Welcome back to Two-Night Minimum, a series of city guides for those who want to get to the heart of a place in a short time—be it on a business trip or a weekend vacation. For this Bangkok edition, we independently scoped out more than 100 venues and distilled the list down to the very best of the best: Every recommendation below has earned our most discerning stamp of approval.

Bangkok greets you with visual splendor—the orange hues of a tropical sunset against the gilded cupola of a Buddhist temple, the striking vista of sprawling skyscrapers as seen from a raving rooftop bar, and the blur of rickety tuktuks whizzing past vendor-lined streets. But as soon as you get to know it, you learn that Thailand’s buzzing capital is meant to be tasted, more than seen.

Spread across the seemingly infinite sprawl of Thailand’s capital is the world’s most compelling street food scene. Even for the most intrepid DIY-ers, getting beyond the well-trodden sois (“side streets”) is a task suited for a good guide. Our go-to? Smiling Albino.

In its 25 years, the company—led by fluent Thai speaker and Canadian expat Dan Fraser—has established itself as the kingdom’s most venerated travel planner. It helps a broad spectrum of visitors, from lowly journalists (hi!) to tech billionaires and tennis greats, shortcut their way to the most delicious haunts around town. On our most recent trip, researching this installment of our series, we joined Fraser for his latest recon project, combing the alleyways of the Giant Swing neighborhood for the freshest basil chicken rice, stopping along the way for mentholated ginger soup at a rickety food cart and a savory-sweet tofu onion dish at an unmarked noodle house.

That’s Bangkok in a nutshell: a city teeming with international arrivals (it’s among the most visited metropolises in the world), yet filled with cultural riches that even the most experienced sleuths are still discovering,

Stringing it all together is an unrivaled tradition of hospitality. It was the only Southeast Asian capital never to be colonized, serving as a buffer between the French and British armies, with King Rama V constantly rolling out the red carpet for visiting dignitaries. And now, as Bangkok brims with sleek metro lines and international touch points—an Australian coffee shop here, a Neapolitan pizzeria there—it imbues every contemporary convenience with Thai tradition, such as the ubiquitous welcoming wai gesture of two pressed palms and a bow. Nothing is more revered here than grandma’s recipes, though even those are getting a modern spin these days.

Here’s a cheat sheet to help you make the most of your visit, whether you have two nights or two weeks.

The first meal of the day is unceremonial in Thai culture, leaving wide berth for hotels to corner the breakfast market with lavish, tropical-fruit-studded buffets and Chinese dim sum. And there’s no harm in being gluttonous when lunch tends to occur on the later side, around 2 p.m. Born at the party-prone establishments in the Sukhumvit area, pre-dinner drinks are now common across the city, followed by a proper evening meal around 8-9 p.m. If you’re following the Bangkok social scene, you’ll end up back at a hotel for drinks, be it one of the many sky-high rooftops or a concept-driven spot that’s more down-to-earth.

● Breakfast in Ari
Pound(cake) for pound(cake), no neighborhood has more patisseries and cute cafes than Ari, five stops north of the Siam BTS metro interchange. Strolling the area is like being in a karaoke montage video: couples holding hands, motorbikes zipping by, children licking ice cream. Focus your energy on Ari Alley, a pedestrian walkway lined with street food stalls that serve nitro-brewed coffee, boba tea and mango smoothies. You’ll soon hap upon several opportunities for sugary breakfast bites like Mihimihi’s baton-shaped cream puffs, Kinu’s fried-on-demand doughnuts and slices of ube cake at Nana Coffee Roasters. Wash it down with an iced coffee-strawberry latte from AmPm.

● Supanniga Eating Room Ta Thien
Approachable family recipes, like yum goong gaeng (spicy prawn and cucumber salad) and charcoal-grilled Isan steak, are the crux of the Supanniga group of restaurants, with several locations around Bangkok. The Ta Thien location is by far our favorite, with unobstructed views of the much-photographed Wat Arun temple across the river. Its slatted deck, filled with multicolored canvas chairs, is the perfect place for a lazy lunch surrounded by casual local and international diners.

