This is our guide to traveling Bangkok, including the best restaurants, bars, and hotels… with none of the seedy Khaosan road nightlife. Our favorite luxury hotel in Bangkok is absolutely The Capella (our #2 favorite hotel in the world), and Inddee is an must stop for Michelin fans.
Traveling around Asia? Check out our Singapore Guide.
Don’t know what to pack? Here’s Jess’s Packing List.
Top Restaurants
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 7.5/10
We will absolutely return to this 1 Michelin star modern Indian restaurant on our next trip to Bangkok. The first course took a very long time to get, otherwise the service would be rated even higher (we recommend requesting a seat at the ‘cold bar’ with Martin because he’s a 10/10 service-wise, same with the GM Felice). Anyways, plan on taking your time here. The tasting menu itself was very good, but the best dish we had was the chicken add-on, which was a play on a chicken dish the chef had growing up and it was as close to perfect as it gets. The sommelier holds the title of ‘Best Sommelier in Asia’ and, while the list heavily leans on natural wines- there are also traditional wines on the list (phew). The big names in the wine industry are missing, and are instead subbed for up-and-coming producers. This can be a positive or negative, depending on what you’re looking for.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 6.5/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 5.5/10
We generally lean away from booking restaurants with a Facebook page for a website, but it is worth sending a message to Sri Trat and securing a seat. This cozy, neighborhood Thai restaurant serves delicious and traditional food in a relaxed setting. The servers are super sweet, the AC is blowing, and the bar is fully stocked. Keep in mind- the wine list is practically non-existent, but there are tons of cocktails and a great list of local beers. For traditional Thai in a more comfortable setting than street stalls, Sri Trat is your place. Make sure to order the ‘stir fried giant tiger prawns with garlic chili fish sauce’ (winning the prize for the most garlic we’ve ever seen on a dish + just being delicious).
Top Bars
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Bar Program: 9/10
Not only is this our favorite bar in Bangkok, but it is one of our favorite bars in the world (so much so that we recommend staying at Capella partly so you can end your nights here). There is very good live music almost every night, and bartenders Tae and Frank are wonderful. The ambiance is excellent, the snacks are very good (we recommend the sliders), and all the staff is lovely. It can get busy on weekends (which can provide fun people-watching as influencers pose in front of the ‘white peacock’ centerpiece), so do make sure to make a reservation.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Bar Program: 7/10
Located on the top of the Rosewood Hotel (take the elevator to the lobby, then an additional elevator across the lobby up to Lennon’s). The views of the city are exceptional, and the vibe is very ‘Mad Men’. Please order the ‘Chantana Kittiyapan’- gin, mango, lychee, and jasmin tea served up- which is one of the best cocktails we’ve had in a while (we tested out tons of these to ‘make sure they’re consistent’… they are.)
More Restaurants & Bars...
Overall: Maybe
Not rating
We went to this very casual street-side Lebanese restaurant when the traffic got too bad to make it to another lunch. Let’s just say- the hummus was highly memorable and the breads were warm and delicious. Worth a stop if you also end up needing a traffic back-up. Or worth a stop if you’re craving delicious Lebanese food.
Overall: Consider
Service: 6.5/10 Atmosphere: 6.5/10 Beverage Program: 7.5/10
10 stars go to the pretzels, which are the best we have ever had (and we’re not huge bar snack people). This bar is located in the historical House of Sathorn next to the W hotel. The drinks are very innovative. The ambiance is relaxing. Do wear mosquito repellent because it is slightly indoor-outdoor.
Overall: Maybe
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Beverage Program: 6.5/10
Located in the Four Seasons (walk through the lobby to the right, all the way end, then walk outside until you see it on your left), BKK Social is ranked #1 in Asia and #13 in the world… which should say a lot. We liked it, but we only went once (and we were staying next door). We will certainly give it another shot next time. Reservations required.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 7.5/10 Beverage Program: 6/10
This chill yakitori bar is a hipster’s dream. It is modern, it is cool, the food is good (most served on a skewer), and the bartender/servers are lovely. We went twice in one week, and definitely recommend it if you want a chill night with easy food and good people (make a reservation). Tropic City is a popular cocktail bar just down the street, for a drink afterwards.
Overall: Consider
Not rated
Ranked number 12 of Asia’s best bars, we did enjoy our first time at Vesper. Its a dimly lit bar with a creative cocktail list, and a good bartender named Sine. This last trip, we did not visit (partly because they request you make reservations on Instagram, then they never answer, and partly because there are so many other bars in Bangkok). Overall, it might be worth checking out again. Let us know what you think.
Overall: Highly Consider
Average rating over 2 visits:
Service: 6.5/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 7/10 Wine list: 7/10
The first time we went to Nahm, we loved it. So, on our following trip to Bangkok- it was the very first restaurant we booked. However, the second visit was a bit of a miss. They have 1 Michelin star, and while the service was attentive, they missed a couple simple things (like pouring wine equally). The true issue, though, was: spice. If our first visit had thai peppers in everything, our second had carolina reapers. It was so spicy that even Jess (who can eat almost anything spicy) couldn’t even finish her tom yum soup (which was one of Gio’s favorite dishes the year before). When we mentioned this, they did nothing to adjust the spice in upcoming courses. However- the wine list is pretty good, especially for Asia. But the reason we can’t highly recommend Nahm is due to the spice inconsistency.
