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| Where to Eat |
There is an absolutely ludicrously large selection of places to eat in and around Sukhumvit and its side sois (streets), although prices tend to be a little on the high side by Thai standards. With practically every cuisine in the world represented, this is the place to break your phad thai diet and sample some of the best Japanese, Lebanese, or Indian food you will ever eat.
| Budget eateries |
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Took Lae Dee, inside the Foodland Supermarket, Sukhumvit Soi 5 (Nana BTS Station) is a Bangkok institution: imagine a long bar counter, only with chefs and food instead of bartenders and drinks, and a colorful cast of characters thanks to Nana Plaza across the street. The name literally means Cheap and Good and indeed basic fried rice starts at 40 baht, but the cheap Western dishes, many less than 100 baht, are what makes this place popular. The American breakfast (two eggs, ham, bacon or sausage, juice, toast, coffee) in particular is a steal at 39 baht between 06:00-09:00, or 55 baht at any other time.
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Hong Kong Noodle, Soi 10 Siam Square. Serves up cheap and tasty wonton noodles (30 baht), a selection of dim sum (20-30 baht) and more Cantonese favorites in modern if utilitarian surroundings complete with air con, table service, etc. Excellent value. Open 10:00-22:00.
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Soi 38. Under Thong Lo BTS Station, opposite Sukhumvit Soi 55. Not a restaurant in itself, but you'll get the best street food in Bangkok. Just sit at a table and order whatever you like from the numerous foodstalls (they'll figure out the bill for you). You can find the most delicious mango & sticky rice (khao niow ma muang) in town.
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Between Soi 1 and Soi 3 A set of street food stalls with the best one furthest from the street. Good things to order include "Crispy fish in Chili Sauce", Tom Yum Soup and any of their Thai salads (such as mixed seafood salad). Also any Chinese-style fried vegetables is also good.
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| Food courts |
If you want cheap food and air-conditioning, head into the upper-floor food court of most any department store. Most food courts use some variation of a coupon system; unused coupons are always refunded. Some of the better ones include:
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Big C, Ratchadamri, next to Narayana Phand, 5th floor. New, bright, airy and very cheap with mostly Thai dishes as low as 20 baht. Payment with a stored-value card.
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MBK, 5F. Recently refurbished, cheap (less than 50 baht per serve) and popular, mostly Thai food. Pay by coupon.
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FoodLoft, 7F Central Chidlom (connected to Chidlom BTS Station) [12]. Large and popular, a wide selection of food (Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Vietnamese) but fairly expensive with most dishes closer to 100 baht. You receive a 1000 baht token on entry and pay for what you've used on exiting.
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Garden Kitchen, 1F Central Chidlom. Hidden behind the TOPS Supermarket in the same building as the FoodLoft, offers Thai fare (and English menus!) at much cheaper prices (20-30 baht).
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Emporium, 5F. Comparatively small and hidden behind the other restaurants, but cheap and often packed - at peak hours it's difficult to get a seat if you're alone. Pay by coupon, but the prices have been increasing over the past year.
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| Thai restaurants |
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Once Upon A Time, 32 Petchaburi Soi 17, tel. 02-252-8629. In a dubious-looking alley opposite Pantip Plaza, but worth hunting down despite the unlikely location. The restaurant is in an old Thai house with a garden, filled with photos of classical Thai film stars, and serves very good Thai food. Check out the special rooms upstairs on your way to the bathroom. Mains 100-200 baht.
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Lan Som Tam Nua, also known as Som Tam Paradise, Siam Square Soi 4. If Thai food isn't spicy enough or you have yet to sample som tam (raw papaya salad), check out this trendy yet very friendly and very Thai restaurant specializing in northern Isaan food. For the full-on Isaan experience, order raw mango salad (µÓÁÐÁèǧ tam ma-muang), spicy pork salad (ÅÒºËÁÙ laap muu ), grilled chicken (ä¡è·Í´ kai thot) and sticky rice (¢éÒÇà˹ÕÂÇ khao nio) - which will cost less than 150 baht per head. No English menu, but the staff are glad to help. Warning: This is real Isaan food and thus very spicy!
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Baan Khanitha, at 36/1 Sukhumvit Soi 23 (Asoke BTS Station). Well-known if mildly touristy restaurant in an old Thai house, the primary concession to Western tastes being the lack of chili. On the expensive side with most mains (esp. seafood) in the 200-400 baht range, but the food is generally excellent and the presentation spot-on. Best known for their pomelo salad (ÂÓÊéÁâÍ yam som-o) and red curry with duck (ᡧᴧà»ç´ kaeng daeng pet).
