Suggestions needed for gay friendly drinking places in Bkk excluding soi 4/gogo bars

[zombie]

An acquaintance -fairly new to Bangkok- has asked me for advice re gay drinking places: bars, pubs etc.

He has been to Soi 4 and  he has a appetite for plenty of booze so  he finds the go go bars expensive.

Can anyone recommend some gay friendly drinking places?

He is staying in the Silom area so I guess he would want that area eg patpong, but any suitable places not so far away is ok.

Many thanks and 2023 greetings to everyone!

🍾

 

 

 

 

 

 

[vinapu]

HotMale beer bars in Patpong 2

[Londoner]

Balcony, Soi4?   I like the food there, too. Plus people-watching. Perhaps amore lively environment than in Patpong?

[ChristianPFC]

Those questions, gay-friendly whatever, come up regularly.

I think the idea of "gay friendly" is a western concept that does not apply to Thailand, or SEAsia in general.

You can eat, drink, stay with gay friends wherever you want in straight, mixed or gay venues, nobody will care.

[reader]

On 1/1/2023 at 12:48 AM, zombie said:

Can anyone recommend some gay friendly drinking places?

A ditto for Hot Male  beer bar. TBH, I don't feel compelled to only visit the gay bars, especially if I want to eat and drink in a pub atmosphere. On my last trip, I regularly stopped by Shenanigan's (Surawong at Patpong 1) for a reasonably priced food and brew, and to watch football. Can assure you gays are welcome there. I'd add to the list Happy Beer Garden on Surawong (opposite the old Twlight site).

 The restaurant at Foodland was where I had most of my meals. Great any time of day or night and excellent for quick take away service.

 

[floridarob]

2 hours ago, ChristianPFC said:

Those questions, gay-friendly whatever, come up regularly.

I think the idea of "gay friendly" is a western concept that does not apply to Thailand, or SEAsia in general.

You can eat, drink, stay with gay friends wherever you want in straight, mixed or gay venues, nobody will care.

This was what I was going to write, but wasn't sure how to put it 👍

[gayinpattaya]

On 1/1/2023 at 12:48 PM, zombie said:

An acquaintance -fairly new to Bangkok- has asked me for advice re gay drinking places: bars, pubs etc.

He has been to Soi 4 and  he has a appetite for plenty of booze so  he finds the go go bars expensive.

Can anyone recommend some gay friendly drinking places?

He is staying in the Silom area so I guess he would want that area eg patpong, but any suitable places not so far away is ok.

Many thanks and 2023 greetings to everyone!

🍾

You are applying your Western ideas to a culture very different from your idea normality. "Gay Friendly" doesn't really exist here. Gay doesn't really exist, at least in the way you understand it. 

Your acquaintance can go anywhere in Bangkok. The only instances I have seen of homophobia, or negativity towards gays or ladyboys, was from western tourists. That's usually from the Russians, and Indians, but certainly not exclusively. I would say, avoid Kohsan Road and your friend will have a great time. 

I had an ex, a Lao boy, who wasn't that tall. We used to eat in Central (Pattaya) now and then. Despite him being 25, on many occasions we would get death glares and in one case laughing from an Indian family while trying to enjoy our meal. It got to the point we stopped going there. 

There are a few nice bars between Silom soi 4 and soi 2. They are not gay bars, but certainly full of local gay guys. He can look around there.

 

[Boy69]

It's a little bit complicated than this the Thai society is very conservative and many families don't accept if one of them is  LGBT thus many are staying in the closet or living double life but if it's not conern to them directly Thai people are very tolerable and really don't care what others doing. homophobia, or negativity behavior is not coming  from western tourist but mainly  from the Arabs ,Russians and Indians. Never saw bad attitude from Thais to LGBT.

[vinapu]

8 hours ago, reader said:

 

 The restaurant at Foodland was where I had most of my meals. Great any time of day or night and excellent for quick take away service.

 

Great not only for food but also as meeting place, arranged or by chance.

After all they don't give Unesco Heritage plate for nothing

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, Boy69 said:

 Never saw bad attitude from Thais to LGBT.

Waitress from Happy Beer Garden restaurant on Suriwong put it best telling me on occasion ' you like boys and I like boys, we are the same. Can you buy me  a glass of red wine?". 

[gayinpattaya]

7 hours ago, vinapu said:

Waitress from Happy Beer Garden restaurant on Suriwong put it best telling me on occasion ' you like boys and I like boys, we are the same. Can you buy me  a glass of red wine?". 

If it's the same waitress from a few years ago, she was chatting up one of my Vietnamese boys once, right in front of me. It was hilarious.  

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, gayinpattaya said:

If it's the same waitress from a few years ago, she was chatting up one of my Vietnamese boys once, right in front of me. It was hilarious.  

quite possible, stocky, busty and chatty girl, she is there for long time. One I was surprised she got very chatty with my guy to a point I started to get impatient until it turned out they are first cousins!

