Sukhumvit

Eat and meet

Sukhumvit - Cafes

Elefin Coffee Shop

Recharge here

11/26 Sukhumvit Soi 1, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 655 3200

In a city that sometimes seems over run with Starbucks, this is the café one wishes was on every corner. It's a comfortable place to get charged up for the day, or refresh with an afternoon cuppa. Elefin coffee roasts their own beans (most sourced from Thailand — keep this in mind if you ... read more
Hundred Children Tea House

Coffee and pastries

326/1-3 Sukhumvit Soi 14, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 229 4424

Did you ever wish you had a Chinese grandma who would feed you tea and cakes while sitting you down on some seriously over-sized carved wooden furniture? Well, it's time to make that fantasy come true at Hundred Children Tea House. Two stories of antiques have been combined with a ground floor ... read more

Sukhumvit - Thai

Soul Food Mahanakorn

Highly recommended

56/10 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Soi Thong Lor), Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 714 7708

Soul Food Mahanakorn is what you want your neighbourhood Thai place to be like. The dining room is minimalist without being spare, comfortable without being complicated. The food, too, follows this successful formula: seasonal, ingredient-inspired, perfectly-executed Thai. The bar makes ... read more
Vientiane Kitchen

Traditional Lao and Isaan food

Sukhumvit Soi 36, Sukhumvit Rd (Corner of Soi 36 and Soi Napha Sap 1, about 500 metres down the soi from Sukhumvit Rd)
T: (02) 258 6171

This open air dining hall serves up traditional Lao and Isaan food (think som tam, laap and grilled meats) in a rustic atmosphere. If Thais were cowboys, there would be a hitching post out front. Vientiane Kitchen serves spicy food, no doubt, but they are more than happy to tone down the heat if ... read more
Bo.lan

The set menu is the way to go

42 Soi Pichai Ronnarong Songkram, Sukhumvit 26, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 260 2962

Bo.lan is presently one of les enfant terribles of Thai food in Bangkok, in fine company with Nahm and Soul Food Mahanakorn, that have changed the way that (some) Thais think about their food. Alice Waters began to refine how Americans thought about seasonality and it's affect on eating habits; Bo ... read more
Suk 11 Restaurant

A chilled out escape from the party scene

1/13 Soi Sukhumvit 11, Bangkok
T: (022) 535 9278

Tucked off a sub-soi of lively (or raucous when it gets late) Sukhumvit Soi 11, Suk 11 restaurant is a low-key place to lounge with a few drinks, free WiFi and some excellent eats. Unlike many tourist-oriented restaurants, Suk 11 prepares a range of authentic Thai food that isn't watered down for ... read more
Kua Kling Pak Sot

Watch out for those chillies

98/1 Thong Lor Soi 5
T: (02) 185 3977

About fifty metres off of Thong Lor Soi 5, Kua Kling Pak Sot proffers up amazing southern-style Thai food. The small dining room is watched over by a benevolent matriarch who also organizes the troops in the kitchen. Yellow curries, fried prawns in tamarind, and sataw (a sort of cross between ... read more
Baan Khanitha Restaurant

Traditional central Thai food

31/1 Soi Sukhumvit 23, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 258 4181

Baan Khanitha serves up traditional central Thai food from a traditional wooden house set in a leafy green courtyard. The air con dining room is furnished with Thai antique furniture and royal newspaper clippings from the 1930s and the back patio is shaded by palms and banana trees; both options ... read more
Cabbages and Condoms

An institution in Bangkok

10 Sukhumvit Soi 12, Sukhumvit Rd (400 meters down the soi, right-hand side)
T: (02) 229 4610

An institution in Bangkok, Cabbages and Condoms is operated by the non-governmental Population and Community Development Organization. They work to educate the public about the benefits of population control and to fund community development projects. The Sukhumvit 12 location is a popular option ... read more
Suda Restaurant

Ice cold beers

6-6/1 Sukhumvit 14, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 229 4664

