10 Best Places to Go for Nightlife along Sukhumvit Road

The Londoner has been going strong for fifteen years. Their Pride Cream Bitter is the only pub brewed bitter in Bangkok, and their London Pilsner 33 is also brewed on premise and a big favorite with the crowds that come in daily to enjoy the rugby and soccer games shown on the big screen televisions strategically located throughout the bar. Food is also a winner here, with huge portions of fish and chips and lamb shank steaks sitting on most tables. The Londoner also has plenty of weekly specials, such as 2 for 1 wine on Thursdays or 2 for 1 ladies cocktails on Fridays, and is a very popular draw for the local expat crowd.

Titanium is a happening and pulsating place to check out some live music and totally chill, literally that is. The lavish club features innovative lighting, a big sound system, celebrity DJ's, and Thailand's hottest all female rock band that performs here regularly. Additionally, the club boasts a -10 ice bar in which frozen drinks are as cold as the surroundings. The ice bar has every known brand of vodka on the planet in its collection, and makes a unique addition to the club. The big draw though is the Unicorn all girl rock band that performs nightly and really sizzles. It isn't exactly cheap here, but the club is indeed a flashy spot to rock the night away.

Octave Rooftop Lounge and Bar is the latest arrival to grace the sky high bar scene in Bangkok. While most of the airborne bars with views tend to be concentrated around Silom Road and the Chao Phraya River, Octave sits towering above Thong Lor and Sukhumvit Road, and the views from the 45th floor are absolutely spectacular, giving the feeling of being in a helicopter, as there is nothing around to impede the 360 degree panorama. In addition to the marvelous views, the three level bar and lounge also makes outstanding cocktails, as the in-house mixologist has signature drinks such as the Bangkok 57 (saffron infused vodka with champagne!) and the Bloom Over the Roof (red berries tea infused vodka mixed with mint leaf and elderflower syrup) to keep customers sated. There are also top wines available, along with some tapas style nibbles to go with the sublime surroundings.

Soi 8 on lower Sukhumvit doesn't get too many accolades when it comes to cutting edge bars, but inVite bucks the trend, with a combo of great fusion food, and a fantastic cocktail menu. The GM Keoma Intravaia is a professional "mixsultant," and bar trainer, and he designed the drink menu here. The staff is happy to suggest cocktails that pair with the food, and you'll be wowed by creations like "Saint Barth," which combines chili vodka, passion fruit, and lime, or "Some Like it Strange," which pours premium Hendrick's gin along with Choya umeshu plum wine, lemongrass, Thai cucumber, and ginger beer. A majority of bars across Bangkok never get the Thai-spiced cocktails right, but inVite succeeds on every level. There are craft beers, and the open-air setting makes this a really popular bar and one of the better night spots for chilling and drinking in the neighborhood. They also have ladies nights and other such specials during the week, and host various theme parties on the weekend.

As the name says, Apoteka seeks to emulate a 19th century apothecary, with plenty of old wood and brick and lots of potion looking glass bottles up on the shelves. The retro feel is in here, but the scene is very modern. Not only does the bar have some great signature cocktails and a wide variety of beer and wine to select from, but the happening bar on trendy Soi 11 is also home to some of Bangkok's best live music. The Keith Nolan Blues Band, one of Bangkok's finest blues outfits, are regulars, as is the popular Soi Dog Blues Band. If you appreciate good blues, this is the best you are going to find on this side of town. In a street that has become noted for its trance, DJ, and full on electro-style parties, Apoteka feels a bit more refined and elegant, and is an excellent choice for a night out.

Located in the heart of Sukhumvit, just steps from the skytrain and subway stations at the Asok intersection, Axis & Spin flies under the radar of most visitors, perhaps because it sits so far above them, located up on the 38th floor of The Continent Hotel. This beautiful chilled out sky lounge and bar features all you need for a superlative night out. The panoramic city views are dazzling, the extensive drink and food menu both creative and inspiring, and the happy hour specials as well as freebies for those who opt in for Sky benefits at the hotel make it well worth the elevator ride up. The drink menu is well themed, divided by classic cocktails or more innovative "Pre-Prohibition, Prohibition, and Post-War" drinks, matching the vintage decor of the bar, which features plush armchairs, old bicycles and animal statues, along with massive bay windows looking out on the city lights. Try a Barbary, with blended scotch, creme de cacao, and heavy cream, or an Artist's Special, with bourbon, Amontillado sherry, lime, and grenadine, or you can stick with the more well known offerings like the colourful tequila sunrise or strawberry daiquiri. If you're hungry, dinner is also served at Axis & Spin, with the eclectic menu featuring standouts like black mussels in white wine garlic sauce, Australian Wagyu beef burgers on charcoal buns, Australian lamb rack served with black truffle risotto, and fish and chips with tartar sauce.

Above Eleven defies convention in many ways. Inspired by a Central Park style vertical garden, this oasis towers above Bangkok's most up and coming trendy music and club scene street, Soi 11. The setting is outstanding, and the food and drink are no slouches here either, as the club offers Bangkok's only Nikkei Peruvian Japanese cuisine. The drink menu is exhausting, and is listed via funny categories such as the wine section's "Sorry love I'm on a budget" or the "I've got it and I want to flaunt it" list. However, all these outstanding features aside, the reason Above Eleven is on this list is for their superb live music. The soulful Cliff Hardy quintet plays killer jazz tunes here each week, and there are also salsa nights and other music festivities. Well worth a jaunt.

Havana Social is Sukhumvit's ode to Cuba. While the other bars on happening Soi 11 are open air or street-facing clubs, Havana Social is a hidden secret. It is down a side alley, has no sign, and there is no indication that there is even an establishment here. There is just an old retro telephone booth outside. Call the bar in advance to get the entry code, which you punch into the payphone, a door swings open, and voila, you enter a crumbling shophouse that resembles pre-revolution Havana, complete with cracked ceilings, hanging clotheslines, and retro furniture straight out of Fidel's younger days. In true it's origins, there are great mojitos and rum drinks on the menu, and even Cuban dancing and a live band on weekends. It's a great escape from the often seedy Soi 11 experience, and well themed, fairly authentic, and a great Bangkok party haunt.

While Bed Supperclub may have closed down, Sukhumvit's party central Soi 11 keeps on going strong in the nightlife department, with the slack taken up by new kid on the block Levels. This swank electronic nightclub with a view is located up on the 6th floor of the chic Aloft Hotel, and is now the place to be seen and party in lower Sukhumvit. There is plenty of house music being played here, but Levels excels in its DJ's, bringing in some of the top international acts from around the world to rock the house. There is a large dance room here with a giant LED chandelier overhead, and then there is a club zone that features a great sound system. There is also a terrace bar that looks out over all the Sukhumvit neon and gives you a chance to catch your breath. There are plenty of promotions and theme nights here, but you are guaranteed one heck of a party just about any night of the week.

Easily Bangkok's most highbrow dance club, Sing Sing Theater is a fantasy replica of Shanghai in the 1930s, with hanging red lanterns, dancers in red robes with patterned fans, and metal cages spread across the room, making it appear as if a shady brothel of yesteryear. Seedy it isn't though, as the fine drinks, high prices, and top DJs from around the world ensure that the clientele are Bangkok's most well heeled and most ready to party. Never mind that the dance floor consists of almost nothing, just head out and join the wild throng. It's a combo of theater and nightclub, and truly is unique. If the whole fantasy getup strikes a familiar chord, it's because nightlife designer mogul Ashley Sutton (Iron Fairies and Fat Gutz, etc) was behind this one as well.