Sukhumvit Nightlife

Sukhumvit’s extensive network of ‘sois’ (lanes) contains a wide spectrum of clubs with DJs flown in from overseas. With iconic establishments like Bed Supperclub and Q Bar, Sukhumvit Soi 11 is where the jet-setters go to get their nightly dose of fun. Trend-setting Thonglor (Sukhumvit Soi 55), once a sophisticated playground for Bangkok’s glamorous faces, has emerged as a new epicentre for DJ and live band parties, though with a more localised feel than Soi 11. 

Booze

Hordes of beautiful locals, big-screen-TVs and a decent live band playing styles veering from Linkin Park rock to Thai Pop back round to Eminem. And yes, lots of boozing.

Opening Hours: 18:00 - 02:00
Location: Sukhumvit 55 Soi 10, Thonglor
BTS: Ekkamai

Escobar

On weekends this place is filled with hip-hop and raging hormones. There is a small bar on the right for chilling out as the main bar just after the entrance gets pretty crowded during the weekends. Prices are good with a bottle of Red Label and mixers going for around 1,400 baht.

Opening Hours: 18:00 - 01:00
Location: 217/1-3 Sukhumvit Soi 63, Ekamai
BTS: Ekkamai
Tel: 02 711 6565

Narz

Formerly Narcissus, this popular and packed club boasts three dance floors and eight bars. Set inside an impressive mansion, the interior is pompous and grand. Resident DJs play trance, hip hop and house, while international DJs make appearances regularly. A popular and packed club. No cover charge. Read More...

Opening Hours: 21:00 - 02:00
Location: Sukhumvit Soi 23
BTS: Asok
Tel: +66 (0)2 258 4085

Q Bar

Funky, fashionable and unwaveringly popular, Q Bar in Bangkok has been spinning quality dance and party music to the city’s socialite crowd for over ten years. This bar-slash-club is more exclusive than most other clubs in its vicinity, and patrons really make an effort and dress to impress. Q Bar is not the kind of place you would stumble on as it’s located quite a distance down Sukhumvit Soi 11 (one of the main party hotspots in Bangkok), and that’s just the way the management like it. The closest BTS station is Nana, as Soi 11 is at the base of the sky train steps – from there you can walk or take a taxi. From Sukhumvit Road, follow Soi 11, past the spaceship-looking frame of Bed Supperclub, until the road turns left. Q Bar Bangkok is 15 metres down on your right. Read More...

Opening Hours: 20:00 - 01:00
Location: 34 Sukhumvit Soi 11
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 252 3274

Sundowner's Jazz Club

Located in the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel, Sundowner's Jazz Club is a good place to meet before heading out, or to enjoy cool jazz with friends. Live music is played on most nights.

Opening Hours: 17:00 - 02:00
Location: Imperial Queen's Park Hotel, 199 Sukhumvit Soi 22
BTS: Phrom Pong
Tel: +66 (0)2 261 9000

Authentic Brit pubs, hip haunts strictly for cool kids and upscale hotel bars. Sukhumvit truly has it all. Venues include Bully's Bar, Bus Stop, Cheap Charlie's, Flava Lounge, Song Saleung, The Bull's Head, The Dubliner and Witch's Tavern.

Australian Bar

A lively bar popular with the expat crowd who come here to watch sports on the extensively sized screens and feast on the selection of barbecued treats. With both indoor and outdoor seating, you can choose between the air-conditioned interior or watching the world go by from the comfortable elevated porch.

Opening Hours: 12:00- Midnight
Location: 37 Sukhumvit 11
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0) 2651 0800

Bar Bu Ree

An attractive, modern place catering towards Thai's and Japanese. The menu reflects this, as mainly Thai dishes and sushi are on offer. A large bar bar offers a wide varity of drinks, while in the same area up to three bands perform nightly, playing everything from bossa nova to classic rock.

Opening Hours: 17:30 - 02:00
Location: 59 Sukhumvit Soi 63, Ekamai Road
BTS: Ekamai
Tel: +66 (0)2 392 4976- 8

BarSu

BarSu is without doubt the most exciting development on the Bangkok nightlife scene for over a decade. With its elegant décor and finely tuned concept, the opening of this exclusive and sophisticated lounge bar is the most eagerly anticipated event of the year. Exciting, elegant and eclectic, BarSu is designed for fun-loving people with a taste for fine wine, gourmet food and quality music.