Overall: Consider
Service: 6.5/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Food: 6.5/10 Beverage Program: NA (we can’t remember)
This rooftop Mexican restaurant next to The Standard hotel is known for it’s beautiful views and decor, rightfully securing it’s spot on the top Instagram must-visit lists. The food is also not bad. We recommend going for a drink before dinner to check it out, and staying if you feel it is right for you. There is a line for the viewing tower at the entrance to the building- do not wait in it- you can skip the line with a reservation at OJO (yes, you definitely should make a reservation- even for drinks).
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 7.5/10 Wine List: 5.5/10
This is a comfortable Chinese restaurant with good food and a traditional, relaxed restaurant setting (think Shang Palace Paris environment). Located in The Athenee Hotel, you will need to take the first elevator you see on your left (near the reception) to the restaurant’s floor. There is a crunchy shrimp spring roll that is outstanding (one is big enough for 2 people), and the peking duck was pretty good. Another recommendation is the green beans with pork (which includes a pepper that numbs your mouth a little and is oddly addicting). As for the wine list- while it may look good, they did not have any of the wines we asked for in stock, so we had to go with the manager’s replacements.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7.5/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 7/10 Beverage Program: 7/10
Tucked in the back of the Four Seasons (directly across the lobby, but you need to walk indoors around the water feature), this is a good Chinese restaurant for pretty solid peking duck. We enjoyed our visit, but it did get rather busy. Best to make a reservation.
Hotels
The Capella is our top recommendation for hotels in Bangkok (and one of our top 3 favorite hotels in the world) and is likely the only hotel we will ever stay at in Bangkok again. Located on the river and next to the Four Seasons, it is more peaceful than the center of bustling city, but it is easy to get around to other locations (however, you must plan around traffic). The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and cool. The pool is lovely and has a great view of the river. The gym is well equipped and spacious. The spa is nice, too. If there is a downside, we didn’t like the restaurant… but Stella (the bar) is so good that it more than makes up for it.
The Standard is in Silom, which is a good area for restaurants and bars. However, we left The Standard early and moved to Capella. The pool was small and fully in the sun, and we just felt a little old to be there (that being said- if you like Virgin Cruises, this might be a good fit).
The first time we went to Bangkok together, we stayed at the St. Regis, which is located in the ‘business’ area of Bangkok, and near many other 5 star hotels. While we had a good stay there, we found ourselves moving around a lot and the area itself was a little too ‘business-ey’ for our idea of vacation. However, we would recommend this hotel if that is what you are looking for.
There were certainly some advantages to staying at Rosewood Hotel– the automatic butler service for suites was nice, Lennon’s bar was good, and we personally really loved the pool (despite all the bad reviews of it online- there are very few seats and most of the pool is in the shade, which works great for us). Overall though, Rosewood is still in the ‘business’ area, which we don’t really enjoy (and the traffic makes it especially tough to get around). And while it may seem a lot in that area is connected through indoor paths, walkways are all outdoor (and it can get too hot for us).
We have visited Four Seasons for the restaurants and bars, but haven’t stayed there and probably won’t end up doing so. We did hear that some people switched hotels from Four Seasons to Capella next door, our favorite spot. Waldorf Astoria was on the short list for our last trip, but it is in the business area we don’t love. Another hotel on the short list was the Siam Kempinski, which we didn’t choose partly because of the location and partly because we were afraid there might be too many families (a plus for many, but not for us yet). We stopped by the Shangri-La for dinner one night, and based on that we would skip the whole hotel.
Tourism & Travel Notes
We highly recommend getting a hotel car to pick you up from the airport, because the exit can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re not very familiar it. Otherwise, we use Grab (basically Uber) to get around most countries in Asia, including Bangkok. Tuk-tuks are convenient for getting around traffic, but do so at your own risk because accidents are certainly not unheard of (same with Grab motorcycles, which may be quick but they do not provide helmets and yeah… we’d skip that one).
It is illegal for anyone, anywhere to sell alcohol between 2-5PM and after midnight on Sundays. This is easy to work with if you know, annoying if you go to a late lunch unaware.
We can’t imagine anyone describing Bangkok as a “very safe city”. So do be very aware, especially at night. We recommend avoiding the red light areas as a whole, for more reasons than just safety. But basically- keep your belongings close and don’t get too drunk anywhere in Bangkok. But there is much fun to be had, so enjoy!
Notable Places Visited & Not Reviewed
Benjarong Thai: Just okay food and service was lacking, we left before fully ordering what we had initially planned. Din Tai Fung Central Embassy location: Not edible (and we love Din Tai Fung in the US). Fourth Wall: (Vesper Group Bar) Skip. Their “specialty cocktail” was a French 75. Nan Bei: The crispy chicken was dry, but the pot stickers were good. Riva del Fiume: Located in the Four Seasons, this Italian restaurant was a little too “foo-foo” for us, when we really just wanted good Italian. Saawaan: Most disappointing one-Michelin star purely because of the food, which ranged from bland to inedible. Please don’t go. Salathip Thai Restaurant: Tourist trap. Shang Palace: While we love the one in Paris, we didn’t even make it into this restaurant because we had been to the hotel for dinner the night before (at Salathip) and it was straight-up dirty.
favorite moments
