Gay Bars and Clubs Banglok

The bars, clubs and bar-restaurants listed here are the most notable of Bangkok’s gay nightlife venues; Bed Supperclub also hosts a regular gay night. For more general background on gay life in Thailand, contacts and sources of information, more of them concentrated in Bangkok. Don’t forget Bangkok Pride in mid-November, when the capital’s gay community struts its stuff in a week of parades, cabarets, fancy-dress shows and sports contests.

The Balcony

Soi 4 Thanon Silom. Unpretentious, fun place with a large, popular terrace, reasonably priced drinks, karaoke and decent Thai and Western food.

Dick’s Café

Duangthawee Plaza, 894/7-8 Soi Pratuchai, Thanon Suriwong. Stylish day-and-night café-restaurant (daily 10.30am-2am), hung with exhibitions by gay artists, on a traffic-free soi opposite the prominent Wall St Tower, ideal for drinking, eating decent Thai and Western food or just chilling out.

Disgo Disgo

Soi 2 Thanon Silom. Small, well-designed bar-disco with a retro feel, playing good dance music to a fun young crowd.

DJ Station

Soi 2 Thanon Silom. Highly fashionable but unpretentious disco, packet at weekends, attracting a mix of Thais and farangs; cabaret show nightly at 11.30pm. B100 including one drink (B200 including two drinks Fri & Sat).

Espresso

Soi 2 Thanon Silom. Immaculately designed bar-lounge with cool water features and subtle lighting.

Freeman Dance Arena

60/18-21 Soi 2/1, Thanon Silom (in a small soi between Soi Thaniya and Soi 2). Busy disco, somewhat more Thai-oriented than DJ Station, with slick cabaret shows at 11.30pm and 1am. B150 including one drink (B200 including 2 drinks Fri & Sat). Under the same management is Richard’s, a small, pre-club bar-restaurant next door.

JJ Park

8/3 Soi 2, Thanon Silom. Classy, Thai-oriented bar-restaurant, for relaxed socializing rather than raving, with nightly singers, comedy shows and good food.

Sphinx

98-104 Soi 4, Thanon Silom. Chic décor, terrace seating and very good Thai and Western food attract a sophisticated crowd to this ground floor bar and restaurant; karaoke and live music upstairs at Pharaoh’s.

Telephone Pub

114/11 – 13 Soi 4, Thanon Silom. Cruisey, dimly lit, long-standing eating and drinking venue with a terrace on the alley and telephones on the tables inside.

Vega

Soi 39, Thanon Sukhumvit. Trendy bar-restaurant run by a group of lesbians, the live music, karaoke and dance floor attract a mixed, fashionable crowd. Mon-Sat 11am-1am.