BarSu – eatplaydance

Opening Hours: 17.30 - 02.00 hours (Monday - Saturday)
Location: The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok
BTS: Asoke
Tel: 66) 02 6498358 or (66) 02 6498888
Cuisine: Tapas

Bombay Bar

If you'd like to see how locals party and have fun, Bombay Bar is the place to check out. One of the top clubs for Thais, Bombay Bar covers a fairly big spread over two floors. It's usually frequented by very young night-lovers - university students or, let's say, people in their 20's. Drinks are nothing special and prices are average. Mainstream music is played until a certain time and then a rock band takes over; expect Thai songs and a vibrant Thai nightlife scene.

Opening Hours: 19:00 - 01:00
Location: Soi Thonglor
BTS: Thong Lor
Tel: +66 (0)2 714 7800

Bourbon Street

Arguably the most well-known American Bar in town, Bournon Street is known for its gumbo and New Orleans/Cajun/Creole food plus live music. Brunch buffet is available.

Opening Hours: 7:00 - 01:00. Music from 20:00
Location: Sukhumvit Soi 22, Washington Square
Tel: +66 (0)2 259 0328-9

BREW

Serving the largest selection of Beers and Ciders in Thailand, with over 100 labels available by the bottle and 10 on draft, BREW aims “to educate people about good beer so they can have a place to go and enjoy crafted brews in Bangkok”. The bar’s industrial interior is a replica of the back room of a brewery, complete with exposed piping and a copper pipeline draft tower. BREW also serves an array of cheese platters, cold cuts, assorted nuts and other traditional bar-food favourites. The outdoor terrace can accommodate over a hundred people.

Opening Hours: 16:00-02:00 (Mon-Sun)
Location: Seen Space, Thonglor Soi 13
MRT: Thong Lo
Tel: +66 (0)2 185 2366

Bully's Bar

Want to retreat from the heat? Here's the right place, though a bit pricey compared to other bars around the area. If you don't mind the pocket burn, it's a good spot to escape the outside heat for a cool drink. A sports bar type place, Bully's features several TV screens and four pool tables. Their menu offers a good range of meals too, including both popular western and Thai dishes. There are a few pool hostesses floating around but they'll leave you alone unless you are up for a game. Unlike many other places in the area, it's closed up and they have the air-con on all the time. The perfect place to recharge your batteries.

Opening Hours: 11:30 - 01:30
Location: Near Nana BTS station, between Sukhumvit Soi 2 & 4
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 656 4609

Bus Stop

A relatively quiet place on Sukhumvit Soi 4. This semi-open bar and garden is an escape from the blatant sex trade elsewhere on the soi. Although it does have its share of bar girls, they are not very aggressive in their sales techniques and are quite happy just to chat (if buy a drink). Some of the city's hippest and trendiest clubs are found around Sukhumvit Road.

Opening Hours: 17:00 - 01:00
Location: Sukhumvit Soi 4, Just up the road from Nana Plaza
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 251 9222

Cheap Charlies

Where in lower Sukhumvit can you drink for a pittance and meet interesting, unsleazy farang? The answer is not some haughty hotel lounge, nor some austere restaurant, but this 20-something Bangkok institution - little more than a wooden shack and a few stools that spill across the street.

Every night, a convivial blend of expats and clubbers swarm here to dose up on beers before heading somewhere pricier (at 60 baht a bottle Cheap Charlie's delivers on its name). A definite contender for Bangkok's most bizarre drinking hole, be sure to check out the oddities accumulated over the years - animal skulls, tribal masks and other strange curios (the toilet bares a classic sign: 'no shitting'). Tucked away down a narrow, predominantly residential soi, remember also to be a gent and stand aside for passing cars. Read More...

Opening Hours: 16:30 - 01:00 except Sunday
Location: Sukhumvit Soi 11
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 253 4648

Check Inn 99

This old-fashion nightclub has been around for more than three decades and is popular among foreigners and local expats. It offers a good range of wines, beers and spirits from all over the world as well as cabaret style entertainment and live bands performing everything from oldies to reggae, pop, soul and rock. Take to the dance floor or simply enjoy your drink with sizzling steak and unwind with the music. Theme parties are on most Saturdays. The venue is also available for parties.