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Cabbages and Condoms, 6 Sukhumvit Soi 12 (between Nana & Asoke BTS Stations). Run by Thailand's Population and Community Development Association, the odd name referring to the founder's belief that condoms should be as cheap as veggies; and no prizes for guessing what you'll get after dinner instead of an after-dinner mint. The food is competent but toned down for the foreign palate, expect to pay around 300 baht for a full meal.
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Lemongrass, 5 Sukhumvit Soi 24. A very good if slightly expat-oriented Thai restaurant. Pomelo salad and tom yam kung (µéÁÂÓ¡Øé§) are both excellent.
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Food Centre Soi 5 (Nana BTS Station). Simple, well visited restaurant serving Thai and western food. Thai dishes are reasonably original, with little concession to the western taste. Rapid service. Main dishes around 100 baht.
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| Fusion restaurants |
For Thai food with a twist, the hip districts of Siam Square (See earlier) and the H1 complex on Thong Lo (Sukhumvit Soi 55) are the best places to go hunting.
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Bed Supperclub, 26 Soi 11 Sukhumvit, tel. 2651 3537, . One of Bangkok's trendiest bar/club/restaurants with sparsely minimalistic yet jaw-dropping decor. Visiting on weekends is recommended, as you'll be treated to a 4-course surprise meal and a weekly-changing floor show. Reservations are essential (by telephone or online), as only a single serving is served nightly at 21:00; be sure to request a bed and arrive at least 30 minutes early. Dietary restrictions can be catered for if informed in advance. But the bill for all this is steep: the 4-course meal will set you back 1000 baht plus drinks at around 200 baht a pop.
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Greyhound Cafe, Emporium 2F (Phrom Phong BTS Station) and also Central Chidlom 2F (Chid Lom BTS Station). An extremely modern restaurant of concrete and brushed steel, offering a fusionesque menu of food ranging from authentic Thai to Italian pasta to Elvis burgers. Mains usually 100 baht+, although lunch sets are quite cheap.
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Holy Pizza, Soi 7 Siam Square, tel. 2654 6373. Siam Square at its best: hip, irreverent and innovative, with Thai pop art on the walls and thin-crust Italian pizza married to ingredients that would make the Pope blanch. Try the fairly conservative Vatican's Choice (mozzarella, Parma ham, rocket leaves; 240 baht), or get more experimental with chicken larb pizza.
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| Italian restaurants |
Bangkok has a surprisingly large number of Italian restaurants, and the best are both very good and affordably priced (at least by Western standards).
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Gianni, 34/1 Soi Tonson, off Ploenchit. One of Bangkok's best and most authentic Italian places. Formal but romantic atmosphere with shared couches and such, you'll want to dress up a little. Try the lunch sets at 270/320 baht, as dinners are considerably more expensive (figure on 1000 baht per head).
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La Buca, Soi 1 Sukhumvit. This little Italian restaurant is possibly the most authentic in Bangkok. The Italian owner changes the Menu weekly, and a good selection of wine is available. Romantic, but on the expensive side, ranging 400-800 baht per person, without wine.
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Ronnys New York Pizza, Sukhumvit Soi 4, tel. +66-2-255-2626. Self-proclaimed as the first New York-style pizza place in Bangkok (thin crust, like in Europe, contrary to the pan pizza of the rest of America). Bring your laptop for free wi-fi.
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| Japanese restaurants |
Bangkok's Little Japan is located near Sukhumvit Soi 33 and across the street at Soi 24, with Phrom Phong BTS Station straddling the two. There is also a smaller concentration along Thong Lo (Sukhumvit Soi 55), notably the Nihonmura ("Japan Village") in Thong Lo Soi 13. (The other major outpost of Nippon is Soi Thaniya in Silom.)
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Ichiban Ramen, Soi 24 Sukhumvit. An authentically Japanese greasy-spoon noodle joint specializing in ramen soup. A large bowl starts at 80 baht.
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Grande Teppanyaki and Grande Ramen. Thong Lo (Sukhumvit Soi 55 - on the left, a short walk from Thong Lo BTS Station). Two small Japanese restaurants facing each other, popular with Thais and Japanese alike. Sub-100 baht Lunch menus particularly good value, but the beef curry with real steak (130 baht) is a deal at any time of the day
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Fuji. This Japanese restaurant chain can be found in Emporium, Siam Center, Central World Plaze, and Siam Paragon. A meal for two would cost about 500-600 baht.
