22 Places to Dine, Drink, and Find Beauty in Bangkok

Soaring glass skyscrapers squeezed next to two-story wooden shophouses. Two-dollar plates of fried noodles served on the street in front of Michelin-starred restaurants. Golden chedis (stupas) sparkling between a concrete tangle of highways. With so much going on at once, it’s no surprise that Bangkok has captured Bill Bensley’s imagination for decades.

Best known as an architect, interior designer, and landscape designer — and also an avid painter, gardener, and even fisherman — Bill Bensley is responsible for some of the world’s most eye-catching hotels. Since founding BENSLEY, his studio in Bangkok, in 1989, the energetic American has been the creative vision behind more than 200 resorts and palaces across more than 30 countries. Among them: Capella Ubud, an evocative tented camp in Bali; The Siam, a stylish bolthole in Bangkok; and the Four Seasons Koh Samui, costar of a little TV show called The White Lotus. Bensley also co-owns the Shinta Mani collection of acclaimed properties in Cambodia and Nepal.

Along with a penchant for color, maximalism, and vintage furnishings — and a boundless playfulness — Bensley’s work reflects a deep respect for the people, culture, history, and nature of wherever he’s working. He recommends taking a similar perspective on the city he’s called home for three decades. “I encourage visitors to understand the history of Bangkok — don’t just go to the large shopping malls or briefly walk through one of the well-known temples,” he says. “This is a 243-year-old royal capital. There are things you can do and see here that you can’t find anywhere else, and threads of the city’s past are thoroughly woven throughout the present.” Here are a few of his own personal favorites.

Architecturally speaking, Bangkok isn’t the most charming city, especially at first glance. New construction is often nondescript, and everything’s packed so tightly together that you don’t know where one building stops and the other begins. But there are plenty of pockets of beauty, particularly in the area around the Grand Palace and Wat Pho called Rattanakosin. “I never get tired of drawing the old yellow and green shophouses around the Grand Palace,” Bensley says. “There’s so much to take in there and along the Chao Phraya River.”

A traditional — though not typical — Thai home, Jim Thompson House offers a fascinating peek into the life and design tastes of its late owner, the designer credited with reviving the Thai silk industry in the mid-1900s. Bensley has designed a line of fabrics for the Jim Thompson brand.

Bensley also suggests heading out of the city center to Muang Boran, or the Ancient City, a museum and park with both original and re-created buildings that represent Thai architectural styles throughout the ages, from historic temples to stilted teak houses. “Admittedly some of it feels a little haphazard,” he concedes. “But it’s timeless in the sense that if the owner had not collected these structures and rebuilt them on this land, they’d have been destroyed completely. I’ve gone many times over the years, and my guests love the experience.”

All of the expected international hotel brands have outposts in Bangkok, but the Thai-owned properties often provide a greater sense of place. Naturally, The Siam tops Bensley’s list; he was responsible for the hotel’s expansive scale, iconic palm-filled atrium, and interiors that marry Art Deco with Thai antiques. Bensley shares a little secret, though: “The best suite in Bangkok is the Garden Suite on the ground floor of The Sukhothai in Sathorn.” High praise coming from a man who’s brought hundreds of properties to life.

“The first place I take visitors when they get into town is Pak Khlong Talat [Bangkok’s largest flower market] to buy flowers to fill up the house. It’s one of my favorite places,” Bensley says. “We go right into the heart of the city, and I want them to help carry everything! Hauling 20 dozen roses that I just bought for a fraction of what they would cost anywhere else….It’s one hell of an experience.” Even if you don’t have a need for dozens of flowers, Pak Khlong Talat is worth a wander, with piles of marigolds, lotus, and orchids spilling into the walkways, open morning, noon, and throughout the night.

For a more practical place to spend your baht — and find plenty of Thai art, handicrafts, and souvenirs — the Chatuchak Weekend Market is a must. As the world’s largest Saturday-Sunday market, with more than 15,000 stalls, Chatuchak (also known as JJ Market) sells pretty much everything: handwoven textiles, wooden furniture, the ubiquitous elephant pants, even puppies.

