|
Click Here to Check Availability
for Hotels in Bangkok
Eating Out
Guide to Drinking and Dining in Bangkok
Bangkok is one of the best
places in the world in which to eat out and its restaurants are
justly famed for their variety and good value. The one thing that is
worth mentioning is that the addresses are notoriously hard to
pinpoint by yourself. Your best bet is to choose a place and then
jump in a cab or a tuk-tuk and mention where you want to go. If you
resort to a food hunt you seem to invariably end up at some spurious
fast food restaurant - of which there are thousands.
PRICE GUIDE: (average cost of a meal without alcohol):
= less than THB500,
= THB500-1000,
= more than THB1000
Thai
Baan Khanitha
69 South Sathorn Rd, Sathorn
Tel: +66 (0)2-675-4200
If you're looking for authentic and traditional Thai food in
suitable surroundings then Baan Khanitha has long proven to be a
favourite with Bangkok diners both foreign and Thai. In its own
secluded courtyard the restaurant resembles a traditional
steep-roofed Thai building. The menu is made up of traditional
items, including a very authentic Miang Kam, an appetiser of nuts,
limes, chillies and dried prawns, which you wrap yourself in kadok
leaves before eating.
Ratchanawi Samosorn
77 Royal Thai Navy Club
Tha Chang Wang Luang, Na Phralan Rd
Tel: +66 (0)2-623-5659
This restaurant is located inside the Royal Thai Navy Club at Ta
Chang Pier. There is no sign in roman script but it is relatively
easy to find (entrance is to the right about 50 metres up from the
exit of the pier - there is usually a sailor on guard duty). This
quite plain dining venue consists of an indoor room which is usually
given over to free-for-all karaoke, and an outdoor pier with river
views of Wat Arun, Wat Rakhang and the Rama VIII Bridge. The large
menu (there is an English version of this) features generous
portions of uncompromisingly Thai fare at low prices - hence its
popularity with more than just the navy crowd.
Cabbages & Condoms
10 Sukhumvit, Soi 12
Tel: +66 (0)2-229-4611 ext331
If the name strikes you as rather strange you should know that part
of the profits of this popular restaurant go to the Population and
Community Development Association, which promotes awareness among
Bangkok's less salubrious quarters, and attempts to control the
burgeoning population through education. The attractive garden
setting keeps you cool while you dine. Standard Thai dishes such as
pad thai are available but you should take the opportunity to try
some of the house specialities such as the sea bass with black
pepper. Be warned, the portions are huge.
Chinese
Silver Palace
5 Soi Pipat, Silom Rd
Tel: +66 (0)2-235-5118
Though it opened in 1983, the décor at Silver Palace is very retro,
in a Hong Kong Dim Sum Palace style. As you might guess, Cantonese
cuisine is the speciality here. For a very good value meal, try the
special lunch and dinner buffets - but make sure your eyes are not
bigger than your stomach - leftovers on your plate will be charged
for.
Joke Club
155/25-29 Sukhumvit, Soi 11
Tel: +66 (0)2-651-2888/9
There's nothing funny about it, "joke" is the Thai for what the
Chinese call "congee". An independent restaurant located on the
ground floor of the Swiss Park Hotel, it has a Hong Kong chef and
serves up Cantonese comfort food including Dim Sum lunches and
congee suppers. A separate menu contains some up-market items such
as shark's fin and abalone, and it offers a greater choice of
desserts than is generally found in Thai - Chinese restaurants.
Reasonably priced for a cuisine that, even in Thailand, is not
particularly cheap.
Seafood
Seafood Market
89 Soi Sukhumvit 24
Tel: +66 (0)2-261-2071
Cavernous, brightly lit and tourist orientated - and depending on
your selections from the marketplace it can be pricey by local
standards. However, the freshness of the ingredients and quality of
the cooking can't be doubted. You pick your own fish from the slabs
and tanks, and then take your purchases to your table where the
waiter will offer advice and take your order for how you'd like the
food cooked. Your fish is then whisked away to the kitchens, and in
time reappears on steaming platters.
