Food Loft is an upscale food court located at Central Chidlom department store in Bangkok, Thailand. Consisting of more than 20 international restaurants offering cuisine from Italian to Indian, American to Vietnamese, Thai to French, Food Loft has food choices for any taste. Food Loft is popular with middle-class and upper-class Thais as Central Chidlom has more of a high-society clientele than some other Bangkok malls. The food and the dining area though really don’t warrant the attention or the price and here’s why.
What Is Food Loft And How Do You Eat There? – For the Bangkok food court novice, Food Loft can be a bit confusing. How do you order, why won’t they take my money, and how do I pay are just some of the questions I’ve been asked by annoyed tourists.
It’s actually easy if you follow the directions of the staff at the entrance. Simply take the card offered to you, (looks like a plastic credit card and contains 1,000 baht credit) and every time you order food at one of the stalls at Food Loft, present the person behind the counter with the card and he’ll add the price of the food you just ordered to it. When you’ve finished eating, leave Food Loft through the checkout area, give the girl behind the cash register the card and she will tell you how much you owe. Simple.
What Type of Food is Available at Food Loft in Bangkok? – Food Loft has stalls serving a wide variety of international cuisine. Indian, Thai, American, Italian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese cuisines are available, with choices of noodles, spaghetti, pizza, sandwiches, crepes, pasta, rice dishes and lots more.
How Much Do Food Loft Dishes Cost? – Prices start around 140 baht per dish and go up to 200-400 depending on the cuisine. It’s quite easy to spend a few hundred baht though, without even realizing it as the cost is just charged to the card. I’ve eaten at the Indian restaurant a few times and the cost for a couple of Indian dishes plus a piece of naan (Indian bread) has been 300-375 baht ($10-$12.70), which is expensive for lunch in Bangkok. Expect to pay at least 300 baht ($10) for a couple of small dishes and a drink.
Is The Food at Food Loft Worth The Money? – I don’t think so. Remember, most of the food at Food Loft, Central Chidlom is international cuisine and, with so many international restaurants in Bangkok, there are much better choices than this. The food is adequate, nothing more. In some instances, it’s downright tasteless (the pizza springs to mind), particularly compared to similar Bangkok restaurants.
The Indian food is adequate, the pizza isn’t worth eating, the Chinese food was pretty dismal, and the Thai food is good (but, at 2-3 times the cost of the same Thai food at another restaurant, not worth the money). If you’re looking for authentic international cuisine, Food Loft is not the place you’ll find it.
The Atmosphere at Food Loft – This review is for the branch at Central Chidlom, but there are several Food Loft branches in Bangkok and they all have similar decor. Dark wood, hardwood floors, moody lighting and a somewhat ‘chic’ appearance. Overall, I think most Thais eat here simply because it’s an ‘in place’. Plus, as many Thais have no idea what that particular international cuisine should taste like, it tastes fine to them.
While Food Loft at Central Chidlom isn’t the worst restaurant in Bangkok, it’s certainly not the best. When I spend 400 baht for lunch, I expect to come away from the restaurant feeling satisfied with my choice. Leaving Food Loft at Central Chidlom, I only feel a bit cheated.
Location: Food Loft, Central Chidlom Department Store, (next to Chidlom sky train station – take the sky bridge from the sky train, walk into Central Chidlom and up to the 7th floor).
