Late Night: Restaurants in Bangkok
Bangkok used to be limited to noodle and rice soup shops late at night. Tipsy club goers would end their night by eating khao tom, a rice soup known for helping hangovers, and at places like the long running Pochana 55 or Saengchai Pochana, you can still do this, along with plenty of other tasty dishes. Same goes for Took Lae Dee, Bangkok’s 24 hour cheap food counter inside of Foodland, which will sate you, but certainly doesn’t have a dress code. However, there are now a whole slew of newer and fancier diners and cafes that dot the city, although note that the Covid pandemic has forced most 24-hour joints to close by midnight or even earlier. Top spots include 25 Degrees in the Pullman G Hotel on Silom which features gourmet burgers, pancakes with maple syrup, and creative omelets along with breakfast burritos for those who feel the need in the late hours. If Chinese is your forte, humble Hong Teong Long normally stays open until 2 a.m. and does the best dumplings in town. For pizza lovers, Soho Pizza gives you late night real NY-style pizza, and if you make it over to the old city area before it gets too late, you can feast on Bangkok’s most famed pad kee mao “drunkards’ noodles,” served at the streetside Jay Fai restaurant, winner of a Michelin star. You can also get a Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded chicken rice dish at Go-Ang Kaomunkai until late, and also worth a visit are the steaming bowls of ramen at Ramen Tei, of which the Thaniya branch serves until 2a.m. If you’ve been drinking at the legendary Wong’s Bar, the nearby Malai Coffee Shop will serve you eggs, pancakes, and even stir-fried asparagus should you get the 3 a.m. need. One thing is guaranteed, you won’t get lost looking for a place to hang out after hours.
Photo courtesy of Michelin Guide Bangkok
While Covid and the crowds have cut back its hours (only until 9 now!), you can still get one of Bangkok’s best late evening meals at this no frills gourmet kitchen and now recent winner of a Michelin star!!. Jay Fai specializes in pad kee mao, or drunkards noodles which can be found at many street stalls for 30 baht a plate but here go for an outrageous 600 (with the crab omelet going for up to 1000 baht)! Why? Well, Jay Fai has been written up by food critics around the world and now put in the Michelin Guide for her street food. Stuck in one of Bangkok’s last timeless neighborhoods, where skyscrapers and designer malls don’t exist, Jay Fai is a small basic shophouse eatery, and what sets it apart are the drunken noodles that come with ultra fresh monster prawns made by an auntie who has been serving the faithful for 60 years.
Recommended for Late Night because: for the top pad kee mao “drunkards noodles” in town, Jay Fai is at the top of the list.
Dave’s expert tip: Saochingchao is not well served by public transport. Best to take the Skytrain to Ratchathewi and then take a taxi along Petchaburi heading west. Or if visiting Khao San Rd, you can walk down Tanao south of Democracy Monument to reach the neighborhood.
Do note that since being awarded a Michelin star, you may have to wait up to 4 hours to get a table here.
Photo courtesy of David Pursehouse
Ramen Tei is a chain ramen eatery with five branches across Bangkok, but this simple eatery in Soi Thaniya, the Japanese hostess bar street just off of Silom Road, is open late and focuses on the late night salarymen drinking crowd. The bowls of ramen here, ranging from traditional shoyu ramen to the juicy tonkatsu pork ramen, are some of the largest in town, and the menu has a host of other Japanese favorites, like katsudon, mabu-dofu, and curry katsu plates, all of which also are much bigger than you’ll find at similar restaurants. The neighborhood late at night has a rather sleazy feel, and the decor of Ramen Tei won’t win any awards, but if you need a late night noodle fix or to fill an empty stomach, this is an excellent choice.
Recommended for Late Night because: For huge portions of late night noodles, Ramen Tei delivers.
Dave’s expert tip: Take the BTS to Sala Daeng and exit into Soi Thaniya to get here.
