Say Bangkok and people would think of shopping. Don’t deny – most of you are always packed with adrenaline rush to conquer as many streets and malls as possible. But there really is much more the Land of Smiles has to offer.
While you may not think of Bangkok as a destination for a slow and quiet life, it is actually very rewarding to take a little escape from the hubbubs of the bustling city and to simply indulge in spacing out at a quaint cafe. Bangkok has surprised us with its offer of cafe options – from understated ones to elaborate thematic joints. Now, all you need is a good read or a comfortable company, and indulge in losing yourself in time.
Here is a list of 10 cafes in Bangkok that are worth checking out.
We hope that this list will be useful for you when you visit the city. Have fun on your cafe-hopping adventure! And if you have more places to add to the list, please leave a comment and let us know.
Casa Lapin
There are many cafes that offer good coffee in Bangkok but Casa Lapin stands out for its inviting vibe. The original Casa Lapin at Thonglor Art Village is a hole-in-the-wall coffee joint, while the new Casa Lapin X49 at an alley on Sukhumvit Soi 49 opposite Samitivej Hospital is an intimate space where you can have coffee, linger around and read. What also impresses me is the range of magazines that they offer – Cereal, Frankie and Kinfolk, to name a few.
Thonglor Art Village
Between Thonglor Soi 17 & 19
Mon to Fri: 8.30am – 8.30pm
Sat & Sun: 10.30am – 8.30pm
Soi Songphinong
Between Thonglor 13 and Sukhumvit Soi 49/7
Tel: +66 81 261 2040
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 8.30pm
Sat & Sun: 10.30am – 8.30pm
Nearest BTS: Thonglor
Library Cafe
This is one of our favourite places in Bangkok – Library Cafe at Sukhumvit Soi 24. We fell in love with the cafe as soon as we stepped in. Quaint and comfy, this is a place where you can hang out and chit-chat with friends, or to simply spend the afternoon reading a book while sipping a latte.
2 Soi Metheenivet, Sukhumvit 24
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: 02 259 2878
Daily: 8am – 9pm
Nearest BTS: Prompong
Cafe Tartine
Just beside Hyde & Seek Gastrobar is Cafe Tartine – a cute little Parisian styled café that serves all day breakfast (8am – 8pm) like croque monsieur and vegetarian tartine. Besides that, they also have desserts like lemon tart, creme brulee, and tarte tatin (prices range from THB 90-120). And oh, they offer free-wifi too.
65 Wireless Road (entrance Soi Rumarudee)
Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: 02 168 5464
Nearest BTS: Phloen Chit
Kuppa
If you are on a cafe-hopping adventure, Kuppa is another place that should be at the top of your list. The cafe’s menu is comprehensive, with all-day breakfast items like eggs benedict (THB295), pancakes (THB195); main courses like pizza (THB250-360), pasta (B250-420), meat (THB250-1050) and fish (THB420-595).
39 Sukhumvit 16 Khlong Toei
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: 02 663 0450
Nearest BTS: Asok
Coffee Alley in the garden
Just further down from Kuppa is Coffee Alley in the garden. The food and drinks here are not fantastic, but we like that it has a nice garden, and it is a relaxing spot to chill. We’d suggest going to Kuppa for a meal, before coming here for a cup of coffee.
28/1 Soi Sukhumvit 16, Khlong Toei
Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Thailand
Tel: 02 258 8300
Nearest BTS: Asok
Roast Cafe
Roast Cafe has an inviting and comforting vibe that sets your mind at ease. It is a place where you would want to go with a book, enjoy a hearty meal, and watch the world go by. But it’s not just that – the food and coffee at Roast are also outstanding. They are the winner of the national barista championship in 2012, so this is definitely a must-visit for coffee lovers.
The cafe serves an all-day breakfast menu (see first picture of post) with classics like big breakfast, French toast, and crab cake benedict (THB 200-350). For something more substantial, go for their house favourites like salmon fish fingers, seafood stew and duck confit (THB 340-360).
To us, Roast is one of the best cafes in Bangkok. Do not leave the city without coming here.
2/F Seenspace, Thong Lor Soi 13
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: 02 185 2866
Nearest BTS: Thong Lo
Mr Jones Orphanage
Also on Seenspace Thonglor Soi 13 is Mr Jones Orphange, an uber cute cafe that serves drinks and desserts. Contradicting its name, it is a whimsical place with decorations that you would never imagine – a carousel filled with fruits and soft toys, furniture that looked like they jumped out of kids storybooks; a dessert shrine with a mind-blowing selection of homemade goodies.