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| Korean restaurants |
While Korean restaurants can be found scattered throughout town, a particularly heavy concentration lurks in Korea Town, the informal name of Sukhumvit Soi 12's Sukhumvit Plaza (a short walk from Asoke BTS Station). These are extremely authentic though and you may have a little trouble ordering if not familiar with Korean food.
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Shilla. 4/10-16 Sukhumvit Soi 22, tel. 26634296. A Korean barbeque place aimed for Koreans, with self-service bulgogi grilled at your table and a large menu featuring all the Korean favorites.
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| Middle Eastern restaurants |
Soi 3, a short walk from Nana BTS Station, is known as Soi Arab for the heavy concentration of Middle Eastern businesses in the area; in some spots you will see more signs in Arabic than in Thai! Thanks to a demanding clientele and heavy competition, the food here is some of the best this side of Lebanon.
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Al Ferdoss, 1F Schiller's Inn, 77/1-3 Sukhumvit Soi 3/1. It may have the ambience of a motel lobby (which it pretty much is), but the food here is amazing. Dips and salads (hummus, tabbouleh, falafel, etc) 80 baht a pop, kebabs 130 baht and up, and best of all is the excellent oven-fresh naan. Air-con indoors, but move outside for mint tea and some puffs of the shisha (water pipe).
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Beirut Restaurant, Ploenchit Center B1F, Soi 2 Sukhumvit. In an unlikely location next to a supermarket in an otherwise nearly desolate shopping mall, Beirut gets negative points for ambience but serves up very good Middle Eastern fare. Basic shwarma in a pita less than 100 baht, set meals 220 baht and up.
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| Vietnamese restaurants |
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Le Dalat, Sukhumvit Soi 23. Two locations about a block apart and across the street from each other
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| Other restaurants |
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Bei Otto, Sukhumvit Soi 20 . Well-known German restaurant
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Big John's, Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lo) Soi 9 +66 2-712-9712, [15]. Home made Aussie pies, pasties, sausages, burgers, pasta, pizza, etc. Satellite sports, free wi-fi.
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Bourbon Street, 29/4-6 Sukhumvit Soi 22 +66 2-259-0328, [16]. Surprisingly authentic Cajun food. Premium prices charged for dinner but the 2/3-course lunches at 230/290 baht are very good value. Second branch on Soi Tonson.
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Check Inn 99, Sukhumvit. This place is straight out of a James Bond movie - dark and seedy with a midget doorman.
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Charlie Brown's, off Sukhumvit Soi 11. Excellent Mexican food, maybe the best in Bangkok. Native English is available here, but you have to find the place first. Just down Soi 11, turn left at the first tailor shop, go past Cheap Charlies bar and around the corner and you will see it. 300-500 baht.
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Great American Rib Company, 32 Sukhumvit Soi 36 +66 2-661-3801. Great southern style ribs and Mexican food. Best ribs in town and at a moderate price.
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Rang Mahal, 26F Rembrandt Hotel, 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 +66 2-261-7100. Bangkok's best Indian restaurant, offering world-class Mughal (North Indian) food in surroundings fit for a maharaja. Fairly expensive (well over 500 baht per head), but the all-you-can-eat Sunday champagne brunch buffet at 499 baht is a steal. This 26th Floor restaurant also offers great views of Bangkok, call ahead for reservations and request a window view.
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Senor Pico's, Rembrandt Hotel, 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18. Mexican restaurant. |
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| Where to Drink |
The Sukhumvit area contains more watering holes than can easily be counted, and touts are not as big of a problem here as in Patpong. However, the scene is oriented towards tourists and wealthy high-society Thais, for more of a local ambience (and local prices) head a bit north to Ratchadaphisek instead.
| Beer gardens |
In wintertime (recursively defined in Thailand as 'beer season'), very popular beer gardens pop up in front of Central World Plaza, serving up cold beer, hot food and loud Thai pop.
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Beergarden, Sukhumvit Soi 7, is a nice place to relax from the trouble with moderate Western music and German and other beer including wheat beer (Franziskaner). You can eat European food at the tables or just have a drink at the bar.
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Cheap Charlie's, Soi 11, is an outdoor beer bar that looks like it grew out of the side of the building. Pull up a stool anywhere on the Soi and enjoy a cold one.
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| Microbreweries |
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Coliseum Brew Arena, between Soi 40 & 38, (near Thong Lo BTS Station) is a large micro brewery with full stage show (costume changes, katoeys and midgets). Mostly Thai clientele, but the most flamboyant of all the brew pubs.
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The Londoner, Soi 33 is a popular expat hang out, sports bar and ocasional live music in an English pub setting. Buy one get one free on Wednesday.
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