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The Best Wine Bars in Bangkok

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Admittedly, not everyone would equate their idea of Bangkok with Mediterranean-themed garden scenarios serving imported fine wines, or Spanish-inspired tapas menus.

They may instead find the idea of a cold beer Chang on a beach, or at least in a beer garden, more in line with their experiences or visions of the city, or indeed the country of Thailand.

However, along with cozy pubs, coffee shops, and internationally-themed restaurants, the wine bar has been steadily gaining in popularity in the Thai capital of Bangkok for at least the last couple of decades.

This is largely due to the ever-broadening tastes of the Thai population themselves in terms of food and drink, especially those born and raised in the capital city – but it is also due to a variety of other factors such as many younger natives travelling farther and wider (overseas students being a prime example) and perhaps bringing back a taste for something a little different.

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So here goes with a selection of some of the current best and most popular Bangkok wine bars currently in operation, from various regions of the city.

And, while this is by no means even close to being a definitive list, it does go some way towards providing a few insights into what the city of Bangkok has to offer in terms of decent wine bars, especially for those coming to the Thai capital expecting nothing more than beer Chang and stir-fried chicken & basil to be on offer.

1. The Bar Upstairs

Imagine being spirited away to a secret, French-style garden — that just happens to be somewhere within the vicinity of Bangkok’s trendy and lively Soi 11—and you just might find yourself in ‘The Bar Upstairs’.

This somewhat casual wine bar affair with a laid-back, fun vibe to it is situated above the French restaurant ‘Brasserie Cordonnier’ on Sukhumvit soi 11.

Upon arrival at the downstairs Brasserie, after eventually realising that the somewhat obscured stairs are actually hidden behind all the plants and greenery near the front, guests will then find themselvesÌý in an intimate lounge setting.

This lounge area is a trendy fusion of hanging plants and wooden decor, providing something of a ‘south of France’ vibe. The bar also has a second-floor terrace which is even more welcoming than the lounge, and anyone sitting in this area gazing out upon passers-by could be forgiven for forgetting that you they are actually in 35-degrees-Celsius Bangkok from this particular vantage point.

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The wine in ‘The Bar Upstairs’ comes from all around the world, with various price ranges upwards of around 160 baht per glass. From South African organic red Shiraz wines to Chilean Pinot Noir, there is no shortage of either choice or quality in this place. A 300 baht discount is also given for any bottles bought to take away.

The Bar Upstairs does also have French cuisine on offer but in a somewhat less formal way than the Brasserie downstairs. It mainly consists of copious amounts of cheese and salads, cold meats and vegetables, although if you’re a fan of ‘burgundy snails’ then you will find that they are also on the menu.

This wine bar definitely stands out from many of the other establishments on Sukhumvit Soi 11, which o be fair is hardly what might be considered a ‘wine bar area’, with many of the other establishments tending to be more along the lines of Aussie bars and nightclub-type affairs. But this is Bangkok, and that might well add to the attraction of the place.

Address: 33/30 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Bangkok

Tel: 02-821-5110.

Open: Sun-Thu 5 pm-midnight; Fri-Sat 5 pm-2 am.

BTS: Asok or Nana

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2. La Casa Nostra

La Casa Nostra, which is closer to the downtown, daytime business district of Sathorn (right next to Silom), offers an extensive and restorative wine list. And the good news is that most of the bottles on the list are under 1,000 baht, which has to be good news for both local wine lovers and visitors to the city.

This is also the place in the area to head for if you are in need of refined, produce-driven Italian comfort food. The cozy, Mediterranean-style terrace is decked out with a petanque court, and is a definite favourite spot, especially during the cooler months, for many wine-loving Bangkokians.

Plenty of choice in terms of bottles from the wine cellar here, with over 150 labels being offered along with authentic chef Nino Scognamillo’s rustic, fine, Italian cuisine. This comes along the lines of tender grilled meats accompanied by gnocchi and other refined and premium produce like Cantabrian anchovies.

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This place is not exactly next to a BTS station but is not totally out of reach of one either, and it is well worth checking out for anyone who prefers a more refined eating and drinking experience than those on offer in a typical Bangkok bar or pub.

Address: 22 Sathorn Soi 1 Yaek 2 (Goethe), Bangkok

Tel: 02-287-2402.

Open: Daily 11:30 am-12 am.

BTS: Sala Daeng

Ìý3. About EateryÌý

The words ‘rustic’ and Bangkok might not always go together in the eyes of many visitors to Thailand’s capital. But this particular wine bar and bistro – which happens to be in Bangkok – does a great job of marrying the two terms together.

Patron Giulio Saverino (who is of course Italian) proffers an alternative take on wine culture in ‘About Eatery’, by offering customers a wide ranging selection of natural wines. These may come in the form of bio-dynamic, natural and organic rarities that’ll challenge anyone’s idea of what wine should taste like exactly.

The phonebook-thick menu, as well as the many notes and chalkboards containing interesting insights on viniculture, along with specific tips on aging processes and pairing tips, all make this indeed a rusticated wine bistro experience in Bangkok.

The hefty wine list is offered alongside a variety of snacks and dishes consisting of cold cuts and tasty MediterraneanÌýcuisine that is seemingly just made for the wine.

Address: Ocean Tower 2 (ground floor), Asok 3,

Tel: 02-665-2772.

