Soi Cowboy in Bangkok

One street, lit end to end

Soi Cowboy is a single street of go-go bars, all at ground level, and one of Bangkok's three go-go bar areas, with Nana Plaza and Patpong. It's legal, licensed nightlife, lit end to end in neon.

It's named after T.G. "Cowboy" Edwards, a retired American airman who opened the street's second bar in 1977 and often wore a cowboy hat. By the end of the 1990s the street had 31 bars.

Ask Tanner how it fits into your Sukhumvit evening.

Where is Soi Cowboy?

The Soi Cowboy location is a short lane between Sukhumvit Soi 21 (Asok Montri Road) and Soi 23, a few minutes from BTS Asok and MRT Sukhumvit.

• BTS: Asok; walk a short way along Sukhumvit Road towards Soi 23.
• MRT: Sukhumvit station, at the Asok junction.
• By car or Grab: drop-off on Soi 23 or Asok Montri Road, then walk in.

Ask Tanner to have the driver drop you at the Soi 23 end.

The bars

The Soi Cowboy bars line both sides of the lane: about 40 venues today, most of them go-go bars, with dancers on stage inside and outdoor bars along the street.

You can walk the whole lane in a few minutes and look at every door before you choose. The street has been in films, including Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004 and Bangkok Dangerous, shot there in 2006.

Then on to a club on Sukhumvit. Ask Tanner to hold your table.

How much does Soi Cowboy cost?

Soi Cowboy costs nothing to walk; you pay for your drinks, priced bar by bar. Pay for each drink as you order it and check your change.

One drink a stop is plenty; the real spend is the club table later. Ask Tanner to have it waiting.

The house rules

The rules on Soi Cowboy are simple.

• ID: bars check it, so bring your passport. The drinking age is 20.
• Photos: the neon street is fine to photograph; keep your phone away inside the bars and never point it at staff.
• One drink: if you sit down in a bar, order a drink.
• Respect: the dancers are working; be polite, and don't touch anyone.

Ask Tanner for the rest of the Sukhumvit tips before you land.

When is Soi Cowboy open?

The Soi Cowboy opening hours run from about 6pm to 2am, and the lane is at its best after 9pm, when the street fills up. It shuts at 2am: licensed clubs in some tourist areas of Bangkok can stay open until 4am, TAT says (checked November 2026), but Soi Cowboy isn't in one of the city's three late zones. For a later finish, the RCA clubs are a short ride away.

Ask Tanner to time the car to your dinner.

Soi Cowboy or Nana Plaza?

Soi Cowboy is one open-air street that you can see end to end; Nana Plaza is a three-storey building around a courtyard, a stop away near BTS Nana.

Short on time? Pick Soi Cowboy: you see the whole street in five minutes. Want both? Ask Tanner to keep the car running between them.

Is Soi Cowboy safe?

Yes, for a group that keeps an eye out: it's busy, lit and central. The thing to watch is the bill.

• Valuables: keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket.
• Touts: say no to anyone offering a detour, and keep walking.
• Help: your host is one call away, and your car waits on Sukhumvit Road.

Ask Tanner for a host who stays with the group all evening.

Getting home

The BTS stops around midnight, before the bars close, so keep a car waiting on Sukhumvit Road for 2am. Ask Tanner to have the van outside at closing.

Before and after

Soi Cowboy is a stop, not the whole evening. Dinner and a rooftop on Sukhumvit first, a walk down the lane after 9pm, then the club.

Tanner's call: walk it at 10pm, then the car to Sukhumvit Soi 11 for Levels or Sugar, five minutes away.

Ask Tanner to hold the club table for 11.

Soi Cowboy in short

• What it is: a single neon lane of licensed go-go bars, all at ground level.

• Where: between Sukhumvit Soi 21 (Asok) and Soi 23, by BTS Asok and MRT Sukhumvit.
• Hours: about 6pm to 2am, busiest after 9pm.
• About 40 venues line the lane, most of them go-go bars, and it's free to walk.
• Bring your passport, pay as you order, and keep the phone away inside the bars.
• It's named after T.G. "Cowboy" Edwards, who opened the second bar in 1977.

Checked November 2026.

What we look after

We look after the parts that make the evening easy: the car, the door and your VIP section at a club. We don't book anything on Soi Cowboy.

Our groups start with a rooftop and dinner on Sukhumvit, then the VIP section at a club: see our best clubs in Bangkok. The club bills the table, and Tanner confirms the club's total before you book. Your own van, from ฿6,500 for 10 hours for up to 4, takes you there.

Plan it with Tanner.