Bangkok

Cafe Velodrome

Modern interior. Light and airy. Outdoor seating overlooking the Banglamphu Canal. Great coffee. All day breakfasts. OK food. Free Wi-Fi.

Closed · opens 7 am

Café de Norasingh

Café de Norasingh is a luxurious cafe housed in the royal reception room of the Phaya Thai Palace. It is completely decorated in Viennese style, a setting very popular during the reign of King Rama V in the early twentieth century. This has to be one of the most elegant ways to have a cup of coffee in the city. They also serve small snacks.

Mon-Fri 08:30-19:00, Sat Sun 10:30-19:00

Central Embassy

The new flagship shopping mall of Thai retail giant Central Group, build on the site of the former British embassy, hence its name. Many of the big name luxury brands have branches here, and the basement is home to a food court. The Open House is a bookstore known for its pleasant interior design, with workspaces and coffee bars incorporated into the design.

10:00-22:00 daily

Co-Co Walk

โค-โค วอล์ค

This is basically an outdoor covered compound with a dozen bars, pubs and live music performances. Some of the better bars include Sawaree Terrace, Co-Co Beach, 69, The Tube and Chilling House Cafe. It is mostly popular among Thai university students. In the middle of it all is a large Korean-style BBQ that offers "all-you-can-eat" for 99 baht.

Daily 18:00-01:00

Cup C Coffee Creation

Vintage cafe. Good Coffee. Specializes in fresh yogurt. Boring, elevator music.

Closed · opens 9 am

Dasa Book Cafe

Great collection of used English, French, German, Scandinavian, and Finnish books, 15,000 in all. General fiction and guidebooks can be found on the ground floor; mystery, children’s, history, politics and non-fiction are on the first floor; horror, true crime, sports, philosophy, psychology, nature, and language books are found on the third floor. Prices range from 50 to 3,000 baht, although most books are priced around 200 baht. Used books are usually priced at half the price of new books. Owners are Kaweewut Wuttiwibhu and Donald Gilliland.

Daily, 10:00-20:00·THB 30-5000

Eiah Sae

As always in Yaowarat, this coffee joint does not sell the usual latte or cappuccino. The special treat is Chaozhou coffee, a bittersweet Chinese brew. It's locally famous for its coffee beans, which are roasted and blended following a secret family recipe. This place is over 80 years old and has been in the family for four generations. This place has a real character and still serves as a meeting place for old Chinese businessmen. Its simple wooden chairs, Art Deco purple walls and old paintings on the wall give it a unique retro atmosphere. Besides coffee, you can try their traditional sweet drinks, such as nor kao (a tea and coffee mix) or heng yim (an almond-flavoured drink).

04:00-20:00 daily·50 baht

Ek Teng Phu Ki

เอ็กเต็งผู่กี่

Another one of those lively old joints where locals have heated discussions over a cup of coffee. A noisy atmosphere, but it's all in good fun. Coffee is a must, they also have small snacks to go with it.

05:00-21:30 daily·50-100 baht

Esplanade

ดิเอสพลานาด

Seven storeys of phone shops and beauty stores with some cinemas, restaurants (mostly Japanese), cafés and gyms added in-between. The most stunning features here are the ice skating rink and the bowling alley, the only features that differentiate this mall from the others. It is quite unorganised and feels a bit chaotic (in that way, the atmosphere has some in common with Pantip Plaza). All in all, it lacks personality and the only real reason to visit is if you happen to be in the area.

10:00-23:00 daily

Ethos

An institution in the area. Table and floor seating. Excellent Thai and International vegan and vegetarian cuisine. No MSG, preservatives or artificial colours or flavours. Free Wi-Fi. Coffee, healthy drinks. Mouth-watering desserts.

09:00-22:00 daily·150 baht

Floral Cafe

The cafe features flowers, branches, and fronds at every turn. They serve up homemade coffees, cakes, and frappes that can compete with any of Bangkok's finest.

Open Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00·Cafe latte, 120 baht; very berry brownie, 90 baht; lychee smoothie, 150 baht; pot of tea blends: lavender rose, cherry rose, or minty rose, 90 baht; homemade ice cream in the signature flavors of lavender rose, cherry rose, and minty rose, 100 baht

Foxhole

A hole-in-the-wall family-run cafe. Oozing with character. Small outside and inside seating areas. High quality Thai coffee. Savory pies. Pastries. Excellent all-day breakfasts. Friendly and fast service. Free Wi-Fi. Nondescript elevator music.

Wed-Mon 09:30-17:30

Gateway Ekamai

This mall is the southernmost one on Sukhumvit Rd before the border with Samut Prakan. It titles itself as a Japanese lifestyle mall and houses some peculiar businesses like a weird maid cafe with a concept imported from Japan and Snow Town theme park where you can play with snow and even get downhill skiing lessons.

10:00-22:00 daily

Green Lantern Cafe and Sex Museum

A coffee shop with a Museum of Sex, devoted to the history of eroticism and the sex industry in Thailand. The proprietor's father, a wealthy property developer, has a larger sex museum, Kamavijitra, on Sukhumvit Soi 38.

House of Museums

บ้านพิพิธภัณฑ์

The exhibition features a collection of old and modern items that were used every day by both townspeople and villagers. Items such as toys, books, stationery and kitchen and household utensils throughout the years are on display, forming a legacy of the past to be inherited by the present. The modern 3½-storey building of 3 chambers covers an area of 232 m². The first floor shows an old atmosphere of shop houses that date from before 1957, including a cafe, pharmacy, barber shop, and others. There are also rooms with changing exhibitions and various topics.

Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00·30 baht

Jaywalk Cafe

เทคอะซีท

Quite the breakfast scene with eggs and pancakes, though it's open all day.