Open: Mon-Thu 11:30 am-2:30 pm, 5:30-11 pm. Fri-Sat 11:30 am-2:30 pm, 5:30-midnight. Sun 5:30-11 pm.

BTS: Asok

Ìý4. CarbarÌý

Another one of the Bangkok wine bars that have been added to the burgeoning scene in the city’s lively Thong Lor district, this is a place that offers a long list of wines from around the world in a rustic, industrial wood and concrete-type setting, complete with neon signs and hanging bulbs for an authentic touch.

The atmosphere in Carbar is relaxed and casual for a wine bar, which obviously has something to do with the fact that it pulls in its customers from the trendy, younger-generation Thong Lor crowd, especially those looking for something a little more grown-up and refined than the usual beer bar or nightclub, but still less formal than many other wine bars.

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The lively ambience exudes a spacey, rustic-industrial feel, with an open frontÌýwall area that has been knocked through to create moreÌýspace. The Carbar is housed in an area known as 72 Courtyard, which it is connected to via its seating area outside of the main restaurant.

The kitchen is sectioned off from the main dining area by way of a glass window large enough for customers to view the staff, and the arrangement of the seating and dining area contains family-sized wooden tables.

ÌýThe name ‘Carbar’ (as in Carb Bar) gives some clue as to the nature of the main style of cuisine on offer in this establishment— mainly ‘comfort food’ in the form of ‘carbs’.ÌýThere is an array of pasta and pizza dishes on offer, along with cocktails like the signature ‘Strawberry Frose’ which resembles more of a smoothie than an alcoholic beverage.

The Italian chef, Arnie Marcella, is responsible for the range of dishes on offer, such as the ‘wood-fired white clam oregano pizza’, authentically-made with three-day fermented dough and topped with garlic confit. Then there is the ‘Pecorino Romano andÌýblack pepper’,Ìýand a range of fresh home-made pasta, taking the hand-made pappardelle with braised duck ragu, as but a few examples.

The food is reasonably-priced (taking into consideration its style and authenticity, as well as the area that the restaurant is situated in), being somewhere in the region of 200-500 baht per dish.

The wine is not exactly on the cheap side, but you wouldn’t expect it to be either when considering the chef/patron’s pedigree and background, and it is likely to be in the range of 300-400 baht per glass.

Address: 72 Courtyard, 72 Sukhumvit Soi 55, Bangkok

Tel: 02-392-6922.

Open: Daily 6 pm-2 am.

BTS: Thong Lor

5. Casa Teo

If Italian or French wining and dining is not exactly your thing, then step into ‘Casa Teo’ for a taste of a different part of the Mediterranean altogether.

Apparently home to Bangkok’s most expansive range of Spanish wine, thisÌý vintage-style tapas bar goes some way to proving this with its bottle-lined shelves. The name might be something of a giveaway, but this is the place for Spanish wine lovers who also have a taste for a great range of tapas bites.

Casa Teo may just have Bangkok’s largest Spanish wine collection but there are also a few other choice French and Italian labels on offer, as well as other little touches like the favourite Spanish coffee brand Catunambu.

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The Spanish owner Doroteo Velez set up Casa Teo at Phra Khanong’s lively and trendyÌýW District, in the realms of the main Thong Lor nightlife stretch, and the venue also offers a range of Spanish cuisine and bar snacks.

One such example is the favourite ‘Iberian platter’, which is a tasty combination of jamon iberico, manchego cheese, quince paste, two kinds of chorizo and homemade tomato paste-coated bread. There is an extensive tapas menu, and if that means anything to you and sets your taste buds on edge, then this might be one of the places that you want to check out on your next Bangkok trip.

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W District, Sukhumvit Soi 69-71, Bangkok

Tel: 086-366-0034; 086-281-6114.

Open: Mon-Sat 5 pm-11 pm.

BTS: Phra Khanong.

6. Kangkao

This is a somewhat harder to find venue than many of the others contained within this feature, but well worth it for anyone seeking out an impressive Bangkok wine bar experience.

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Bathed in character and an atmosphere of mystique related in no small part to its location, Kangkao is another wine bar among the currently growing number in Bangkok dedicated to natural and biodynamicÌýwine.

This small (and did we mention hard to find) establishment is peaceful, cozy, and atmospheric, in that at the bottom of the stairs that lead you into the place there is a startlingly narrow room, completely surrounded by glass windows. These windows are actually the only lighting on offer, other than that emanating from the kitchen, giving the place a very intimate feel.

So continuing along the lines of the natural wine theme, everything on offer here is totally natural and organic. Although it changes on a weekly basis, the wine list is quite extensive, and offers a variety of names and strains with prices somewhere between the range of 1,500-2,600 baht per bottle, and the slightly more expensive option of 300-400 baht by the glass.

The wines again come from all around the world, and feature gems such as the Australian bio-dynamic Ochota Barrels’ Green Room Grenache/Syrah (2,600 baht per bottle).

In terms of the food on the menu at Kangkao — well it is quite limited at present and comes more in the form of snacks (like cucumber with barley miso). Apparently the venue does have plans to extend the menu in the not too far off future to include a wider range though.

This intimate and atmospheric hideaway spot might just be a great place to impress a date if you weren’t particularly planning on chance meetings with friends on Sukhumvit, and you may further impress by stopping to check out the art gallery just outside the bar.

2^nd Floor, 469 Phra Sumen Rd., Bangkok

Tel: 02-067-6731.

Open: Wed-Sun 7 pm-12 am.