13 best bars in Bangkok

In short

The best bars in Bangkok start with Dry Wave, Bar Us and Lennon's, then Bar Sathorn and BKK Social Club.

Thirteen of the best bars in Bangkok, worth planning an evening around: eleven of the city's top cocktail bars, a Thonglor speakeasy built for a group, and the best live music bar in town.

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1Dry Wave Cocktail Studio฿฿
Dry Wave Cocktail Studio is the bar we'd start with: No. 4 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 and the top Bangkok bar on the list, the organiser's own page says. Supawit "Palm" Muttarattana opened it in Thonglor in January 2024, and the menu is built on Super Classics, drinks from different eras merged into new hybrids. It's on the 2nd floor of Sodality, 263 Thong Lo Soi 13.
Twisted classicsThonglor
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2Bar Us฿฿฿
Bar Us comes from the team behind Messenger Service: creative drinks in a small, stylish drinking room near downtown Bangkok, and No. 6 in Asia this year.
Creative drinksSukhumvit
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3Lennon's฿฿฿฿
Lennon's is the bar on the 30th floor of Rosewood Bangkok in Ploenchit, where vinyl records meet a serious cocktail list. It opens 5pm to midnight daily, Rosewood's own page says, and it's No. 7 in Asia this year.
The view and vinylPloenchit
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4Bar Sathorn฿฿฿
Bar Sathorn is the cocktail lounge of W Bangkok, inside one of the city's grandest heritage buildings, and No. 17 in Asia this year. Best for a group that wants a dressed-up first drink before dinner.
A heritage roomSathorn
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5BKK Social Club฿฿฿
BKK Social Club is at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River, and No. 20 in Asia this year. It opens daily from 5pm to midnight, the Four Seasons' 2026 press release says. Best for a group that wants glamour before dinner.
GlamourRiverside
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6Opium฿฿฿
Opium is hidden above Potong in Chinatown, inspired by Chinatown's past and New York's cocktail culture. You take a tiny lift up from Potong, one of the city's best restaurants, inside an old pharmacy.
A hidden barChinatown
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7G.O.D฿฿฿
G.O.D is a church-like bar from Niks Anuman-Rajadhon and Attaporn De-Silva. Best for a group that wants a bar that looks like nowhere else in Bangkok.
The designBangkok
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8Aqua Bar฿฿฿
Aqua Bar at the Anantara Siam is the new entry on this year's 50, with a menu called Potions of the Garden. Best for a relaxed first drink in Ratchadamri, close to the shopping malls.
A garden menuRatchadamri
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9Vesper฿฿฿
Vesper is named after James Bond's martini, and this year it's No. 56 on the extended 51 to 100 list, in Silom. Vesper's own site lists 6:30pm to 2am every night, last order 1:30am, walk-in only. See our Silom guide.
A Bangkok classicSilom
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10Mahaniyom฿฿
Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar is bright, loud and fun, with nose-to-tail cocktails and bold ingredients, and No. 76 on this year's 51 to 100 list. Of the cocktail bars here, it's the one for a group that wants a party, not a hush.
A loud, fun nightBangkok
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11Firefly฿฿฿
Firefly is a chic jazz club inside the Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel, with whimsical cocktails and a strong food menu, and No. 78 on this year's 51 to 100 list. It opens 5pm to 1am every day, Kempinski's own page says. Best for a slower evening before dinner.
JazzSindhorn Kempinski
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12Rabbit Hole฿฿
Rabbit Hole is a three-storey speakeasy behind an unmarked wooden door with a small carved rabbit head, at 125 Thonglor Road. It opens every day from 7pm to 2am, its own site says (checked November 2026). Best for a group that wants great cocktails, then the clubs. See our Thonglor guide.
A group night outThonglor
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13Saxophone Pub฿
Saxophone Pub has played live jazz and blues since 1987, near Victory Monument. There's no cover charge, the bands get going around 11pm, and weekends are hard to get a seat after 9pm, so we hold the table. For more live music, see our best jazz bars in Bangkok.
Live musicVictory Monument

