Last updated on August 7th, 2018 at 02:38 pm
Ratchada Bangkok – The Best Area to Stay in Bangkok for 24 Hour Cafés and Food
Not too long ago I wrote a post on the best areas to stay in Bangkok for first time visitors here. In this post I’ll point out which is the best area in Bangkok to stay for the night owls.
You know the type. They sleep during the day and go out when the suns down. Or you’re simply an insomniac or a writer with the late night inspiration looking to bang out that novel until sun up. What ever the reason I’m going to show you the best area in Bangkok for hanging out all night.
Luckily certain areas of central Bangkok is becoming night owl friendly. By that I mean there are plenty of 24 hour cafés and eateries to hang out in complete with free Wi-Fi and use of power ports. A full proper 24 hour supermarket. And of course the old stand by 7 Elevens which are always a plenty and reliable for quick late night munchies.
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South end of Ratchada Road Bangkok...
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North of Ratchada (Ratchadapisek) Road in Bangkok...
The best area in my opinion for tourists that plan on staying out all night and looking to stay in Bangkok for short and long term is called Ratchada.
Ratchada (Ratchadapisik Road) is a long stretch of road and is considered one of the main avenues in central Bangkok. So there are many hotels for all budgets including affordable condo and apartment rentals in the area.
3 Reasons Why Ratchada is the Perfect Area to Stay in Bangkok for the Night Owls (and Also First Time Visitors to Bangkok)
- Three MRT stations are right in the heart of the busiest areas of Ratchada 1) MRT Huai Kwang 2) MRT Thailand Cultural Centre 3) MRT Phra Ram 9
- Ratchada has the most concentration of 24 hour cafés and restaurants, particularly inside a mall called The Street. There are a few malls, big supermarkets and a very popular night market near MRT Thailand Cultural Centre station.
- Lots of affordable hotels are in Ratchada that are really good for sightseeing in Bangkok.
The most 24 hour cafés and fast food restaurants can be found at The Street Mall on Ratchada Road…
The Street Ratchada Shopping Mall
The Street Shopping Mall is located on a busy intersection of Ratchada Road. This is the perfect mall for anyone visiting Bangkok and planning on staying up all night. If you’ve got a bunch of friends that love staying past midnight too than you’ll love this mall even more because the cafés inside, particularly Starbucks has huge tables and lounge space. There are electrical ports and free Wi-Fi too.
Only the basement level and ground level shops are open 24 hours. The shops on the upper levels have normal opening and closing hours.
This little outdoor bar near the side of the The Street Mall closes past midnight, sometimes…
If caffeine is not your thing then there’s a small outdoor bar right by the side of The Street Mall. Not a bad place to get some beers and chill out through the night when it’s a little cooler.
The upper floors have shops with clothes, an IT and mobile phone section and even more restaurants on the upper levels, but as I mentioned already only the basement and ground level shops are open 24 hours.
On the basement level there’s also Foodland Supermarket with a fast food restaurant also open 24 hours.
Best Way to Get to The Street Mall – The Street Shopping Mall is just a few minutes walk from Thailand Cultural Center MRT subway station, just be sure head out from Exit#4
Website: http://www.thestreetratchada.com/
All the 24 hour cafés and restaurants at the Street Mall are located on the ground and basement level…
Plus You’re Not Far From Huay Kwang Either…
Huay Kwang is also another popular local neighborhood which Ratchadapisek Road cuts right through. Huay Kwang is famous for it’s food scene, particularly street food hawkers and seafood restaurants. It’s where locals go to grab some good eats although prices at restaurants and hawker stands are more expensive it still manages attract locals living nearby and afar.
Huay Kwang is also an ideal location for budget travelers because there are many hotels with reasonable rates in the neighborhood with a MRT subway station. Check out a list of Huay Kwang hotels here.
You can walk from The Street Shopping Mall to Huay Kwang in 10 minutes. Check out my short little post on Huay Kwang and find out where I go to enjoy some awesome street food.
The New Rot Fai Market Ratchada – Just Another Reason Why You’ll Love to Stay in This Area
The New Rot Fai Market Ratchada – Rot Fai in Thai means train. But, there’s no trains. No worries, just go there and have fun. New Rot Fai Market Ratchada is perhaps one of Bangkok’s easiest to reach night markets. It’s just behind Esplanade Mall and you can get there by taking the subway train to Thailand Cultural Center MRT Station. Be sure to get out from Exit #3.
New Rot Fai Market is very popular with Thai locals but because its so easy to find many foreign visitors make it a must visit.
There’s lots of food from traditional and regional Thai to Asian, Western and European foods and desserts. And since it’s a market you won’t be hard pressed to find second hand items like clothes and shoes. But of course you’ll find new items as well.
Lots of bars line this market too so not a bad place to start the night out because New Rot Fai Market opens from 5pm to Midnight only from Thursday to Sunday.
The Takeaway
Ratchada Bangkok is quickly becoming one of the city’s best hang out spots for locals due to the amount of 24 hour businesses in central Bangkok. Plus it’s not far at all from Huay Kwang, another night owl hangout for Thai locals.
And because there are 3 MRT stations within Ratchada it’s also a prime location which means if you pick a hotel in this area you’ll have easy access to exploring other areas in Bangkok, like Sukhumvit, Chid Lom and Silom.
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24 Hours Burger King
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24 Hours Starbucks
Take it from me, as a guy living here for so many years I’ve seen Ratchada grow from quiet empty plots of land to a revitalized commercial center filled with restaurants and condos.
Ratchada, is a great area for any visitors to Bangkok looking to hang out in Bangkok all night. It’s also a very good area for first time visitors to Bangkok looking for a hotel or to hang their suitcases.
