The pitch: an editor's read on Penicillin Bangkok
Penicillin Bangkok sits on Sukhumvit 49 in Thonglor, the second outpost of Hong Kong's Asia's 50 Best regular which opened in late 2024. The bar follows the original's zero-waste programme: every cocktail starts from a fermented or upcycled Thai ingredient sourced within 300 kilometres of Bangkok.
This is the room for a drinker who tracks Asia's 50 Best results and wants to see what Agung Prabowo's sustainability template looks like with Thai pantry inputs. Skip it if a B280 highball and a sidewalk seat is the night you wanted.
The room: a closer read
The room runs as a 32-seat counter with a fermentation lab visible through glass behind the back bar. Time Out Bangkok's October 2024 opening report called the space 'closer to a working chef's pass than a cocktail bar', and the kit lined up across the back wall backs that read.
Closer to a working chef's pass than a cocktail bar.
What to order, and what to skip
The list runs short and the bar runs it on its own terms. Order from the signatures.
Skip the off-list improvisations on a first visit. The published list is the room's editorial position; the bartenders built every serve to earn its place.
The crowd: who shows up, and when
The crowd skews hospitality industry until 9pm and Thonglor regulars from 9pm to midnight. r/bangkok cocktail threads consistently flag the 8pm seating as the bar's best window for a conversation with the head bartender.
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What regulars say
- “Reserve. Walk-ins after 8pm are a 40-minute wait on weekends.” (r/bangkok cocktail thread, 2025)
- “Order the Sober Penicillin even if you drink. It is the test cocktail.” (Google Maps review, March 2026)
- “The fermentation flight is B780 and worth it once.” (TripAdvisor review, February 2026)
- “Loud at the bar after 10pm. Take a counter seat for the talk-through.” (Asia's 50 Best 2025 long-list note)
Who it is for
- Cocktail nerds tracking Asia's 50 Best long-list bars in Bangkok.
- Travellers planning a Thonglor cocktail crawl that ends at Rabbit Hole or Q&A Bar.
- Sober and low-ABV drinkers. The non-alcoholic list runs eight serves deep.
- Avoid if a B280 mojito and a sidewalk seat is the brief. Try Telephone Pub instead.