● The Standard Bangkok
Join the fray of selfie-takers at The Standard, easily the city’s most camera-ready hangout, with irreverent use of cartoonish color, checkered tiling and rounded alcoves. Grab a cocktail in the lobby at Parlor Bar, where the countertop is draped in vines and a black-and-white side room is reminiscent of Beetlejuice’s tux. Then, locate the exterior elevator that shoots high into the clouds for a dinner of creamy-yet-zingy esquites (Mexican street corn) and fish tacos served on potato tortillas at Ojo Bangkok, the country’s highest and hippest restaurant with soaring views over the city’s infinite urban sprawl.

● Charmgang
After years of toiling in the kitchens of Bangkok’s most famous upmarket restaurants, a new generation of young chefs is striking out on their own with laid-back alternatives to Thai fine dining. Leading the charge is the trio of chef-owners at Charmgang earning fierce local devotion for their khao gaeng (curry on rice) concept. Try the silky beef stew with just the right amount of chili; if you’re especially hungry, add on a succulent crab omelet, which features a generous seafood-to-egg ratio. It’s all served in no-frills surroundings, with red concrete flooring and reams of floral fabric stretched along the walls. Writing this review is making our mouth water all over again.

● Baan Tepa
The trip to Baan Tepa, in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok, can take 15 minutes from central landmarks—or an hour, if you get unlucky with traffic and your driver misses the inconspicuous entrance. But it’s one of the city’s most exciting culinary offerings. The chef-owner is Tam Chudaree Debhakam, an alum of Blue Hill Stone Barns in upstate New York, now cooking in her family’s generational home. Red Hot Chili Peppers feature both on the sound system and in many of the nine courses, which include veggies and herbs grown in the rambling garden out back. Standouts include soft-shell crab claws glazed in yellow curry; chewy “dong dang” rice noodles with squid ink sauce; and the chocolate miso tart with jackfruit ice cream.

● Sorn and Sühring
Bangkok has a sizable pantheon of local restaurants that have risen to stratospheric fame, but they don’t all rise to the occasion. To guarantee a hit, opt for the two S’s: Sorn and Sühring. The former has broadened diners’ horizons in Thai cuisine by focusing on regional dishes and spotlighting truly traditional flavors in an approachable way—and without an overreliance on sugar that’s common elsewhere. The latter’s menus are peppered with the usual suspects of high-end international cuisine (caviar, wagyu, etc.), all immaculately executed. But take note: Scoring a reservation at Sorn is not for the weary. You’ll have to stalk Instagram for new openings and book at lightning speed.

● Chinatown Crawl
The cinematic shophouses of the Yaowarat area, Bangkok’s Chinatown, have become the choice locus for many of the city’s food tours, yet its real strength lies in its bevy of bars. Fortify yourself for a night of drinking with dinner at Potong, a fine-dining homage to chef-owner Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij’s Thai-Chinese grandparents. (Meals here have diners move through various rooms of the Soontornyanakijs’ former home, a 120-year-old building where they also ran an apothecary.)

Then, pub-crawl your way through nearby establishments—Lucky Duck, Tep and Teens of Thailand, to name a few—and make sure you end the evening at our favorite, Ba Hao, where the menu is full of playful Asian-inspired riffs on standards. (Think gin, scotch and peach liqueur mixed with chrysanthemum tea and lychee cordial, ideally paired with chili-slicked duck wontons.)

● Smalls
If Woody Allen ran a New Orleans jazz lounge, it would look a lot like Smalls, a three-story hangout in a half-derelict building just off Sathorn Road. Owned by American expat and former celebrity photographer David Jacobson, now in his 70s, the bar attracts a diverse mix of locals, expats and the occasional Hollywood star, all united by their love of live music performed regularly on the cramped ground level amid exposed brick and bolts of velvet drapery. While the lion’s share of Bangkok’s lesser watering holes panders to awards puffery, Smalls isn’t afraid to let it all hang out.

