Bangkok

Melissa Williams

Thailand

Bangkok Art Book Fair

My Life As Ali Thomas

Looking for stuff to really sink your mind into? Here’s the place. A five-storey art museum filled with very interesting perspectives; a day to really dig deep into the minds of others.

Let’s go shoot some stuff! A short trip just over on the other side of the city, blow off some steam, feel that kick in your soul.

Private dinner, good conversations, paintings, pairing warmth with a sense of wholesome, feels like coming home, tastes like home. Get those warm, fuzzy feelings back in your heart.

Best live music in the city. Feel the wine flowing and drop by after dinner, whether you’re wandering alone or with company, Saxophone Pub welcomes all wanderers!

Get a massage while you’re here. Aside from the soul, your body needs soothing too.

Be weird, be curious, be whatever – here’s the place for that. Great escape – back to the basics – to simplicity. A reset button for your soul to do and be whatever it needs to.

My Life as Ali Thomas Show Us Their Favourite Spots in Bangkok

A therapeutic escape to the greener side of Bangkok for nature lovers and daytrippers. Tip: for the sunset, you can visit Hidden Woods.

Located in the historic venue of Bangkok 1899, Bar Na is a fantastic addition to Bangkok's growing scene of alternative listening bars. The atmosphere and music is spot on, complemented by a standout cocktail selection. Here's a tip: try the Pisco Sour.

Built with love, and managed by a group of amazing folks. It's fun, cosy and a space to dance with a versatile selection of music being played throughout the week. It also serves up great cocktails. A little tip: don't forget to flash a big smile and give the bartender, Arm, a high five.

All about immersing yourself in music at this bar and embracing the idea of experiencing full-length albums from beginning to end. The owner, a passionate vinyl collector, shares this collection with guests through an audiophile-grade sound system. Get involved!

A great place for runners to sweat out the week or weekend.

Sunju Hargun on Where to Unwind in Bangkok

Pyra

Best tsukemen in the country. Also ramen.

Best museum to see Thai contemporary art by local artists.

Use the AIS Super Wifi for the fastest internet in the city. Ask for the password from your AIS user friends.

Pyra’s Guide to Bangkok

It's Bangkok's most legendary shopping mall and entertainment centre. I often come here to get inspired by the diverse vibe, ranging from a cyberpunk-themed maid cafe to Teen Pop Idol gigs. You can easily spot many young cross-players and teenagers dressed in Lolita or goth fashion. Don't forget to try the excellent food court there. MBK reminds me a lot of the fresh future of Bangkok youth.

A record store where I often bump into local DJs and have conversations about music and the scene. There are always new local DJs and international ones spinning there, playing indie music and underground tracks. You can find anything from old Thai country vinyl to contemporary pop records, along with some really tasty cocktails. The bar is also owned by a singer and songwriter from my favourite all-female band: Yellow Fang.

This is Bangkok's Akihabara, the Otaku sanctuary. It's the hub of Japanese anime figures, toys and video games, where you can easily lose track of time in a paradise of eye-popping displays with fully stocked shelves of cute toys. Additionally, if you're looking for vintage cameras, this is the ideal spot to find one.

This is an iconic bar that embraces alternative and is LGBTQIA+ friendly. Here, you'll find drag queens performing lip-syncs to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' alongside Britney Spears B-side tracks. They also host karaoke nights where you can sing anything from Radiohead to Taylor Swift amid the bustling tourist street of Khao San. You'll experience a complete contrast in the vibe of this bar, almost like falling down the rabbit hole of Alice in Wonderland.

Recently, Photoautomat has become trendy among Bangkok teenagers. There are numerous photo booths across town. Among them, the one located in the midst of Siam Square (the shopping street) is the most well-known. It features various photo booths with different themes and styles, most of which look fashionable and Instagram-worthy. You'll encounter stylish Bangkok youth dressed up in Y2K fashion, patiently waiting in line to use all the photo booths there.

I swear, this is the cutest store in town filled with stickers, postcards, gliptok, posters, fan art, K-Pop keychains, Y2K fashion clothing from local artists and brands – and also sticker machines. Located in the heart of Siam Square, this store brings back the early 2000s vibe of the area where people simply enjoyed their fashion and were ready to be photographed by random photographers. You can come and get some spectacular souvenirs that will impress your friends back home.

