One of the wonderful things about living in Bangkok, Thailand is the large number of British pubs the city has. As I was born and raised in the UK, I’m a big British pub food fan (or “pub grub” as we call the food in England), so you can guarantee I’ve eaten at every pub in Bangkok.
One of my favorite British pubs in Bangkok is The Bull’s Head. More low-key than most of the others, it’s not only its welcoming atmosphere that makes it a perennial favorite with Bangkok’s Brits.
Location of the Bull’s Head – I have to admit, I am lazy. I don’t like to travel halfway across Bangkok on the sky train, and then have to take a taxi, a tuk-tuk or a motorbike to get to the restaurant, just so I can enjoy a nice meal. That’s one of the perks of eating at the Bull’s Head. It’s located right in the center of downtown Bangkok, just a two minute walk from the bottom of the sky train station steps.
To get there, take the sky train to Phrom Phong station, go down the stairs on the side of Sukhumvit Road that’s opposite Benjasiri Park, walk two minutes down the road going in the direction of Asoke sky train station and turn right onto Sukhuvmit Soi 33/1. You’ll see the Bull’s Head on your right.
Atmosphere of the Bull’s Head – I have always liked the Bull’s Head more than some other Bangkok British pubs, as it’s so low-key. Even though there’s always something going on, the pace doesn’t seem quite as loud as other pubs, the staff is friendly and the atmosphere chill.
Food and Drink at the Bull’s Head – The Bull’s Head has a typical British pub grub menu. A mix of traditional British food, with some Indian thrown in and a bit of Continental, the menu has all my favorites on it and a couple I’d never seen before.
If you are into the traditional English food, don’t leave without trying the Bull’s Head’s Full English Breakfast, Steak Pie and Chips, or the Beef Lasagne. For Indian, the Samosas are perfect or, if you just want a bit of meat, you can’t beat the Cheeseburgers and Chips. Everything is served with typical British add-ons like sweet peas or chips (French Fries) and it’s all cooked just like it would be back home.
For drinks, they have a good selection of British draught beers on tap and international bottled beers if you’re not a Brit beer fan. It’s also one of the few places I have found that consistently has my favorite, Strongbow Cider, and they’ll even serve it as a ‘Shandy’ (a British drink of half cider and half lemonade).
Prices for both food and drink are obviously higher than a typical Thai restaurant, but for the quality and portion sizes, they’re not bad. Two people can get away with an appetizer, a large entree, and a drink or two each for around 1,000 baht ($30), which I think is fair.
The Bull’s Head also puts on a decent Sunday Lunch, with a choice of set menus for around $20, and that includes three courses and a dessert.
Events at the Bull’s Head – One thing British expats love about the pubs in Bangkok is there’s always something different going on, and the Bull’s Head has a wide variety of these events. There’s a comedy club every month, sports events, disco night, pub quiz nights and, for the women, don’t miss Ladies’ Night with its good deals on booze.
The Bull’s Head is a great place for a relaxing lunch at any time during the week. They even have most of the British newspapers, so you can borrow one to enjoy over your meal, if you’re missing the news from back home.
With many British pubs in Bangkok, and most of them being excellent, the Bull’s Head is a good one to add to your list of pubs to frequent, if you like a home away from home where the staff is friendly, the beer is good and the grub is just like Mum makes.