● Shop, Snack, Repeat
With more than 15,000 stalls selling everything under the sun, from hand-milled soap to pet goldfish to knock-off Diesel jeans, Chatuchak Weekend Market—or JJ Market—is Thailand’s largest by a landslide. Visiting is a must, but mostly for its adjacent venues. After you’ve braved the main maze of sweaty shopping alleyways and touting vendors, head next door to Jatujak Plaza where the crowd thins and skews more Thai than tourist. It’s a gold mine for homewares that span from traditional Thai to modern Scandi: vases, placemats, dishes, paintings and even vintage credenzas. (Sellers are willing and eager to ship furniture overseas.)

Across the street is Or Tor Kor farmers market (pronounced more like “aw taw kaw”), selling everything from fresh produce to street food. Treat it like an edible encyclopedia of tropical fruits. Not only are the dozens of mango species, lychees and tangerine smoothies absurdly flavorful, they’ll also replenish your electrolytes. Despite the name, there are many parts of the rambling market complex that are open and bustling during the week, but yes—weekends are best.

● The Food Court of Your Dreams
In a city of oppressive heat and impossible traffic, shopping centers are air-conditioned reprieves and social hubs, each with its own particular flex. The Iconsiam mall’s claim to fame? It has easily the most incredible food court on the planet. (Trust us on this one.)

The space is so massive and over-the-top, it could be in Las Vegas; it’s filled not just with hundreds of steaming stalls but also bridges, canals, boats, teak temples and a rambling rainforest. That makes it a fun and highly approachable place to dip your toe into Thailand’s sometimes-intimidating street food culture, where clear English placards point you to spicy som tum (papaya salad) and creamy curries. When you’ve had your fill, head to the mall’s higher floors for a mix of designer labels and local artisanal finds. If somehow you’re left wanting, there’s also an offshoot of Japan’s esteemed Takashimaya department store and a restaurant by Alain Ducasse.

● Run Like the Wind
Benchakitti Park is one of the many citywide recreational areas that collectively form Bangkok’s “Green Lung” and help circulate fresh air around the crowded metropolis. Ironically, it was built on the site of a shuttered tobacco factory in the early 1990s.

Its 180 acres, squeezed into Khlong Toei, one of the city center’s densest areas, feature a lattice of raised walkways that zigzag over native swampland and cut through thickets of trees transplanted from across Thailand’s diverse forests.

It’s a surprisingly serene place for an early-morning run. Marathoners can take the purpose-built bridge—the rather regrettably dubbed “Green Mile”—which links Benchakitti to Lumpini Park nearby; the latter is Bangkok’s first public park, with a central pond, benches and pathways aplenty.

● Charoen Krung
This long thoroughfare that runs parallel to the Chao Phraya river in the Bang Rak area—and its perpendicular side streets, or sois—is full of design ateliers and art galleries. Often its best spots are clustered together in large multipurpose spaces.

Start at ATT 19, an interdisciplinary boutique, gallery and cafe featuring everything from multimedia installations by contemporary Thai artists to Khmer and Ming Dynasty ceramics. It’s worth strolling through Warehouse 30, down the block, which features a cluster of shops—a vintage store, shoe boutique and design studio—plus a coffee roastery. A blend of art, antiques and retail continues at River City, a large mall-like venue where you can browse anything from baroque chandeliers to custom-made suits. If you need a break, get coffee at the charmingly ramshackle Mother Roaster—or sneak a few quiet moments at the Neilson Hays Library, a neoclassical structure with tropical clapboard shutters.

Stay in the area for dinner at 80/20, named for its ratio of domestic versus foreign ingredients; it serves Hokkaido scallops simmered in a yellow curry and Australian wagyu with fermented fish glaze. Then wrap your night at Mahaniyom, where the cocktails—easily Bangkok’s best—are clever riffs on a single ingredient. We love the coconut, which mixes the fruit’s milk, meat and husk with a splash of scotch and rum from Isaan, Thailand’s northeasterly region.

