Above Eleven defies convention in many ways. Inspired by a Central Park-style vertical garden, this oasis towers above Bangkok's most up and coming trendy music and club scene street, Soi 11. The setting is outstanding, and the food and drink are no slouches here either, as the club offers Bangkok's only Nikkei Peruvian Japanese cuisine. The drink menu is exhausting and is listed via funny categories such as the wine section's "Sorry love I'm on a budget" or the "I've got it and I want to flaunt it" list. However, all these outstanding features aside, the reason Above Eleven is on this list is for their superb live music. The soulful Cliff Hardy quintet plays killer jazz tunes here each week, and there are also salsa nights and other music festivities. Well worth a jaunt.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For a rooftop bar in trendy Soi 11 on Sukhumvit, Above Eleven stands tall.
Dave's expert tip: Come here to eat as well, as Above Eleven is known for its tapas and Peruvian-Japanese fusion bites.
sala rattanakosin Bangkok hotel's Roof bar offers a birds-eye view of iconic Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, directly across the Chao Phraya River. The intimate rooftop bar features both a covered and open-air area, and is the perfect place to unwind from the busy Wat Pho and Grand Palace area, which are just adjacent. From the highest perch in this neighborhood, you can take in not only Wat Arun at its most photogenic, but also watch the sun go down over the river, and there is even a back side view of all of Wat Pho, bathed in glowing gold as the sun sets. Enjoy an aptly named River cocktail creation, made with Absolut vodka and Blue Curacao, peach snap, mango and pineapple juice and passion fruit, or a Bangkok Sour, made with Mekhong Thai Whisky, Cointreau, Lime Juice, Pineapple juice and grenadine, along with a selection of beer, mocktails, and smoothies. Once the sun goes down, Wat Arun gets lit up with golden lighting, and you can head downstairs to the hotel's restaurant, sala rattanakosin bar and eatery, to continue a romantic night out.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For superb Wat Arun and Chao Phraya River sunsets, The Roof sala rattanakosin is the best.
Dave's expert tip: The best way to get here is to take the Chao Phraya River ferry to the Tha Tian Pier and walk over 5 minutes to the bar.
With a wonderful location on top of one of Bangkok's tallest buildings and right next to the river, this bar is a great spot to sip a few drinks. It's the view and cooling breezes offering a welcome respite from the city's heat traffic that make the place, but the Sky Bar has also been named by numerous publications around the globe as one of the top rooftop bars in the world, and it really is a magical place to watch the lights of city come on as night falls. Suspended on a precipice some 250 metres up in the air, hordes of visitors head up here for sunset, many coming to sample a Hangovertini, the signature drink of the bar made famous when the Hollywood blockbuster Hangover II had several scenes shot up here.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For river and city views to die for, the Sky Bar is on top of Bangkok!
Dave's expert tip: Note that there is a dress code in effect here: no flip flops, singlets, shorts, or open shoes for men. Take the BTS to Saphan Taksin, from where it's a 10-minute walk up Charoenkrung to the Silom intersection, where you'll find the Lebua.
Park Society and its upstairs deck known as Hi So (a play on high society) is an outdoor bar area (adjoining the indoor upscale French focused restaurant of the same name) in the cutting edge Sofitel So Hotel that provides some stunning views over Lumphini Park and the urban cityscape at night. There are both chairs and tables to relax at, as well as sofas and ambient lit cabanas up above the crowds at Hi So (you need to pay an extra 500 baht entrance fee to this section). It's a pretty chilled out place to check out the killer sunsets and gorgeous night panoramas, and by day, you really do have a full bird's eye view of Lumphini, perhaps the best park view in town.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For the city's best views of Lumphini, you can't top Park Society.
Dave's expert tip: There are ladies nights on Wednesdays, with a free glass of wine for the lassies.
