Bangkok
An alarmingly short barrier at this rooftop bar is all that separates patrons from the street, 61 floors down. Moon Bar claims to be among the highest…
Must-see nightlife in Thailand
Phuket
Engulfed by beautiful Andaman and island views and bordered by glittering reflective pools, the elegant, intimate rooftop Baba Nest lounge-bar at Sri…
Hua Hin
Vana Nava Sky is Hua Hin's classiest cocktail joint. Opened in 2018, the 27th-floor stunner features marble floors and lattice iron framing high windows…
Chiang Mai
A tiny cafe with enormously good coffee. Only about 10 people fit inside, and the line often snakes down the old city block. Favourites include the Nitro…
Banglamphu
A superb modern interpretation of a classic Bangkok teahouse, this tiny, atmospheric shophouse serves delectable blends of premium tea sourced from China…
Ko Samui
With serious wow factor and spectacular panoramas, the W Retreat’s signature bar is the best place for sunset cocktails. Get there early to bag the…
Banglamphu
Tired of buckets and cocktails that revolve around Red Bull? Head to Ku Bar, the polar opposite of the Khao San party scene. Climb three floors of stairs …
Chinatown
Quirky name aside, this watering hole originally opened in 2015 as Bangkok's first craft-beer bar. Given Thailand's liquor laws (heavily tilted against…
Chiang Mai
Inspired by Australian coffee culture and using roasting skills learned in the US, this place takes your cup of joe to the highest heights, from flat…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Part storage room for over-the-top vintage furniture, part restaurant and part friendly local boozer, this quirky bar certainly doesn’t lack diversity –…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Studio Lam is an extension of uberhip record label ZudRangMa, and has a Jamaican-style sound system custom-built for world and retro-Thai DJ sets and the…
Bangkok
This deceptively classic-feeling bar-restaurant is one of the most popular watering holes in Bangkok's business district. As the name unequivocally…
Chiang Khan
The most pleasant of a number of cutesy cafes that dot Th Chai Khong, this plant-filled, wooden-shuttered, roadside perch serves excellent coffee as well…
Thanon Sukhumvit
This cool and friendly neighbourhood bar also packs in a gallery space. Arty locals and resident foreigners come for the old-school cocktails, live music,…
Khon Kaen
Khon Kaen's youthful population has spawned many good coffee shops, but this friendly, attractively cluttered, front-terrace cafe is our favourite. It…
Chinatown
No one ever expects to find a bar this sophisticated – yet this fun – in Chinatown. Tep hits the spot with Thai-tinged, contemporary interiors and boozy…
Ko Chang
Perched at the north end of the island, past the flash marina, this poolside bar has a magnificent outlook across green lawn to a secluded golden sweep of…
Nan
What an unexpected pleasure to find this sophisticated but snug bar in remote Nan. Enter speakeasy-style up the unmarked staircase to the 2nd floor of a…
Bangkok
Smalls aptly resembles a quintessential New York jazz bar. Fixtures include a revolving main door, a cheekily decadent interior, an inviting rooftop, food…
Hua Hin
Gorgeous Airspace, near Khao Takiab, is a great spot to escape the sun or even do some laptop work. Ironwork interspersed with glass, high ceilings and…
Chiang Rai
In addition to a proper cup of joe made from local beans, there are surprisingly authentic Swedish-style sweets and Western-style meals and sandwiches at…
Northeastern Thailand
Equal parts bar and cafe, this attractive, trendy place in a converted wooden shophouse serves avocado smoothies, cocktails and a global roster of beers…
Ubon Ratchathani
Local coffee enthusiast Nut has his own plantation up in Chiang Mai and he roasts his own beans in this funky and charming wooden coffee house to produce…
Chiang Mai
Good View attracts plenty of locals, with a big menu of Thai standards, Japanese dishes and Western options (mains 100B to 400B), and a nightly program of…
Loei Province
Loei is the unexpected home of one of Thailand's most serious brewmasters. Stop by this little spot for some of his own craft brews, infused with exotic…
Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat)
Hidden deep in a tiny soi east of the Thao Suranari Monument (take the second soi on your right as you walk along Th Assadang), this is where in-the-know…
Phuket Town
Some of Phuket's finest coffee (55B to 150B) is crafted at easy-going, experimental, national-award-winning Shelter, whose signature caffeine concoction…
Phuket Town
Every town should have a coffee house this cool, with a brick-and-concrete split-level design that makes it both cafe and art exhibition space. Used books…
Phuket Town
The tiled floors and flickering candles of a restyled Sino-Portuguese shophouse mark out Phuket Town's most talked-about cocktail bar. Upping the ante for…
Hat Kata
Hands down the most fabulously quirky bar in Phuket, this trippy, multi-use space bursts with colour and is smothered in uniquely brushed canvases and…
Ko Samui
The wander across the rope bridge to the treetop platform isn't for the faint-hearted, but when you get there, you'll hear the gasps long before the…
Railay
Kick back at this chill-out open-air bar decked out with tree platforms, hammocks, lounge cushions and fairy lights. Its superb and isolated waterfront…
Kanchanaburi
Hunker down with a bit of history – plus great coffee and dainty baked goods – in this primrose-yellow building on the Heritage Walking Street. This house…
Surat Thani
Part cafe, part wine bar, this stylish little spot has an interior decked out in wood, where customers sit on hip retro-style chairs as cool urban tracks…
Songkhla Province
We love this cool little coffee oasis conveniently located metres from Songkhla's old town. It is the ideal spot to take a break after a morning of…
Ko Samui
Where Samui's cool kids hang out. This local bar plays great Thai urban music and serves very reasonably priced beers and cocktails in a hip setting. Pop…
Hat Kata
Tucked into the rocks on the southernmost curl of Hat Kata Yai and seemingly intertwined with the trunk of a grand old banyan tree, laid-back, Rasta-vibe…
Ko Lipe
This is the swishest bar on Walking St, with 'love' slogans, hanging mobiles made from found objects, floor cushions on raised wooden platforms, inviting…
Ko Pha-Ngan
Sit beneath a starry sky at this pop-up stage and bar where it’s live DIY music, with anyone welcome to get up and jam. The action is usually kicked off…
Phuket Town
Hendrick's bottles filled with red roses and a red-brick bar lined with antiques set the creative tone at this experimental crafted-cocktails lounge. Thai…
