Things to do
Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok
Best places in Bangkok for that first Tinder date
It's a match! Break the ice with your Tinder date at one of these unconventional date places.
BEAM
Game Over Lounge Thailand
Comedy Club Bangkok
Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok
Dine in the Dark
Hair of the Dog
Phavitch Theeraphong/Time Out Bangkok
Beam
If you want to cut out the conversation, come to Beam, probably known as the haziest and the loudest club thanks to a top-of-the-line sound system. Let the electronic tunes, laser lights and misty atmosphere lull you into a false sense of complacency and comfort. If the night is going better than you expected, this is your chance to be a bit touchy (trust us, nobody will notice). Or if you see the red flag waving, this is your chance to turn and run (nobody will notice either).
Game Over Lounge
Taking your date to Game Over Lounge for card games may sound nerdy and geeky, but don’t be so quick to judge. Games like Drunk, Stone or Stupid, or Never Have I Ever allow you to (really) get to know your date, and may just unveil your bae-to-be’s darkest, naughtiest, most shameful moments. (Has he had a threesome ? Has she done a walk of shame in a Halloween costume?)
Comedy Club Bangkok
If you want someone else to provide the evening’s humor and entertainment, then Bangkok Comedy Club is where you need to take your date. The venue has been known to host several world-class comedians, including Jim Gaffigan and Jimmy Carr, but even on regular nights, the usual acts are still worth a watch. Sit back, laugh your butt off and let these funny men shake off the first-date jitters for you.
Bangkok Screening Room
Take the classic movie date to another level by seeing a film at Bangkok Screening Room. The alternative cinema usually shows independent movies, sophisticated documentaries, classic cult films, so this is your chance to show off your cultured palate. The place also has a mini bar where you and your Tinder date can lounge and linger after the movie.
Dine in the Dark
If his/her profile says “into something mysterious” take him/her to Dine in the Dark or DID for the literal blind-date experience. At DID dishes are served in complete darkness by visually-impaired staff. This is a chance for you and your date to connect through real conversation rather than focus on each other’s appearance. Who knows, this might turn into the real deal.
Hair of the Dog Phrom Pong
A first date over beers might seem cliché but not at Hair of the Dog. For one, the craft beer place has a better selection of brews than most bars, so just choosing a bottle will already merit a discussion. Second, the place is decorated with pieces usually seen in an asylum/hospital—we’re talking surgical lighting, a mortuary cabinet, and autopsy beds—so you won’t be at a loss for conversation starters. (“Have you ever seen a dead person up-close before?”)
Find the Photo Booth
Want to start out the night on a fun note? Come to #FindThePhotoBooth. The bar is in a hidden location and requires some creative sleuthing to find. The real fun starts when you enter the photo booth (this is actually the bar entrance). Snap a few photos with your Tinder date while figuring out the way to open the bar door. If things end well, you have a photo of your first date together to show your kids. But if things end badly, there’s always the delete button.
D-Sports Stadium
9 best things to do in Bangkok at night if you’re not into partying
The other Bangkok after dark.
Paintbar Bangkok
Yonomori Onsen & Spa
Sheldon Space
Jam
D-Sports Stadium
Karaoke Manekineko
Yok Pok Ying Laser Games
Zombie Books
Top Koaysomboon/Time Out Bangkok
Bangkok becomes one huge party come night fall, from swanky Thonglor and Ekkamai, to the more down-to-earth Silom district, to the hip neighborhoods of Ari and Charoenkrung. But the city’s nocturnal offerings are not just limited to dancing and drinking ’til you drop. Bangkok can be fun too even if thumping music, light shows, wild crowds and unending beer buckets are not involved. Here’s a list of alternative fun activities in the city for when the sun has set.
Unwind with watercolor and wine at Paintbar
Located on the sixth floor of Piman 49, this painting studio-slash-bar allows you to unwind, unleash your inner artist, and get tipsy at the same time. Paintbar Bangkok offers evening sessions from 7:30pm onwards where you can try your hand at recreating the night’s featured painting. Fee includes art materials and supplies, instruction and the canvas. The venue also serves a great selection of food and booze. Order a glass of Merlot with one their reasonably priced tapas.
6/F Piman 49, 46/4 Soi Sukumvit 49, 08 1001 0849. Open Tue-Fri 14:00-22:30, Sat 10:00-22:30, Sun 10:00-18:00
Wash the day’s stress away at an onsen
Japanese-style baths are best enjoyed at night after a long and demanding day or week at work. Yonomori Onsen & Spa, located on Soi Sukhumvit 26, is open until midnight and covers all the bases when it comes to an authentic Japanese onsen experience. The water is sourced from the thermal springs of Wat Wangkanai, which is known for its detoxifying properties. The place is decked with bamboo trees, wood, and stone, and offers a variety of different baths, from a mineral water bath to a soda bath, to a cold bath, and more. The facilities also include a steam and sauna room, and massage rooms.
