I Went To All The Best NEW Bars In Bangkok

18 months since I was in Bangkok last, and a bunch of amazing new cocktail bars have opened up. So let’s go to all the best new bars in Bangkok.

Tweets by valianes
https://www.youtube.com/valianes
https://www.instagram.com/mojo.ca
https://www.twitch.tv/mojo

WHERE I WENT

0:00 Intro
0:27 Mahaniyom
2:57 Gaze
4:00 2463
4:54 TEP
6:06 TAX
7:10 Lucky Duck
8:13 Independence
9:53 Widdershins
11:00 HEX
12:28 Glass Half Full
13:29 Curry Break!
14:30 Opium
16:33 Ray Cocktail & Bite
18:45 Midlife Crisis
19:51 Inside
22:00 Outro

It’s been 18 months since I was last in Bangkok  and the bar scene in the city has evolved at   an incredible rate. Dozens of amazing new  bars have popped up, including some that   have already charted on Asia’s Top 50 bars list.  The first video I posted on this channel was a  

Bangkok video, and we’re due for an update, so  let’s go to all the best NEW bars in Bangkok. First stop on this tour is the biggest  new opening Bangkok has seen in years,   Mahaniyom. Already placing in the  top 20 of the global 50 best list,  

As well as earning the award for Asia’s best new  opening 2023. Resourcefulness is the name of the   game when it comes to the cocktail menu here, with  the goal of each cocktail being to take a single  

Ingredient and use it in as many different ways as  possible. A drink simply named “Cow” uses butter,   beef fat, milk and cheese to create one of the  most uniquely delicious cocktails I’ve tasted   in years. “Cacao” uses cocoa butter, cacao husk,  fermented juice, and so on. The resourcefulness is  

Amplified with some seriously innovative cocktail  techniques. Hot foam on a cold drink? It takes a   lot to blow my mind when it comes to flavour, I’ve  seen almost everything before, but that was a real   game changing moment. Pair that with the fact  that the food menu is provided by the Michelin  

Recommended restaurant on the first floor and  you’ll be in for a taste experience that’s hard   to match. It’s super easy to see why Mahaniyom  has skyrocketed on all the global rankings,   because this is a cocktail and hospitality  experience that rivals some of the world’s best.

Keeping on the theme of new, I’ve been to Bangkok  4 times and this is my first AND LAST time riding   in a Tuk tuk. I nearly fell out of the damn thing  more times than I’d like to admit. No thank you.

Our next stop is Gaze, an astrology  themed bar right in the heart of   Thong Lo. The room and the menu are  themed around different constellations,   with the bar backdrop showing different night  scenes. Beautiful and mesmerising to look at,  

But the backlight makes filming a bit difficult.  That’s ok though, because the drinks are delicious   and the stargazing and great bartenders are  enough to keep you entertained for hours. 2463 is another new bar in Thong Lo. They  call it a speakeasy, but it’s basically the  

Exact opposite. Named after the year on the Thai  calendar that correlates with the 1920’s, 2463 is   a loud, opulent, and eccentric bar, perfect for  a livelier night out. A great drinks menu paired  

With staff that know how to have a good time, this  is definitely a spot to hit if you want to party. I’ve been to Bangkok enough times to know that  I want to spend most of my time in Chinatown.  

Amazing food, street life, and of course cocktail  bars. The number of new openings in Chinatown   alone are enough for an extremely adventurous bar  crawl, so bar crawl we shall. Now, a disclaimer   before we begin. Not all of these bars are new,  but they are new to me, and that’s what matters.  

First of which is TEP. Definitely not a new bar,  but a bar I’ve never experienced before. They bill   themselves as the cultural bar of Thailand,  and that is certainly apt. Highlighting Thai   ingredients, showcasing Thai musical artists,  it’s a great bar to experience Thai culture  

Through the medium of alcohol. It’s also the  only place open at 4pm so it’s where I begin. Right around the corner from TEP is Teens of  Thailand and Asia Today, 2 of the best bars in   Bangkok. I won’t be visiting those bars today,  because I’ve been before, but if you’re curious  

About them you can watch my first Bangkok video  (linked below). The team behind Asia Today and   Teens basically rule the Chinatown bar scene,  because they have TWO new bars in the area,   one of which is Tax. Located above Independence,  another bar from the same group that we’ll be  

Visiting later, Tax features a cocktail menu  that leans heavily towards tea and vinegar,   due to certain laws regarding the  sale and taxation of alcohol. Vinegar,   which is essentially spoiled alcohol, is exempt  from these taxes. Drinks feature vinegars made  

From riesling, sake, or stout, just to name a  few. Spoiled alcohol might sound off putting,   but just know that they’ve used vinegar  superbly, and the drinks are delicious. Just a few steps down the road is Lucky Duck, a  Chinatown themed bar in Chinatown of all places.  

