Sukhumvit Nightlife

If you're looking for sophisticated cocktails or just all out debauchery, Sukumvit has something to suit every budget. Where it really excels though is with some really cool mid-range to high-end places, many are concentrated around the busy Soi 11 with the places on nearby Soi 55 (known as the Thong Lor area) attracting a socialite and Thong Lor hipster crowd. You can get stunning views of the city from some of the high-end skyscraper rooftop bars and taking advantage of their sundowners happy hour brings them into a reasonable price range. The area is also home to Soi Cowboy go-go bar area which we have listed as a separate highlight. We have picked out some good budget options as well as some of the coolest places in town. Cheap Charlies (Bar) With loads beers and spirits available for 80B it lives up to its name. It’s a friendly foreigners bar with rock music and décor that could be described as an Aussie outback hoarders shack. It’s a great place to have cheap drinks and meet people. Entry: Free Open: 4:30pm – 11:45pm Getting Here: 5 min walk from the Phrom Phong BTS station. Address: 35 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Rd, Bangkok Bangkok Bar Infinity (Restaurant & Bar) This 8th floor rooftop bar has a friendly chilled atmosphere with a great unpretentious crowd. DJs and bands keep the music funky and despite being one of the cheapest bars in the Thonglor area, it’s still a cool place for cool cats. There’s an outdoor open-air section with Hookah available as well as an indoor section. Serves good Thai food and their house cocktails pack a punch! The fried larb spring rolls come highly recommended. Entry: Free Open: 5:00pm – 2:00am Getting Here: Thong Lo BTS station then a 15 min walk or 5 min taxi Address: 8th Floor, 139 Thonglor Soi 10, Opus Building (on the corner), Bangkok WTF(Bar) Wonderful Thai Friendship (what else?!) is a funky and friendly neighbourhood bar that attracts a hip artsy crowd of locals and foreign guests. It has a gallery and often has live music and DJs. They rustle up some fascinating cocktails with equally impressive names, and the price tag is reasonable. If you want any food they will order food from the Japanese restaurant next door; they’ll even recommend stuff for you. Entry: Free Open: 6:00pm – 1:00am Tue-Sun Getting Here: Thong Lo BTS station then a 5 min walk Address: 7 Soi 51, Th Sukhumvit, Bangkok Website: www.wtfbangkok.com Shades of Retro (Restaurant & Bar) Away from the noisy Thonglor is this cosy hidden gem which is like a 70’s basement / garage sale complete with pool table. The place is full of eclectic vintage stuff which is actually all for sale and the friendly staff help create the very chilled unpretentious vibe. The indie soundtrack is equally as relaxed and last be by no means least is also serves great food and superb cocktails. The burgers are excellent. If that sounds up your street then we promise it won’t disappoint. Entry: Free Open: 2:00pm – 1:00am Tel: +66 818248011 Getting Here: Thong Lo BTS station then a 15 min walk or 5 min taxi Address: 808/12 Soi Thararom 2, Near J-Avenue Thonglor, Soi Sukhumvit 55, Bangkok Badmotel (Bar) Take an abandoned dishevelled house; add some white paint, graffiti, kitsch furniture and mix in some Thong Lor hipsters, et voilà! You have Badmotel! This three storey building is pretty stylish with patio and rooftop areas and a DJ is often playing funky hip hop beats. They have a superb cocktail menu and craft beers. Entry: Free Open: 6:00pm – 1:00am Tue-Sun Getting Here: Thong Lo BTS station exit 3 then 10 min taxi Address: 331/4-5 Soi Sukhumvit 55, (between Thong Lor soi 15 and soi 17), Bangkok Website: www.facebook.com/badmotel Iron Fairies (Restaurant & Bar) Australian designer Ashley Sutton has numerous bars around Bangkok and this one doesn’t disappoint. The bizarre décor in this intimate venue is like a Gothic Victorian fantasy, where blacksmith's forge meets bar meets gallery. The cocktails here are made by another famous man in town, international mixologist extraordinaire Joseph Boroski and have a great impact just like the décor. They also manage to fit a fantastic live band blues in here starting from 9pm and the burgers are the best in Bangkok. It’s obviously not cheap but a great experience worth the Bhat. If you have a group of people and planning to spend more than 5,000B then let the waiter know that you want the "special table". Entry: Free Open: 6:00pm – 2:00am Tue-Sun Getting Here: Thong Lo BTS station then a 15 min walk or 5 min taxi Address: 394 Soi 55/Thong Lor, Th Sukhumvit, Bangkok Website: www.theironfairies.com Desi Beats (Restaurant & Bar) This 8th-floor Moroccan style shisha and drinks bar is decked out beautifully with plush colourful cushions, deep rich wooden furniture, ceiling drapes and mood lighting. They’ve gone all out with the Moroccan theme. It has a splendid large decking area with seating outside and a nice air-con space inside. Weekday evenings have a relaxed vibe while the weekends have DJs providing a funky party atmosphere. There is an extensive shisha menu and the food is great. Prices are mid-range for Thong Lor. Entry: Free Open: 6:00pm – 2:00am Tel: +66 816838889 Getting Here: Thong Lo BTS station then a 15 min walk or 5 min taxi Address: 8th Floor, 139 Thonglor Soi 10, Opus Building (on the corner), Bangkok Website: www.facebook.com/DesiBeatsBKK Octave (Rooftop Restaurant & Bar) Octave is one of the newest rooftop bars on the scene, and they’ve done a pretty damn good job of it. Perched on the 45th floor it offers unimpeded 360° panoramic views of the city, which are quite frankly awesome! There are plenty of tables around with great views of the city, with a superb standard and selection of cocktails available. The service and hospitality are excellent. They also have a happy hour 5pm-7pm with half price cocktails, which means around 250B each. Entry: Free Open: 5:00pm – 2:00am Tel: +66 27970000 Getting Here: Next to the Thong Lo BTS station Address: 45/F, Marriott Hotel, 2 Soi Sukhumvit 57, Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok Beam Nightclub One of the most underground clubs in Bangkok going for an underground house and techno music policy, there will be no big vocal tracks in here. Unlike a lot of its Thai contemporaries going for glitzy clubbing, it’s dark and all about the music with some international name DJs on the calendar. They even have a superb VOID sound system to differentiate from the crowd. Entry: Around 500B, depends on the night Open: 8:00pm – 3:00am, Wed-Sat Tel: +66 23927750 Getting Here: Thong Lo BTS station then a 15 min walk or 5 min taxi Address: 72 Courtyard Mall, Sukhumvit Soi 55, Thonglor, Bangkok Demo (Club) If you’re in the area and want to up the pace from a bar environment this is one of the best popular clubs. It has an abandoned warehouse feel with graffiti-covered brick walls and big open space inside, well until you ram all the people in it. The music policy follows heavy basslines, techno, house and various other EDM. It gets very packed with a mix of Thai and foreigners, non-Thai’s can expect to pay 500B entry which usually includes two drinks. Getting served at the bar can be an event in itself. Entry gets you into two venues, this and Funky Villa next door which plays a much more commercial music. Entry: 500B includes 2 drinks Open: 7:00pm – 2:00am Tel: +66 852502000 Getting Here: Thong Lo BTS station then a 15 min walk or 5 min taxi Address: Thong Lor Soi 10 (look for the bright lights of Funky Villa, set 30 metres back), Sukhumvit, Bangkok