This place, tucked back down Soi 14 off of Sukhumvit, serves a solid menu of Thai-Chinese food and serves ice-cold draft beer. Try their stir-fried morning glory, whole fried fish or pork satay with peanut sauce. Popular during the afternoon with office workers nearby, in the evenings the ... read more
Streetfood: Sukhumvit Soi 1

Inexpensive and authentic

Fifteen meters to the east from the intersection of Sukhumvit Soi 1 and Sukhumvit Rd, next to the Legacy Express Hotel

A few metres from the entrance to Sukhumvit Soi is a sheet metal covered food hall. This centre follows the standard formula: tables are communal, order your food from the vendor that sells it, order your drinks from the roving drinks server. It's a great inexpensive and authentic option in this ... read more

Sukhumvit - Other Asian

Tan Tan Men

Good ramen

595/20 Soi Sukhumvit 33/1, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 662 2084

While not the first thing one thinks of when one considers eating options in Bangkok, the city's large Japanese population demands good ramen, and good ramen Tan Tan Men delivers. While there is a lot of passable ramen in Thailand, but few deliver the intensely flavoured broth and chewy noodles ... read more
Le Dalat

Hue cuisine in Bangkok

57 Sukhumvit Soi 23, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 259 9593

This elegant restaurant is designed in the Hue-style, or the style of the Vietnamese court when the French arrived. The food isn’t outshone by the surroundings. Bahn hoi thit quay is a glazed piece of roast pork served with vermicelli noodles, baby jackfruit and boudin that is exceptional here, ... read more
Tsu / Nami

The sushi is especially excellent

Basement Level, JW Marriott, 4 Sukhumvit Rd (at Soi 2)
T: (02) 656 7709

These two separate restaurants, one a teppanyaki grill and the other a sushi house, are combined into one in this cool space in the JW Marriott. Choose to sit at the sushi bar, around a teppanyaki grill, or at one of the tables. The restaurant attracts a high-society group of Thais, Japanese ... read more
Bon Chon Chicken

Delicious

2nd Fl Seenspace 13, Thong Lor Soi 13, Thong Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55)
T: (02) 185.2361

Bon Chon has a history of making a splash when this Korean fried chicken restaurant first opens in a new city — but how would it fare in Bangkok, a city with a pretty amazing fried chicken tradition of its own? Whether its roaring popularity has to do with young Thai's fascination with all ... read more

Sukhumvit - Indian and Middle Eastern

Indus

High end Indian

71 Sukhumvit Soi 26, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 258 4900

Indian food in many countries has laboured to get out of the ethnic cheap eats category of cuisine. While in Thailand Indian food has always been a bit of a spend compared to other options, it took Indus to make Bangkok sit up and take notice of how amazing this cuisine can be when prepared by the ... read more
Mrs. Balbir's

A fixture in Bangkok for over 30 years

155/1-2 Sukhumvit Soi 11/1, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 651 0498

Mrs. Balbir has been a fixture in Bangkok for over 30 years, starting with cooking classes in her home. Her eponymous dining room is modern and airy, and the kitchen puts out solid (if slightly pricey) Punjabi and Northern Indian cuisine. The lamb rogan josh and chicken tikka masala are both ... read more
Moghul Room

Good value for money.

1/16 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Rd (enter the small sub soi across from the Ambassador Hotel on Soi 11)
T: (02) 253 4465

The Moghul Room is a solid choice on Sukhumvit Soi 11 for some excellent North Indian food. The menu is heavily Punjabi, but also includes some Kashmiri influences as well as some Indian-Chinese dishes. The peshawari kebabs and Punjabi gosht karrahi are both excellent, and good vegetarian ... read more
Shahrazad Restaurant