For antiques, secondhand treasures, and decorative ephemera, Bensley heads straight to the multilevel Bangsue Junction (also called the Red Building), just outside Chatuchak. Many of the vast complex’s stalls are open every day, with extra goods laid out in the parking lot on Friday mornings, so you can skip the weekend crowds. “You never know what you’re going to find in there — it’s like a European-meets-Thai flea market!”

River City Bangkok, situated along the Chao Phraya River in the artsy Charoen Krung district, blends shopping with dining, exhibitions, concerts, and antique auctions. It’s the place to go if you’re on the hunt for art or authentic antiques. Through April 30, the center will be showing some of Bensley’s own recent paintings; the designer picked up a brush a few years ago and has been producing works at a rapid clip, with all proceeds directly benefiting his Shinta Mani Foundation, a labor of love that supports environmental and humanitarian causes in Cambodia.

A five-minute walk south of River City is another art-focused complex, Warehouse 30, which includes a café, shops, galleries, and artisan workshops. Located in a historic building once used to store rice, it’s a great place to get a bead on the city’s contemporary arts and crafts scenes.

For a more typical museum experience, MOCA Bangkok displays 800 works by contemporary Thai artists from the private collection of Boonchai Bencharongkul. The museum also runs ART Space, a gallery at the Four Seasons Hotel, whose rotating exhibits include a show of Bensley’s work that runs through April 20.

Bensley confesses he doesn’t take advantage of Bangkok’s dining scene as much as one might expect. With a travel schedule that has him continually traversing the globe, he tends to spend his precious free time at the home he designed with his husband, horticulturist Jirachai Renthong, and their six Jack Russell terriers. That said, he’ll venture out to one of a handful of beloved restaurants for a celebratory meal. “Eat Me is probably my favorite,” he says of the eclectic spot whose global menu ranges from bouillabaisse to spicy lemongrass chicken. “It’s been around for decades and is very consistent. The chef [Tim Butler] does a sticky date pudding that will knock your socks off.”

For a more authentically Thai meal, Bo.lan is a showcase for chef Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, whose tasting menu highlights traditional Thai herbs and produce sourced from family farmers and suppliers from across the country.

Another go-to is Sorn, known for its elevated southern Thai cuisine — think rich curries and regional vegetables like sator (bitter beans) — prepared exceptionally well. The restaurant recently became the first in Thailand to win three Michelin stars, making reservations a challenge. Alternatively, try Baan Ice; owned by Sorn chef Supaksorn “Ice” Jongsir, it’s a Bangkok darling for southern Thai staples with several locations, including a stand-alone spot in the trendy Thonglor neighborhood.

For casual-yet-colorful restaurants that deliver flavor-packed dishes, check out Supanniga Eating Room, which serves family recipes from eastern Thailand (the Tha Tien location has unbeatable views of Wat Arun), or Charmkrung, which has made a name for itself with “nostalgic” Thai light bites paired with an impressive wine menu.

While Bensley isn’t a fixture at Bangkok’s watering holes, he does have solid recommendations for visiting friends. Topping the list: Tep Bar, where live bands play traditional Thai music with a lively twist. For inventive cocktails, Rabbit Hole is a Thonglor speakeasy hidden in plain sight (look for the unassuming wooden storefront with a sliding door), while steampunk-inspired Iron Balls Bar and Distillery is all about craft gin and vodka, made in-house.

Finally, you can’t visit Bangkok without catching the sunset from one of the city’s iconic rooftop bars, glass of bubbly in hand. Moon Bar at the Banyan Tree Hotel offers an intimate, if vertigo-inducing, experience 61 floors above the city with 360-degree views.

Alana Morgan is a writer and photographer. She is currently based in Seattle but always scheming ways to get back to Thailand, where she happily lived for nine years.