Kuppa is a trendy restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 16 in Bangkok, Thailand that’s been open for years. At lunch time, Kuppa is busy with the affluent Thai, Japanese and Farang (western) business men and women that work around the Sukhumvit Soi 16 area. At dinner time, it’s crowded with the upwardly-mobile, the hi-so (high-society people) and the trendy young Thai couples, who just love eating dinner at a restaurant where the food is good and the atmosphere cool.
Kuppa is also rumored to have once been the hangout of the CIA in Bangkok during the Vietnam War, so for the history alone it’s interesting.
The Staff at Kuppa – Kuppa restaurant is known for its exceptionally professional staff. Kitted out in black pants and crisp white shirts and black aprons, they are the epitome of ‘waiter at upper-class restaurant’. Solicitous, but not too much, drinks arrive quickly, food is served effortless and quietly and wine and water glasses are refreshed often.
Unlike in many restaurants in Bangkok, as soon as you’ve finished eating your plate is removed and a menu handed to you for dessert or coffee. Kuppa’s staff really are superb.
The Food at Kuppa – While I do like Thai food, my main love is international cuisine and Kuppa serves it to perfection. The Kuppa menu has an excellent choice of appetizers (crab cakes, spring rolls, soup of the day) as well as some extremely delicious salads (try the Caesar salad or the spinach salad with avocado and bacon – oh yum!) and the main course choices are wonderful. Kuppa’s homemade pizzas are tasty, soft-shell crab is delicious, there are several types of fish, sandwiches, steak, quiches and more.
Their spring rolls are wonderful (love the sauce you can drizzle on top!), as are the Caesar salad and spinach salad, the Duck Pizza, and the Salami Pizza.
If you’re not watching your weight, don’t miss one of their cakes, chocolate brownies, or chocolate pudding with an incredibly decadent chocolate sauce. Coffee drinks too are some of the best in Bangkok and, as they roast their own coffee, you can be sure the coffee they use is exceptional too.
Prices of Food at Kuppa – For western standards prices are inexpensive, for Thai standards they’re very expensive. Soup is around 150 baht ($5), spring rolls about the same, pizzas start at 290 baht ($9.75) for a small one, salads from 225 to 290 baht ($7.50 to $8.80), and dessert starting at 170 baht ($5.75) and up. A decent lunch for two averages around 1,300 baht (about $44) and dinner at about 3,000 baht ($100) with a good bottle of wine.
Very expensive for Bangkok but, as the food and atmosphere are so worth it, you’ll never hear complaints from me.
The Atmosphere at Kuppa – I love the atmosphere at Kuppa. Converted from what, rumour has it, was a warehouse once used by the CIA to plan their clandestine operations, it’s now an industrial looking restaurant (grey painted cement floors), dark wooden furniture, but with comfy sofas and chairs, a lovely balcony area and even an art gallery upstairs.
The main serving area is right in the middle of the room and here you can see displays of all the desserts they sell or even just grab a coffee and some cake to go. The atmosphere at Kuppa, although quite stylish, is relaxed, laid-back and friendly and is a wonderful place to hang out with friends. It’s also a pretty quiet restaurant, so you don’t have to deal with the extreme loudness of many other Bangkok cafes and restaurants.
The Location of Kuppa – Kuppa is on Sukhumvit Soi 16, just up the street from Asoke sky train station and Sukhumvit Road (one of the main streets in Bangkok). From the sky train, it’s actually quite a trek up the soi to Kuppa, but the best thing to do is either take a taxi from Sukhumvit, or hop on a motorbike taxi.
Kuppa’s atmosphere alone would win me over but the food is exceptional and the staff are lovely. If you’re looking for a great place to hang out, relax and get some great food, don’t miss out on trying Kuppa. You won’t be disappointed.
