Forget about iced lemongrass tea. For the freshest sips in Bangkok, hop on over to these popular cafés and boutique roasters serving specialty coffee in the Thai capital.
Most are conveniently located in the trendy Sukhumvit-Thonglor-Ekamai neighbourhood. A quick motorcycle taxi (motosai lapjang) ride from the nearest BTS Skytrain station, and you are ready for some seriously good brews.
Casa Lapin
Just off the busy Sukhumvit Soi 55 in Thonglor is possibly the smallest café in Bangkok. Casa Lapin, which means “the rabbit’s home” in French, is the brainchild of architect Suraphan Tanta. The aroma of freshly-brewed coffee and nostalgic tunes playing from vinyl records wash away the noise of the streets outside.
[ Read more about Casa Lapin and its sibling outlets — Casa Lapin x Ari and Casa Lapin x 49 ]
Roots Coffee Roasters (Roast Coffee)
Following the success of Roast Coffee and Eatery, possibly Bangkok’s most popular brunch destination, founder and former Thai barista champion Varatt Vichit-Vadakan has opened Roots Coffee Roasters, his secret sanctuary in nearby Ekamai. Open only during weekends, this smaller space is where the real action happens — from pastry-making in their central kitchen to the roasting of coffee beans.
[ Read more here ]
Ceresia Coffee Roasters
Nestled in a row of manga book rental stores and ramen restaurants in the Japanese quarter of Phrom Phong is Ceresia Coffee Roasters. Owned by Venezuelan sisters Marian and Lucia Aguilar, and Thai roaster Garin “Bret” Asavaroengchai (also Lucia’s husband), Ceresia displays their coffee beans in open bins so customers can see what they offer and have helpful baristas explain the flavour profiles of each bean to them.
[ Read more here ]
Kaizen Coffee Co.
Originally introduced by Masaaki Imai, kaizen is the Japanese practice of continuous improvement. At Kaizen Coffee Co., Australian-educated Thai barista Bow Anw and partners are redefining the term to showcase the growth and journey of specialty coffee in Bangkok. Located on the quiet end of Ekamai, the café has an über clean, all white décor — putting all the attention on the coffee, as it should be.
[ Read more here ]
One Ounce for Onion
One Ounce for Onion is part coffee shop, part fashion boutique, and 100 per cent cool. The café is a collaboration between niche, multi-brand store Onion and local coffee roaster Brave Roasters; the latter run by Ekameth “Tay” Wipvasutti, who first got into coffee when he was studying music.
[ Read more here ]
I+D Style Café x Brave Roasters
Who says you can’t find any decent coffee in a shopping mall? Head to I+D Style Café X Brave Roasters, located on the ground floor of Siam Center. Part handicraft haven curated by the Department of International Trade Promotion and part coffee bar manned by baristas from Brave Roasters, you can get a very decent cortado or single origin filter brew even in the midst of a retail maelstrom.
[ Read more here ]
Hands and Heart
What’s black and white and an oasis of cool in humid and hot Bangkok? The answer is Hands and Heart, a minimalist café hidden inside a condominium — located, in a typical display of contrasts, on the same row as the popular Sukhumvit 38 night food stalls — and all about hand-brewed coffees using Aeropress, pour-over or Chemex.
[ Read more here ]
Ink & Lion
What sets Ink & Lion apart from the rest is a fine selection of beans from local and regional coffee roasters paired with baristas who are able to brew the best cuppas from them. Owners Adithep Pinijpinyo and Nongphan Tangtaweekul source from Bangkok-based roasters such as Phil Coffee Company, Pacamara, Ceresia and Brave Roasters, while foreign roasters include London’s Square Mile Coffee Roasters and Singapore’s Nylon Coffee.
[ Read more here ]
I Am Coffee
Our favourite little-café-that-could, nestled in the back streets of Silom. Located on Sathorn Soi 8, a few minutes’s walk from the Chong Nonsi BTS, I Am Coffee is quite a treasure. The coffee – espresso-based – is top-notch. The baristas are friendly and earnest, and more than happy to strike up a conversation if they’re not too busy.
[ Read more here ]
For more cafés around the world, arranged by countries and cities, please browse our café map.