This hidden little spot is worth searching for if you are in the mood for American comfort food in a quite unique out of the way spot. To get here you have to pass through a Mini Cooper car showroom and then up several flights in a small elevator to find the restaurant. It's decked out like a New York bistro with brick walls with framed photos and cushioned chairs, plus there is a lovely patio area which looks out at the Ekamai skyline. The menu features a list of American favourites, from burgers to spicy meatballs, potato skins, and some great desserts like apple pie. The hamburger list is headed by a wagyu beef burger with foie gras, that is almost as expensive as the cars downstairs (1,500 baht), while the cheeseburgers are a far more reasonable 320. they have plenty of signature cocktails to go with the food, and if you fancy Italian, their sister restaurant, Fuzio, is right next door, and both restaurants share menus, meaning you can order the others food from the same venue.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For American comfort food in a hideaway setting, the Garret Bistro Bar is unique.
Dave's expert tip: Best way to get here is via sky train to Ekamai and then a taxi up to Soi 7, and look for the Mini Cooper dealer on the left.
The Cajun food here is right out of New Orleans at this longstanding Bangkok institution. Seafood gumbo, jambalaya and blackened fish are all outstanding; they also make a mean chicken fried steak and pecan pie. Mains are served with side orders of fried okra, potatoes au gratin, green beans, and of course cornbread. The restaurant inhabited Washington Square in Phrom Phong for decades, and recently relocated to a bigger home on Ekamai, where it is attached to a boutique hotel and oyster bar. Breakfasts of biscuits and gravy will have you wondering if you've landed in the American southeast, and the Tuesday night Mexican buffet is a popular draw.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For Cajun food in Bangkok, Bourbon Street is your only option!
Dave's expert tip: Head here on Tuesday nights for an all you can eat Mexican buffet.
Fuzio shares a dining space with its sister restaurant, The Garret, located on a rooftop above a Mini Cooper auto showroom that overlooks all of Ekamai. The stylish dining room is a good place to take a date to impress, but it won't be cheap, as this is one of the more expensive Italian restaurants in the city. You can order from both the Garret's American comfort food menu or else Italian from Fuzio, with plenty of pizza and pasta available. The spaghetti with mud crab is a big favourite, as is the black ink spaghetti with tiger prawns in mentaiko sauce. The grilled Australian Angus beef filet mignon wrapped in Italian speck ham and goose liver with porcini mushroom sauce is the heavy hitter, and so is its price, a whopping 1300 baht plus. Better to come here for lunch, where they do set 4 course meals for 550 baht.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For stylish Italian dining in Ekamai, Fuzio is pretty elegant.
Dave's expert tip: Come for the lunch specials if you want value, set meals go for 550 baht.
It can be hard to get authentic and tasty northern Thai treats in Bangkok, but this little hole in the wall serves up the real deal. It's a popular lunch spot, not open for dinner, and those in the know line up to get their fix of khao soi, northern Thailand's famous curried noodle dish. There is a buffet style selection lined up here for the asking, and in addition to the khao soi, the gaeng hang lay pork belly Shan curry is a real winner. The family run restaurant started out as just a coffee shop with a few dishes, but word of mouth got around and they eventually expanded to a full northern kitchen.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For some of Bangkok's best khao soi and northern food, Hom Duan can't be beat.
Dave's expert tip: Avoid coming here from12-1 as the place is absolutely swamped with office workers on their lunch break.
This bar and bistro outfitted with leather couches and a retro vibe does a mean brunch that goes from 11-5 and serves up some classy salmon eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles, and some Angus fed beef mammoth signature burgers. The stylish restaurant also has a very classy signature drink menu, with cocktails such as the Oh! Megan, made with Bacardi Lemon, fresh passion fruit, mandarin syrup, orange juice, and Hersheys chocolate, or the Incredible Hulk, which features vodka, maraschino liqueur, blue curaçao, lychee, orange, and lime juices, and absinthe flaming. They also serve these drinks in half yards, which are essentially triple the volume plus. The jack of all trades restaurant also does afternoon tea and features live acoustic music on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For all day brunches with a large menu, Hugo is Ekamai's top choice.
Dave's expert tip: Go for the huge burgers here, they are the menu standouts.
This intimate little spot might pass for a coffee shop, with its lineup of counter stools, but behind it are some of Ekamai's top sushi chefs. Tororo specialises in fresh and extremely tasty sushi, with a large and inspiring menu that includes specialties like foie gras mango or foie gras miso, plus plenty of sushi rolls and fresh sashimi. They do large sashimi set platters ranging from 500 baht up to 3200 depending on size and what you get. The head chef here used to work at the famed Miyatake sushi, so diners can rest assured about the quality, taste, and presentation here, and most of the dishes are real winners. Thick slabs of otoro and chutoro fatty tuna are some of the best in Bangkok, and the price is comparable to elsewhere, perhaps even at a slight discount to some of the more happening spots in neighbouring Thonglor. The restaurant is slightly hidden in the Horizon Building, but once found, you'll be glad you came.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For fresh and tasty sushi in Ekamai, look no further than Tororo.