Somboon
169/7-11 Suriwongse Rd
(on the corner of Narathiwat Ratchanakarindra Rd)
Tel: +66 (0)2-233 3104
By Bangkok standards, Somboon is quite a veteran on the restaurant
scene, which has grown from its Banthadthong base to include
branches on Suriwongse, Ratchada and Sukhumvit 103. None of the
branches will ever win kudos for the decor, which consists of
brightly lit refectories with utilitarian furnishings and unadorned
walls. But nobody cares, they are here for the seafood and they are
usually here for it in large numbers. The fame of the curry fried
crab has spread beyond the borders of Thailand, putting it onto the
dining itineraries of other East/South-East Asian visitors.
Freshness is guaranteed with various crustaceans and fish coming
straight from the aquariums and a brisk turnover of business.
Informal dining - but no shorts, and cash only.
Japanese
Aoi
132/10-11 Silom Soi 6
Tel: +66 (0)2-235-2321
&
4th floor, Emporium Shopping Complex
Tel: +66 (0)2-664-8590
Sense the serenity and simple elegance of Imperial Kyoto at both
branches of this popular Japanese restaurant. The large expat
Japanese community is drawn to it as if to a magnet, the highest
possible recommendation. Plus you don't have to break the bank to
eat here - you'll be surprised at just how friendly the prices are.
Shin Daikoku
32/8 Sukhumvit Soi 19
Tel: +66 (0)2-254-9980
A single storey purpose-built restaurant just around the corner from
the Japanese consulate, Shin Daikoku is one of the older examples of
it's type in Bangkok with a loyal following. A pond dominates the
centre of the restaurant and there are several private Tatame rooms.
There is a wide range of dishes covering most of a salient themes of
the cuisine such as sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, teriyaki.
Preparation is authentic using a mix of locally caught and imported
seafood and meats. The lunchtime bento boxes are remarkable value at
around USD6 for a complete meal. It's quite easy to get of lightly
here with the regular menu, depending on choice - the bill can
steeply rise paticulary if opting for imported delicacies. There is
a satisfactory selection of sake on offer.
Indian
Planet Bollywood
13 Sathorn Soi 1, South Sathorn Rd
Tel: +66 (0)2-677-6249
Located next to the Indian Chamber of Commerce, this trendy Indian
eatery with its tongue-in-cheek title glows under its orange colour
scheme. An outsize TV next to the bar plays suprisingly sexy musical
numbers from the Bollywood movie mill. Matching the modern decor,
the menu features a balanced choice of fresh and tangy dishes deftly
and lightly executed by chefs imported from India. Portions are
quite generous and the price very keen given both quality and
quantity. Conveniently located about 5 minutes walk from the Sathorn
Road exit, Lumpini MRT station.
Other Asian
Le Dalat Indochine
14 Sukhumvit Soi 23
Tel: +66 (0)2-661-7967
This Vietnamese outlet is housed in a former Thai villa, a sign that
it is anything but ordinary. The waiting staff are outfitted as if
they were expecting the emperor himself. Fine cuisine is presented
in an intimate atmosphere (all the rooms in the villa are given over
to the restaurant and none of the dining areas are very large).
Dishes reminiscent of other parts of French Asia round out the
interesting menu.
Kongju
Pathumwan Princess Hotel
444 Phayathai Road
Tel: +66 (0)2-216-3700
Korean for 'Princess' this contempory style restaurant is
appropriately located inside the Pathumwan Princess Hotel. There are
several independent Korean restaurants around town - most of them
modestly decorated neighbourhood affairs - the 'Konju' brings a
touch of class that had hitherto been lacking in this category. But
class matters little if the food is not up to it. Luckily it is.
Tables are equipped with built-in barbeques if you want try your own
hand as chef with the meats and seafood on offer and there are
around 50 different varieties of Kimchi to accompany it. There is a
selection of rice, noodle and soup dishes, along with particular
specialities if you'd rather leave the cooking to the specialists.
Cafe de Laos
16 Silom Soi 19
Tel: +66 (0)2-635-2338
Another conversion of a well-to-do residence off Silom Road, with a
choice of seating indoors or in the garden. Lao food and Thai food
may appear quite similar but this may be due to the penetration of
North-eastern Thai cooking, which is mainly Lao in nature, onto the
regular Thai menu. The most well-known dish is Som Tam, a spicy
salad that generally features grated unripe papaya as the main
ingredient, but there are several other refreshing variations here.
