50 reasons why we love Bangkok right now

As BK Magazine turns 13 years old, we round up the things we heart about our city.

10 years ago

By BK staff | Mar 28, 2014

As BK Magazine turns 13 years old, we round up the things we heart about our city.

By BK staff
| Mar 28, 2014

1. Coffee and Free Wi-Fi 24/7

Invasion of the all-night (or at least late-night) caffeine joints—free Wi-Fi, too! Get your fix at the newly-opened Glur in Charoenkrung, 24 Owls in Ekkamai, ThinkTank in Narathiwat or the recently revamped Coffee Society in Silom.

2. Independent Bookstores

Leading the recent buzz for non-chain bookshops is Duangruethai Esanasatang’s Candide at the hip new Jam Factory, as well as all time favorites like the cozy Passport Bookshop on Phra Sumen Road and Prabda Yoon’s Bookmoby at the BACC.

3. Working Spaces

Spaces where you can just show up with your laptop and rent a desk for an hour or a day are popping up all over town. Check in at Hubba in Ekkamai, Launchpad in Silom, Glowfish in Asoke or the old-house-turned-office Muchroom in Saphan Kwai.

4. Craft Beers

The gypsy brewery Mikkeller just opened its only Asian branch in Ekkamai, and thanks to folks like Smiling Maddog and Beervana, we can now pick from a huge range of IPAs and microbrews shipped in from all over the world.

5. Growing Graffiti

Local street art heroes like Alex Face, P7 and Rukkit were recently joined by Japanese artists Maharo for Paintbox Vol.2 at Goja and the Doppel duo at Artery Gallery. Also April will see a tribute exhibition to the late Mamafaka at the Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center.

6. Free Film Screenings

Fans of indie flicks and classics now have two more spots for free screenings: The Friese-Greene Club and Jam’s Cult Movie Night on Wednesday. Not to mention all the festivals, such as this week's Salaya and April's Bangkok International Student Film Festival.

7. Better Breakfasts

Welcome to Bangkok’s breakfast club. The most important meal of the day just got a whole lot better thanks to a bevy of new restaurants focused on serving up morning-friendly dishes. Pull yourself out of bed and stumble over to newcomers The Artwins Bistro (Thetsaban Songkro), Gram (Sukhumvit Soi 49) and Tiny Cup Cafe (Thonglor).

8. Better Coffee

The city has grown beyond just making pretty motifs in cappuccinos to actually focusing on better brewing and beans. Get your fix at Roots (Sukhumvit Soi 63), Brave Roasters (Ekkamai Soi 12) and Gallery Coffee Drip (BACC), Ink & Lion (Ekkamai Soi 2), April Store (Samyan), Pacamara (Rainhill) or Ceresia Coffee Roasters (Sukhumvit 33/1).

9. Pet-Friendly Spots

Purr Cat Café Club (Ekkamai) and Summer Dog Pool (Pridi Banomyong Soi 42) encourage you to bring your own pets while Caturday (Ratchathewi), Chico Cat Cafe (Sukhumvit Soi 53), Cataholic (Ozono Plaza) and True Love Café (Ari) allow you to come pet the resident felines. There’s even a place to pet huskies (Neverland Siberian, in Ari) and one for rabbits (Lucky Bunny Cafe, in Ladprao 101). Also, The Barkyard, “a dog-centric community space,” which will be Kiosk’s new home (relocated from TCDC), is set to open very soon in Sukhumvit Soi 26.

10. Artisanal Food

Bo.lan started the farmer’s market trend a couple years ago and now artisanal food events are everywhere (K Village and Spring and Summer, in particular). Our favorite new stalls? Appia, Vivin’s foie gras, Black Futon’s addictive brownies, Dr. G’s organic tea and Pordee’s Thai dipping sauce.

11. Pun Pun Bike Sharing

The Pun Pun bike sharing scheme actually works, with over 50 bicycle stations now set up across the city and the occasional brave soul seen riding them on our hazardous roads.