Dave's expert tip: Get registered as a member at the restaurant and you will get a 15% discount on subsequent visits.
In a neighbourhood that becomes more trendy and modern every day, Sabai Jai Gai Yang is a throwback to the old school Thai eatery. This massive place sprawls over an entire corner, with large open air seating, plus a spacious air-con dining section as well. It's a typical Isan northeastern restaurant, with heaping plates of som tam salad, larb meat salads, and plenty of grilled pork and chicken ruling the dining selections, but they also have a fairly wide selection of regular Thai and even super spicy southern Thai dishes like kua kling ground chicken or pork, plus the infamous sataw stink beans, which require having lots of cold beer at arm's length to handle the spiceometer. While the prices here are not dirt cheap for an Isan restaurant, nor can you expect all the dishes to be winners with over 1000 diners packed in regularly, it is a value eating option for fashionable Ekamai and almost everyone can find something they like on the menu, and the restaurant is very tourist friendly, with picture menus and English included, and a lot of foreigners, both visitors and expats, come here precisely for that reason.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For Isan food in Ekamai, where else is there but Sabai Jai Gai Yang!
Dave's expert tip: It's either a 10-15 minute walk up here from Sukhumvit, or else take the sky train to Ekamai and hop in a taxi up to Soi 1.
While this great little spot is more well known for its outstanding coffee pours, it also does some great food, with innovative dishes like pizzatillas (pizzas on tortillas), waffles with smoked bacon and barbecue sauce with eggs, and Thai sausages with mango chutney on toasted baguettes. It's a great spot to relax in, and the coffees from around the world really are good, not to mention the well trained baristas, who make superb pour overs, as well as some of the best flat whites in Bangkok.The coffee here comes from the well known Brave Roasters and packs a punch. Additionally, Ounce For Onion has a fashion store next door, meaning you can browse, shop, eat, and drink, all in one!
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For superb coffee and some great American style creations, One Ounce for Onion is a great find.
Dave's expert tip: Best way to get here is via skytrain to Ekamai and then taxi up. The restaurant isn't all that visible, but is right near the Nikko Cafe.
Not only is Hot Rod a cool and happening bar with some good happy hour specials and a prime spot near the head of Ekamai, it's also a pretty unique restaurant, one worth checking out both for the gastronomic offerings and dazzling creations done with traditional Thai dishes. It's really the only place in town doing traditional Thai served as tapas, and the restaurant succeeds wildly on this front. The venue is created by Bangkok nightlife design mogul Ashley Sutton (who has his own whiskey bar right next door), and features a zinc top curved bar inside with thousands of gecko carvings and Thai tattoo patterns above and under the bar. Stools have seat belts attached, hence the homage to Hot Rod, not to mention the focus on fast food...but it's all gourmet here. Former Smith chef Pete Piktawong is behind the small but stellar menu, which includes both hot and cold tapas. Standouts, which come from all regions of the country, include the northern larb kua pork neck and rind salad made with plenty of spices, as well as the slow cooked pork moo manao with lime dressing, and the tom yum haeng slow cooked baby back ribs with lemongrass, galanga, and chill. While the chilled out spot is well worth hanging around at for its signature cocktails as well, do save room for dessert, as the hard to find northern Thai sweet kanom wong, a glutinous rice donut made with glazed palm sugar, has to be one of the best desserts you'll find anywhere in the kingdom, it's just a pity that they don't have an espresso to go with it.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For the city's only dynamite gourmet Thai tapas and signature drinks, Hot Rod is in the fast lane.
Dave's expert tip: It's easy to get here. Take the skytrain to Ekamai and walk up Sukhumvit Soi 63 five minutes, the Park Lane Mall will be on your left. Make sure to get here for happy hour from 5-7, when there are plenty of drink specials.
Started in 2002 by a Greek woman from Corfu and her Thai business partner, Olive now boasts five outlets around Bangkok and fills the niche for authentic Greek and Mediterranean fare that is hard to find in these parts. Elena Karoumi hails from Corfu and still makes all the traditional recipes her mother taught her to the pleasure of plenty of locals. The relaxing main restaurant on Ekamai Soi 12 serves excellent souvlaki, moussaka, tzatziki, and other Greek favorites along with Mediterranean staples like hummus and baba ganouj. There is also strong Greek coffee and plenty of sweets like baklava to make for a complete meal.
Recommended for Ekamai's Best Restaurants because: For authentic Greek and Mediterranean specialties, the Olive Kebab and Cafe is an oasis in Bangkok.
Dave's expert tip: best way to get here is to take a taxi from the Ekamai skytrain station. Turn right off of Sukhumvit 63 into Ekamai Soi 12, and then left just after the Oriental Towers.