Pubs from Rama V Bridge to the Ratchapreuk Round-a-bout
Bearing in mind that most expats never cross the Chao Phraya River, I thought it might be good to show some of the options available. I am indebted to my colleague-in-arms Medianmanbkk for his contribution to market research on behalf of all TDers.
This is only a tiny sampling of what’s available and is in the very confined area between the Rama Five Bridge and the Ratchapreuk Round-a-bout which is a distance of about three kms.
For those of you unfamiliar with this area here’s a google map for you with the river on your right.
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As you cross the river you can take the slip-lane left and within 100 metres you’ll be ready for your first stop. This is the interestingly named ‘Bridg5’. Not sure whether it started as a typo but it’s stuck now and is on all their advertising.
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The owner is an amiable middle-aged Thai Lady with a penchant for leading by example when it comes to imbibing.
The food here is passable but to be honest we normally only stop here for a beer or two. A large Heineken costs 95 Baht but they have the habit of turning off all the fridges at night so the beer is not super cold. Criminals add ice to their beer but we are fine upstanding citizens who refuse to stoop that low.
They have a band every evening but my muso mate assures me that they are not good.
So why do we come you might well ask? Well, most of the staff here are Vietnamese, as is the case for all of the pubs and restaurants in this area. Their Thai is minimal and their English non-existant but that never stopped us from having a good time.
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Next door to Bridg5 is one of my favourite places for a quiet beer or two on the way home, called No Doubt. Here they never turn off their fridges so the beer is always super cold.
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I think the owner is a member of the local constabulary, but he’s a pleasant enough guy and is there most evenings. He has a couple of ‘greeters’ who are nice and friendly.
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The food is much better here with a comprehensive menu and the seating is more comfortable. They have a pool table at 20 baht per game and a number of bands who seem to play for about an hour each. It’s decent music at a decent volume so you can have a conversation while they’re playing.
This bar runs late and is very popular with the younger set after midnight.
Heineken large are 110 Baht but they often have buy 3-get 1 promotions. After the shock of 145 baht for a small Heineken in Cowboy the other night I’m happy to be living over this side of the river.
When you leave No Doubt you’ll need to rejoin the main road and travel over the main canal and then take the slip road left again. This will take you to the strip’s newest venue, simply called ‘Brewery Pub’.
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It’s early days yet as they only opened in November 08, but I suspect this will become the in-place to see and be seen during next year.
It has a couple of karaoke rooms on the left as you enter together with an outside bar. Inside is cavernous. Styled after the Brewery Pub on Rama 3 it has a huge seating capacity and a full-on 8 – 9 member band.
Beers are 110 baht but whisky is the order-of-the-day and can be had for around 400 baht. This is a late night venue so don’t think of going before 11:00 pm.
Right next door, albeit around the bend in the road is what we affectionately call ‘Puppets Bar and Restaurant’.
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Here they have shadow puppets entertaining on the big screen during the band’s breaks. They only have one band here but I like their music. It’s very much a locals hangout and everyone seems to know everyone else.
The great thing about all these places is that they always welcome foreigners and almost invariably someone will come over for a chat along the way. Leave your Bluetooth on – you’ll be surprised at the girls who send you their pic when they see you sitting at the table.
Heineken Large here is only 75 baht and the food is pretty good so it’s an entertaining place to while away some time while you’re waiting for next door to get cracking. If you prefer wine you can BYO and there’s no corkage charge!
There are a mix of Thai, Laos and Vietnamese staff here. The Thai staff usually write the orders while the rest do the actual work. They seem to have a high turnover of staff so it might be to starting point for Viet girls in their job search in Thailand.
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Okay, time to head to the round-a-bout where you can u-turn and head for Chill-Lom which is on your left immediately after you cross the main canal again.
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This is also a new enterprise which opened in October 08 and is run by a couple of very nice young guys, one of whom was educated in NZ and the other in Oz. You won’t need your Thai in here.
They have a pool table, a band outside and seating both inside and out. Now that the wet season has finished most people prefer to sit outside.
Good food here with a decent menu and beer at 90 Baht. This is a family oriented place and there are lots of kids running around.
They are starting to get their act together regarding staff and now have some Thai and some Viet girls which is an improvement over using their own girl friends as service staff.
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I like this place. Has good atmosphere and a couple of young guys who are trying to do something for themselves is always good to see.
Ok. Now, normally I never mix food and drink but there is one place which deserves a mention because their food is exceptional value. So head on back to the Rama 5 Bridge and on your left before the bridge you’ll see “Steak Today’, right beside the big new tyre place.
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I apologise for the pic showing their place with the gates half across but it’s hard to get decent pics at night. This place is run by a very pleasant family and is open for both lunch and dinner. Prices in here are very cheap as you can see from the menu. Beer is 65 Baht.
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In all, a good place to put some lining on the stomach before heading out for a night on the turps.
I’ll add to this thread in the future by giving a rundown of places between the bridge and Nonthaburi intersection, which is going the other way. Meantime, I’ve whetted my own appetite, so I’ll see you at…..
All photos taken on my Samsung Omnia Phone