Octave Rooftop Lounge and Bar tops the sky high bar scene along Sukhumvit. While most of the airborne bars with views tend to be concentrated around Silom Road and the Chao Phraya River, Octave sits towering above Thong Lor and Sukhumvit Road, and the views from the 45th floor are absolutely spectacular, giving the feeling of being in a helicopter, as there is nothing around to impede the 360 degree panorama. In addition to the marvellous views, the three level bar and lounge also makes outstanding cocktails, as the in-house mixologist has signature drinks such as the Bangkok 57 (saffron infused vodka with champagne!) and the Bloom Over the Roof (red berries tea infused vodka mixed with mint leaf and elderflower syrup) to keep customers sated. There are also top wines available, along with some tapas style nibbles to go with the sublime surroundings.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For Sukhumvit's best rooftop bar, Octave stands taller than the rest!
Dave's expert tip: Sunset is a great time to come in. Best to get here by taking the BTS Skytrain to Thong Lor and walking over one block.
Cushioned couch seating and a long rectangular open bar with seats all around it giving off dazzling 360 degree panoramas of all Bangkok make this slightly hidden off the main sky bar circuit one of the best rooftop bars in town, and a great spot to watch the sunset and stay past the blue hour as all the city lights come on. Due to its location just south of Sathorn, where there aren't too many hotels, this is one of the few sky bars in town that has a view of the Chao Phraya River as it winds its way southeast towards the sea (the majority of the sky bars look out west towards the Thonburi side). Zoom also doesn't get quite the crowd numbers like the Moon Bar or Sky Bar at Lebua, so it's easy to get a prime seat here for all the action. The bar is also an excellent restaurant, with French and Asian fusion offerings dominating the menu. There is also music here after 9pm, with a DJ spinning tunes, plus a live saxophonist once a week.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For escaping the crowds and staying above, Zoom Sky Bar is way up there.
Dave's expert tip: The nearest skytrain station is Chong Nonsi, but you might want to take a taxi from here, it's a long 15-minute plus walk otherwise.
The Speakeasy, the latest addition to the Bangkok nightlife scene, is a classy upscale affair located up on the 24th and 25th floor of the recently opened boutique hotel The Muse. The theme of the bar is the Prohibition era 1920's in the U.S., and although you might be hard pressed to find any pistol packing gangsters here, there is plenty of nostalgic ambiance oozing out of the various niches that Speakeasy is made up of. Downstairs is a cozy Long Bar, along with the Blind Pig, a fancy cigar lounge full of varnished wood awaiting those in smoking jackets, while upstairs is the bar's most popular hangout, the Terrace Bar, overlooking the ritzy Lang Suan area and Bangkok's lit up night panorama.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For rooftop speakeasies, you're in the right place at Speakeasy.
Dave's expert tip: There is an excellent mixologist here. Try the Sazerac 1838, which combines Jack Daniels with absinthe and bitter.
The Moon Bar, perched on the rooftop of the Banyan Tree Hotel, offers one of the most stupendous panoramic views of Bangkok, and a sunset here is a memorable occasion, well worth the price of a cocktail. The bar sits in a stylish roof garden, seemingly sprawled out across the sky. Long divans, chic bar stools, and comfortable tables surround the bar, each with their own unique panoramic view. The cocktails are as astronomical as the views, running 350 baht per drink, but they are actually a pretty fair deal, as they are well mixed, strong on the alcohol, and are served along with complimentary dishes of cashews, wasabi peas, and chips. The drink menu is extensive, featuring mango margaritas, golden paradise concoctions with passion fruit juice and triple sec, and all sort of other exotic creations
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For the best panorama of Bangkok, Moon Bar is sky-worthy!
Dave's expert tip: Arrive early if you want a prime sunset table, and remember, no sandals, shorts, or grubby jeans are allowed. Closed shoes are required for men.
Perched up on the 52nd floor of the Lebua State Tower, Lebua No. 3 is the latest addition to the hotel's list of swank bars and restaurants with dazzling city views. While Mezzaluna, the 2-star Michelin restaurant and the Sky Bar, famed for its "Hangovertini" cocktail, are already well known, Lebua No. 3 is set to become the talk of the town, as it combines the unique concept of three circular bars offering premium gin, vodka, and also caviar all under one roof, or should we say, above the roof, as a visit up here will put you on top of the city!
