Bangkok
Sky bars are a Bangkok subgenre. Eight venues sit above the 25th floor and run open-air decks with full cocktail programs. Here is each one ranked by floor number and by what is actually in the glass.
Floor number first, editor opinion second. Sky Bar at Lebua wins on altitude. Park Society wins on view-to-cocktail ratio. Octave wins on price per glass.
Rooftop Bars
The 63rd-floor rooftop made famous by The Hangover Part II is still one of the highest open-air bars in Bangkok. The Hangovertini exists because tourists ask for it. Skip the hype, take the Champagne Flight, and sit at the gold dome at the corner of the deck. Dress code is enforced.
Rooftop Bars
Vertigo at Banyan Tree sits on the 61st floor and feels like a yacht moored above Sathorn. The Bangkok 75 is the right pour. Two seatings most nights, the second is calmer. Wind permitting. Book at least two days ahead on weekends or you eat at the lower-level Moon Bar.
Rooftop Bars
The 59th-floor Champagne deck above CentralWorld, run by Centara. The Champagne Flight is what brings people. The view sweeps from Lumphini Park to the Chao Phraya, which is the entire skyline in one frame. Reservations strongly recommended for the outer rail seats.
Rooftop Bars
Three levels of open-air drinking above the Marriott Sukhumvit 57, with the top floor offering a 360-degree view. The Octave Spritz is the easy order. Cover charge sometimes applies on weekends. Less formal than Sky Bar or Vertigo, and the prices reflect that.
Rooftop Bars
The 40th-floor rooftop above the Anantara Bangkok Sathorn. The Zoom 75 is the cocktail. Less famous than Vertigo or Sky Bar, which is the entire pitch. The west-facing rail catches the sunset over the river and the prices land 25 percent under the named rooftops.
Rooftop Bars
The 32nd-floor lounge at the Millennium Hilton on the Thonburi side of the river. The Three Sixty Sour reads like a postcard. The view back across the Chao Phraya at sunset is the best argument for crossing the bridge. Live jazz nightly from 8.30pm.
Rooftop Bars
The 29th-floor rooftop of the Sofitel So on North Sathorn Road, looking over Lumphini Park. The Park 75 is the order. Open daily from 6pm. The half-moon outdoor lounge is where to sit. Less crowded than Sky Bar on a Tuesday, and the drinks list runs deeper.
Rooftop Bars
Above Eleven sits on the 33rd floor of the Fraser Suites on Sukhumvit 11 and runs a Latin American kitchen and bar program. The Above Eleven Mojito is the order. Open from 6pm. Best for a starter rooftop on a multi-bar Sukhumvit night.
If you are not in the mood for a sky bar tonight, here is what else is open across the city.
We sort this list by altitude first because that is what most readers came for. Editorial ranking sits inside each card. Dress codes apply at all $$$$ venues. Closed-toe shoes, collared shirt, no shorts.
Floor number first, editor opinion second. Sky Bar at Lebua wins on altitude. Park Society wins on view-to-cocktail ratio. Octave wins on price per glass.
The 63rd-floor rooftop made famous by The Hangover Part II is still one of the highest open-air bars in Bangkok. The Hangovertini exists because tourists ask for it. Skip the hype, take the Champagne Flight, and sit at the gold dome at the corner of the deck. Dress code is enforced.