plenty of well-known Thai brews for you to explore. You can kick your crawl off early with their daily buy-2-get-1-free promotion from 5-8pm. They also offer a loyalty card where you can collect stamps—for every 15 beers you buy, you’ll get one free. There are six taps which move pretty quick, rotating every few days—if you’re lucky, you’ll get to taste the owner’s personal homebrew Double IPA, Phrakanong (B280).
W District, 1599 Sukhumvit Rd., 086-664-4433. Open daily 4pm-midnight
Phra Khanong’s only rooftop bar is set on the 46th floor of Skywalk Condominium and comes with a 360-degree view of Bangkok—perfect for catching the sunset. You can continue boozing here but don’t forget to grab a bite to eat to prepare for the night ahead. The pork rib larb (B450) makes a great snack, or for something more filling go for the soft shell crab with rice noodles (B420). Don’t let the food distract you from drinking, though, as there are 14 signature cocktails, all priced at B420 each.
46/F, Sky Walk Condominium, Sukhumvit Rd., 02-348-9100. Open daily 5pm-1am
Here’s hoping you saved some room, because Casa Teo’s Spanish cold cuts, cheese, olives and tapas are not to be missed. Our favorite platter comes with jamon iberico, manchego cheese, quince paste, two kinds of chorizo and bread buttered with their homemade creamy tomato paste (B620 or B890 with a glass of wine). Casa Teo also claims to have the biggest Spanish wine collection in Bangkok as well as a few French and Italian bottles.
W District, 1599 Sukhumvit Rd., 086-366-0034; 086-281-6114. Open Mon-Sat 5-11pm
Tucked away behind the community of Soi Sukhumvit Plus 2, this shophouse dive bar offers a low-key drinking spot so laid back you’ll feel like you’ve stopped by a friend’s apartment. Don’t mind the strange paraphernalia (a model skeleton, among other things) and look instead to the collection of skateboards and art, which includes pieces by French graphic designer Jean Jullien. The drink selection keep it as low-key as the vibe, with reasonably priced heavy-hitting classics like mojitos (B200), pina coladas and tequila sunrises (B160).
1112/4 Soi Sukhumvit Plus 1, 081-874-6123. Open Tue-Sun 9pm-1am
Start winding down the night at this chilled out Japanese sake-shochu speakeasy. Inside this dimly-lit, wood-heavy spot, you’ll find a full range of shochu, sake, umeshu, Japanese whiskey and beers. If all that sounds a little too much like a bad hangover, just go for their ever-changing snack menu, which sees tasty specials like smoked pork jerky (B80), anchovy potato salad (B120) and orange and raisin cream cheese (B80).
24 Sukhumvit Soi 69, 092-472-0701. Open Mon-Sat 6pm-midnight
This little Japanese gallery-slash-bar is hidden away in a sub soi off Sukhumvit Soi 71, behind W District—there’s a good chance you’ve walked past it plenty of times without knowing. With a similar vibe to Surasak’s Jam, without the trek (if you live on the Sukhumvit side), the renovated shophouse plays host to art exhibits, a coffee shop and bar, and live DJs a few times a week. Don’t expect any fancy cocktails—the main objective here is to dance. A G&T will set you back just B180, or if you want to go hard, a bottle of Suntory is B1,000. This place is open till late, making it the perfect spot for a nightcap or three.
5/2 Pridi Banomyong Soi 3, 085-848-7576. Open Mon, Wed-Sun 10-1am
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