Ask anyone in Bangkok, expat or Thai, and they can easily tell you where Sukhumvit Road is. Running just about the length of the downtown area of the city, Sukhumvit Road is where much of Bangkok’s commerce area is, including some of the city’s best coffee shops and cafes. If you’ll be on Sukhumvit and looking for a cafe or coffee shop to hang out at for a while, you could do worse than these. In tact, they’re some of the best coffee shops and cafes on Sukhumvit Road area of Bangkok.
Au Bon Pain (Siam Discovery) – One of the first coffee shops I discovered when I moved to Bangkok was Au Bon Pain. Part of an American chain coffee shop, Au Bon Pain serves amazing sandwiches, salads, bagels, wraps and soups and some of the best cookies and American-style cakes in Bangkok.
Au Bon Pain is also a popular hangout for local business men, university students from nearby Chulalongkorn University and the hip, trendy and artsy fartsy types, so it’s a great place to people watch.
Prices are inexpensive, the food is delicious and they make a darn good latte. What more could you want?
You’ll find Au Bon Pain on the ground floor of the Emporium Mall Tower, right next to Phrom Phong sky train station on Sukhumvit Road.
Black Canyon Coffee – I’m a huge fan of Black Canyon Coffee. A coffee shop/restaurant, it has a huge menu of Thai and Western dishes, and another stuffed full of iced and hot drinks, as well as shakes and fresh fruit jucies.
At Black Canyon Coffee, you can order a hot latte (which comes with a tiny glass of tea and a teeny basket of cookies) or an iced green tea smoothie and be left alone to enjoy your newspaper or book. Or you can order an appetizer, main meal and dessert, plus coffee, and enjoy a full sit-down meal with friends.
Prices are inexpensive, service is always friendly – in fact, it’s a lovely place to enjoy a meal or a drink for a really good price.
Black Canyon Coffee branches are all over Bangkok, but there’s a nice one on Sukhumvit at Sukhumvit Soi 21 in the Whattana area of the city.
Coffee Alley – Just around the corner from Sukhumvit, near Asok sky train station, you’ll find Coffee Alley. An independent coffee shop and cafe, on a quiet but very trendy soi, Coffee Alley has a lovely patio and garden, a pretty coffee shop and serves excellent American breakfasts, sandwiches, salads and cakes.
Their lattes and iced coffee and green tea drinks are delicious, and they also have a nice selection of fruit teas, fresh fruit juices and smoothies. The staff at Coffee Alley is delightful too.
You’ll find Coffee Alley on Sukhuvmit Soi 16. From Sukhumvit Road, just walk half a block up Ratchadapisek Road and you’ll see Soi 16 on your left hand side. Coffee Alley is on the first block on the right.
Coffee World (Nana) – Another Bangkok coffee chain is Coffee World. With branches all over the city, there’s a particularly popular (and big one) near Nana sky train station, where you can get a variety of iced and hot coffee drinks, fruit shakes and green tea drinks.
Coffee World is particularly known for its waffles, served with ice cream, fresh fruit and whipped cream. Or, if that doesn’t appeal, how about a slice of cheesecake or a brownie?
Coffee World is near Nana station at 130 7/1 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok.
Barn Coffee@!36 – Barn Coffee@36 is cool and trendy. Showing off an atmosphere of fun, silly and a bit unconventional, it spells out Barn Coffee@36’s attitude and atmosphere well.
Part of a complex of Barn Restaurant, Barn Coffee@36 and Barn Car Wash, Barn Coffee@36 serves awesome coffee and tea drinks, baked goods fresh from the oven, cakes, cookies and ice cream.
The wonderful thing about going here is you can arrive mid-morning for a hot latte and a couple of hours work on your laptop. At lunchtime, head next door to Barn Restaurant where you’ll enjoy traditional home style Thai food and drinks, and all of this while your car is just two doors down getting a wash and a wax.
Barn Coffee@36, as the name suggests, is on Sukhumvit Soi 36 in the Khlong Toey area of Bangkok.