Makes a mean hummus

6/8 Sukhumvit Soi 3/1, Sukhumvit Soi 3
T: (02) 251 3666

Located in the middle of the most Arab part of Bangkok, Shahrazad roasts lamb and chicken. It also crushes eggplant for baba ghanoush, and makes a mean hummus drizzled with olive oil and sumac powder, served with a stack of crispy naan still soft on the inside. The dining room looks like ... read more
Khana Khazana

Does not fail to satisfy

153 Sukhumvit Soi 11/1, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 255 2298

This pure vegetarian restaurant does not fail to satisfy. Dosa come off the griddle crispy and savoury, wrapped around a perfectly spiced potato and vegetable masala. North Indian paneer is seared and then simmered in a bright green saag (spinach curry). Navratan Korma hits just the right sweet ... read more

Sukhumvit - European

Bella Napoli Pizza

Excellent pizza

3/1 Sukhumvit Soi 31, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 259 0405

Bella Napoli is the pizza joint that everyone wants in their neighbourhood. Intimate and friendly without being overbearing, the staff serves forth excellent pizza baked in a proper domed pizza oven. The menu is short and well selected — more than a dozen kinds of pizza, a few well done salads ... read more
L'Opera Italian Restaurant

Still going strong

53 Sukhumvit Soi 39, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 258 5606

This place is a Bangkok tradition still going strong today. Somewhat difficult to walk to (it's about 800 meters up Soi 39 from Sukhumvit Rd), L'Opera has a solid if uninspiring Italian menu that features standard antipasti, pasta preparations, and roasted meats. The food is well prepared and ... read more
Fat Fish Bistro

French-inspired dishes

20/4 Sukhumvit 31, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 261 2056

Fat Fish offers a menu of modern, French-inspired dishes showcasing fish in all its varieties. The dining room is simple and modern, and seems appropriate to the aims of the kitchen: uncomplicated, delicious food. The weekly menu keeps things fresh and allows the chef to constantly provide ... read more
La Buca Italian Restaurant

Damn good pasta

220/4 Soi Sukhumvit 1, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 253 3190

Sometimes you just need some damn pasta. Oreste Casorati understands. A cook for twenty-five years in Europe and the Middle East, he opened La Buca in 2002 and has slowly built a client base of people who come back because they need his pasta, his damn good pasta. The food is classic northern ... read more
Govinda

Great vege food

6/5/6/6 Sukhumvit Soi 22, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 663 4970

Govinda is an odd duck on the Bangkok food scene. With the name of an Indian god, it's a relaxed Italian bistro that only serves vegetarian fare. The food is great, and no one misses the meat, with excellent eggless pasta hand rolled in the kitchen, excellent pizza, and gnocci that are some of ... read more
Tilac German Restaurant

Stick to German

38 Soi Suhkumvit 1, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 255.6881

Wake up this morning with a craving for blood sausage served with sauerkraut and a fried egg as breakfast? No? Weird. Tilac German Restaurant serves up classic German fare like the previously mentioned blutwurst mit sauerkraut as well as schnitzel, currywurst, and plenty of fried things. Tilac ... read more

Sukhumvit - International

Fat Gut'z Saloon

So worth the coronary

264 Thong Lor Soi 12, Thong Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55)
T: (02) 714 9832

Think sultry boudoir saloon full of old-timey whores, not dusty cowboy bar saloon and you'll be on the right track. Cool design and a great cocktail list make this bar a favourite amongst Thong Lor regulars. Fat Gut'z huge fish and chip portion is enough to stop anyone's heart but it is so ... read more
New York Steakhouse

If you've got the cash to burn

Mezzanine, JW Marriot Bangkok, 4 Sukhumvit Rd (at Soi 2)
T: (02) 656 7700 ext 4240

If you've got the cash to burn, this is one of the best steaks you are going to find in Bangkok. The beef is dry aged American grass-fed that is flown in weekly, and the price reflects that. Tucked away on the mezzanine level of the JW Marriot Bangkok, the décor is leather and dark paneling, ... read more
Crêpes & Co.