The decor feels as if you’re stepping into a  Hollywood rendition of a Shanghai speakeasy,   with cocktails evoking legends of  Chinese cinema, like Wong Kar-wai,   and Ang Lee, among others. Drinks contain  many Asian market inspired ingredients,   as well as a few ingredients that aren’t Asian  market inspired, like Cookies and Cream Campari,  

Which is one of the coolest ideas I’ve ever heard  and am definitely going to attempt to recreate.   This is another great Chinatown bar, certainly  worth the 3 flights of stairs it took to find it. The 4th stop on this Chinatown tour is another  bar by the group behind Asia Today, Teens and Tax:  

This one is the Independence bar. The group  dominates Chinatown and for good reason,   they just do not miss with their concepts.  Independence evokes the feeling of a dive bar,   with its diner-like exterior and interior  covered head to toe in graffiti. But the  

Cocktail program is a bit more refined,  with house made distillates and cordials   and edible garnishes. I love a bar  that is extremely casual in every   sense and then just blows it out of  the water with a great drinks program,  

Which is absolutely what you get at Independence.  I can’t wait to see what these guys open up next. Right in the heart of Chinatown, on  the 3rd floor above a dim sum shop,   behind a secret bookcase is Widdershins. A  chill, laid back escape from the streetside  

Chaos down below with a hollywood inspired  drink menu. This is a great place to take   a breather when the crowds on Yaowarat become a  bit too hectic, which is basically all the time. HEX is a great new bar in Chinatown  that finds inspiration from ancient  

Curses and witches potions.  It’s Halloween 24/7 at HEX,   which is timely considering I visited right  around Halloween. Drinks contain ingredients   that you’d easily find in a magical potion  or poison elixir, like stinkbugs or bat wool,  

Just to name a few. Come to think of it, I  did feel an increased amount of confidence and   lack of stress after drinking those magical  elixirs. That might have been the alcohol   though. Final stop on this Chinatown bar crawl is Glass  Half Full. The vibe of this bar feels exactly  

Like an expat bar, and I don’t mean that in  a bad way. It’s a place that feels welcoming,   a place that feels like a piece of home away  from home. The staff are super friendly,   and you can tell they’re having  just as much fun as their guests,  

Which is always a great thing to see. Glass  Half Full is a great place to end a great night. There’s a lot of good reasons to stay in Chinatown  but if I’m being honest, I’m staying in this  

Neighbourhood for one reason and one reason only.  It’s not the bars, it’s not the street life,   it’s not the central location. No, it’s the thai  curry. You want to know my favourite restaurant   in Bangkok? It’s Jek Pui, without a doubt. A  street side curry stall hidden down the back  

Alleys of Chinatown, Jek Pui is in my eyes,  the quintessential Thai dining experience.   Grab a plate, load it up with 1 or 2 of the 12  curry options, post up on a plastic stool and   dig in. Glorious. The best part? Less than 2 US  dollars per plate. That is insane. Cocktail bars  

Are expensive so I need to cut costs somewhere,  but truthfully I would eat here even if it was   quadruple the cost. I am not ashamed to admit that  I ate here 6 times on this trip. It’s that good. Another one of Bangkok’s new openings  to crack Asia’s extended top 50 list,  

Opium is a New York inspired cocktail bar hidden  on the 4th floor of a former opium den, hence the   name. An absolutely massive drinks menu features  everything you could possibly want, including   riffs on classics, avant garde techniques and  ingredients, sweet drinks, sparkling, boozy,  

Low alcohol, large format, tasting flights,  omakase, award winners, and the list goes on   and on and on. There is something for everyone  and each drink is a masterclass in flavour and   technique. The only thing that could improve  this experience: opium. Like, actual opium.

Ray Cocktail and Bite is a new bar from the team  behind Sugar Ray, which is one of my favourite   bars in Bangkok. The theme here is Japan, with  cocktails and food leaning heavily into Japanese  

Flavours. Yuzu, mango and green tea combine to  form one of the best riffs on a gin and tonic I’ve   tasted in years. Hokkaido melon and shiso make for  a perfect twist on what is my all time favourite  

Cocktail, the daiquiri, and spicy yuzu ceviche  might be one of the best dishes I’ve ever had in   a cocktail bar. The food is just as good as the  drink. The flavours at Ray will blow your mind,   and even the stuff that sounds weird and  gross, like a potato and cheese cocktail  

Is balanced perfectly. In terms of taste, Ray  is hard to beat. Pair that with super friendly,   talented staff and extremely comfortable  atmosphere, and you’ll find what I think   might be the next bar in Bangkok to crack the top  rankings. Man, Bangkok has such a good bar scene.

Next stop is a brand new outpost of one of Chiang  Mai’s best bars, Midlife Crisis. The last thing I   need to be reminded about is my unavoidable  mortality and the constant perils of daily   life. Luckily, Midlife is a place full of friendly  people and great drinks that will help you forget  

About impending doom. Death isn’t something I  need to worry about. I’m gonna live forever! Final stop. Inside bar. I’m kind of at a loss for  words as to how to explain Inside. Great food,   yes. Great drinks, absolutely. But there’s  something extra about Inside that makes it  

One of the most memorable bar experiences  I’ve had in a long time. From the guests   hopping behind the bar making their own  drinks, to the head bartender randomly   deciding to DJ. His song of choice: Wheels on  the Bus Go Round and Round. I’m not joking. I’d  

Play you the audio if I didn’t think I’d get  DMCA’d. Everything about this place is chaos   in the best possible way. It evokes the  feeling of an after hours industry party,   even for guests who aren’t in the industry.  Anything goes. If you leave Inside without a  

Smile on your face, there’s no hope for  you. This is a bar you will not forget. That’s it. All the best new bars in Bangkok.  Between the time of filming this, and editing,   and publishing, countless new incredible bars  have popped up that I couldn’t get to. Bar Us,  

Lost in Thaislation, 4th Wall,  Frantzen, Find the Photobooth,   just to name a few. I could go on and on  about the new openings that didn’t make   it into this video. I guess that means one  thing… I’ll have to come back for round 3.