Bangkok comes to life in the evening, once the heat breaks: the street kitchens, the bars and Khaosan Road get going. These are the places from my saved list: a Michelin-starred street kitchen, a tiny gyoza shop, a food hall, craft beer and music bars. I added three more, Thai cooking at Krua Apsorn and Thonkrueng and the Nai Ek noodle shop in Chinatown, on the advice of travel guides including 34travel, and checked them on Google: still open, rated 4.2 or higher. For now every description is put together from Google Maps reviews; I'll add my own notes after the trip.
Prices are Google's average spend per person; prices of single dishes and tickets come from reviews. Valid as of 7 October 2026. Rate: 1 ฿ ≈ $0.030.
In short
- Once, and expensive: Raan Jay Fai's crab omelette at about 1,500 ฿ (≈$45), Wednesday to Saturday only.
- Cheap and local: crispy gyoza at Gyoza Nang Loeng, up to 200 ฿ (≈$6).
- Thai food without the Jay Fai queue: Krua Apsorn in Dusit or Thonkrueng off Sukhumvit, and in Chinatown, kuay jap at Nai Ek until half past midnight.
- Eating in the air conditioning: the theCOMMONS Saladaeng food hall, open from 8:00 until 1 a.m.
- Bars: craft beer at Mikkeller in Ekkamai, and metal with live bands at Immortal Bar next to Khaosan Road.
- A night with music: Soho Community Ekkamai, a Thai lounge bar with live performances.
Where to eat
Raan Jay Fai
Phra Nakhon · Michelin-starred Thai street food · Wed–Sat 9:00–19:30, closed Sun–Tue
Google Maps · Instagram · Maha Chai Rd, 327
According to Google Maps reviews (3.6 from 5,000+): the famous Michelin-starred street kitchen where the elderly owner cooks over open flame herself, wearing big goggles. Everyone comes for the crab omelette: huge, generous with crab and served with her signature chilli sauce. The abalone with Chinese broccoli gets praise too. The rating is low for such a name: the omelette costs about 1,500 ฿ (≈$45), far more than anything else in Thailand, some find the other dishes ordinary, and the queue can be long. Come early: around 11:00, some guests were seated straight away.
Krua Apsorn
Dusit · Thai · 200–400 ฿ (≈$6–12) · daily 10:00–20:00
Google Maps · Facebook · 503-505 Samsen Rd
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 810+): Thai cooking recognised by the Michelin Guide; guests say the founder once cooked for the royal family. Reviewers praise the sour shrimp soup with lotus root, tom yum, fried mackerel, crab rolls and coconut ice cream; there's a crab omelette here too, though some say it's light on crab. Big portions. Downsides: very noisy when full, lots of tourists, and parking is hard.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
Chinatown · kuay jap noodles · up to 200 ฿ (≈$6) · daily 7:30–0:30
Google Maps · 442 Soi 9, Yaowarat Rd
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 4,800+): a Chinatown noodle shop recommended by the Michelin Guide. The signature is kuay jap: rolled rice noodles in a clear peppery broth with pork offal and crispy pork, about 70 ฿ (≈$2); the crispy pork belly on rice gets praise too. Always busy: you order and pay first, then sit down. No air conditioning, only fans. 34travel recommends it too (guide).
Gyoza Nang Loeng
Nang Loeng · gyoza · up to 200 ฿ (≈$6) · Mon–Fri 10:00–14:00 & 16:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–14:00, closed Sat
Google Maps · Facebook · Nakhon Sawan Rd, 318
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 51): an old, tiny shop with two or three tables by Nang Loeng market, frying crispy Thai-style gyoza with five fillings, including pork and crab with seaweed; five pieces cost about 50 ฿ (≈$1.50). Many also buy frozen ones to take home. Not everyone likes the seaweed filling, and one guest found the flavour average.