Being land-locked it is river fish that provide much of the protein
- try the snakehead baked in bamboo, the flesh is delicate and has a
slightly smkoy flavour. You can also whip up your own hotpot at your
table from a spicy stock, adding various types of meat or seafood
along with fresh herbs, noodle and egg.
Bali Restaurant
153 Soi Ruam Rudi, Sukhumvit
Tel: +66 (0)2-250-0711
No doubt about what you can expect to get here. Soi Ruam Rudee is a
quiet, village-like lane in the business and embassy district, where
all the old villas now seem to serve as upscale eateries. Bali makes
neat use of its setting and offers Indonesian home cooking, one of
very few places where a range of dishes from the Malay world can be
found.
International
Ma Be Ba
93 Soi Lang Suan
Tel: +66 (0)2-254-9595
Italian appears to be Thailand's "other" cuisine, with many
restaurants flourishing in Bangkok and around the country. Scarcely
a month passes without another outlet opening. The hip and fun Ma Be
Ba opened on trendy Soi Lang Suan in 2000, but despite its none too
serious looks it has established a reputation for fine and
unpretentious Italian standards, and sublime gelati. There's also an
excellent bakery on the premises.
Le Bouchon
37/17 Patpong Soi 2, Surawongse
Tel: +66 (0)2-234-9109
An image of good dining is perhaps not one which is conjured up by a
Patpong address - but reserve your judgement. Along with Café De
Paris on the same soi, Francophiles here have two of the best and
least expensive options in the city for down-to-earth French country
cooking. Both restaurants are small and uncomplicated and trade well
on their local reputation - often overlooked by the hordes of
tourists milling around.
Athena
594 Soi Ekamai, Sukhumvit Soi 63
Tel: +66 (0)2-392-7644
With the opening of Athena in late 2001, a gap in the pantheon of
cuisines available to Bangkokians has been filled. This small but
sunny little slice of the Mediterranean down a Sukhumvit soi offers
a large range of Greek dishes - just as well since it is the only
place in the city they can be found. Saturdays are plate-smashing
nights, reserve ahead for dinner.
The Cedar
4/1 Sukhumvit Soi 49/1
Tel: +66 (0)2-391-4482
Over a quarter of a century old, this Lebanese restaurant is the
Grande Dame of the Middle Eastern dining scene in Bangkok, and still
the best. Waiters in fezzes present the menu, including at least two
dozen different types of mezze - which can form a meal in itself
without going on to the hearty main dishes or rich Arabian desserts.
Trader Vic's
Bangkok Marriott Resort and Spa, 257/1-3 Charoen Nakhon
Tel: +66 (0)2-476-0022
As if the riverside setting was not enough, inside more water flows
through an indoor jungle, which is breached by a great sailing ship.
This exotic setting forms the theatre in which Polynesian cuisine
plays a major role, with a supporting cast of tropical punches and
rum cocktails. You might feel you are an extra in an out-take from
an Indiana Jones epic, but after a couple of Fogcutters (Trader
Vic's trademark cocktails) you probably won't care.
Bars
Bangkok's bar scene blurs into both the restaurant and entertainment
categories with all providing some form of sustenance other than
alcohol, and several hosting live entertainment in the evenings.
Bars are less prevelant than restaurants, but are an impressive
mixture of styles, allowing you to drink your way round the world.
However before you begin, you should note that drinking out in
Thailand is as costly as it is in Western Europe, though this is
offset by lower prices for dining.
By no stretch of the imagination could Bangkok pass for an English
village, but it has certainly adopted a few pubs that wouldn't look
out of place back in Britain. The Bull's Head (595/10-11 Sukhumvit
Soi 33/1. Tel: +66 (0)2-259-4444) is about as near to a traditional
pub as you can get in Thailand, with its wood panelled ground floor
and hunting scenes on the placemats. Its down-to-earth pub grub,
including Sunday roasts, also scores highly amongst expats. The
Bull's stablemate, The Barbican (9/4-5 Soi Thaniya, Silom. Tel: +66
(0)2-234-3590), on the other hand is all modern chic, with polished
pine and chrome, and an up to date menu. With a window seat you can
watch the goings-on on Soi Thaniya, lined wth bars where the
Japanese businessmen come for their entertainment.