12. Multi-label Cosmetics Stores

Hot on the heels of French beauty giant Sephora and US lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret (who also do creams and fragrances), we’re seeing more multi-label stores like Lashes, Too Cool for School and Eve and Boy—a welcome change from the department store kiosk model.

13. Thai Premier league

The Thai Premier League’s quality is on the up with stars like Jay Bothroyd, a former Arsenal player, joining the competition while homegrown Teerasil Dangda is about to be the first Thai to play in Spain’s La Liga. So pick one from as many as eight teams in the capital or take our word and just support Singhtarua FC to be a part of the charmingly raucous crowd.

14. Social Awareness

Bangkokians are definitely doing more to get involved in their community and environment. Leading the change is Change.org who have been putting together some great events like the campaign they did to reopen the Kids Museum.

15. Homemade Spirits

While half of the city’s cool bars’ cocktails are seemingly designed by prominent mixologist Joseph Boroski, we now have a few more people putting some craft into their drinks. Think Escapade’s (Phra Athit) vodka infused with Japanese plum wine, Shao Xing rice wine, ginger, black pepper powder and sweet Chinese plum or Barka (Ari)'s gin infused with Waydhana dried Chinese plum and Jolly Bear.

16. World’s Best Restaurants

David Thompson’s traditional Thai restaurant Nahm placed first in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list (by the people who do the World’s 50 Best Restaurants), progressive Indian maverick Gaggan was third, molecular Thai pioneer Sra Bua by KiinKiin was at 21, Bo and Dylan and their Thai restaurant Bo.lan came in at 28 ,while Ian Kittichai’s Issaya Siamese Club was a newcomer to the list at 31, with Tim Butler and Eat Me completing the list from a Bangkok perspective at 37.

17. Electronic Music

Following the work by the folks at Panda Records and So::On Dry Flower, Bangkok is now also turning into a hotbed for mini electronic festivals, such as the recent Experimental Electronic South East 2014, which took place last week in Phra Kanong.

18. New Rooftop Bars

If there’s one thing you’ve told us on Facebook, it's just how much you love rooftop bars. Which is why the recent spate of new openings such as Gramercy Park (Sukhumvit Soi 11), Monde (Sukhumvit Soi 39) and Zoom (Anantara Sathorn) should have you thrilled.

19. The Rise of Thonburi

More people are crossing the river more often (and it’s much easier with the new BTS stations) for the new hot spots on the Thonburi side. The real hit is Architect Duangrit Bunnag’s Thai restaurant, The Never Ending Summer, along with the Candide bookstore (Charoennakorn) and Container Market at The Bloc (Ratchapruek).

20. Better Recognized Thai Chefs

Thai chefs are finally thriving at home, and being recognized for their talent and hard work. Some of the new kids on the block are Chatin Dienel of 661 Silom (Silom Soi 19) and Baimohn Tanataveetram of Rock Restaurant and Bar (Ari).

21. Hipster Barber Shops

Down with hair salons. Guys want proper barber shops such as Way Thaitanium’s tramline specialists Neversay Cutz (Sukkhumvit Soi 51 and Ari), hipster undercut maestros VTG (Ekkamai Soi 10) and the latest opening, The Three Brothers Barber Shop (Chatuchak), for that perfect rockabilly coiffe.

22. Digital TV

After hearing about digital TV for ages, the wait is soon to be over this April. The new era of 48 channels promises better picture and sound quality, more choices and interactive features, plus HDTV. Now start saving for that new 4K panel.

23. Three New Taxi Services

The rainy season is coming and we all know how fun it is grabbing a cab at 6:30pm when the monsoon rolls in. That might change, though. Uber, EasyTaxi and GrabTaxi all just hit our shores and they all promise taxis (or chauffeured cars, in Uber’s case) at the tap of a smartphone app.

24. Awesome Small Theater Troupes

Democrazy, B-Floor and Crescent Moon are all serving up theater that’s politically daring, formally novel (and very physical) and supremely entertaining.