120/5 Soi Sukhumvit 26, 0 2259 5778. Open daily 09:00-24:00
Practice strategic thinking at a board game cafe
There are a good number of these shops in the city but Sheldon Space in Ekkamai is the only one that’s open around the clock. There are heaps of board games to choose from, including role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, and wacky card game Exploding Kittens. Sheldon Space also has PS4 and Nintendo Switch for video gamers, and a big screen projector for sports fans to watch live games and matches. Drinks and snacks are also available.
267/16 Soi Sukhumvit 63, 08 2586 5170. Open 24 hours
See art at a night gallery
After a crazy day dealing with deadlines, nothing quiets the soul like walking through a gallery and admiring beautiful pieces of art in peace. Bangkok, surprisingly, has a handful of galleries that are open until midnight or past, such as the two-story Sathorn 11 Art Space, which is dedicated to fine-art exhibitions, and Jam, a space that hosts cool street-art shows, art talks, and even indie movie nights. In the Sukhumvit area, you have Goja, a minimalist space set in an old renovated shophouse.
Sathorn 11 Art Space, 404 Soi Sathorn 11, 0 2004 1199. Open Tue-Sun 17:00-01:00
Jam, 41 Soi Rong Nam Kang (Charoen Rat Soi 1), 08 9889 8059. Open Tue-Sun 18:00-24:00
Goja, 5/45 Soi Pridi Banomyong 3. Open Wed-Mon 15:00-24:00
Expend energy at a 24-hour gym
If you’re dealing with insomnia or are just one of those people who have so much energy at night, then fitness centers that are open round the clock, like Jetts 24-Hour Fitness and Fitness24Seven, will be of benefit. These gyms come with full equipment and facilities, and even a private trainer until super late. But if you feel like playing sports, check out D-Sports Stadium atop Donki mall. The place is open until 3 am and has facilities for baseball, rock-climbing, and tennis.
Jetts 24 Hour Fitness, Suanplern Market, 3654 Rama 4, 064 218 3387
Fitness24Seven, 1106 Sukhumvit Road, Phra Khanong, 06 2545 9921
D-Sports Stadium, Donki Mall Thonglor, 107 Soi Thonglor 10, 0 2077 9999. Open daily 10:00-03:00
Sing your heart out at karaoke joint
Though lively music, and most likely alcohol, will be involved, a night at the karaoke bar will definitely be less chaotic than an evening in Soi Thonglor 10. One of the more popular and central karaoke spots is Karaoke Manekineko on the the fourth floor of Donki Mall. This family-friendly karaoke venue from Japan is open until three in the morning. Choose from a huge and varied selection that includes songs in English, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Malaysian. The smallest room can fit up to 5 people while the VIP room, which comes with a pool table, can host up to 30 people.
Karaoke Manekineko, 4/F Donki Mall Thonglor, 107 Soi Thonglor 10, 0 2301 0905. Open daily 11:00-03:00
Blow off steam with laser tag
Dark surrounds, laser beams, adrenaline-pumping music, competitive play—a game of laser tag is like clubbing, but not. You don’t walk around a club trying to “shoot” someone, for one, plus you don’t get to carry around all this cool gear. Yok Pok Ying Laser Games, ranked one of the biggest laser tag establishments in the world and the biggest in Asia, is open until 1 am. Unlike other laser tag establishments, you don’t wear a cumbersome vest here. Instead you slip on a headband that acts as your sensor.
244/7 Ratchadaphisek Road, 0 2087 3939. Open Fri-Sun 14:00-01:00, Mon-Thur 14:00-24:00
Browse through an array of cool books
Right in the middle of party central RCA is probably the only bookstore in Bangkok that’s open until midnight. The selection spans Thai literature and Thai-translated versions of international bestsellers. There’s even a cafe where you can grab small bites and lounge about while reading your new book. The second floor houses a gallery/co-working space while the third floor holds a bar area.
21/118, Royal City Avenue, Rama 9, 08 4654 3954. Open daily 10:30 - 24:00
Keep up with deadlines
If you have a pile of work to get done, pull up to the newest lifestyle mall Samyan Mitrtown, and check yourself into SAMYAN CO-OP, a multi-story co-working space that's open round the clock. The venue offers free wifi, sharing workstations, power outlets, meeting rooms, and the entry is free. Samyan Mitrtown also has many eateries that are open 24/7 to cater to any late-night cravings such as Shabushi, KFC, Swensens, and Starbucks.
Samyan Mitrtown, 944 Rama IV Road. Open 24 hours