● Khlong San
Across the Chao Phraya river from the city’s central core is an area that’s gradually becoming the BK of BKK (the Brooklyn of Bangkok) as its mix of industrial buildings and ramshackle dwellings redevelops into compelling hangouts. The evolution is thanks in large part to Iconsiam, which opened here in 2018.

Start at the glittering white stupa of Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan—Wat Prayun, for short—where monks gather to chant in the morning. Sip an iced Thai milk tea with a side order of kratong thong (savory, bite-size pastry cups filled with minced curries) at My Grandparent’s House. As the name suggests, it’s set in a traditional Thai abode right on the river, perfectly blurring the line between hippie and hipster.

Continuing downriver is Lhong 1919, a 19th century mansion for wealthy Chinese merchants now filled with boutiques and restaurants. Don’t miss the surrounding places of worship, purpose-built for visiting traders, like the lantern-clad Mazu shrine and the Taoist Che Chin Khor Temple, with its swooshing dragon motifs and towering yellow pagoda. Nearby, The Never Ending Summer’s classic Thai fare, like tom yum goong (spicy prawn soup) and gaeng keow wan kai (green curry with chicken), is made faithfully from the owner’s family recipes.

By now your legs may be tired, so amble into the Oriental Spa, operated by the Mandarin Oriental hotel across the river. (It sends guests over by boat.) Treatment rooms are scattered throughout an old wooden pavilion, and therapies are performed in the traditional Thai manner: on large floor mats and with backbreakingly strong hands.

The standard “Thailand 101” itinerary has three parts: buzzy, chaotic Bangkok; the forested, temple-filled hills of the north; and the talc-white beaches and jagged karst formations that punctuate the islands. The trip involves a triangle of domestic flight connections and (realistically) two weeks. But instead you could easily tack either forest or island vibes onto your city stay in just one weekend by prioritizing spots that are within driving distance from Bangkok.

Take Ayutthaya and Khao Yai National Park. They’re the perfect complements to the tropical forests and storied temples of northern Thailand, but only a couple hours north of Bangkok by car. Ayutthaya, a former Siamese capital, was constructed in the 14th century and sacked by the Burmese 400 years later. In its prime it was one of the most populated commerce hubs on the planet. Today the ruined temples, monasteries and palaces rival even Angkor Wat in its crumbling splendor. It’s easy to visit the ruins en route to Khao Yai—“Big Mountain”—where you’re likely to encounter roving elephants, macaques and barking deer. Stay at the InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, where a series of disused train cars have been retrofitted into mod, Indochine-inspired suites.

If beachy relaxation is what you’re after, head to Hua Hin, three hours southwest of Bangkok. It’s the country’s answer to the Hamptons and where you’ll find the Thai royal family on weekends, with its smattering of resorts, golf clubs and gated residential communities. Sure, the palm-fringed beaches lack the verticality of the country’s more southerly limestone crags, but there are plenty of great spots to hang your hat. Consider the Standard Hua Hin, with its Palm-Springs-meets-Bali decor, or Chiva-Som, a trailblazing wellness resort with cutting-edge stress management, detox and yoga programming.

Thais don’t expect you to speak their language, but there are several key words that should be woven into common parlance—think: “aloha” in Hawaii. Most people have “hello” and “thank you” mastered before they get off the plane. (They’re sawasdee and khob khun, respectively.) Aroy is useful, too; it means “delicious.” But one lesser-known word that really inspires local devotion: mak, or “very.”

You’d be missing a real opportunity to endear yourself to locals if you said it only once, though. Use it doubled-up, like this—khob khun mak mak for “thank you so very much.” Or, even better: aroy mak mak for “it’s very, very delicious.” Just don’t say ped mak mak—“very, very spicy.” No foreign palate can handle that much chili. (Trust us, we’ve tried.)

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