Sukhumvit Soi 11, Bangkok

[MM 6,562]

Are the shisha pictures prior to the crackdown? Or are they still openly selling shisha in Bangkok?

 

El Gaucho seems to be the expat favorite for steaks in Bangkok..been meaning to go there sometime myself.

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

I think the shisha crackdown is from a local ordinance. A shrewd Bangkok bar manager could probably recruit half the girls from Soi 6 about now.

Edited June 29, 2015 by RhinoTusk

[tommyg 0]

we are in bangkok for 2 nights end of july.is this the best street for a pub crawl for me and my partner,it will be a sunday night.

tommy and alison.

[tallguy 1,474]

Definitely worth a look if you don't want girly bars. A few places with live music, places to play pool, good places to eat. It depends what you are after.

[tommyg 0]

thank you,sunday night sorfted.

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

Here's an update. Photos from this morning.

 

 

A quiet Sunday morning

 

 

Site of the legendary Cheap Charlies Bar, a Bangkok institution for decades. Now the entire cul de sac is being cleared for more luxury condos.

 

 

El Gaucho Steakhouse has moved further down the Soi.

 

 

Starbucks has arrived, there goes the neighborhood. Even the BJ Bar is gone now.

 

 

Site of the former Q Bar

 

 

Insanity Disco and V8 Diner moved in to compensate for closure of Climax Disco, occupying the spot previously used by the St. Regis.

 

 

Not my car

 

 

Kazbar killed off by sishta ban and Coyote Mex also gone

 

 

Still some old reliables

 

 

More burger options with Daniel Thaiger

 

 

Another luxury condo going in on the site of the old Federal Hotel

 

Edited September 10, 2017 by RhinoTusk

[Chris100UK 520]

Shame that courtyard is gone. Nice little oasis tucked away from the hustle of Soi 11.

[cbrib 354]

The face of Suk is changing so rapidly, thanks for the pics and update!

[Irishfella 0]

Ive stayed i Soi 11 on the last 3 visits to Bangkok. To be honest it has lost its fun factor and the traffic is a pain in the ass.

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

On Sukhumvit at Soi 10, Chuwit Garden is to be replaced by a mall. It's a pity since there's not a lot of open space around. Formerly known as Sukhumvit Square, populated by bars and GoGos when purchased by Chuwit Kamolvisit. Does anyone remember? He hired a few hundred thugs to demolish the businesses at 4 AM Jan 26, 2003 to dispel the tenants.

 

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/01/18/sukhumvits-chuvit-garden-paved-mall/

 

 

I recall enjoying a cigar on the gazebo in the back (before I realized no smoking was permitted).

 

 

Meanwhile, construction on the Q House at Soi 6 coming along nicely. Asking price for a condo starts at 30 million.

 

 

This was the state of construction 2 years ago

 

 

Much slower pace across the street where the new Hyatt Regency is being constructed between Soi 11 and Soi 13. They've been at this for 6 years! The new hotel is due to open the second half of this year.

 

https://bangkoksukhumvit.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

 

 

The 'Hood is changing. Stay tuned.

Edited January 28, 2018 by RhinoTusk

[maik 444]

Bad news about Chuwit Garden When I am in Bangkok I use to stay at a hotel in Soi 10

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

The Mystery of the Missing Massage Shops

 

Adjacent Villa Market were a sequence of shops starting with an Indian Restaurant and ending with a hair salon, with 8 small massage shops (all offering happy endings) in between. The massage shops were open until 3-4 AM.

 

 

Last month, all the massage shops closed, but not by any police action. Evidently, leases expired and the businesses were forced to move, but only the massage shops, all other businesses remained.

 

 

Furthermore, an additional 10 massage shops behind Villa Market closed, while another two restaurants, a travel agency, and another hair salon remained.

 

 

A short distance away, another 3 massage shops closed between the Bangkok Bank and the pharmacy. In summary, over 20 massage shops closed last month, while the 6 other businesses intermixed remained open (3 restaurants, a travel agency, and 2 hair salons) .

 

 

Bummer!

 

Edited February 1, 2018 by RhinoTusk

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

UPDATE: The Cheap Charlie cul-de-sac was open today for a garage sale. Normally cordoned off, and no trespassing, so I took the opportunity for some snaps. (See page 1 of this topic to see as it was.)

 

Entering from the north end, formerly the Suk 11 Guesthouse

 

 

Chez Pape still has a "Help Wanted" sign out.

 

 

Looks pretty shabby, good thing you can't see much of it from the street.

 

 

Here's the southern end, with the former site of Cheap Charlie's on the left.

 

BTW, Cheap Charlie's has reopened in On Nut

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/nightlife/2017/11/07/cheap-charlies-reopen-nut/

 

 

[mike_asia 1]

Anyone remember club eleysee back in the day?

[Siam Sam 964]

Good photos that I really appreciate as I have spent so much time in these areas over the years. Things are changing so quickly these days on Sukhumvit. A shame about Cheap Charlies but great to see it has reopened in On Nut near to where I often stay when I'm in Bangkok. I know On Nut very well and will be sure to pop in to their new location the next time I'm in Bangkok.

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

These were at dusk today with an ultra wide lens, previous photos seem to suffer from shrinkage

[redwood13 56]

Been a few changes since I first stayed at the Ambassador in 1979.  

Great set of photos.  Thank you.

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

There's a lot of action on the south side of Sukhumvit these days.  Just across the street is Artbox, a night market between Sois 8 and 10, and the latest craze there is ax throwing.  Sharpen your axe and skill.

 

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

The area that used to be the Cheap Charlie Cul de Sac has been cleared and is now home to several temporary restaurants.

