Entertainment in Bangkok
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Tuba
Used-furniture shop by day, Italian restaurant-bar by night. Oddly enough, this business formula is not entirely unheard of in Bangkok. Pull up a leatherette lounge and take the plunge and buy a whole bottle for once. And don’t miss the delicious chicken wings.
reviewed
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B
Saxophone Pub & Restaurant
Don’t leave town without a visit to this venerable music club. Whether you’re toasting distance from the band or perched in the 2nd-floor alcove, Saxophone’s intimate space draws the crowd into the laps of great jazz and blues musicians. The music changes each night – jazz during the week; rock, blues and beyond on weekends. Reggae-fusion sessions define Friday nights.
reviewed
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C
Slim/Flix
Ideal for the indecisive raver, this immense three-in-one complex dominating one end of RCA features chilled house on one side (Flix), while the other (Slim) does the hip hop/R & B soundtrack found across much of the city. Oh, and there’s a restaurant thrown in there somewhere as well. Despite its size, this place is packed on weekends.
reviewed
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D
Ship Inn
Only steps away from Soi Cowboy but a world away in ambience, Ship Inn provides a mature embrace for a quiet drinking crowd. The mock-Tudor bar is as well stocked as a ship captain’s quarters, and the music is gracefully at conversational volume.
reviewed
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E
Bed Supperclub
Bed has basked in the limelight for quite a few years now, but has yet to lose any of its futuristic charm. Arrive at a decent hour to squeeze in dinner, or if you’ve only got dancing on your mind, come on Tuesday for the hugely popular hip-hop night.
reviewed
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F
Koi
The bar of this trendy sushi restaurant is packed with models posing as if real life were a photo shoot. The convergence of so much eye candy is no accident, Koi lures in card-carrying models with freebies, creating a spectacle in its own right.
reviewed
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G
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Patpong
Patpong is possibly one of the most famous red-light districts in the world, however, today any ‘charm’ that the area used to possess has been eroded by modern tourism; fake Rolexes and Diesel T-shirts are more ubiquitous than flesh. There is, of course, a considerable amount of naughtiness going on, although much of it takes place upstairs and behind closed doors. If you must, before taking a seat at one of Patpong’s ‘pussy shows’, be sure to agree to the price beforehand, otherwise you’re likely to receive an astronomical bill.
reviewed
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Siam Niramit
A cultural theme park, this enchanted kingdom transports visitors to a Disneyfied version of ancient Siam with a technicoloured stage show depicting the Lanna Kingdom, the Buddhist heaven and Thai festivals. Elaborate costumes and sets are guaranteed to be spectacular both in their grandness and their indigenous interpretation.
The show is predominately popular with tour groups, but if you’re visiting independently, a free shuttle-bus service is available at Thailand Cultural Centre Metro station every 15 minutes from 6pm to 7.45pm.
reviewed
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J
Traditional Thai Puppet Theatre
The ancient art of Thai puppetry (lákhawn lék) was rescued by the late Sakorn Yangkhiawsod, more popularly known as Joe Louis, in 1985. Joe’s children now carry on the tradition. His creations are controlled by three puppeteers and can strike many humanlike poses. Modelled after the characters in the epics Ramayana and Phra Aphaimani, the puppets perform nightly at this air-conditioned theatre, conveniently located in the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, as well as at the King Power Theater.
reviewed
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Water Bar
Every new arrival should learn the whisky-set routine, a drinking tradition more at home at Thai family gatherings than in flash hotels. At this misnomered bar, a short walk from Victory Monument, the Sang Som set still reigns as the tipple of choice. The attentive waiters will keep your glass filled to the right proportions (three fingers whisky, a splash of Coke, the rest soda), after which you should offer up a toast and drain the night away.
reviewed
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L
Th Sarasin Gay Clubs
This quiet little street across from Lumphini Park has a tight cluster of intimate bars, ranging from non-orientational to gay-festive. There's disco fever at 70s Bar and karaoke at I-Chub, a bar dedicated to bear and their admirers. Bangkok has just started to develop a lesbian-only nightclub scene with two newcomers: Shela (Soi Lang Suan, Th Ploenchit) and Zeta. You'll find the clubs located between Th Ratchadamri & Soi Lang Suan.
reviewed
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Patravadi Theatre
Patravadi is Bangkok’s sole modern-dance venue. A stylish open-air theatre that also includes a gallery and restaurant, it is the brainchild of Patravadi Mejudhon, a famous Thai actor and playwright. The dance-troupe performance is a blend of traditional Thai dance and modern choreography, music and costume. The theatre is also the primary venue for the Bangkok International Fringe Festival, held in January and February.