Wed-Mon 08ː00-18ː00, closed Tue·50-80 baht

Jedi

A bright and airy cafe. Views over canal and park beyond. Small number of outdoor seats. Specialty coffee. Excellent desserts. Expensive compared to other cafes in the area.

Daily 08:30-17:30, 18:00-01:00.

Jim Thompson's House

พิพิธภัณฑ์จิม ทอมป์สัน

The infamous CIA operative Jim Thompson revived the Thai silk industry after World War II and had this house assembled from six traditional Thai-style houses. You must take the guided tour through the buildings, which are given in plenty of foreign languages. Get there early to beat the heat – you may have to wait a half hour or so in the courtyard before a tour starts (not a maximum of 20 minutes as claimed). There are one seasonal opening cafe named Jim's Terrace, one restaurant named Swensen's and one shop selling silk products alongside.

09:00-17:00 daily·200 baht, 100 baht if under 25 years of age

K-Village

The so-called "lifestyle malls" are popular in Bangkok. K-Village has been around since 2009. Touted as a "neighbourhood lifestyle mall", apparently this should be a small village where you can meet and know people. In practice, it's just another upscale mall with supermarkets, restaurants, cafés, spas and (of course) a lot of fashion stores.

10:00-22:00 daily

Kamavijitra: The Art of Lovemaking

Museum of Thai Eroticism

According to its website: "Massive collections of Siam erotic art that will blow your eyes." Make reservation one day in advance. The founder's son has a more modest exhibition at his Green Lantern Cafe on Soi 55.

Mon-Fri, 10:00-18:00·500 baht

Kopi-O Board Game Cafe

A mix of expats and locals play together at this chill hangout with a wide variety of board games, as well as snacks, coffee, tea, and juice.

Mon 12:00–18:00; Tue–Sun 12:00–22:00·50 baht/hr

Krisa

Small family-run cafe. Cozy and relaxed. Traditional Western-style decor. Close to the Grand Palace. Iced chocolate a specialty. Simple Thai dishes.

10:00-18:00 daily

Like Italy Cafe-Bakery

Small inside and sidewalk seating area. Excellent baked items. Only two items for breakfast. Good coffee

Daily 07:00-17:00

Terminal 21

The curvilinear glass-and-steel façade resembles a 21st-century airport. The basement level has a Caribbean theme and is where you will find the gourmet market, take-away food outlets, market-style food vendors as well as banks and bookstores. The ground floor is named Rome, with international and local fashion labels such as Kipling, Fox, CC:OO, Nike, Jaspal, Adidas and Levi's. Paris on M floor takes you to a faux Champs-Élysées. The 1st to 3rd floors are home to smaller shops by local independent labels. Women's fashion is on the 1st floor (Tokyo) and men's fashion is on the 2nd floor (London). The 3rd floor (Istanbul) is for gifts, jewellery, fashion accessories, toys, beauty products and home décor. San Francisco is on the 4th and 5th floors, with more than 50 restaurants and cafés. If you like food courts, head up to Pier 21 on the 5th floor. This is perhaps one of the best food courts in Bangkok for price, taste and variety: dim sum, grilled seafood (fast food style), Hainanese chicken rice, delicious pad thai, roast duck noodles and vegetarian options. Desserts include mango sticky rice, shaved ice dessert and ice creams. SF Cinema City operates an eight screen cineplex on the 6th floor. Two screens have digital 3D capabilities.

10:00-22:00 daily

The Corner

A new restaurant serving both Western and Thai cuisine. The French chef/owner is particularly passionate about Western food and cooks an excellent breakfast, with homemade sausages, hash browns and good coffee. The prices are higher than the average street stall.

Daily 07:00-23:00·Breakfast 120-160 baht, dinner 250-350 baht

The Nine Neighborhood Center

A new community mall clustered with a selection of restaurants. You can enjoy Thai, Chinese, or Japanese food here, as well as steaks, pastas or American fast food. If you just want a drink, Starbucks is present alongside other coffee shops and tea houses.

24 hours

Wat Ratchapradit

วัดราชประดิษฐ์สถิตมหาสีมาราม

This quiet and modest wat is a nice get-away from the busy street and annoying tuk-tuk drivers. This ground used to be a royal coffee plantation in the reign of King Rama III. With his personal donation, King Rama IV bought the plantation and had a small temple constructed there in 1864. His intention was to make it a Thammayut Sect temple, according to the customary practice of having three eminent temples in the capital city of the Kingdom (the others being Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratchaburana). A place of interest in the temple is the royal image hall (Phra Wihan Luang), which has mural paintings depicting royal ceremonies, including the "Legend of the Solar Eclipse" phenomenon that occurred during the reign of King Rama IV. There are some interesting artifacts in the temple, including some of King Rama IV's ashes that are now interred at the base of the Buddha. Also staged here are gifts King Rama IV got when he was installed as a monarch, such as French floor and ceiling lamps, English street lamps and a German clock that is still ticking today.

08:00-18:00 daily·Free

Att19 Cafe

Part of a gallery. Elegant interior. Plush chairs and sofas. Excellent coffee and desserts. Outdoor seating area.

Tue-Sun: 11AM-6PM

Black and Milk

From Farm to Cup

Excellent specialty coffee and matcha. Open front. Backstreet vibe. Breakfast, but no vegetarian options. Free WiFi.

Daily: 07:00-17:00

Bonita Cafe and Social Club

An old American-style café with a vegan menu. They also have some raw, gluten-free and sugar-free dishes, and shakes for drinks. Portions are a bit small for the price, but made with fresh ingredients. It is run by friendly owners, in a homey atmosphere, and is already regarded as one of the better vegan restaurants in the area. It's also a social club for gathering. Free Wi-Fi.

Wed-Mon 09:30-21:30, closed Tue