Sawang Daen Din/route 22

[Tarl]

As an update on good "watering holes"....The Chomdao resort still has its pleasant outdoor undercover restaurant with live Isaan music each night, and seems to be getting quite busy with weddings and large functions.


If you are interested in some very cold beer, with chilled glasses and pleasant local musicians, I have found a very pleasant Drinking Spot in the evenings! Its called "The Jake" and run by "Jake" a musician, and his partner AOR who has a beautiful voice, and sings Isaan ballads accompanied on guitar by Jake. Jake and some other "drop in" local musicians play a variety of music, but seem to like "country and Western" most and the bar is set up looking like it is straight out of rural Texas! Aor is a school teacher and speaks English, and they are both very pleasant hosts providing good service at very reasonable prices.
They also have good WiFi available to patrons, and there is a Thai "Steak house" family restaurant next door ....which is a different experience!


"JAKE" the man!


"AOM" his partner host and vocalist.


So if you like amateur musicians "Country and Western" and Isaan live music and cold beer...this is the place...In my view the best bar for a cold beer and pleasant company in SDD!

LOCATION: Approximately 300 meters North of Highway 22, on a long straight Soy (which seems to have no name) running North at right angles off Highway 22, one Soi to the West of The Soi with P.E.A. (the Electricity Company) office on the corner. (basically the last major Soi going West towards TESCO LOTUS!)

Searched and searched and cannot locate ....

OK, found the joint........coming from Tesco direction, take a left after the Toyota car showroom, then straight ahead and its on the LEFT immediately after the "restaurant" ....anyone fancy a beer

I will drop in there this Saturday hopefully around 7.30 to 8.00. If you can make it be great to meet and say hello.

[KEVIN2008]

Nice one Tarl...i think you are referring to the Sat, 1st Feb ??
Had a few beers there tonight Sunday....nice cosy atmospheric bar,might be a better option in preference to the volatile "strip" in town.......Jake the owner tells us he has ALLIGATOR meat in the freezer for an addition to the menu...that will be a first for me

[Tarl]

Nice one Tarl...i think you are referring to the Sat, 1st Feb ??
Had a few beers there tonight Sunday....nice cosy atmospheric bar,might be a better option in preference to the volatile "strip" in town.......Jake the owner tells us he has ALLIGATOR meat in the freezer for an addition to the menu...that will be a first for me

Yeah mate, went and found it today after putting John on a bus home. Great durections, thanks.

If they serve food there will try it out (not the alligator though have eaten a fair bit of crocodile back home it isn't bad)

[KEVIN2008]

JAKES BAR, SAWANG DAN DIN



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[Tarl]

Really nice night at Jakes Bar. Food and company were both excellent!

[markos]

I hear there have been some Concert today Birds Paradise resort ?

[KEVIN2008]

I hear there have been some Concert today Birds Paradise resort ?

Admission fee 500 baht !!!!! ....too expensive

[markos]

Mini Bar closed, no have customers so my wife close it now. Sawang Fitness still running and all welcome visit there, soon is coming Olympic barbell set 170 kg weights and power rack.

[KEVIN2008]

Sorry to hear you had to close and I never managed to have a beer there,but I suppose all the Shitty bar activity is now concentrated in " walking street ". .....that street close to the night club

[markos]

Yes that truth Kevin and Sawang have so many Bars now so its no any idea do bar. But we will keep Sawang Fitness running and future its coming be bigger place, now we think buy leg press next.

[KEVIN2008]

Cafe inside door of Tesco closed, Dairy Queen ( new tenant ) due to open there next week

[Roger Ramjet]

That's bad news Kevin...previous tenants made excellent milk shakes, and very nice reasonably priced Western style food.

[KEVIN2008]

That's bad news Kevin...previous tenants made excellent milk shakes, and very nice reasonably priced Western style food.

AGREE Roger, but they have expressed a good interest in opening an Italian restaurant in town....even travelling to have a look at Picolla Roma in Udon .

[KEVIN2008]

Where are you Billy ?

[CTO]

Actually they are regular customers of Picolla Roma, and used to be regular customers of ours about two or three times a week. I'll miss the coffee shop, good Green Chicken Curry Fried Rice.

The problem with Sawang is there are too many restaurants for the number of people eating out, and the pricing is very hard to compete.

There was a great place open only for a few months, the owner had worked in Dubei for many years, and opened a very good restaurant, with an open kitchen so you could see everything his team was cooking, behind glass walls

Closed in a few months,

Our place we couldn't get the owner to upgrade the kitchen, even offering to do it ourselves they would allow it which was a major pain,

Place is for rent again.