Opening Hours: 17:00-1:30, cabaret show starts from 20:30, steaks served until 23:00, light supper till close
Location: Between Sukhumvit Soi 5 and 7 (opposite Landmark Hotel)
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 252 6706

Flava Lounge, Dream Hotel

Integrated with the Dream Hotel's Flava Restaurant, this indulgent bar-cum-lounge was designed to match the all-out surrealism and flair of one of Bangkok's stylish boutique hotels. Pulling off the 'cocktail of flavour, theme and services' are warm tonal stripes, plush furnishings, superlative cocktails and a distinctly different place to hang out.

Location: Dream Hotel, 10 Sukhumvit Soi 15, Nua, Wattana
BTS: Asoke
Tel: +66 (0)2 254 8500

Gulliver's Traveler's Tavern

Lively pub with another branch on Kaosan Road. Popular among expatriates, locals and travellers alike. Casual and laid-back atmosphere. Happy hours from 17:00 - 20:00 and 23:00 - 02:00.

Opening Hours: 11:00 - 01:00
Location: Sukhumvit Soi 5
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 655 5340-2

HOBS (House of Beers)

A delightful place to chill out and chat the evening away with friends, HOBS features an extensive list of local and imported beers, 22 of which are Belgian (which can’t be bad), as well as a good selection of tasty western and Thai fare. The interior sports a back-lit stained-glass wall, reminiscent of a medieval church. There’s also an outdoor deck out front, with a large-screen LCD display for live sports and international news. Although HOBS has no live music, it’s got a stylishly laid-back ambiance that proves popular among Bangkok’s well-cultured crowd.

Opening Hours: 11:00 – midnight
Location: Sukhumvit 55 (Penny’s Balcony, Thonglor Soi 16)
Tel: +66 (0)2 392 3513

Huntsman Pub

Good resident bands plays favourites and when the band isn't playing, the central bar makes a good meeting point at the Landmark Hotel. Menu largely good pub grub.

Opening Hours: 11:30 - 02:00. Music from 21:00
Location: Landmark Hotel basement, between Sukhumvit Soi 4 & 6
BTS: Nana

Isaan Champroo Blues Bar & Restaurant

An unusual combination of north-eastern Thai (Issan) and Japanese food attracting a clientele who appreciates good live blues served up with a menu of Isaan/Japanese food. The owner Ken encourages jam sessions, joining on harp on Thursdays.

Opening Hours: 17:30 - 1:00
Location: Sukhumvit Soi 24
BTS: Phrom Phong

Mojo's

Quality live soul, jazz and funk all get a look in at this popular large saloon pub. However, blues is its 'raison d'etre' - each night one of five local blues bands churns out some of the best in town. Its size doesn't dampen the atmosphere, later in the evening the place really buzzes. Barbeque grill cooking and lip-smacking burgers are almost as popular as the sounds.

Opening Hours: 16:30 - 02:00
Location: 10/20 Sukhumvit Soi 33/2, Wattana
BTS: Phrom Phong
Tel: +66 (0)2 260 8430

Nest

Le Fenix Hotel’s rooftop bar ‘The Nest’ is an airy alfresco hangout in downtown Sukhumvit. Its slouch-friendly furnishings, soft beats and sultry evening breezes will ease you ever-so gently into the night, leaving you all set for a crazy night-on-the-tiles at one of the clubs below.

Bed down with your lovebird in a padded hammock or one of the ‘nest’ shaped chairs. Order a tangy cocktail, lean back and take in the blinking cityscape. Or get convivial with the clientele - suits and Thai/farang clubbers mostly - while you puff on a Cuban cigar.

Opening Hours: 18:00- 02:00
Location: Le Fenix Hotel Bangkok
Tel: +66 (0)2 305 4000
Dress Code: Smart Casual

Rib Room and Bar

Smart and sleek define the experience at this sophisticated hotel dining establishment set on the 31st floor. Encased in floor-to-ceiling glass windows and decked out in vermilion, black and dark wood, Landmark Hotel’s Rib Room and Bar (RR&B) sets the scene for a sultry evening. The open kitchen serves up juicy steaks – Australian grain-fed, Matsusaka, Wagyu grilled to taste – to be paired with a bottle of vintage red from the cellar. Start your evening with a perfectly concocted martini from the bar and end gracefully with a dessert.