Photo courtesy of Dave Stamboulis
Pochana 55 is a plainly decorated streetside restaurant that has been serving thousands of customers for over 25 years. Initially famed for its khao tom rice soup, served to clubbers coming home at 2am, the restaurant now serves up several varieties of sizzling iron platter fish and beef dishes, and hundreds of other Thai Chinese favorites, all of them guaranteed to please. The tom yam here is a benchmark to set the standard for Thailand’s most famous soup. During the rainy season, make sure to try the dok krachon “little flower” salad. 55 is constantly mentioned by locals as one of Bangkok’s most consistently good restaurants by those in the know and is open from 5pm until 3am normally, now reduced to around midnight due to Covid.
Recommended for Late Night because: For its extensive menu and famous khao tom rice soup, 55 is always a winner.
Dave’s expert tip: Many of 55’s tables are located outside on the street, however save for the dead of winter, most visitors will find it too hot (as well as too noisy with the passing traffic) to sit out here. There is a comfortable air con section to the renovated restaurant interior, which isn’t overly visible from the street, just inside past the kitchen.
Photo courtesy of Michelin Bangkok
Half a century-old Go-Ang Kaomunkai is legendary, and the perfect spot for a late night snack although note they now close much earlier due to Covid. Set next to two other khao man gai (Michelin spells it kaomunkai) Hainanese chicken and rice shops, you can distinguish Go-Ang by the pink uniforms worn by the servers and pink storefront (the other spots are blue and orange), as well as by the Bib Gourmand Michelin award the restaurant has received for its tasty boiled chicken that is served with a chili and garlic dipping sauce over rice cooked in chicken broth. While locals might debate whether it really is the best khao man gai in Bangkok, it nevertheless is representative of this deliciously popular dish (originally brought to the country by Chinese immigrants), and while the crowds of tourists vying for a table here during dinner hours is off-putting, if you show up at midnight, you ought to be able to snag a seat. It’s in the perfect spot to head to once the malls all shut, as it’s just a short walk from CentralWorld, Siam Paragon, and Gaysorn. At 60 baht for a plate, it’s a real late night deal.
Recommended for Late Night because: For a great late night treat, Michelin-awarded Go-Ang Kaomunkai’s Hainanese chicken rice can’t be beat!
Dave’s expert tip: If you are a group, you can order a half or whole chicken separately to go with the rice, which gives you more meat to enjoy.
Photo courtesy of Dave Stamboulis
This restaurant is an absolute classic, still going strong after more than half a century in business. Saengchai is a simple “pochana” restaurant, which somewhat translates into family style Thai-Chinese comfort food. Everything on the huge menu is good, but popular items include anything to do with seafood, the pork and olives, and the potent tom yum soup. The owner is a bit of a celebrity, shown in photos on the wall with countless numbers of Thai movie stars and singers who have visited the restaurant. Best of all, Saengchai is the place to go for your late night cravings, as it stays open until 2am, so if you need to work off a hangover or just need some spicy munchies before bed, this is your best bet.
Recommended for Late Night because: For great late night Thai food in a classic joint, Saengchai Pochana is a great spot.
Dave’s expert tip: The restaurant is located between Sukhumvit Sois 30 and 32, with the closest BTS stop being Phrom Phong.
Photo courtesy of Pirate Pixels
Took Lae Dee means cheap and good in Thai, and its long food counter, which can be found inside any branch of Foodland supermarkets, has appeared in countless numbers of Thai movies and thus is well known throughout the country. The food is nothing over the top, but its regulars swear by it, and many visitors to Thailand end up spending days and hours here, lingering over plates of Thai and western food at all hours, and celebrating the sunrise with the big American breakfasts, consisting of of toast, eggs, bacon, ham, sausages, orange juice and tea or coffee.
Recommended for Late Night because: For 24 hour cheap and good, Took Lae Dee is excellent!
Dave’s expert tip: There are 9 branches of Took Lae Dee in the 11 Foodlands in Bangkok, a large proportion of tourists seem to frequent the one in Sukhumvit Soi 16 and also Soi 5. From 5-9am, breakfast goes for 49 baht!