This is the spot for hip-hop enthusiasts, where you can come to listen to new sounds from underground DJs and collectives from various cities. Blaq Lyte used to be a small bar where everyone knew each other, and it's where I met many renowned Thai rappers. Now, it has grown even larger and gained more recognition in the scene, but it still maintains the same vibe.

The Rock Pub is a classic venue that has been open for more than 20 years. It's known as Bangkok's house of punk, metal, alternative and all things rock 'n' roll with a dive bar style. Yes, it's Bangkok's CBGB, where you can hear live bands playing classic numbers like Green Day, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and many more.

As you may already know, Thailand is the land of superstition, and this occult statue in Bangkok has become its urban legend. The statue features a gargoyle-like figure with long red nails that creeps many people out. It has even been featured on national news, challenging traditional Buddhist beliefs. There is still no confirmation about whether this statue is associated with white or black magic. Therefore, my suggestion is to avoid making any deals if you don't want to get in any trouble.

Prepare yourself for the 500 Shades of Bangkok. If you have a kinky side, this one's for you. It's an LGBTQIA+ friendly cafe with a fetish and BDSM theme, owned by ForFun: a fetish wear store and a BDSM community next to it. The coffee and cocktail menu features names like Master & Slave, Bondage and Pet Play. The ambience is adorned with leather and chains, and the red light shines brightly. If you're seeking a unique afternoon tea experience with the scent of leather and a hint of pain, this is the perfect spot for you.

Nuh Peace on 10 Places You Need to Visit in Bangkok

O Thongthai

I love their book selection and gallery space. Moreover, I love the food at Aksorn by chef David Thompson on the top floor.

Art Resources offers bespoke homeware from bespoke frames, skateboards, humidor and jenga cases. Basically you can customise anything you want there.

Southern Thai food at its finest. Order Southern Thai-style hot and spicy yellow curry soup with young coconut shoot and sea bass, stir-fried stink beans and prawns with Kapi shrimp paste, stir-fried lump crab meat with fresh chilli.

FV stands for fruit and vegetable. The interior is one of a kind. The concept of the store starts from unwanted. For the products, they use local seasonal organic produce. I love the lamduan Thai flower-shaped cookie and mangosteen juice.

E-Sarn or northeastern cuisine. Order dry aged tougeus, larb kon muang (minced beef or pork with northern spice) and yum Kkanom jeen pork jowl (fermented noodle with fried pork jowl and pla la salad).

If you are visiting Bangkok, you must try kakigori Thai tea and my usual spot is After You at Silom Complex because it's just steps away from BTS Saladaeng station. It’s the place that you should visit with a few friends, so you can order many things to share.

A new restaurant and bar owned by the talented Chef Pam. The restaurant is in the Chinatown area and the food is Chinese inspired. I cannot wait to try Chef Pam’s new restaurant and hang out at local bars in Bangkok Old Town.

Exploring Bangkok With Jewellery Designer O Thongthai

An out of town izakaya that you can enjoy yourself at without the business of the city.

This is where I like to do my vintage shopping on the weekends.

My friends and I gather here for a good time. As an integral part of Bangkok's nightlife, Blaq Lyte Air is a place where you can drink, dance and appreciate the city's skyline. With DJs playing on the main floor and the kitchen room, it's a place where you can come to enjoy the music and create fun memories. Come as you are, you can be yourself here.

My favourite Isaan local street food. I bring my friends here to experience the authentic flavours of Thailand. My favourite dish is the beef larb.

The shophouse is a place for people to gather and enjoy themselves while shopping, listening to music and creating conversations. I started the shophouse to bring people together and create a sense of community.

Blaq Lyte on 5 Must-Visit Places in Bangkok

From the quality of food to the standout interior, this diner is full of beauty and charm. Home-cooked recipes from Trat, a coastal town in eastern Thailand near Cambodia, known for its seafood and curries. On my last visit there, I ordered the massaman chicken with durian, deep-fried sea bass with sweet
chilli sauce, and grilled tiger prawns with eastern-style seafood sauce. But If you desire a sweet after-meal, the desserts are good too!

The name of the restaurant definitely lives up to the taste! Try the salted crispy pork belly, Thai omelette with pork, and the yellow curry with shrimp. But a friendly heads-up, for those who aren't big on spicy food: many of the dishes pack a generous punch of heat.

