Siam Square & Thanon Ploenchit

Ad Makers

51/51 Soi Langsuan. Friendly, spacious bar with Wild West-style wooden décor and good food, attracting a cross-section of Thais and foreigners, and featuring nightly folk and rock bands.

Brown Sugar

231/19-20 Soi Sarasin. Chic. Pricey, lively bar, acknowledged as the capital’s top jazz venue.

Concert CM2

Novotel, Soi 6, Siam Square. More theme park than nightclub, with live bands and various, barely district entertainment and everything from bhangra to hip-hop in the Boom Room. Admission B550 (including two drinks) Fri & Sat, B220 (including one drink) Sun-Thurs.

WOC

263/4-6 Soi 3, Siam Square. Smart, modernist by east-going hangout for students and 20-somethings, with reasonably priced drinks, a good choice of accompanying snacks and some interesting Thai/Italian pastas for main dishes. A little hard to find up some stairs by Siam Square’s Centerpoint.

Hard Rock Café

Soi 11, Siam Square. Genuine outlet of the famous chain, better for drink than food. Brash enthusiasm and big sounds, with predictable live bands nightly.

Saxophone

3/8 Victory Monument (southeast corner), Thanon Phrayathai. Lively spacious venue that hosts nightly jazz, blues, folk and rock bands and attracts a good mix of Thais and farangs; decent food, relaxed drinking atmosphere and, all things considered, reasonable prices.

Syn Bar

Swissotel Nai Lert Park, 2 Thanon Withayu. Hip hotel bar, popular at weekends, decorated retro style with bubble chars and sparkling fiber-optic carpet. Excellent cocktails and nightly DJs playing house and Latin; happy hour Mon-Friday 5-9pm.