reviewed
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Wong’s Place
An odd choice for an institution if there ever was one, this dusty den is a time warp into the backpacker world of the early 1980s. The namesake owner died several years ago, but a relative removed the padlock and picked up where Wong left off. Wong’s works equally well as a destination or a last resort, but don’t bother knocking until midnight, keeping in mind that it stays open until the last person crawls out.
reviewed
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O
Coyote on Convent
Coyote on Convent serves decent but pricey Mexican nosh with a relatively light dose of kitsch. But what really keeps the people coming, in particular Bangkok’s female population, are the 75+ varieties of margaritas. Come Wednesday evening, when from 6pm to 8pm the icy drinks are distributed free to all women who pass through the door. On weekdays the frosty drinks are buy-one-get-one-free from 3pm to 7pm.
reviewed
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P
Nang Nual Riverside Pub
In the best Thai tradition, this riverside deck blurs the lines between a restaurant and a bar. Groups of friends gather around the whisky set and plates of kàp klâem (drinking food) to watch the river and the night flow by. At certain times, the bar’s blaring pop music competes for valuable air space with the Muslim call to prayer from the temple across the river.
reviewed
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Q
Bacchus Wine Bar
Wine bars are still a new and relatively uncommon concept in Bangkok. Bacchus was among the first, and still sets the aesthetic standard with exposed brick walls, floating stairs and sculpture seating. Despite the slightly upscale setting, it’s a friendly enough place to down a glass or two of one of the 400 varieties of wine, or cop a nibble from the lengthy menu of tapas and appetisers.
reviewed
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Winks
Starting to wonder where the Thai people actually hang out? Join wannabe musicians, Kasetsart University students, the odd dah·rah (star) and any others who can’t be bothered with the Sukhumvit scene at this fun local boozer. The live bands aren’t quite as good as they are loud, but after a couple of drinks and some new friends, you’ll wish you could take the bar home with you.
reviewed
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S
Barbican
Decked out in slate-grey and blonde wood, this upscale-ish pub is an oasis of subdued cool in a strip consisting mostly of Japanese-frequented massage parlours. Where else could you suck down a few cocktails with friends from Thailand, Singapore and Norway, and then stumble out to find a line of Thai women dressed like cheap prom dates reciting ‘Hello, massage’ in faulty Japanese?
reviewed
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G-Star
G-Star appears fairly similar to Ratchada Soi 8, but the fact that it doesn’t have a sign and sits behind an empty lot suggests it has something to hide. Inside, you’ll find not one but three rather large men’s rooms. All the urinals are in cubicles with locking doors and one of the men’s rooms has particularly bad lighting. We’ll let you figure out what goes on in there.
reviewed
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Tokyo Joe’s
Recently relocated to something of a residential district – what do the neighbours think of the noise? Despite the move, the bar’s die-hard regulars still file in to witness a revolving cast of jazz, blues and rock. To see what the place is really about, come on Sunday evening, when the infamous Joe’s World Famous Blues Jam kicks off at 9.30.
reviewed
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V
Amorosa
Perched above the Arun Residence, Amorosa takes advantage of a location directly above the river and opposite Wat Arun to make it one of the best places for a sundowner in Bangkok. Watching boats ply their way along the royal river as Wat Arun is lit up behind is richly evocative of traditional ideas of the East. A memorable end to a day or start to an evening.
reviewed
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W
Noriega’s
All the way at the end of the soi, where the rainbow flag ceases to fly, Noriega’s doesn’t play the techno game. It prefers the raw noise of rotating bands of every genre, from salsa to Irish. The scene is also the unofficial headquarters of Bangkok’s Hash House Harriers (‘The drinking club with a running problem’).
reviewed
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X
Shades of Retro
As the name suggests, this eclectic place takes the vintage fad to the max. You’ll have to climb around Vespas and Gnawgahyde sofas to reach your seat, but will be rewarded with friendly service, an eclectic domestic soundtrack (the people behind Shades also run the domestic indie label Small Room) and a drink menu that includes the elusive Beerlao Dark.
reviewed
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Y
Tawandang German Brewery
It's Oktoberfest all year-round at this hangar-sized music hall, south of the city. The Thai-German food is tasty, the house-made brews are entirely potable, and the nightly stage shows make singing along a necessity. Music starts at 8.30pm.
reviewed