Opening Hours: 18:00-23:00 (Rib Room), 17:00-01:00 (Bar)
Location: 31st floor, Landmark Hotel (between Sukhumvit Sois 4 and 6)
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 254 0404 ext. 3100

Shades of Retro

An apt name for a bar where colour and style are definitely part of its makeup, Shades of Retro feels as cosy and laid-back as your own living room. The location is hard to find, as it’s tucked away in a residential neighbourhood where you wouldn’t expect to find a bar, but this is one of those places you should make an extra effort to find.

Housed inside a three-storey townhouse building, it has a glass-encased terrace out front – imagine a European conservatory. Inside is jam-packed with mix-and-match furniture, funky lamps, old stereos and TVs from the 50s and a horde of collectibles strewn across wooden shelves. The bar serves up strong, delicious cocktails – no food as such but the moment you sit down, you’ll get a refillable bowl of popcorn to munch on all night. Lounge away with cool, chilled out music. It’s no wonder that the place is packed really fast almost every night.

Opening Hours: 15:00 – 01:00
Location: Sukhumvit 55 (Soi Thararom 2, Thonglor, near Thonglor police station)

Song Saleung

What an adventure this unruly live music bar is. After weaving past security and the snazzy al fresco area, we could barely move for the young, affluent throng. Finding a table, and keeping it, was a mission; as was dodging the toes of fellow patrons as we squeezed our way to the toilet or attempted a dance. Persevere though, because you may well be rewarded: girls with a barrage of hot guys wanting to top up your glass; guys, with a flurry of phone-numbers from cute girls wanting help with their English. Just be careful you don't step on anyone's toes!

Location: 387/23-24 Soi Thonglor 21, Sukhumvit 55
Tel: +66 (0)2 712 9118

Tenderloins

Best described as a cotemporary up market Australian Bar, Tenderloins is popular with the after work crowd and the first port of call for sport fans who prefer a more intimate setting. Serving imported steaks, wine and a variety of beers – it’s obviously not just the sport attracting people.

Opening Hours: 10:00-01:00
Location: 9 Sukhumvit soi 33
Tel: +66 (0)2 258 4529

The Black Swan

Cosy little British-style pub with its own fire place. Wood-panelled walls, great pub grub and wide range of imported beers. It oozes authenticity, right down to the pub sign above the door.

Opening Hours: 9:00 - 01:00
Location: 326/8-9 Sukhumvit Road, under Asoke skytrain station
BTS: Asok
Tel: +66 (0)2 229 4542

The Chequers Bar

Chequers is a small place housed in a two-storey building. Upstairs comprises of a restaurant, while the downstairs area is geared towards people interested in enjoying drinks. When major football matches are screened upstairs, Chequers' upstairs area turns into a very lively spot, packed with lots of cheerful people. Its menu offers excellent traditional British food.

Opening Hours: 9:00 - 1:00
Location: 5/11 Sukhumvit Soi 4
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 255 3993

The Dubliner

Opening Hours: 22:30 - 01:00
Location: Between Sukhumvit Soi 22 & 24
BTS: Phrom Pong
Tel: +66 (0)2 204 1841-2

The Iron Fairies

Do you believe in magic, fairies and fantasy tales of the imagination? Even if you don’t, The Iron Fairies is still worth checking out. Dimly lit from the outside and locked up behind an old, solid wooden door, this chic two-storey hole-in-the-wall bar is easy to miss if you don’t look carefully. Inside is as mysteriously dark, with little space where magic seems to ooze from every inch – a metal spiral staircase that rises up and stops in mid-air, cast-iron gargoyles and fairies lurking on shelves and walls, a Singer sewing machine that seems to be misplaced but actually is not.

The Iron Fairies is a bar/ironsmith workshop where you can savour the taste of dreams and imagination through its heady mix of cocktails, wine and lingering live jazz tunes. It also offers a few but well-executed burgers, each served up on a slab of wooden cutting board. Try the signature absinthe cocktail, if you dare. This is one bar not to miss.

Opening Hours: 19:00 – 02:00
Location: Thonglor Soi 12
Tel: +66 (84) 520 2301

The Living Room at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit

Set in a relaxed, cosy atmosphere on the first floor of the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, this is a big, stylish venue that hosts a top-notch jazz band or musician every night. Alongside the jazz talent, great wines, cocktails and champagnes help get things shuffling. On Sundays there's a 'Jazzy Brunch Buffet' between 11:30 and 15:00. Book well ahead.

