RCA in Bangkok

Cosmic Cafe

A popular place to start off a night in RCA, Cosmic Cafe is an understated beer garden with live music played amongst fairy lights. The vibe changes depending on the style of music being played, and on any given night you could be treated to anything from an acoustic duo to a five-piece old skool soul band. There's often two bands performing nightly and the bar is very supportive of local Thai acts. Cosmic Cafe is fairly quiet on weekdays but on Friday and Saturday it's often standing room only. To accompany your beers, there is a simple bar menu, but, like everything else here, it's not flashy or pretentious.      

Opening Hours: 19:00 - 02:00
Location: Block C, RCA
MRT: Petchaburi
Tel: +66 (0) 81-304-6907

LED

LED Nightclub, formerly known as 808 Bangkok, is one of the best clubs on the RCA strip with a mega-soundsystem and a range of bass-heavy musical genres played on Fridays and Saturdays only. On Fridays LED offer incredible promotions with free drinks for ladies until midnight. Depending on the time and night you visit, the DJ could be spinning vocal house and chart music, through to the latest dubsteb and techno. As the name suggests, LED has some amazing lighting and visual displays lighting up the dancefloor. The crowd are typically young and dressed to impress, much like those found in Slim and Route 66 nearby, who want more space to boogie.  

Opening Hours: 21:30-02:30
Location: Block A, RCA
MRT: Phetchaburi
Tel: +66 86 860 0808

Mello Yellow

More of a music club and mini-concert hall than a party house, this funky venue is where to go to meet like-minded music lovers – and of course down a few bottles of beer, or choose a bottle from their impressive wine list. The place keeps its concert schedule eclectic and diverse, welcoming all music genres, although there is definitely a focus on jazz. The live jamming sessions are the most fun, as they bring together spontaneous acts between local and international artists. Check out their Facebook page for regular listings. Mellow Yellow is open Monday to Saturday, closed on Sunday. 

Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday 18:00 – 02:00 (live concerts start at 21:00)
Location: Block D, RCA
MRT: Petchaburi
Tel: +66 2 641 4283

Route 66

Opening Hours: 20:30 - 02:00
Location: Block A, RCA
MRT: Phetchaburi
Tel: +66 (0)1 440-9666
Price Range: 300 baht for foreigners with 2 free drinks; free for Thai citizens

Slim & Flix

Slim & Flix is the biggest club on the whole of RCA and the first venue you come to if you enter from the Rama 9 Road entrance. There is something for everyone here with house music, hip-hop and live music playing in their three different rooms – there’s no doubt that hip-hop is the main draw though. The glass and concrete facade looks fresh and cool and attracts the largest number of Thais and foreigners who come for a night out on RCA. The price for foreigners is up to 400 baht (free for Thai citizens) but that does include two free drinks. If it’s your first night on RCA, make sure you check it out.  Read More...

Opening Hours: 17:00 - 02:00
Location: Block A, RCA
MRT: Rama 9
Tel: +66 (0) 2-2030-2268
Price Range: 400 baht for foreigners, includes two free drinks (free for Thai citizens)

The Beat Lounge

The best place to go for true hip-hop and rap music in Bangkok, look for the graffiti-style banner above The Beat Lounge, a small, fashionable, but above all, friendly club on RCA. In the midweek this place is fairly quiet, but on weekends hip-hop fanatics bring their own record collections and take turns demonstrating their turntable tricks, while rappers are encouraged to get on the mic. The crowd create a good-time vibe, helped by the reasonable drink prices. Anyone looking for the true hip-hop scene in Bangkok must check out The Beat Lounge.

Opening Hours: 20:00 - 02:00
Location: Block C, RCA
MRT: Phetchaburi
Tel: +66 81 341 0512

Taksura

Taksura is a popular beer bar frequented by a mainly student crowd out to down a few beers with friends. The exposed timber, vintage decor and acoustic cover band gives it a country pub kind of vibe: loud, and a lot of fun. To accompany your tower of Singha, there's a tasty range of Thai dishes such as grilled pork and tom yum soup. Taksura is the biggest and busiest bar in Block D of RCA, close to the Petchaburi Road entrance. Beers here are much cheaper than elsewhere on RCA, making it a good place to fuel up before hitting the clubs further down the street or for those times when you want to chat without screaming into someone's ear.

Opening Hours: 18:00 - 02:00
Location: Block D, RCA
MRT: Phetchaburi
Tel: +66 (0) 2-203-0972

Ratchadapisek Area

Massage parlours with names like Poseidon, Caesars Palace and Emmanuelle are found scattered all along Ratachadapisek Road and cater mostly to those locals partial to a soapy rubdown or 'full service'. The reliably gaudy and garish neon signs mean you can't miss them. Then there's Ratchada Cabaret (opposite Soi 6), which offers a popular ladyboy show less well known to holidaymakers.

While famous for both of the above, Ratchada is also one of Bangkok's best-kept after dark secrets - a place where loud neon-lit drinking spots cater to whisky sipping locals set on having a mostly wholesome time with their friends. Much of the action takes place within a tightly packed cluster of music pubs, bars and clubs found in Ratchada Soi 4. Highlights here include Dance Fever, Zaleng, Rad, Hollywood, Baku, Kokok Pub, Pure Bar, Ivre, Gig Club and the very popular and well-executed Snop. With no entry fees it's a great spot for bar-hopping, although it can get frenetically busy, especially on weekends.

Prices for drinks are very affordable and some places close later then elsewhere in Bangkok (though you may need to buy a bottle of whisky to partake). Worth bearing in mind is that foreigners may feel something of an oddity here, although the locals knocking back watered down Scotch will make you feel nothing less than welcome.

Useful Information

• There are so many places to check out on RCA, its useful to note that all clubs issue guests with a stamp upon entry that allows them to enter and re-enter throughout the night.
• In the old days RCA was a notorious magnet for underage teens, so today bringing ID is a must. All of the clubs will ask you for it as a matter of course - whether you look 17 or 27.
• Route 66 and Slim&Flix now have metal detectors and search bags upon entry

Young partygoers, or those looking to recapture their misspent youth, should head straight for Royal City Avenue. More commonly known by its abbreviation, RCA, this long, straight road is filled with clubs, bars and restaurants from one end to the other. RCA is a designated government-designated nightlife zone, meaning there's plenty of security guards and parking to keep partygoers safe, but it also means clubs are only allowed to stay open, legally, until 02:00. 

Even in midweek RCA gets busy. However, on weekends it's overrun with impeccably dressed young revellers, most of them Thais in their late teens or early 20s. The vibe is young, the mood carefree, but with all the security and crowd management it might feel a tad sanitised. Broadening the mix is a smattering of backpackers tired with Khao San Road and expats looking for a change from the Sukhumvit Road scene. Prices for entry and drinks are typically reasonable, usually lower than at many of Sukhumvit's offerings.