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There’s an incredible mix of bars and clubs around Sukhumvit. Lower Sukhumvit (Asok and Nana) is where you'll find the Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy red-light districts. Farther east, the neighborhoods of Thong Lor and Ekkamai are the places for wealthy young Thais to party. Expect tables full of whiskey-drinking revelers listening to live music. There are also plenty of expat pubs in this area, many of which are also popular with Thais.
The entrance to this secret salsa lair is a fake telephone booth in a dark unsuspecting alley across from the Frasier Suites Sukhumvit. Inside you'll find a diverse crowd shimmying to Afro-Cuban beats, sipping Cubra Libres on leather couches, and smoking in the cigar lounge, harking back to Havana before the revolution. Free salsa dance classes are held on Sunday evenings.
This downtown rooftop bar atop the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit is known for its 360-degree panoramas and for reasonable drink prices compared to other rooftop bars.
This rooftop bar on the 33nd floor of the Frasier Suites Sukhumvit offers sweeping views of the city in sophisticated surrounds. Order a pisco sour and some Japanese-Peruvian snacks, like ceviche and sushi, and enjoy the DJ's beats.
Boutique beer lovers flock to this hip outdoor spot where, as you can guess from the name, all the brews are 100% craft. Along with the largest selection of craft beers in Bangkok---hundreds of brands rotating on 40 taps, plus bottled brews from 20 different countries---there is an excellent food menu with everything from pastrami sandwiches and rotisserie chicken to Thai and Mexican food. There's a daily happy hour from 3 to 6 pm.
There's no menu at this hidden ultra-elegant speakeasy from legendary Bangkok mixologist Joseph Boroski: you simply tell the bartender what you're in the mood for and you'll get something special, made with dashes of rare ingredients.
The craft-beer gypsy brewers from Denmark opened up shop in Bangkok at this hideaway in a residential garden home. Thirty brews come on tap, many of them experimental and avant-garde specimens found only at the world's few Mikkeller branches, as well as many bottled brews. The garden is a fine spot to relax in, and there is also a bottle shop and a popular fine-dining restaurant.
Inspired by Seoul dance clubs, MU:IN Bangkok showcases international DJs (spinning mostly EDM and house music) to create a rave or festival-like atmosphere with advanced sound and lighting. There is a B500 cover charge, plus a two-drink minimum purchase requirement.
This serious party house features top local DJs, plus occasional visiting artists from abroad, playing mostly house and techno. The bar is well-stocked and the bartenders are quick. It's pretty empty before midnight, after which the dance floor fills up and rocks past 3 am.
On any night of the week, Oskar is full of a mixed Thai and foreign crowd enjoying good cocktails and wood-fired pizzas, along with well-prepared French and European bites. The electronic beats spill out onto the street and eclectic DJs are regularly on board.
With many different beers on tap and in bottles, this very British pub tends to draw serious beer drinkers. There's a heavy emphasis on viewing sports on well-placed monitors, along with fun quiz nights on Wednesday.
This stylish nightclub evokes 1930s Shanghai, with wrought-iron alcoves, spiral staircases, red lighting, and lanterns. DJs spin upbeat electronic music, beckoning some to squeeze onto the compact dance floor and others to lounge at tables and by the bar.