Opening Hours: 09:00 - 00:00
Location: 1st floor, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Road
Tel: +66 (0)2 649 8353

The Londoner

Located in the basement of the UBC1 Building on the corner of Sukhumvit 33, The Londoner is styled on a British pub. Fair menu and the usual local beers available plus their own 'in house' brewed beer. Happy hours daily from 16:00 - 19:00 and 23:00 - 01:00. Also features satellite TV and big screen for the important sporting events.

Opening Hours: 11:00 - 01:00
Location: Sukhumvit 33
BTS: Phrom Pong
Tel: +66 (0)2 261 0238-40

The Long Table

Residing on the 25th floor of Column Tower, Long Table is a hidden jewel in Bangkok’s crown. Standing tall over the city, the panoramic view is exasperated by the nostalgic house beats that roll from the glass facade into the night sky. The same group who brought the city Bed Supperclub returned with an even more modern and gimmicky gesture – sharing a meal at one table. Believed to be the longest table in the world, it seats around 70 people. The bar seeks to redefine the dining and drinking experience in Bangkok.

Comprising dimly light hallways, intricate lighting and the clever trickery of mirrors to create the illusion of more space, the décor is a real treat. With such a cutting edge concept you get the feeling that if Long Table were in New York the entry queues would be somewhere over in Sathorn. For those looking for a unique experience, a chic cocktail or chilled glass of wine, Bangkok’s newest rooftop bar will not fail to impress.

Opening Hours: 17:00 - 02:00
Location: 25th Fl., Column Building, Sukhumvit Soi 16
MRT: Sukhumvit
BTS: Asoke
Tel: +66 (0)2 302 2557
Dress Code: Smart Casual (no beach wear or flip-flops allowed)

The Robin Hood

Another popular two-storey pub located opposite of the Emporium. Friendly staff and food is offered at a resaonable price.

Opening Hours: 11:00 - 01:00
Location: Sukhumvit 33/1
BTS: Phrom Pong

The Winking Frog

British pub with a pool table and big screen TV. Serves English breakfast all day and offers a number of imported beers as well as local drafts. Live music every Friday. Happy hour from 14:00 - 19:00.

Opening Hours: 9:00 - 01:00
Location: Sukhumvit Soi 7
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 254 2890

Whiskey Mist

Like a buffed-up European castle meets a posh gentlemen’s club of late 19th Century, Whiskey Mist attempts to woo the crowd with its unique ambiance. The interiors feature polished cement floors, rough-painted brick walls and wooden double-height ceilings accentuated by the fluid curves of wrought-iron chandeliers. Two house bands cheer up the crowd on weekdays with popular Thai and international tunes, whereas if you go on weekends, it’s hip-hop nights with resident DJs.

Opening Hours: 19:00 – 02:00
Location: Sukhumvit 55 (Thonglor Soi 10)
BTS: Thong Lo
Tel: +66 (0)2 714 7599

Witch's Tavern

This classy Victorian English pub has been around since 1988. It’s got all the elements that will keep you going back for more, whether it’s live jazz and jamming sessions on Sunday nights, tasty pub grub and tapas, or extensive house-blended cocktails and wines. The two-storey interior boast a sophisticated ambiance with leather armchairs, round mirrored tables, polished timber floors and a wine bar.

Opening Hours: 11:00 – 01:00
Location: Sukhumvit 55 (Between Thonglor Soi 8 and 10)
BTS: Thong Lo
Tel: +66 (0)2 391 9791, +66 (0)2 391 7170

Zanzibar

Located in the grounds of a converted Thai house, this restaurant has a spacious, softly lit terraced garden, with live jazz in the evenings creating a classy kind of buzz. Lounge out on the comfy couches or shake it on the floor later in the evening. The menu features Italian and Thai dishes - not cheap though. Read More...

Opening Hours: 17:30 - 01:00
Location: 139 Sukhumvit 11
BTS: Nana
Tel: +66 (0)2 651 2700

Zest Piano Bar

A hotel piano bar of considerable élan, Zest in Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel is great for warm-up cocktails before hitting lower Sukhumvit. A vibrant bar changes colours, svelte waitresses deliver impeccably crafted martinis, and customers drown in plush contemporary furnishings. A piano twinkles soothingly in the background. Cocooned from the chaos outside, a salubrious, sophisticated and, frankly, sane choice.

Opening Hours: 07:00 - 02:00
Location: Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel, 259 Sukhumvit Road
BTS: Asok
Tel: +66 (0)2 207 8000