Editorial
Bangkok's cocktail scene became Asia's most exciting in the past five years. Backstage and Opium both sit on Asia's 50 Best Bars, and Mahaniyom ranks among the city's best at the Bangkok Bar Show Awards. The nine below concentrate in Sukhumvit and Chinatown, Bangkok's two serious cocktail districts. Most peak between midnight and 2am.
Backstage hides behind a theatre theme on Sukhumvit, a small room that has landed on Asia's 50 Best Bars. The cocktails are precise and produce-driven, the service warm, the seats few. Reservations help. Best early in the night for a place at the bar and the bartenders' attention. Go midweek, since the room books out on weekends.
Mahaniyom ranked 13th at the 2025 Bangkok Bar Show Awards and works Thai ingredients into a tight, seasonal menu. The Ekkamai room is calm and modern, built for the drink rather than the scene. The kitchen sends sharp bar snacks. Best for a focused early evening, ordering from the signature list. Reserve ahead on Fridays and Saturdays.
Teens of Thailand is the gin-led speakeasy in Chinatown that helped open the district's bar scene. Push the heavy wooden door into a small, dim room. The menu leans on gin and Thai produce, and the crowd is young and in the know. Best late on a weeknight, when Soi Nana settles. Cash helps and seats are limited.
Vesper sits on Convent Road in Silom and ranked 7th at the 2025 Bangkok Bar Show Awards. The room runs as a restaurant and cocktail bar, strong on Italian aperitivo done by Thai hands. Order a negroni or a martini and a plate from the kitchen. Best for an early, polished drink before dinner. Book for the bar on weekends.
Find the Locker Room hides behind a locker door in Thonglor, off Sukhumvit Soi 55. Inside is a low, leather-lined speakeasy with a classics-led list and a steady late crowd. The bartenders steer well. Best after midnight as a Thonglor nightcap. Go on a weeknight, since the small room fills once the surrounding bars empty out.
Asia Today is the Chinatown room from the Teens of Thailand crew, a bright, retro space that plays the classics straight. The list is short and reliable, the welcome easy, the prices fair. It draws regulars more than tourists. Best as an early or mid-evening stop on a Chinatown crawl. Go midweek for a seat without the wait.
Q&A Bar tucks into an alley on Sukhumvit Soi 21, behind a small sign on a green marble wall, styled as a vintage train carriage. The cocktail list rotates monthly, classics with a tweak. It opens Monday to Saturday from 7pm to 2am. Best early evening for a quiet seat in the narrow room. The team also runs Sugarray nearby.
Opium occupies the top two floors of a 120-year-old Chinatown shophouse above the restaurant Potong, and ranked 43rd on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025. The menu runs to nearly 50 drinks plus four house gins, served in black-lacquer rooms. It suits a serious cocktail night. Best for a late seat after dinner at Potong. Reserve well ahead.
The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental has run since 1953 and remains Bangkok's grand jazz-and-cocktail room. Live jazz plays most nights, the drinks are classic and exacting, the dress smart. It is the city's most formal cocktail seat. Best for a slow, dressed-up evening with live music. Book a table for weekend sets, when the room fills.
Cocktail Bars
Aksorn sits on the fifth floor of Central: The Original Store on Charoenkrung in Bang Rak, chef David Thompson's one-Michelin-star Thai room with a rooftop bar and terrace. The rolling tasting menu draws on vintage Thai cookbooks and pairs with cocktails on the deck.
Cocktail Bars
Eat Me has poured Thai-accented cocktails off Convent Road in Silom since 1998. Mixologist Pop Direkrittikul's Sip Some Thai list uses toasted rice and local shallot, and the kitchen earned repeat places on Asia's 50 Best between 2013 and 2018.
Cocktail Bars
Ms. Maria and Mr. Singh sits above Gaggan Anand on Sukhumvit 31, an Indian-Mexican menu built around a fictional love story. The generous terrace, an award-winning wine list, and a 2025 place on Asia's 50 Best make it a Watthana fixture.
Bangkok pairs Asian-ingredient invention, Thai herbs, fruit and palm sugar, with Tokyo-derived discipline. The result is a cocktail vocabulary unlike anywhere else. Mahaniyom and Backstage are essential, and Opium is the Chinatown room to build a night around. Vesper covers the Italian aperitivo done by Thai hands.
Fredrik Filipsson covers flagship-city bars for barsforKings. He rates Backstage for the most precise drinks in the city and The Bamboo Bar for the jazz.