[BiggusDikkus]

It sounds like your friend might be asking for bars where he can meet other gay men, in which case Silom Sois 2 and 4 are by far his best options. But if he just wants a place to drink with his gay companions, he can go anywhere in Bangkok. The whole city really is gay-friendly, as others have already said in this thread. To find new places, I like rummaging through the online reviews at BK Magazine. My boyfriend and I have found a lot of great places all over the city this way and we've always been warmly welcomed wherever we go.

So ... I highly recommend Mezcal Bar just off Sathorn, a little behind the W Hotel, even though I've never been there. It has a great writeup:

https://bk.asia-city.com/nightlife/bar-club/mezcal-bar

[zombie]

1 hour ago, BiggusDikkus said:

It sounds like your friend might be asking for bars where he can meet other gay men, in which case Silom Sois 2 and 4 are by far his best options. But if he just wants a place to drink with his gay companions, he can go anywhere in Bangkok. The whole city really is gay-friendly, as others have already said in this thread. To find new places, I like rummaging through the online reviews at BK Magazine. My boyfriend and I have found a lot of great places all over the city this way and we've always been warmly welcomed wherever we go.

So ... I highly recommend Mezcal Bar just off Sathorn, a little behind the W Hotel, even though I've never been there. It has a great writeup:

https://bk.asia-city.com/nightlife/bar-club/mezcal-bar

Many thanks BiggusDikkus . The best reply to my question so far with a specific example for an alternative drinking place. I actualy blame myself for using the expression:

"gay-friendly". I should of used the phrase:

"gay-popular" or similar.

🙂

 

 

[10tazione]

18 hours ago, vinapu said:

One I was surprised she got very chatty with my guy to a point I started to get impatient

Isnt it called "jealous"?

[MarcSingap]

On 1/2/2023 at 6:16 AM, vinapu said:

HotMale beer bars in Patpong 2

Going to this bar before 9pm and watch all the boys of DreamBoy coming to work 😆😆

[vinapu]

12 hours ago, 10tazione said:

Isnt it called "jealous"?

no, after all I invite somebody for dinner to have dinner companion , not to listen to their conversation with somebody else

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, MarcSingap said:

Going to this bar before 9pm and watch all the boys of DreamBoy coming to work 😆😆

or later  to see parade of them with their customers .

Hot Male beer bar is great people watching place indeed

[zombie]

10 hours ago, MarcSingap said:

Going to this bar before 9pm and watch all the boys of DreamBoy coming to work 😆😆

Great idea!

A way to save money since Dreamboy charges a rediculous 500 baht per drink.

[MarcSingap]

3 hours ago, zombie said:

Great idea!

A way to save money since Dreamboy charges a rediculous 500 baht per drink.

I think it is 450 first drink then 350 drink, and it is drink+show

[vinapu]

59 minutes ago, MarcSingap said:

I think it is 450 first drink then 350 drink, and it is drink+show

exactly , in go-gos in effect we are paying for show admission ticket with drink included in price.

Nobody goes there because is thirsty or to chat with friends like to normal watering holes.

[Keithambrose]

22 hours ago, MarcSingap said:

I think it is 450 first drink then 350 drink, and it is drink+show

Bear in mind that running a place like that is expensive, and they have to make some kind of profit. In my view that makes drink prices acceptable. You can pay the equivalent of 450 Bt in London just for a drink, and as I am finding out, more in Singapore!

[GWMinUS]

On 1/3/2023 at 10:41 PM, zombie said:

Many thanks BiggusDikkus . The best reply to my question so far with a specific example for an alternative drinking place. I actualy blame myself for using the expression:

"gay-friendly". I should of used the phrase:

"gay-popular" or similar.

🙂

 

 

I cannot remember the name of the Club. Near the River. But I am sure Peter or Reader would know. It is the place down in a Basement and has a Gay Night with Drag Shows. Very popular. I have only been there one time.

[reader]

You may be thinking of Maggie Choo's. Have never been there but here's a description from Hotels.com website:

Maggie Choo's Bar is part of the Novotel Bangkok Silom Road Hotel. It can be hard to spot – you enter the bar through a small old wooden Chinese door outside the hotel. A flight of stairs takes you to a tiny Cantonese restaurant that’s reminiscent of the prohibition era of 1930s Shanghai.

The bar is behind a black curtain on the side of the restaurant, which adds to its classy speakeasy theme. Maggie Choo's Bar has many massive private vault doors, oil paintings of sailing ships hanging on dark brick walls, and bust statues of Queen Victoria.

From 10pm onwards, the mood changes with live jazz music, with renowned artists playing on weekends. DJs and rock bands often perform at Maggie Choo's Bar, attracting a mixed crowd. Drinks-wise, Maggie Choo's Bar Bangkok serves a decent selection of imported wines, beers and whiskeys, together with a decadent cocktail list.

Location: Novotel Bangkok Silom Road, 320 Silom Rd, Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Open: Friday from 7.30pm to 3am, Saturday–Thursday from 7.30pm to 2am

Phone: +66 (0)2 206 9100

[vinapu]

14 hours ago, GWMinUS said:

But I am sure Peter or Reader would know.

as you see above  you were right