Thonkrueng Restaurant
Phrom Phong · Thai · 200–1,000 ฿ (≈$6–30) · daily 11:00–22:30
Google Maps · Facebook · 211 Sukhumvit 49
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 1,400+): a long-running Thai restaurant in the Japanese quarter off Sukhumvit where, regulars say, the quality has stayed the same for years. Try the chicken massaman, morning glory, crispy fried noodles and the roast chicken that isn't on the menu — you have to ask for it. Downside: it goes easy on the spice, and one guest called it Thai food for Japanese tastes. 34travel recommends it too (guide).
theCOMMONS Saladaeng
Sala Daeng · food hall & cafés · daily 8:00–1:00
Google Maps · website · Saladaeng Soi 1, 126
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 1,400+): a small community mall with high ceilings and cascading floors, bringing together local restaurants, cafés and food stalls. Sit inside in the air-con or out on the terraces with big fans and a view of the trees; there's free filtered water on the second level. The coffee gets praise: double the price of places down the street, but noticeably better. The downside is limited parking.
Bars and nights out
Khaosan Road
Banglamphu · street of bars and stalls
Google Maps · Thanon Khao San, Phra Nakhon
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 5,400+): the backpacker main street, with shopping and street food by day and loud music, bars and partying until morning by night. Haggling is expected, and the side streets are usually cheaper. Downsides: very crowded and loud, someone is always selling you something, from tuk-tuk tours to suits, and bar touts will literally pull you in by the arm. If you want sleep, stay at least a block away; if crowds aren't your thing, come early in the evening.
Immortal Bar
Khaosan Road · open-air rock & metal bar · up to 200 ฿ (≈$6) · Tue–Fri & Sun 19:00–2:00, Sat 18:00–1:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · Facebook · Thanon Khao San, 202
According to Google Maps reviews (4.9 from 160+): a metalheads' bar a few steps from Khaosan Road, without its chaos. Thursday to Sunday, live bands play from about 22:00 to 0:30; on other nights it's rock from the speakers. The staff are part of the scene and chat with guests, and the owner performs too. Get there on time for the shows, as it fills up; the schedule goes up on Facebook.
Mischa Cheap
Song Wat · cocktail bar · 200–400 ฿ (≈$6–12) · temporarily closed, reopening in October according to Google
Google Maps · website · Song Wat Rd, 1350
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 520+): a much-loved bar on Song Wat in the Chinatown area, with eclectic interiors, board games, joke fortune-telling and very warm owners and bartenders, good both solo and in a group. Google currently shows it as temporarily closed with a note that it opens in October, so check before you go.
Mikkeller Bangkok
Ekkamai · craft beer bar · 200–1,000 ฿ (≈$6–30) · Mon–Fri 17:00–0:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–0:00
Google Maps · website · Soi Ekkamai 10, Lane 2, 26
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 800+): the Danish brewery's bar in a house with a front garden, tucked into an Ekkamai back street, with about 30 taps of imported and Thai craft beer and staff who really know their beer. The food gets praise too. The downside is price: a small 200 ml glass is 190–280 ฿ (≈$6–8). It's hidden away, so a taxi from Ekkamai is the easy option.
Soho Community Ekkamai
Ekkamai · lounge bar with live music · Tue–Sun 17:00–2:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · Facebook · Soi Sukhumvit 63, 358–360
According to Google Maps reviews (4.9 from 1,300+): a Thai lounge bar done up in a modern Chinese style, with live music and good food, plus a photo booth with instant prints for about 150 ฿ (≈$4.50). Foreigners get a warm welcome. Prices are on the high side, weekends are crowded and weeknights can be almost empty. One guest complains they weren't allowed to finish a bottle they'd left with the bar on a Friday, so ask about the rules up front.
One last thing
These places keep their own days: Raan Jay Fai opens Wednesday to Saturday, Krua Apsorn closes as early as 20:00, Gyoza Nang Loeng is closed on Saturdays and takes a break from 14:00 to 16:00, and Immortal Bar and Soho Community are closed on Mondays. Mischa Cheap is temporarily closed; Google says it reopens in October, so check before you go.
More on Bangkok: what to see, markets and shopping, coffee shops.