A hidden gem in Bangkok’s old town, aka the Charoenkrung area. Wua Tong is one of the many serving delicious Chinese cuisine. As it is made for meat lovers, I would suggest the Qingdao beef noodles, lo pek yan (radish meatballs), and stir-fried green beans with minced pork and dried shrimp.

For all crab lovers, the crab meat garlic fried rice or mantis shrimp with chilli and basil is extremely delicious.

A real throwback to old-school Thai eateries, offering a getaway from the neighbourhood’s trendier and more modern dining spots. Try their legendary gai yang (ไกย่ า่ ง or grilled chicken), served with khao niao (Thai sticky rice) and Thai-style chilli sauce.

5 Restaurants in Bangkok Selected by Sunju Hargun

Beautiful gallery space hidden in the creative district, Charoenkrung. The building was restored from a more than 120-year-old Chinese school's structure. I love the big skylight in the middle of the space. ATT 19 fuses together multidisciplinary programmes with an exhibition space, antique retail, vintage clothing retail, restaurant and cafe. You can spend the whole day there. The exhibitions rotate usually [every] one to three months in which the creative director, Mook Attakanwong, intends to give this platform to upcoming young local emerging artists.

I'm always impressed with the exhibitions at the Jim Thompson Art Center. Early in February, I went to see the show ‘Dreamday’ by Mit Jai Inn; he created 74 sculptures displayed on a long table where the audience could actually bring any pieces home. The architecture here is stunning with a combination of concrete, brick and mesh facade. If you walk all the way to the rooftop, you will find a hidden kushiyaki place (BBQ) but an Isan version called Larb Siab.

Benchakitti Forest Park completed its expansion recently in 2022, which makes this park really the lung of central Bangkok. It's a very dense city so I love to come here to relax and breathe in nature. The landscape is beautiful here, you can bike, run or walk. The old tobacco warehouses, which were located here previously, have been restored into basketball, ping-pong and pickleball courts.

You cannot miss the nights at Studio Lam! The club offers parties with various genres and music throughout the week, ranging from luk thung, dub, reggae to house, electro and techno. You will get to see local and international talented DJs, artists and bands. Come on Wednesday for a live set, you might get to see amazing molam shows from bands like Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band and Toomturn Molam Group, or Isan Psychedelic show from Khontan & The Hymmapan Express.

Just a few steps from Studio Lam, you can find this amazing record store. It's owned by the same owner of Studio Lam; Maft Sai who is a legendary DJ in the scene globally. You can dig rare stuff here especially in Thai funk, molam, luk thung, world grooves and South East Asia's sounds. If you're a music lover, you should definitely visit this place. The staff always give really good knowledge and recommendations. The aesthetic of the shop also makes the store a super special place.

One of my favourite places to dig in Bangkok, it's hidden in the middle of Thonglor. It's located on the second floor of this house compound that has many shops inside. I found the interior of this house so interesting with all the antique decorations and suddenly you find this really cool record store! The owner of this store is a very experienced DJ and selector: Gon Loha. My friends and I found a lot of great gems here and they are in mint condition! Records here are very well selected.

Clutch can easily be someone's new favourite bar in town. The bar is located inside this restored warehouse in Taladnoi, which just reopened late 2023 after being abandoned for more than 20 years. The space is so stylish with the contrast of the raw structure of concrete and warehouse elements. Beautiful DJ decks with three turntables, which is pretty crazy! Dancing under the disco ball with perfect lighting in this space is taking me back to places like New York City. The cocktails are also really nice here with some local twists.

Baan Rim Naam has been my favourite spot for years. It's a very special space by the river owned by this talented couple; one designer who keeps renovating and upgrading this beautiful space, and another one who cooks delicious food from the kitchen. I love coming here for sunset and enjoying a live set performed by young local artists. This place is so charming and always has a special spot for me.

This is the highest point of Bangkok, with such an incredible view of the city. The Standard Hotel has been hosting many big lineups, this is another place not to miss!

This is a newly-opened spot in town and a sister restaurant of my favourite one: Charmgang. It's a very vibrant and fun spot [that takes] inspiration from colourful shophouses' interiors. With the team's creative minds in the culinary scene of Bangkok, this restaurant features tapas plate sizes that are designed to complement drinking experiences, especially with wine. Some of the dishes take inspiration from Southern Thai-Chinese recipes. Charmkrung is a fun and casual place for unique Thai cuisine and curated drinks. I'm very excited to taste more of Charmkrung!

Bangkok

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