A hit with the Bangkok brunch crowd

18 Sukhumvit Soi 12
T: (02) 653 3990

Opened in 1996, this crêperie has been a consistent favourite with the Bangkok brunch crowd. Serving a menu of faithful variations on the humble crêpe, there is also a weekly menu featuring classic French dishes. It's a bit on the spendy side, but the food is very well prepared and lunch ... read more
Charlie Brown's Mexican Cantina

Excellent margaritas

1/23 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Rd (enter the small sub soi across from the Ambassador Hotel)
T: (02) 651 2215

Charlie's Cantina opened in 1992 to bring sustenance to a city hungry for Mexican food. OK, well maybe it was expat and travelling North Americans who were hungry, but either way, Charlie's Cantina served it up. The menu reads like an edited version (a good, concise edit) of many tex-mex ... read more
Sunrise Tacos

Open 24 hours

234 / 5-6 Sukhumvit Rd (between Soi 12 & 14)
T: (02) 229 4851

This Mexican restaurant provides all the Tex-mex standards to fill that taco shaped hole in your stomach. Taco plates, enchiladas (both rojo and verde, as well as suizas), and melty, spicy nachos are spot on, especially when washed down with a margarita. Not as authentic as La Monita, but it ... read more
V8 Diner

Open 24 hours, cheap drinks

284 Sukhumvit Rd (between Soi 12 & 14)
T: (02) 229 4453

This diner is good for only two things: it serves a good breakfast 24 hours a day, and it has ridiculously cheap drinks from 13:00 - 01:00. Kitted out it a faux Route 66 décor, it's hilariously tacky, but in a fun way. Their menu is half American highway rest stop food: hamburgers, hot dogs, ... read more

Sukhumvit - Pubs, bars and clubs

Iron Fairies

Worth every penny

394 Thong Lor Road (Sukhumvit Soi 55)
T: (08) 4425 8080

Iron Fairies is a fantastical steampunk vision of a 1920s speakeasy. Filled with art work created by the owner (and named after iron workers from a children's book the owner wrote), it's an amazing space complimented by solid cocktails and great music. The iron works that fill the walls, form ... read more
Q Bar

Possibly Bangkok's best club

34 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 252 3274

Q Bar is quite possibly Bangkok's best club. Intimate and rarefied without being exclusive, it's richly decorated bar and lounge set the mood for an evening of good liquor and smooth beats laid down by excellent DJs. Music varies by night, but is solidly lounge house with some hip-hop and ... read more
Demo

A hit

Thong Lor Soi 10 next to Funky Villa, behind Muse
T: (085) 250 2000

More gritty-hipster-Brooklyn than rich-high-society-Bangkok, this club has been a hit since the doors opened. The industrial feel of the exposed brick-and-beams really works in this space, and blessedly the designers left enough room for a real dance floor. Out front is a deck for socializing and ... read more
House of Beers

Go for the beers

522/3 Soi 16, Thong Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55)
T: (02) 392 3153

House of Beers was opened by a Belgian beer distributor to showcase he wares and to date has one of the largest Belgian beer selections in Thailand. Over 35 brews are available (with their appropriate accompanying glass ware!), but Chang, Leo, and Heineken have been banned from the building. It's ... read more
Mellow

Enjoy the vibe

Penny's Landing, Soi 16, Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lor)
T: (02) 390 4655

This bar's clean lines and minimalist wooden interior are inviting and warm, but that's not really why people come to this neighbourhood bar: it's to have a drink, a bite, and to enjoy the vibe. The cocktail selection is interesting, ranging from classic mixed drinks to shochu-based cocktails. ... read more
Rabbits 3 Karaoke

Best in town

Asok Tower Building, Asoke Rd
T: (02) 261 2593

Bangkok has several box karaoke places, but one our favourites is Rabbits 3 Karaoke which showcases one of the best English-language selections in Bangkok. When you arrive at Rabbits 3 Karaoke, you select a room based on the number of people in your group — the price rises with the size of the ... read more
Cheap Charlie's