One enters the bar here via a spiral staircase that leads into a marble-tiled entryway, where the letters Lebua No. 3 light up over the floor, surrounded by rather surreal haloed blue light. Further in, you get the first of the circular bars, this one serving up vodka and set inside under a roof, with glossy black finish highlighting the bar and its prime position opposite the DJ zone, where noted Ukranian DJ and producer Taly Shum spins tunes each night.
From here, one heads out overlooking the city, with a caviar bar on one side, the gin bar just ahead, and a fancy digital retina display dance floor separating them, surrounded by comfy bespoke furniture.
At the gin bar, many of the drinks here are made with the amazing premium Sipsmith London dry gin, which is featured in cocktail standouts like the Glamour, showcasing Sipsmith, Champagne Perrier Jouet, raspberry shrub, yuzu juice, and caviar air combined into one wild drink, or the Negroni No. 3, one of the most outstanding versions of this unique drink you'll ever have, using Mancino Rosso, Mancino Chinato, Campari, and a green tea ice sphere to go with the gin.
Over at the vodka bar, Absolut Elyx, which is manually distilled in a copper still, and is exclusive to Thailand at Lebua, makes for some smooth pours. Try a Daniel Craig, made with Plymouth gin, Mancino Bianco, absinthe, and Absolut Elyx, or a Starry Night in Thailand, concocted with Absolut Elyx, Capucana cachaca, yuzu, ginger, and charcoal.
While caviar might not be everyone's forte, the way it is served at the Lebua will make a lot of converts. The bar here has partnered up with the Caviar House of Bangkok, based in Hua Hin, to create a "caviar goes casual," scene, where Lebua No. 3 aims for an "affordable luxury for all" concept. Here, you get a serving of this superb local caviar plated on a Himalayan-salt spoon, which gets paired with a shot of vodka.
Lebua No. 3 is the perfect venue to party, unwind, and see Bangkok at its most dazzling. It's elegant, contemporary, and exciting, combining fabulous mixology, premium alcohol and caviar, and happening parties alongside of the best view in town, and is certain to be another winner for the distinguished hotel group.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For the highest caviar and vodka in town, Lebua No. 3 is way above!
Dave's expert tip: Note that the Lebua does have a dress code: no singlets, t-shirts, shorts, or flip flops allowed, and backpacks must be left at the door.
It doesn't get much better than this when trying to combine dazzling cityscapes, fine drinking, and suave nightlife venues. CRU Champagne Bar is a new elegant and elevated bar which is now the highest drinking spot in town. The Red Sky Bar several floors below it is nice enough, but you'll need to pop into the private elevator and head up another three flights to access this skyline gem. The bar has teamed up with GH Mumm and is the only place in Bangkok you can get their #1 edition pink champagne, or if you dare, a bottle of Bollinger James Bond 007 Spectre Limited Edition. You can toast to the heavens with this fine bubbly, or else opt for the cool signature drinks such as the Perfumed Lady, mixed with Beefeater gin, passion fruit, lime, mint, and vanilla foam, or a Bangkok Bellini, concocted with mandarin Absolut vodka, mango, ginger, and champagne. The views up here are beyond sublime, with all of Bangkok spread out in front of you on all sides. You can see the Golden Mount, the Grand Palace, the Chao Phraya River, all of downtown's major skyscrapers, and the nearby Baiyoke Tower II even looks on equal footing. Come here for sunset, sprawl out on the comfy seating, and if you get hungry, there are foie gras yakitori chicken skewers, caviar, cheese platters, and plenty of other snacks to get you through the transformation from day to night in Bangkok's most lofty drinking zone.
Recommended for Rooftop Bars because: For champagne in the clouds, CRU is a heavenly abode!
Dave's expert tip: You'll need to get to the Centara Grand (behind CentralWorld), take the elevator up to the 23rd floor, change to another elevator for Red Sky (55th floor), and then the final lift up to CRU.