The gastronomic scene on the riverside was transformed in 2021 with the opening of Potong, a fine-dining restaurant hidden within a century-old former herbal medicine store on an atmospheric Chinatown back alley. Chef Pichaya Soontornyanakij (known as Chef Pam) has won a Michelin star and was recognized as The World’s Best Female Chef in 2025. Snagging a reservation at Potong, which reopened after a rapid makeover in June, is now famously difficult; it’s easier to score a seat at the trippy Opium Bar, one of the most sensually decorated and inventive cocktail lounges in the city, on the fourth and fifth floors.
Chef Pam’s newest, more casual (and affordable) restaurant, Khao San Sek (the name refers to both transformation and culinary respect) is at the gateway to Soi Song Wat (Song Wat Road). Since its 2025 opening, it has helped elevate the stretch into one of the hippest few blocks in Bangkok.
For the most organic blend of ancient and modern Bangkok, explore the nearby waterfront district Talat Noi (Small Market), where alleys lead to passageways that are often only shoulder width. One of the most romantic venues is Naam 1608, set in a traditional wood house on the river where patrons sitting along the bar can almost touch their toes in the water. To jump between centuries, drop by the Duck Noodle House on Soi Wanit for a $2 bowl of delicious broth, then head for a state-of-the-art latte at the café-gallery Timo and Tintin, opened by a young Thai designer in his grandmother’s house, and dessert at Hong Sieng Kong, a café in a renovated 150-year-old brick warehouse with refreshingly breezy tables by the water.
A charming cluster of bars and restaurants has sprung up around a tiny Chinatown alleyway, Soi Nana. The restaurant in a former massage parlor, now The Mustang Blu hotel—with a distressed interior cupola worthy of Florence, animal skeletons, and a stuffed giraffe—is a surreal homage to the area’s history. The new bars include G.O.D. (Genius on Drugs), an immersive cocktail lounge where you should order the bizarre Uni x Gin Martini. From 8 p.m. nightly, Tep Bar hosts live music played by talented young musicians using traditional instruments; belly up to the bar to nibble roasted silkworms with your Singha beer.