25. Talk, Talk, Talk

Talks and networking events have been blossoming lately, with new collectives Bangkok Lyrical Lunacy and What’s Your Story? joining long-running events like Bangkok Poetry and the recently rebooted PechaKucha.

26. Peace

Thank you for retiring to Lumphini, Lung Kamnan. We respect your right to protest, but getting around town had become a real bitch. Let’s hope the current (relative) peace lasts.

27. Cheap Staycations

The Bangkok Shutdown hurt hotels in Bangkok pretty bad. The good news? You can still get a room for really cheap—so cheap Bangkokians might be tempted by a staycation this Songkran. For example, Mode Sathorn is offering special rates for Thai nationals and residents at B2,200 for a single room and B2,500 for a double room through Apr 30.

28. New Fitness Routines

Lots of new places opening to shed those pounds and tone those abs. Try your hand at kettlebells at The Lab (Sukkhumvit Soi 31), get a high-intensity fat burner workout at Flash Fitness (Sukkhumvit Soi 24), become a Crossfit pro at The Aspire Club (Asoke) , hook up with TRX at New Moves (Ploenchit), or embrace the dance-for-fitness trend with Floor Barre at Well Being Dance and Yoga Studio (Asoke).

29. Food Trucks

With the arrival of burger van Daniel Thaiger (RCA, Thonglor and Sukhumvit Soi 38, call 084-549-0995 to locate him), and the master of corndogs, Corndog Dude (Sukhumvit Soi 31), it seems like American-style street food is finally ready to share the sidewalk with our noodles.

30. Hotdogs Galore

Speaking of corndogs, finally, there’s more than just 7-Eleven doing processed sausages. The buzz started just about a month ago when three venues opened roughly at the same time: Bangers (across from Eight Thonglor), Corn Dog Dude (previously in K Village, nowa van in Sukhumvit Soi 31) and Superbdog (Sukhumvit Soi 53).

31. The World’s Best Selfies

A recent study analyzing selfies from major studies found we look the youngest and smile the most in our Instagram self-portraits. And of course, we continue to grab the top spots in Instagram’s most photographed places with Paragon and Suvarnabhumi. If that weren’t enough, you can now take your narcissistic photo habits to the next level at Art in Paradise, a gallery where you can photograph yourself in trompe l’oeils, which opened in Bangkok at the Esplanade Shopping Mall in February.

32. No More Concert Cancellations (We Hope)

Bury the Clapton heartache and Silverlake sorrow and get your tickets for Jared Leto’s 30 Seconds to Mars (Apr 5), Explosions in the Sky (Apr 29), Bullet for My Valentine (May 1), Children of Bodom (May 16), and Taylor Swift (Jun 9).

33. The Old Town Revival

A new generation is choosing to live the slow life in Rattanakosin and Yaowarat, resulting in cool new places opening there: Food Route Cafe (Maharat Rd.), Rub Aroon (Maharat Rd.), Sala Rattanakosin (Maharat Rd.), Aroon Residence (Maharat Rd.), Bombay Blues (Soi Rambuttri), Sheepshank (Phra Athit Rd.), Bryter Later Cafe (Arunamarin Rd.), Bamsha (Prasumain Rd.) and Old Town Cafe (Fueng Nakorn). Embrace it all before the arrival of the MRT changes everything.

34. Better Toilets at Chatuchak Market

These new toilets are only a plan for now, but we can't hold it in—our excitement, that is.

35. More Sports Facilities

You’ve got two new pitches to play six-a-side football (check out the ones near Lumphini Park and Bonkai) and a new 3.5km bike track inside the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand at Rama 9.

36. Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre

The big art center has been putting on great shows of late, like the recent Southeast Asia’s Concept Context Contestation and the traveling Japanese Media/Art Kitchen. Too bad our favorite restaurant there, HOF, has closed. But we look forward to BACC’s upcoming outdoor Music and Art Festival this May.