Ireland is another country with a fine reputation for bars, and the
Irish bar is the most successful export from the Emerald Isle. The
Irish X Change (formerly Shenanigans) is the successor to Delaney's
(the first such bar to open in Bangkok) with Guinness on tap and
Irish stew on the menu. Located on Silom this bar gets busy in the
early evenings as the more affluent business types while away a
couple of hours until the traffic eases off.( Evenings are more
lively with traditional Irish music on offer. The Dubliner is
located by Washington Square, near the Mambo Cabaret. This bar on
three floors has gained a reputation for its bar food. (440
Sukhumvit Rd. Tel: +66 (0)2-266-1841-2).
If you're hankering after a Guinness, what better complement than a
dozen oysters? Witch's Oyster Bar in Ruam Rudee village has a full
menu of dishes based around the popular mollusc, as well as other
high-end seafood dishes. The kitchen here will also rustle up more
traditional pub grub such as steak and kidney pie, and a very good
version of the all time favourite fish 'n chips. (Tel: +66
(0)2-251-9455).
The British Isles are not the only place with a brewing tradition.
Germany is also noted for its huge contribution to that field, and
over the past few years several microbreweries have opened their
doors in Bangkok. However, "Micro" is perhaps not the right word for
the Tawan Daeng German Brewery (462/61 Rama III Rd. Tel: +66
(0)2-678-1114) - with its capacity of 1,300 it could be mistaken for
an aircraft hangar. There's a large stage too, featuring nightly
live music. There is a selection of freshly brewed German style
beers and more than a few flavours of German cuisine on the menu,
though it's mainly Thai. Despite the size, this place is usually
quite busy on any given day. Moving further east, Mingles at the
Amari Atrium Hotel offers a selection of stronger spirits at its
Vodka Bar. Served ice cold in shot glasses, you can dispose of the
glass cossack-style, by dashing it into the fireplace. (New
Petchburi Rd. Tel: +66 (0)2-718-2000).
Crossing Sukhumvit you arrive in New Orleans in the shape of the
Bourbon Street Bar and Restaurant. Nestled in Washington Square this
long-time favourite has a loyal following who come for the
Cajun/Creole cuisine, including gumbo, crawfish and jambalaya.
(Washington Sq, 29/4-6 Sukhumvit. Tel: +66 (0)2-259-0328/9). We end
this journey in New York, or rather the Q Bar, which took its
inspiration from the lounge-bars of the Big Apple. Drinkers will be
delighted by the comprehensive list of beverages available. Star
spotters will be equally delighted by the opportunities of glimpsing
local and international celebrities who are frequent customers.
There is a cover charge on the weekends (it includes two drinks),
but every night there is musical entertainment. (34 Sukhumvit Soi
11. Tel: +66 (0)2-252-3274).
Another feature of the Bangkok drinking scene are the outdoor beer
gardens, great and small, that pop up all over town during the
cooler months (roughly from December - March). One large venue at
the Lumphini Night Bazaar has overcome the vagaries of climate and
the rains by introducing a retractable 'ceiling' and thus can
operate year-round. Typical of this type of outfit, customers
firstly must purchase coupons (unused ones are redeemable so long as
they are returned on the same day) then find a table. A variety of
stalls hawking food to enjoy with beer, from Thai fried chicken and
seafood to pizzas and kebabs with quite a lot inbetween, are ranged
down one side of the garden. Purveyors of the amber nectar are lined
along the opposite side although it is hardly ever necessary to
visit them as there is a bevvy of skimpily attired young ladies
representing various brands who'll compete eagerly for those coupons
without you having to leave your seat. Prices for imported brews
such as German Weissbiers are very keen here, cheaper than can be
had at a restaurant. A stage up front hosts a couple of bands each
evening, mainly Thai pop for this venue is very popular with the
Thai crowd. Tourists can rest their feet for a while and down a pint
before exploring the bazaar next door, or taking in a bout at the
nearby Lumphini Boxing Stadium. Lumpini Night Bazaar, Rama IV and
Witthayu Roads (opposite Lumpini Park).
|