Side by side

Dry Wave Cocktail Studio

Area:: Thonglor
Our pick:: No. 1
Best for:: twisted classics

Bar Us

Area:: Sukhumvit
Our pick:: No. 2
Best for:: creative drinks

Lennon's

Area:: Ploenchit
Our pick:: No. 3
Best for:: the view and vinyl

Bar Sathorn

Area:: Sathorn
Our pick:: No. 4
Best for:: a heritage room

BKK Social Club

Area:: Riverside
Our pick:: No. 5
Best for:: glamour

Opium

Area:: Chinatown
Our pick:: No. 6
Best for:: a hidden bar

G.O.D

Area:: Bangkok
Our pick:: No. 7
Best for:: the design

Aqua Bar

Area:: Ratchadamri
Our pick:: No. 8
Best for:: a garden menu

Vesper

Area:: Silom
Our pick:: No. 9
Best for:: a Bangkok classic

Mahaniyom

Area:: Bangkok
Our pick:: No. 10
Best for:: a loud, fun night

Firefly

Area:: Sindhorn Kempinski
Our pick:: No. 11
Best for:: jazz

Rabbit Hole

Area:: Thonglor
Our pick:: No. 12
Best for:: a group night out

Saxophone Pub

Area:: Victory Monument
Our pick:: No. 13
Best for:: live music

Bar	Area	Our pick	Best for
Dry Wave Cocktail Studio	Thonglor	No. 1	twisted classics
Bar Us	Sukhumvit	No. 2	creative drinks
Lennon's	Ploenchit	No. 3	the view and vinyl
Bar Sathorn	Sathorn	No. 4	a heritage room
BKK Social Club	Riverside	No. 5	glamour
Opium	Chinatown	No. 6	a hidden bar
G.O.D	Bangkok	No. 7	the design
Aqua Bar	Ratchadamri	No. 8	a garden menu
Vesper	Silom	No. 9	a Bangkok classic
Mahaniyom	Bangkok	No. 10	a loud, fun night
Firefly	Sindhorn Kempinski	No. 11	jazz
Rabbit Hole	Thonglor	No. 12	a group night out
Saxophone Pub	Victory Monument	No. 13	live music

Bangkok cocktail bars on the 50 Best lists

Eight Bangkok bars made Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026, announced on 28 July 2026, the organiser's own list shows (checked November 2026).

On The World's 50 Best Bars 2026, unveiled in Milan on 7 October 2026, Bar Us ranked No. 4 in the world, Dry Wave No. 27 and BKK Social Club No. 30, with G.O.D, Opium and Vesper on the 51 to 100 list, the organiser's world list shows.

Dry Wave was the top Bangkok bar at No. 4, then Bar Us at No. 6, Lennon's at No. 7, Bar Sathorn at No. 17, BKK Social Club at No. 20, Opium at No. 25 and Aqua Bar at No. 48, a new entry, with G.O.D also on the list.

Vesper at No. 56, Mahaniyom at No. 76 and Firefly at No. 78 made the 51 to 100 list, published on 14 July 2026. That's why eleven of our thirteen are on the 50 Best Bars lists. Ask Tanner which one suits your group's first night.

The ones that feel different

Opium, G.O.D and Lennon's feel like nowhere else: one hides above a restaurant, one looks like a church, and one is a record shop in the sky.

Opium has a secret way in, by a tiny lift from Potong, and so does Rabbit Hole, behind an unmarked door. G.O.D's church-like room looks like nowhere else, and Dry Wave's Super Classics are drinks you won't find at home.

Pick one of each and do them in a row. Ask Tanner to book the lot.

Dry Wave, Bar Us, Lennon's
BKK Social Club
Opium, above Potong
Mahaniyom

Which bar for your group?

It comes down to what you want most: the drink, the room or the party.

Most close by midnight or 2am, so do the bars first and the clubs after. Ask Tanner to hold the club table for later.

A top cocktail in a small room

Go to:: Dry Wave or Bar Us

A view and vinyl

Go to:: Lennon's

Glamour by the river

Go to:: BKK Social Club

A secret door

Go to:: Opium

A loud, fun night

Go to:: Mahaniyom

Live jazz

Go to:: Firefly

Cocktails, then the clubs

Go to:: Rabbit Hole

A live band

Go to:: Saxophone Pub

If your group wants	Go to
A top cocktail in a small room	Dry Wave or Bar Us
A view and vinyl	Lennon's
Glamour by the river	BKK Social Club
A secret door	Opium
A loud, fun night	Mahaniyom
Live jazz	Firefly
Cocktails, then the clubs	Rabbit Hole
A live band	Saxophone Pub

Where the best bars in Bangkok are

They cluster in Thonglor, home of Dry Wave and Rabbit Hole, and around Silom, Sathorn and the river, where Vesper, Bar Sathorn and BKK Social Club sit. For the best bars in Bangkok on Sukhumvit, stay in Thonglor: Dry Wave and Rabbit Hole are a short walk apart. First time? Start in Thonglor, where the bars and clubs sit close together. Ask Tanner to put the car between them.

When to go

Go from about 7pm to 10pm, before the clubs. Most open between 5pm and 7pm.

