I have been visiting and enjoying the Bangkok bar scene for nearly 30 years. Many GI’s enjoyed their R&R’s visiting Bangkok during the Vietnam conflict days. For myself, I was visiting the Olongapo city bars in the Philippines which also were very enjoyable at that time. I always promised myself that I would get to Bangkok and finally did so in the early 80’s. I have been going back ever since. Bangkok traffic is very bad and it is best if possible to pick the area you want to drink in and find a hotel within walking distance. You can find reasonable hotels and guest houses throughout Bangkok so use your savings for more drinks and enjoy it.
There are many entertainment areas in Bangkok. I will focus on the areas that cater to the foreign expat community. This is meant to be a primer mainly for someone who has not yet visited Thailand or have had limited exposure to the bar scene here. The bars in these areas are geared up for males looking for female company as well as providing western style music, food and drink. Couples do visit from time to time these days but more out of curiosity than for any other reason.
Most of the bars you will go to have a bell or two hanging in the bar. If you ring the bell, be prepared to pay for a round of drinks for everyone in the bar. The bells don’t ring so much these days but it was quite common when the expats from the oil fields used to come to Thailand to party and spend money. Also be prepared for the girls to push you to buy drinks as they get a commission for each drink. It will get quite expensive if you buy multiple drinks as the girls tend to gang up on customers. The best thing to do is buy a drink from one and tell the rest you are not interested. Also if a girl starts to give you a massage be prepared to buy them a drink if you don’t tell them no. The best advice is to get used to saying no.
The most famous of the bar districts is Patpong which is between Silom and Suriwong Road. I have never liked this area, but it is the place that people who visit Bangkok for the first time have heard of and always plan to visit. This area is famous for their sex shows. There are some good bars there such as Goldfingers and the King Castle I and II bars. My best advice is don’t waste your time or money here. Some of the bars are major rip-offs and you don’t find out until you try to pay and find that the prices are very inflated.
Nana Plaza is another bar area that is very popular and that I still visit from time to time. This is located on Soi 4 (a Soi is a small street) just off of Sukhumvit Road. It is located directly across from the Nana Hotel. This area used to have fewer bars until the parking area was converted to outside bars. This area has some bars with similar entertainment to Patpong. I generally like to sit in one of the outside bars and watch the people walk by. It is interesting to watch the girls as they come in to work at the go-go bars there. Also beware that there are many men dressed as women working there and some tend to look better than the girls do so if this is not your style, look for tell tale signs such as they are taller than most of the girls, they talk differently, their walk is exaggerated and they still have an Adam’s Apple. Also most have had breast implants and some have had sex changes.
Soi Cowboy used to be my favorite area and I still visit the bars there, but not as much as in the past. It is located just off of Sukhumvit Road and is between Asoke and Soi 23. This used to be a great area to party and was a good place for food and drink at reasonable prices. In recent years, the cost of drinks has gone up but if you go during happy hour, the drink prices are still reasonable. You can also enjoy live music at the Country Roads bar as they have three live bands nightly. They also have pool tables and the girls love to play so you can always find someone to play. These days there are some large go-go bars such as Tilac, Shark and the Midnight Bar as well as others. This street originally had mostly single shop house bars and there are still a few left and I still tend to like to visit them. Some of the bars here also have girls who will gang up on any fresh meat that walks into the door so get used to saying “NO” so that you don’t end up with a large bar bill. There also are some bars on Soi 23 and you can find good western and Thai food there as well.
A short distance from Soi Cowboy and on the opposite side of Sukhumvit at Soi 22 is Washington Square. If you walk, you can enter the square from Sukhumvit just past Soi 22. You can walk just past the Dubliner bar and turn into the square. Straight ahead is the Sportsman Bar which years ago used to be the Washington Theater. They have good food and pool tables inside. I like to visit several of the bars here. I like the Silver Dollar for their food as well as their friendly staff. The girls here also get commissions for drinks but are not so pushy and the atmosphere is more relaxed and is popular with many of the expats who live here. Things can get lively here but don’t expect it too often as it depends on who is visiting. There are a few other bars as you walk around such as the Texas Lone Star, Easy Pub, Taffy’s and the Hare and Hound (originally located at Soi Cowboy). Also for Cajun and other American food visit the Bourbon Street restaurant and bar. This area may not be here much longer as the land is scheduled for a major development project. It could happen at any time or could be years down the road. I assume it could happen within the next year or two as some new construction has started at the corner of Sukhumvit Road and Soi 22 and many of the buildings next to the site are now empty.
As you walk out of Washington Square and across Soi 22 there is another set of bars in Queens Park Plaza. These bars open up late and close when the customers leave. I have left after dawn on numerous occasions. This area was hard hit during the recent political tension and some of these bars may close due to lack of business during that time. Hopefully business will start to pick up as this is a good late night pit stop.
There are many other bar areas in Bangkok to visit but these are the main expat areas and you should have a good time. It is also a great way to meet expats who know Bangkok and Thailand quite well. They can give you advice on other areas to go visit while in Thailand. There are some tourist magazines at the hotels which are free and also have ads for shopping while in Bangkok. There are still some good bargains to be had here so don’t pack too much. You can buy just about anything here so it is best to come packed lightly so you can pack all of the things you bought while visiting. Enjoy your trip and enjoy the party.