There's a Burger King where Tops Market used to be

The hallway that used to have a dozen massage shops now has Indian reataurants

Hemmingway's has been relocated from Soi 14

Further up the Soi, more development

An alley leads to a small street with many restaurants

I stopped at Daniel Thaiger for a burger and a Rochefort 10, but they didn't deliver my burger order.  DUH!

I went next door to Artisan Craft Burgers where I got served

A few more

Zanzabar restaurant

 

[VPI78 11,498]

If you can tolerate 3 flights of stairs there's an interesting and inexpensive rooftop place on top of Hemingway. Draft Leo pints for 65 Baht from 6pm to 8pm.

[jacko 8,814]

Heaven Above style neck breakers!

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

2 hours ago, jacko said:

Heaven Above style neck breakers!

I need those for sitting in the orchestra seats at Baccara 

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

I took a walk through my old neighborhood yesterday.  I took these with my new Nikon ZfC camera ? which I specifically bought for street photography since it's half the weight of my Nikon Z6 (half the cost too), with an inconspicuous retro-look.  Some people may even think I'm shooting film.

 

 

Heading north, Zanzibar has been closed for two years now.  The food wasn't that good but I sometimes liked the band.

 

 

The Ambassador Hotel is popular with Indian tourists.

 

 

I'd frequently have a bagel  for breakfast at Au Bon Pain but they've vacated, as has Pomodoro upstairs.  You can see earlier photos in the thread on how it used to look.

 

 

There's a lunch special at Wine Connection, which moved in two years ago.  Salad ? pasta, iced tea, and a glass of house wine ? (French) for 394, including tax and service charge.

 

 

The Old German Beerhouse has reopened on Soi 11, the one on Soi 13 had been open throughout the pandemic.

 

 

Yet another Bawarchi restaurant has opened in lower Sukhumvit, this one looks more upscale.  The chain was started by an Indonesian woman doing Indian food she's has been very successful.  I've eaten at a few and the food is pretty good.

 

 

Meanwhile, the signage has been removed at El Gaucho Argentinian steak house, ? I guess they're moving out.  Fortunately, still have Soi 19 and Thong Lo branches.

 

 

I seriously considered moving into the Hyde Condo but decided to try a different neighborhood.  Something there starts around 20,000/month.

 

 

The Loft looked very quiet but was open, I think.

 

 

Cali-Mex I sometimes went for a burrito ? they were open but empty.

 

 

There's a small alley that leads to more businesses, I don't see how they can attract customers.

 

 

A look to the right.➡️

 

 

A look to the left.⬅️

 

 

I felt bad for the massage girls, you can't see their shop from Soi 11.  Stop in for a massage if you're in the vicinity.

 

 

I've never tried the pizza at Soho, it's fairly expensive.  Up to 700 baht for the 18 inch, surely more than I can eat.?

 

 

Next door is Craft Burgers, I've eaten there twice, and liked the burger with the Vermont cheddar.?

 

 

And next to that is Bam Bam Burger, where I usually go, as much for the craft beers they serve.

 

 

Across the street is Hillary 11, as in Soi 11, there aren't eleven of them yet.

 

 

At the T, and to the left, Chilli Culture has been closed for two years.  Quite good but fairly expensive Thai food, and they add 17% to the check.

 

 

Insanity nightclub has been closed two years, I believe they're facing a 5 year closure for violating covid rules.?‍♂️

 

 

Apokeka has been closed two years, I used to go there for live music.?

 

 

I did most of my grocery shopping at Villa Market, but that was when it was next to the Ambassador Hotel.  The new location was previously occupied by Q Bar.

 

 

A view back to the east from in front of Le Finix hotel, which is beginning to show signs of age.

 

 

Heading that direction to Soi 13 is CitiChic hotel, where I frequently stayed 12-15 years ago.  It was operated by the same management team as Majestic Suites and Majestic Grande. CitiChic is about a 12 minute walk to Sukhumvit.

 

 

There's not too much interesting along the way ?  on Soi 13, so we finally come to the Trendy Condo, where I lived for 7 years.

 

 

My destination is the Sportsman Pub, on the ground floor.  They gave me a 10% discount card while I was a resident at the Trendy.

 

 

The Old German Beer House on Soi 13, also in the ground floor of the Trendy, has been open through the pandemic.

 

 

Advertising the Ali-Patterson bout.  LOL  On the south side of the Trendy, Breakers Pool bar has expanded, moving next to the Red Lion Pub.  I guess the Trendy Condo is the place to go if you wish to shoot some pool ?  there are also tables in the Sportsman's Pub.

 

 

Time to cool my heels with an ice cold one. ?

 

 

After that, back to Bam Bam Burger for some dinner. ?

 

 

The Duke Cheeseburger with fries and a bottle of Duvel Belgian Ale (8.5%), 280 for each.  They have a new item on the menu, the Bruce Lee pork burger with special 'fury' sauce.  This concludes my afternoon in the old neighborhood.  Hope you enjoyed walking along with me.  Cheers!

 

[Broughton 497]

On 3/23/2022 at 4:55 PM, RhinoTusk said:

Apokeka has been closed two years, I used to go there for live music.?

I have fond memories of this small place with the live music it was in there I agreed with my then boss to my first contract to work here in Thailand in 2015. Sorry to hear it’s not opened back up.

[RhinoTusk 4,901]

8 hours ago, Broughton said:

I have fond memories of this small place with the live music it was in there I agreed with my then boss to my first contract to work here in Thailand in 2015. Sorry to hear it’s not opened back up.

I stated it closed for two years, actually it’s only one year.  Their website shows the last time.