No pooping

Sukhumvit Soi 11, just past Zanzibar on subsoi on the left
T: (02) 253 4648

Cheap Charlie's is a Bangkok institution. A few tables and stools placed haphazardly on the pavement in front of a bar constructed of driftwood and adorned with skulls, model trains, retro toys and abandoned wasps' nests â€” it's not what you expect to find off one of Bangkok's busiest sois, ... read more
Nest

Popular hangout for trendy young things

Rooftop, LeFenix Hotel, 33/33 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 255 0638

Perched on the ninth-storey rooftop of the LeFenix Hotel, Nest is a popular hangout for trendy young things and expat workers. A healthy cocktail list and good music help take the edge off the evening, but the real draw is the location. Covered by a retractable fabric roof when it rains, the bar ... read more
The Bull's Head

A great British pub

595/10-11 Sukhumvit Soi 33/1, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 259 4444

With hard wood floors, brass fittings, and a long bar with draft handles lining the back, The Bull's Head definitely looks the part of a British Pub. It won the award of Best British Pub in Thailand in 2010 for good reason: it has friendly, good-natured staff, a congenial atmosphere, and cold, cold ... read more
Bourbon Street Bangkok

A real taste of New Orleans

Sukhumvit Soi 63 (Ekkamai), Bangkok
T: (023) 816 8013

Owned and operated by a native of Louisiana's Crescent City, Southeast Asia's only New Orleans-style Cajun-Creole restaurant exceeded our expectations. The large, airy and lively establishment is staffed by Thais, but a quick listen to the New Orleans funk and jazz selections that usually pump ... read more
Glow Club

A pretty cool underground lounge

96/4-5 Sukhumvit Soi 23. Take your first right on Soi 23,then your first left, located on the left-hand side
T: (02) 261 4446

Glow is trying to provide an underground club experience in Bangkok, and it's partially succeeding. The underground lounge space is actually pretty cool and has a good bar to keep the edge off things, but the music selection and DJ roster can be a bit confusing sometimes. Their sound system is ... read more
The Australian

A sports bar with more

37 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Rd
T: (02) 651 0800

As devoted to sport as the Lucky Country itself is, this large bar has pool upstairs and a plethora of flat-screens tuned to broadcasts of Aussie-rules football, rugby, and as always, the Cricket. Aussie beers Pure Blonde and Victoria Bitter amongst others are on tap alongside regional brews ... read more
Insomnia

Plenty of space to dance like you mean it

234 Sukhumvit Rd (Entrance either through V8 Diner off Sukhumvit Rd between Soi 12 and 14, or about 50 metres down Soi 12 on the left)
T: (02) 653 2923

Insomnia is a popular club in Pattaya that opened a space in Bangkok in November 2010. It is a big, black warehouse looking structure with a booming sound system and plenty of space to dance like you mean it. The front door staff is a bit of a mess — your correspondent has waited fifteen ... read more
The Dubliner

The only Irish-run Irish bar in Bangkok

440 Sukhumvit Rd (b/w Sukhumvit Soi 22 & 24)
T: (02) 204 1841

The only Irish-run Irish bar in Bangkok, the Dubliner ticks all the boxes: wooden interior, potatoes all over the menu, and Kilkenny and Murphy's Stout on tap. Happy hour runs daily from 16:00 - 19:00 with Heineken, Asahi, and Tiger pints for 95 baht, and on Tuesdays all imported drafts are 15% ... read more
The Londoner Brewpub

Popular pub with expat prices

591 UBC II Building, Basement B 104, Soi Sukhumvit 33
T: (02) 261 0238

The Londoner is one of only a handful of brewpubs in Bangkok; try their London Pilsner 33 or Londoner's Pride Cream Lager which are both brewed by the pub. The Londoner is a good bet during Wednesday when drafts and house-pour cocktails are two-for-one (note that the second drink must be the same ... read more