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Restaurants and Bars in Bangkok

There are lots of great places to eat in Bangkok and we have listed a handful of these below:

Thai House 2 (87 Sukhumvit, Soi 5, opposite the Amari Hotel) - We have eaten here twice and both times the food was excellent. They sometimes have live music in the form of a rather cheesy combo, but don't let that put you of - it would have put us off if we hadn't heard such good things about the restaurant. The best chicken sate we have had (a huge portion, more than enough for 2 to share), and ice cold Klosters beer. Very tasty green and yellow Thai curries and very good value.

Lemongrass (5/1 Sukhumvit Rd, close to Phrom Phong skytrain stop). Went here because we'd read so many good reviews. It's nothing much to look at - pretty basic inside with lots of wood and antiques - and was very quiet which surprised us, considering its reputation. We had a Sauteed Chicken with Southern sauce which was spicy with a slightly coconuty flavour. Looked pretty unappetising but tasted very nice and the chicken was exceptionally tender. The other dish was Chicken Curry with Coconut milk which tasted just like a Green Thai Curry, but spicier than most and tasty, but not as good as the one we had at Thai House 2. So, we enjoyed our food but not really any more than other places where we'd eaten for less money.

Pomodoro Italian Restaurant (87 Sukhumvit Soi 5 just opposite the Landmark Hotel). We ate here in December 2005. The complimentary warm bread with a hint of garlic and tomato, mozzarella, basil and onion to spoon on it, meant you could make your own bruschetta. It was absolutely delicious and we were optimistic about the rest of the meal. The Penne alla Vodka was tasty but the pizza with ham, mushroom, tomato and mozzarella was very average. Wine very expensive.

Cocktails at Moon Bar at Banyan Tree

Moon Bar at Banyan Tree Hotel is definitely worth a visit. Spectacular views over Bangkok from this amazing bar on the roof of the Banyan Tree. Treat yourself to a delicious cocktail and enjoy the view. It's like no other bar you've ever been to! There is also a restaurant (Vertigo) but we didn't eat there and heard it was really overpriced. Visit the Banyan Tree's website for more information.

Oriental Hotel - worth a visit for lunch and nice to look round this impressive hotel. Lunch is expensive for Bangkok but still cheap compared to what we're used to and it's lovely Fresh food at Suan Lum to sit in the Verandah Restaurant and look out over the river. The Oriental has its own stop on the river. Visit the Oriental Hotel's website.

Suan Lum Night Bazaar (near Lumpini Park) - a very good cheap option. Choose your dish from one of the stalls. We have eaten there about 3 times now and everything was really fresh, tasty and incredibly cheap. You select your dish and then watch them cooking it in front of you (see photo to right) - freshly made and very good value for money. Please check before going here, as it is supposedly due to close soon.

Shopping in Bangkok

A huge selection of things to buy and very low prices make Bangkok a shopper's paradise!

There are several markets. Our favourite is Suan Lum Night Bazaar, a covered market with hundreds of little stalls selling a huge variety of goods. The best thing about this market is that the quality of the goods is better than, say, Patpong. There are lots of unique things available here, not just the usual fake t-shirts and bags, because lots of designers (clothes, jewellery, etc) have stalls here and sell things that aren't available anywhere else. It's well worth a visit.

There are also food stalls (see above) and a beer garden area with live music. You have to buy vouchers for the food and drink but it's easy to do and you can cash in any vouchers you don't use at the end of the night. If you're drinking beer, pitchers of Chang are only 135B, the German beer is much more expensive. (Note: Suan Lum Night Bazaar was due to close in April 2007 but is still open as at September 07 although we have heard that some of the vendors have moved out and the big wheel has gone. We will advise as soon as we find out more). Nancy Chandler also does a specific map for the Suan Lum Night Bazaar

Chatuchak Market is a huge market held at the weekend (also known as JJ Market). Take the metro to Kamphaengphet or take the Skytrain to the end terminal (Morchit) which is where the market is located. Turn up early, before 10 am, to avoid the heat and crowds. You can buy just about anything here - crafts, antiques, clothes, food, books, plants - even live animals!

Patpong Market - The Patpong area is infamous for its sex shows and girlie bars, but also hosts a large outdoor market selling pirate CDs and DVDs, copy designer clothing, watches and leather goods. Haggle over the prices as at all markets. Not as big a selection or as good quality goods as at Suan Lum.

MBK Shopping Centre (Phayathai Road) - A massive shopping centre with thousands of shops on 8 floors. Everything from jewellery, watches, clothes, shoes, software, DVDs, CDs, mobile phones, Thai handicrafts and furniture. Also several restaurants and a food court. Very popular shopping centre. Visit the MBK's website.

Siam Paragon (Rama 1 Road) - A large, upmarket shopping centre with lots of high end and designer shops. Also home to a multiplex movie theatre and the Siam Ocean World. Visit Siam Paragon's website.

Pantip Plaza (New Phetchaburi Road) is a huge shopping centre on 5 floors devoted to computer hardware and software. Huge selection of computers, cameras and other electronic equipment and lots of stalls selling pirate computer software and DVDs. Click here for more information on Pantip Plaza.

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	Grand Palace, Bangkok	Grand Palace, Bangkok	Grand Palace, Bangkok

	Grand Palace, Bangkok	Grand Palace, Bangkok	MBK Shopping Centre

	Suan Lum Market	Suan Lum Food stalls	Freshly cooked food at Suan Lum

	Pantip Plaza	Floating Market on Chao Praya	View from Chao Praya

Scams in Bangkok

A scam that has been going on in Bangkok for many years is the Gem Scam where tourists buy gems believing them to be good quality, high value stones, only to find that they are practically worthless. It is a disgrace that the authorities in Bangkok still let this go on, but at least we can make people aware of it, so hopefully less will be caught out.

The tourist will be approached (usually approaching a popular tourist area such as the Grand Palace, Wat Po or a Tourist Office) by a smartly dressed Thai who speaks perfect English. The Thai then asks the tourist where he is going and then advises him that the particular tourist attraction he is planning to visit is closed today for a special holiday. The Thai tells you that he is trained to assist tourists and proceeds to tell you that today there is a great special offer where you can buy sapphires or other gems for a specially discounted price and that you can sell them when you are back home for a huge profit. He gets a tuk tuk for you and of course the tuk tuk driver is in on the deal and reiterates what a great deal it is and how lucky you are to be allowed to buy. If you are approached by a Thai person be on your guard, especially if he tells you somewhere is closed. Just thank him for his advise and carry on your way.

Some useful sites about Bangkok:

Bangkok Bob - Lots of very useful information in this comprehensive site about Bangkok

Trip Advisor - Reviews from other travellers and a useful forum

Nancy Chandler - Highly recommended map of Bangkok and one for Suan Lum Night Bazaar
Bangkok Tonight - Nightlife, entertainment and useful maps

Hotels in Bangkok - Book hotels in Bangkok, read travellers reviews of those hotels and earn rewards worth 5% of your booking to use against other reservations.