Friday and Saturday are the busiest, and Bangkok cocktail bars at the top of the lists are small and fill early, so book ahead for a group. A weeknight is the easy way into Dry Wave or Bar Us without a wait.

For live music, go late: the bands at Saxophone Pub usually get going around 11pm. Ask Tanner to book your night around it.

How we picked

We started with the 2026 Asia's 50 Best Bars list and its 51 to 100 extension, then kept the bars that work for a group of six to twelve.

Then we added two the lists leave out: Rabbit Hole, the speakeasy that turns into a party, and Saxophone Pub, the best live band in the city.

Tanner's pick: first evening in Bangkok? Dry Wave, then Rabbit Hole. Both are in Thonglor, a short walk apart.

How late they pour

Licensed venues in Bangkok's tourist areas can stay open until 4am, as TAT announced in December 2023 (checked November 2026). In Bangkok, Ministerial Regulation No. 3 sets those areas as three zones: Silom and Patpong, RCA and New Phetchaburi Road, and Ratchadaphisek.

Thonglor and Sukhumvit close at 2am, so the best bars in Bangkok are an early-evening plan, with the clubs after.

Insider tip: book the 7pm table at the small award-list bars. They fill early at weekends, and a group of eight won't walk in at 9. Ask Tanner for the 7pm slot.

Bangkok bars in short

The top three: Dry Wave, Bar Us and Lennon's, all on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026.

For the room: Bar Sathorn for heritage, BKK Social Club for glamour, Opium for a hidden door.
For a party: Mahaniyom and Rabbit Hole.
For live music: Saxophone Pub, with bands from about 11pm.
Where: mostly Thonglor, Silom, Sathorn and the river.
When: 7pm to 10pm, before the clubs; book ahead at weekends.

Checked November 2026.

After the bars

After the bars, go up to a rooftop or on to a club: see our best rooftop bars in Bangkok and best clubs in Bangkok, or the whole city in our Bangkok nightlife guide. Want the VIP section at a club after? Ask Tanner.

Getting home

The door, the car and the next stop

Three things make a group's evening easy: the booking, the car and the next stop. The top bars are small, so book ahead, and dress smart casual at the hotel bars. Your driver waits outside between bars. Then your VIP section at a club, held before you go out: about ฿10,000 to ฿30,000 for the group at a big club at the weekend, billed by the club. Plan it with Tanner.

Tanner Altman, host at Party Thailand Written by Tanner Altman · Updated 7 November 2026

Questions

Before you book

What are the best cocktail bars in Bangkok?

The best cocktail bars in Bangkok are Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bar Us and Lennon's, the city's top three on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026. Then come Bar Sathorn, BKK Social Club and Opium. Ask Tanner to book the table.

What part of Bangkok has the best nightlife?

Thonglor for cocktail bars, RCA for big clubs until 4am, Silom for rooftops and Sukhumvit Soi 11 for bars and clubs on foot.

What street in Bangkok is known for having bars?

Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor) for cocktail bars, and Sukhumvit Soi 11 for bars and clubs within walking distance. See our Soi 11 guide.

How many bars make our picks?

Thirteen of the best bars in Bangkok: eleven cocktail bars from the Asia's 50 Best Bars lists, plus Rabbit Hole, the Thonglor speakeasy, and Saxophone Pub, the live music bar that has played jazz and blues since 1987.

How much is a cocktail at Bangkok's best bars?

The award-list bars sit at the top of the Bangkok range. Ask Tanner to book the table, and he confirms each bar's prices for your group.

Do I need to book Bangkok's best bars?

For a group, yes. The best bars in Bangkok are small and fill early on Friday and Saturday, so book the 7pm table or go on a weeknight. Tanner holds the table before you go out.

Is there a dress code at Bangkok bars?

At the hotel bars, yes: dress smart casual. Ask Tanner and he checks each bar's rule for your group before you go out.

What is the most famous bar in Thailand?

Bar Us in Bangkok: No. 4 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2026, unveiled in Milan on 7 October 2026. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio tops Bangkok on Asia's 2026 list. Hold the 7pm table with Tanner.

Is there a speakeasy bar in Bangkok?

Yes. Rabbit Hole in Thonglor is a three-storey speakeasy behind an unmarked wooden door, open every day from 7pm to 2am, its own site says. Opium hides above Potong in Chinatown, up a tiny lift. Tanner holds both.

What is the number one bar in the world?

Bar Leone in Hong Kong is No. 1 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2026, the organiser's list shows. Bangkok's highest is Bar Us at No. 4, with Dry Wave at No. 27 and BKK Social Club at No. 30.

Plan it

Plan it with Tanner

Question 1 of 6

Are you in Thailand now?

Sources

Credits: top photo AI-generated image.