Photo courtesy of Hong Teong Long
If you have an affinity for Chinese dumplings in the wee hours of the morning (they are open until 2am), you have found nirvana at Hong Teong Long. This hole in the wall with red lanterns hanging outside, and waitresses who can barely speak Thai inside, specializes in Shanghai cuisine, and boy do they get their dumplings right. Look on every diner’s table and you will see plates of xiao long bao dumplings, both steamed and fried, that are filled with delicious juice, not too heavy, not overcooked, and will have you already scheduling your next visit. The menu isn’t limited to dumplings either. There is a wonderful spicy cucumber and seaweed salad, a red pork dish to die for, and the drunken chicken will make you dizzy from joy. It may be a hole in the wall, but Hong Teong Long is full every night and for good reason.
Recommended for Late Night because: for the best Chinese dumplings in Bangkok, hole in the wall Hong Teong Long is number one.
Dave’s expert tip: the best way to find this out of the way location is to Skytrain to Chong Nonsi, walk north up to Silom, cross the road and go through the ITF Tower building, turn right, walk 100 meters to the next corner, and then left, you will see the red lanterns hanging across the street from the Ocean Insurance Building.
Photo courtesy of Malaysia Hotel
The decor isn’t much to write home about, but the Malai Coffee Shop inside the Malaysia Hotel is one spot that is still awake when the rest of the city isn’t. The small eatery is open 24 hours, and has an extensive menu, serving up anything from ham sandwiches to stir fried scallops with asparagus, plus any type of eggs, pancakes, and more, should you decide to welcome the morning. It’s a rather eclectic neighbourhood, full of backpackers, gays, and all night partiers, many who drink at the nearby late night Wong’s Bar, a Bangkok institution. The hotel itself is also pretty legendary, as it’s been around since the GI days, and has seen Bangkok’s changes without batting much of an eye.
Recommended for Late Night because: For 24 hour food, drink, and comfort, the Malai Coffee Shop is always open.
Dave’s expert tip: Best to get here by taking a taxi or a 15 minute walk down Sathorn Soi 1, with the Lumphini subway station as your nearest public transport
Photo courtesy of Dave Stamboulis
Bangkok’s homage to the late night diner scene is the U.S. chain 25 degrees, which has scaled back from round the clock burgers since the Covid pandemic, but still serves until midnight. Located downstairs in the Pullman Hotel G on Silom, 25 degrees has an extensive breakfast menu featuring pancakes, French toast, and waffles with maple syrup, as well as fine crafted omelets and scrambles. The diner is also renowned as a burger joint, and you can craft your own with sirloin, turkey, or even yellowfin tuna to go along with burrata or brie along with a garlic aioli sauce or any other combination of the extensive menu offerings. The chic and upscale decor ensure that you don’t forget that this is far more than just an ordinary burger bar.
Recommended for Late Night because: For late night gourmet burgers, 25 Degrees is one of a kind.
Dave’s expert tip: The best way to get here is to take the BTS Skytrain to Chong Nonsi station, although if you are coming here at 3am, it wont be open, so best to take a taxi!
Photo courtesy of Dennis Sylvester Hurd
Late night eating options in Bangkok don’t have to be limited to noodle carts. Soho Pizza pays tribute to big size slices of New York pizza, in fact the team behind this place had famed pizza consultant Anthony Falco brought in just to make sure they were getting everything right, and they’ve since opened six locations across Bangkok to feed the hungry masses, although this Sukhumvit branch remains the flagship and certainly in the heart of late night, with all the clubs and bars of Nana just down the road. They ferment the dough here for two days, there are a bunch of monthly and daily promotions (check their FB page), and they stay open during weekdays until midnight, and until 4am on weekends, although these hours have been cut back due to Covid. The pizza isn’t cheap, but you get a big slice and can say you have tasted the Big Apple while in the Big Mango.
Recommended for Late Night because: For late night real NY pizza, you can’t top Soho.
Dave’s expert tip: The nearest BTS station to here is Nana, and then you’ll need to walk 10 minutes down Soi 11. Don’t forget to check their Facebook page for specials and deals.