You can expect tantalising options like lemonade scones, orange cake, chocolate mudpie, and Christmas puddings (THB 60-140). It’s a place to bring out the child in you. Go to Roast for brunch, and stop by Mr Jones Orphanage for desserts.
1/F Seenspace, Thong Lor Soi 13
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: 02 185 2378
Nearest BTS: Thong Lo
Greyhound Cafe
Arguably the most famous cafe in Bangkok, Greyhound Cafe among one of our favourite places to head to for a good meal and to people-watch. Prices are very reasonable – in fact, it is very cheap by Bangkok’s standard. Pastas like fettuccine with shrimp, and spicy spaghetti Thai style are around THB 190-320. You can also get the famous Greyhound fried chicken wings (THB110), and complicated salad to start.
1F J Avenue Lifestyle Mall
Thonglor Soi 15,
Bangkok 10110 Thailand
Tel: 02 712 6547
Nearest BTS: Thong Lo
Ground Floor Siam Center
989, Rama I Road. Pathum Wan
Bangkok 10330 Thailand
Nearest BTS: Siam
Rocket Coffee Bar
Rocket Coffee Bar has only been around for six months but it has already garnered a strong following. The folks from Hyde & Seek have done a great job here. The combination of good coffee, free wifi, simple and earnest wholesome food like sandwiches, salads, and breakfast make Rocket Coffee Bar a place where we will always return to. And so will you after you’ve checked them out.
49 Sathorn Soi 12, Silom
Tel: +66 2 6350 404
Tue to Sun: 7am – 7pm
Nearest BTS: Chong Nonsi
Coffee Beans by Dao
To wrap things up, you should make a trip to Coffee Beans by Dao. They may be a chain cafe, but it makes a great spot to sit down with your friends for a cuppa and some desserts.
Second Floor, Central World Tower
Rajadamri Road, Lumpini,
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Nearest BTS: Chit Lom
For more recommendations, read our curated Bangkok Food & Travel Guides.
Would love to go back to Bangkok to check out all these amazing places!
Enter Comment Here
Mr Jones Orphanage is indeed an amazing cafe to visit! Thank you for the recommendation!
Visiting BKK soon! Thanks for the great recommendations! all the cafes look super cosy!
If its great Coffee that you are after then I would only agree with a couple of the cafes on your list, Cafe Tartine would be at the top of the list!!
More reasons to go back to BKK! Love this post
The bicycle cafe next to Novotel phoelchit is really gd too..
Awesome listing. Thanks much! Definitely gonna give Library Cafe a try
Great blog post! Very informative, I’ll be sure to check out some of these shops in the future.
I really like when you make cafe lost everywhere you go. Now there are many new cafes open in Bangkok such as Purr Car Cafe or my favorite cafe Spring & Summer. I wish that you can come here again and visit new cafes. (:
Greyhound@SiamParagon is closed for renovation, please head over SiamCenter Level3
BTS Station ARI, one greyhound cafe at VILLAGE ground floor
FYI, the library now opens at 10am
Thank you for the recommendations and it’s nice to have the picture of the coffee shop. i’ll be traveling end of January for 3 months to Thailand. I’m so looking forward to enjoy coffee, work on my lap top, and socialize in these nice places you suggested.
Mouty
Well, I took the recommendation of Roast cafe and let me say it was very disappointing. Sure it’s a pleasant progressive atmosphere and you are expecting good things, but they fall short in execution. First they said anything we order will take 20-30 minutes and suggested a salad. Opted to order eggs Benedict and chicken schnitzel. In about 20 minutes the Benedict’s eggs came cold and salmon not fresh and the schnitzel came a full 20 minutes after them. So we took turns watching each eat rather than eat together. For a whopping 300 baht for eggs Benedict, I expect perfection. Even the coffee was a bit funky and incredibly over priced as well.
You really should reconsider your recommendation of Gastro 1/6. It was by far the worst experience I’ve had in Bangkok. The service and the food were both substandard at best. A one-hour wait for way over-priced, poorly executed eggs (under-scrambled and under-cooked eggs swimming in oil) and toast (cold and dry)–if you can’t even properly cook eggs you have no business being in the restaurant business.
I’d love to see Ceresia on your list. Those guys are the real deal, a coffee shop that sources and roasts their own beans. Kudos!