Image: Bar Storia del Caffe
Image: Volks
Image: F.I.X. Pradiphat
Morning
From a smoked salmon avocado sandwich (B195) at Pradipat Road’s
F.I.X. to breakfast omelets (B250) at perennial favorite
Bar Storia del Caffe, breakfast revolves around the area’s plethora of cafes. Order the iced caramel macchiato (B118) and spinach cheese bake (B138) at rustic
Porcupine Cafe, or seek out top-quality beans from Ceresia and Brave Roasters at
Common Room x Ari. Newcomer
Josh Kaffa at the Josh Hotel also serves a range of boutique coffee drinks, while photogenic
Bonci is all about the on-trend dirty (a hot espresso shot poured over cold milk; B130).
Ari and Saphan Kwai have more than just coffee shops, though. Austrian
Landhaus Bakery keeps locals happy with freshly baked pastries like cinnamon danishes (B54), sandwiches, and house-made bread. Newcomer
Volks, founded by an entrepreneurial brother-sister duo, has brought bagels to the neighborhood with two locations: one on Pradipat Soi 13, and another at the Josh Hotel, where you’ll also find a branch of beloved donut shop
Drop by Dough.
Lunch
Burger lovers have loads of options in
Cast Iron Burgerhaus on Soi Ari;
Jamie’s Burgers, set beside a futsal court off Phaholyothin Soi 8;
Jim’s Burger and Beers on Ari Samphan; and buzzing
Paper Butter at the Yard Hostel, where you can grab a Chalawan and Chiang Mai burger loaded with northern Thai herbs and spicy mayo (pork B160/beef B190) after work.
Uber-popular
Phed Phed Cafe offers a menu of zesty, Nakhon Phanom-style Isaan dishes that regularly draw hours-long queues (come early to put your name on the list). Southern Thai fans flock to long-standing
Khua Kling Pak Sod and newer
Paknang, a colorful venture near Ari Soi 5 that deals in fiery home-cooking. Those looking for a taste of modern-style northern cooking head to
Ong Tong Khaosoi, now in slightly bigger digs on Soi Ari.
On Pradipat, you’ll find excellent South Asian food. Mom’s on Pradipat Soi 18 serves pocket-friendly mutton masala (B220) with butter roti (B25) while Abu Ibrahim on Pradipat Soi 14 specializes in Pakistani dishes like chicken korma (B90) and mutton biryani (B200).
Image: Numthong Art Space
Image: Records Shop
Afternoon
Ari and Saphan Kwai’s streets reward those who wander through them slowly.
At the end of Soi Ari, you’ll find
Numthong Art Space, an excellent gallery that exhibits a range of contemporary work. On Pradipat Soi 17,
Somewhere, a cafe and creative space from the Junnarchitect firm, is ragingly popular among the camera-wielding, street fashion-forward crowds.
Gump’s, a pastel-shaded community space, is about as classically Ari as it gets—come for the photo ops, stay for an on-trend CBD tea at
420 Degree Bar. (420 Cannabis Bar, around the corner near Flat Marble, also offers CBD drinks. Don’t expect to get blazed at either venue.)
Madgrey Tattoo Studio, specializing in graphics, shading, fine line, and realism, gives Ari a different edge. So do
Records Shop on Pradipat Soi 19 and the new
Dust on Wax at the Yard Hostel, both of which serve the area’s audio geeks.
Dinner
When night falls, the top of Soi Ari transforms into a street food hub, where you can grab everything from khao mun gai and duck noodles to pork satay and guay jub at Guay Jub Rachawong Ming. Street eats can also be found along Pradipat Road and at The Camping Ground, an open-air, gravel-floored food court selling a wide range of affordable Thai eats and bottles of craft beer. Late-night establishment Krua Pradiphat is the local go-to for classic Thai dishes, especially its “Super Soup” (spicy goji berry soup with chicken feet; B100) and pla gra-pong tod nam pla (deep-fried snapper with sweet and sour sauce; B370).
Ari institutions like
Salt and
Pla Dib serve East-meets-West fusion food in modernist settings. Fans of meat and/or chef’s tables, meanwhile, should check out upscale steakhouse
Flat Marble and
Yu Baan Eatery (both on Phaholyothin Soi 9), which serves home-style beef dishes. For some diversity, order Busan-style Korean dishes at
Joha like the
haemul pajeon (seafood pancake pizza; B230). Don’t forget the soju bombs (B135). Or try the excellent Chinese fare (including veg-friendly options like the excellent vegan
“drooling” dumplings; B140) at
Yoong Chang or Cantonese spot
Dai Lou.
There are also loads of Japanese restaurants catering to crowds who don’t want to venture to Thonglor: Pradipat’s karaage specialist
8Sqm, Phaholyothin 11’s low-key curry rice spot
Kareya-san, Ari Soi 4’s upscale izakaya
Hanazen, sushi spot
Sousaku (relocated to Ari Soi 4), and tiny
Warawara, a fusion-y izakaya on Soi Ari.
Nightlife
Grab a cold one (large Leo B95) and a burger at
Amp Burger and Bar before dropping by
Eight Days a Week Home Bar for the latest, and freshest, Thai craft beers. In Ari, post-uni crowds flock to neon-drenched
Feeling Bar on Ari Soi 4, but if you’re looking for a more understated experience, check out
O’Glee or
Taproom Ari (located at the Josh Hotel) for craft beer. Around the Saphan Kwai junction, you’ll find local favorites like
Helter Skelter,
Dumbo Jazz & Vinyl Bar, and
Cat on the Roof—all of which are decidedly no-frills. The Craftsman Hotel’s
Baby Bar and hidden bar
The Key Room No. 72 join
Frank Mansion among the neighborhood’s few cocktail bars. But keep tabs on
Cinema Music Bar, Josh Hotel’s soon-to-open film-inspired bar.
Note: Dine-in and alcoholic beverages are indefinitely barred at bars and restaurants across Bangkok. Contact venues directly to inquire about delivery.
