English
If you followed
my struggles to find a permanent residence in Bangkok, featuring neighborhood visits to
Ratchada, Phrom Phong and
Ari you may be wondering what was the outcome and whether I made the right choice... Of course! The risk for mistakes is mitigated by doing your research, talking to fellow expats and knowing what matters to you.
Deep inside, my gut feeling captured something in Ari which resonated with
my beloved Daikanyama, certainly a place where me and my visitors can have a very happy stay. But I did not realize to what extent.
As teaser for those who are still making up their minds to visit, information for everyone else planning a vacation in Bangkok, here comes
my mini guide for Ari, an off-the-beaten-track neighborhood you can't miss in Bangkok -
that I would actually package together with the Chatuchak tour described in here
DISCLAIMER - I moved in 2 weeks ago, this is the first cut - certanly plenty left to discover...
Apologies for the map quality, my iMac is in a container sailing its way to Thailand and I don't have photoshop in my work PC, hope it is legible enough...
How to get to Ari
As with most places in Bangkok, use BTS (Grab / Uber if you rather spend your time stuck in traffic). Once you reach the BTS, take exit 3 or 4 depending on destination.
Ari main street (exit 3) [more]
If you take exit 3, go downstairs, turn 180 degrees and walk towards the corner where the yellow line in below map starts.
Welcome to Soi Phahon Yothin 7 aka Soi Ari or just Ari! Along the main streen you will find plenty of food options either from the
pink street stalls or the teeny-tiny restaurants along the way. I am still shocked of how busy the street stall right on the corner gets at night. They put some tables right on the pedestrian walk that together with the sempitern 10+ people standing in line manage to block the street:
Asian foodie rule #1: busy = good. Enrique will try it soon I guess. On the other side of the street, you see a white building, Noble Reform that hosts
Casa Lapin, an Ari brunch institution.
As you continue walking north west, small streets start to appear to your left, marked by signs that read
Soi Ari N.
Soi Ari 1 [more] displays a crazy mix of a takeway salad bar, instagrameable tiny cafés and bakeries which are highly popular among Asian tourists; blending seamlessly with the traditional Thai spots, selling fresh fruit, juice and Thai fare -
the old lady that lives in the open house right in the corner is 100% Thailand. Hidden on the other side of Noble Red, there is a small square with few cafés, shops and nail salon. If you continue down the road, cool bars appear like
Frank Mansion.
Soi Ari 2 [more] is much quieter, but you find interesting spots with cool decor and a strong Korean vibe - featuring
Joha, the cool café;
Annyeong, the traditional restaurant; my go-to nail salon called
Happy Hours and a shared working / boardgame spot called
Dice!. Right on that corner, Soi Ari Samphan 1 starts with the foodtruck called
Summer Street, specializing in grilled stuff.
Soi Ari 4 [more] offers a good mix of dining and staying scene, which you certainly did not expect to find there. We've been trying some of the places and will certainly continue to do so!
As you continue further west along the main street, you will pass by amazing restaurants. Pick between an authentic izakaya,
Hiro; a cool Thai rewarded with some Michelin stuff,
Lay Lao; a sushi place which is always full,
Sinshei Sushi; a renowed burger joint,
Farbird and the
coolest place ever with the longest menu ever that reminds me of our terrace so much,
Salt.
Villa Market (exit 4) [more]
Exit 4 brings you to
Villa Market, a compounds of shops where you can find fashion - right on the open plaza, various dining options and international press at
Asia Books -
where I get my weekly Economist dose. I visit Villa Market regularly as I go to the supermarket, which is covered in detail in this post.
For those of you with vegan tendencies or eating super clean like me, Thailand - just like Japan - can be a tough place unless you can go fruitarian during your vacation. The star of Thailand streetfood for me is fresh fruit,ubiquitous and extremely cheap - beat that 1/4 cut fresh watermelon for 0.5€. The worst is that finding normal salads (not spice ones) can be a bit more challenging, specially when you are a tourist on the go. Don't try to find salads (or wine) in 7/11, that only works in Tokyo. But there is actually a better solution, just drop by a
Western Supermarket like Villa, Tops or Robinson which are sprinkled around the city -
google to find the nearest one and explore the
salad bar, often featuring grilled veggies and fresh leaves, great yet cheap alternative to the pork friendly street food.