37. gCircuit

Tank tops, check. Speedos, check. Six packs, check. You’re ready for Asia’s biggest gay circuit party. It's back for the eighth time on Apr 11-13, with DJs Joe Gauthreaux (USA) and George Leong (SG) and Tony Moran (USA). Tickets at Thaiticketmajor.

38. Boutique Wines

The amount of boutique wine retailers seems to have exploded of late. Particularly of note, Wine Garage, who hosted Woozabooza at Quince, but also Wine Selection in Thaniya Plaza and Rang Wine in Central Rama 3.

39. Healthy Food Delivery Services

Stay at home and get fit with Paleo Robbie (paleorobbie.com) or get a detox with cold-pressed juice from Me Juice.

40. More Young Bands

Party organizers like Have You Heard?, Delicate, Dudesweet and P.A.S.T not only bring in international acts but also give exposure to exciting local talent. This year we welcomed bands like Zweed n’ Roll, Monomania, Jia Pa Bor Sue, Cloud Behind and The Whitest Crow, whose band members are still in uni—how cute! They sound great, too.

41. Motorcycles Everywhere

Thanks to locally produced Hondas, Kawasaki and even Ducatis, having a 600cc bike now costs "only" B400,000. That might explain why every trendy cafe now has a Monster—or two—parked out front.

42. Sushi Insanity

Bangkok’s obsession with sushi is out of control, with a new opening seemingly every other day. But things have reached a new level of insanity with the double deckers served at Sushi-OO (Mercury Ville) and the temari sushi (ball-shaped sushi) at Genji (Swissotel Nai Lert Park).

43. Record Shops

It’s never been this easy finding great vinyl in Krungthep. Check out classics Nong Taprachan (Prachan Pier), Do Rae Me (Siam Square) and Zudrangma Records (Sukhumvit Soi 51) or the new kids like Quay Records (Thonglor), Fatblack Records (CDC), The Trapeze Swingers Store (Soi Rambutri) and Gram Music Store (Siam Paragon and Emporium).

44. Facebook Home Decor Shops

FB pages selling jewelry and accessories are so 2013. Now, you can also find great decor and furniture pieces. Look up Mink’s, Niyham and newcomers Flo, Everyday-Studio and Skog.

45. Air-Con Somtam

Summer is definitely headed our way and we don’t plan on cutting down on our somtam intake. Here are three places to enjoy the heat in air-con comfort: Kai Yang Sua Yai (Piman 49), Z Cafe (Sukhumvit Soi 33) and Tor Um Tum (Sukhumvit Soi 61).

46. More Options for Health Food

Those on vegan or dairy-free diets now have a lot more places that are doing delicious food that also does the body good. The latest cafe to have opened is Theera (Sukhumvit Soi 42) but you can also order healthy food online, such as the fragrant coconut jam from Veganerie and delicious ice cream from Poptales.

47. The New Fish Tank at Paste

Yes, we’re excited about a fish tank. It costs US$12,000, it’s made by Australians and it’s the only way to keep mud crabs alive and happy moments before they hit your plate. (The crabs you see alive at markets are actually three to six days old and half-dead.) What chef Jason (#10 in Top Tables 2014) does to the critters isn’t bad, either. Paste, 120/6 Sukhumvit Soi 49. 02-392-4313.

48. Unconventional Art Spaces

More and more artists are taking shelter in shophouses, disused spaces and old buildings, which only makes life more fun for gallery-goers. Check out the quirky Speedy Grandma in Charoen Krung, Phra Kanong’s GOJA or the multi-purpose Chomp and The Space above a 7-Eleven in Khlong San.

49. The New Chef at Robuchon

Every bit of news about the imminent opening of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at Mahanakhon is met with excitement by foodies. We now know who will be the chef: Olivier Limousin, who was the executive chef at the Michelin-star L’Atelier in London. Opening July, we hope.

50. BK Magazine

13 years and going strong. Could you picture Bangkok without us?