[Roger Ramjet]

An Italian Restaurant would be just great!...and I think would be well patronized if in decent premises with aircon.
There is another good quite small Thai restaurant on highway 22 that I frequent in the evenings in Sawang Daen Din.It's name is Khantouk......and has a web site I think in Thai.... It is run by a couple with a professional business background from Bangkok. The proprietor/Chef who was trained in Bangkok, speaks very good English, and has above local standards of food handling (eg,refrigeration of ingredients, Chef's hat and visible cooking out front) and he has a good idea of Thai food/spicyness the average farang likes. My fussy Thai wife also likes his Isaan food. The menu is simple and limited, but has cheap cold beer and the food prices are very good. They have free WIFI, and are located about 100 meters East of the Bangkok Bank on Highway 22, (opposite a high roofed warehouse). He is also very helpful with local knowledge. Next to them is a seafood self service restaurant. (which I do not recommend!) They have a footpath sign in Thai, but not English (he claims English sign =$$$$ is not worth the cost per annum...sad but I have heard this before)

[KEVIN2008]

We will check that out.......town needs a decent clean restaurant. Quite a large number of Suki type Mom and Pop eating places have sprung up around town....couldn't call them restaurants........food is disgusting, poor hygiene standards and each one has their share of roaches and dogs wandering about under the table dropping fleas on your legs. Nana is an excuse for a restaurant,........Chomdao now closes at 9pm.

[billyboybig]

My wife and I arrived Sawang Daen Din in December 2012 and haven't looked back. After ten years living in North Queensland it has been an interesting and positive experience to discover Sawang Daen Din. With my wife's family numbering +25, all living close by, it has been one constant family gathering and I am happy to say that it has gone great.

Several months ago I responded to a Teak Door posting and attended a Friday lunch beer drinking gathering at Tesco and met a great bunch of guys. Now our wives meet as well at a restaurant of their choice and it turns out good for everyone.

There's John from Australia, Kevin from Ireland, Bernard from France, Bernie from England, Barry from England, Manfred from Germany, Casper from Australia, Wade from the USA, Tarryl from Australia and me, from Australia.

If you like to join us we meet at Tesco in Sawang Daen Din at 11:30am each Friday.

See you then.

[KEVIN2008]

My wife and I arrived Sawang Daen Din in December 2012 and haven't looked back. After ten years living in North Queensland it has been an interesting and positive experience to discover Sawang Daen Din. With my wife's family numbering +25, all living close by, it has been one constant family gathering and I am happy to say that it has gone great.

Several months ago I responded to a Teak Door posting and attended a Friday lunch beer drinking gathering at Tesco and met a great bunch of guys. Now our wives meet as well at a restaurant of their choice and it turns out good for everyone.

There's John from Australia, Kevin from Ireland, Bernard from France, Bernie from England, Barry from England, Manfred from Germany, Casper from Australia, Wade from the USA, Tarryl from Australia and me, from Australia.

If you like to join us we meet at Tesco in Sawang Daen Din at 11:30am each Friday.

See you then.

Thanks Billy,....

[CTO]

What I can't work out about the Tesco crowd, and about 3/4 years ago I used to sometimes go there, is why not support the coffee shop? It's gone now sadly, but they would have loved the business, had good food a fraction more expensive than the food court, beer a fraction more expensive, but instead buy the cheapest beer in pretty ugly surroundings.

[billyboybig]

Markos,

You are right!! We should have had our Friday meetings at the coffee shop. By the time we started looking around for an alternative they had decided to not renew their lease. It was not just about the lack of business. It was also about the amount of work = return on their time.
If you know of a local restaurant/pub which is air conditioned and is open for lunch I would love to know about it.
Tesco is wrong in so many ways that we really need to find an alternative. Appreciate your thoughs.

Billyboy

[CTO]

Billy Boy, good luck with that, I tried for years to get them to move to the Coffee Shop, but at 10 baht a tall bottle more, it was too expensive, at the time I was as broke as many of them, but still would have preferred a better location.

Good luck convincing them, I think the other problem is many make the trip to buy groceries, and drink beer, making moving somewhere nicer too hard basket,

[KEVIN2008]

Thais obsession with food,.......wish they had the same obsession with hygiene/food standards ...............Tesco we stay.

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[markos]

I come Sawang day 6 this month and will stay 4 month now.

[Tarl]

I come Sawang day 6 this month and will stay 4 month now.

Look forward to meeting you Markos. I am back around June 19.