Bangkok is changing. For decades, its reputation as a tourist destination has been that of a bustling metropolis of street vendors, night markets and backpackers on the Khao San Road. But the last few years, it’s quietly emerged as one of the world’s greatest cities for high-end eating and drinking.

In the latest ranking of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the city had six venues in the list – more than London, New York and Copenhagen combined. In the 2025 edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, which was released in July, Bangkok was the most represented city, with more top 50 bars than Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. And leading the pack was Bar Us, crowned the best bar in Thailand and fourth best in the continent – a meteoric rise for a bar that was only launched at the beginning of 2023 by duo Taln Rojanavanich and Aum Sawaengsupt, both relative newcomers to the industry.

“We met in university, we both studied in design – I did product design, and Aum studied interior design,” Rojanavanich tells Drinks International.

“Our first business together, we opened a small hostel for backpackers near to the airport. It was our first step into hospitality. We had zero knowledge about what we were doing but we had a passion and knew we wanted to do this.”

Rojanavanich and Sawaengsupt opened their hostel, Heyyyy Bangkok, in 2016, a move that would prove to be their introduction not just to hospitality, but also to cocktails.

“The backpackers would come to the hostel and ask for beer, food, coffee and occasionally they would ask for cocktails, but we had no idea what they were,” says Rojanavanich.

“So, we’d Google a recipe, go to the supermarket to buy the ingredients, bring them back to the hostel and make drinks. Once we realised that it wasn’t too difficult to learn, we became more and more obsessed.

“Because we were near the airport, guests would arrive at 3 or 4am, so we would spend the night shifts waiting for late check-ins and learning the basics – practising how to shake, playing with flavours, creating drinks. We were on the outskirts of Bangkok so we couldn’t order ice from the suppliers in the city centre, so we learnt to make our own clear ice. Every night after midnight, my staff and I were all together practising this new thing – it was such a fun time.

“We realised that we wanted a proper bar, with proper seats and lighting. So, in 2020, we found a space a few minutes away and opened our first bar, Messenger Service.

“This was during the early months of Covid, but once the situation improved, people started to come – first backpackers from the hostel, then more and more locals. Guests who had tried our cocktails at the hostel came to the bar and would say how much better the drinks tasted. The recipes were the same – that taught us the environment and the vibe is just as important as drinks themselves.”

Setting a challenge

Messenger Service was proving to be a hit but at the time, it was way out of the city centre, close to the airport. If the pair were going to truly elevate their craft, it was going to have to be closer to the mélange of central Bangkok.

“We found a space for rent in the middle of the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok and opened Bar Us. There wasn’t really a plan, we were just looking to challenge ourselves and we drove past the venue, saw that it was available and decided to go for it.

“At Messenger Service, there’s no theme. We create drinks and put them on the menu as a number. But looking back at our menus, we realised how much we liked savoury cocktails. Not many people play around with that style of drink in Bangkok – it’s challenging in terms of flavour design but also for the drinker. So, we decided that would be a focus at Bar Us. We don’t have a background in the industry, so we don’t have experience of what other bars are doing or which ingredients they use. Our training comes from the late nights at the hostel.”

The journey that Rojanavanich and Sawaengsupt have been on mirrors their city. Starting with a backpacker hostel, opening an acclaimed bar and now owning and operating one of the world’s most celebrated drinking spots, all in less than a decade.

“Bar Us wouldn’t have existed in Bangkok 10 years ago,” says Rojanavanich. “Bars were more classic, hotel-style. Thai people love street food. If they were going out for expensive food, and cocktails that cost more than a bottle of beer, people wanted hotels with luxury vibes, service that feels expensive and spirits that are high quality. Now that level of quality is possible in standalone places like ours. Thai people are developing with the city. Old-style coffee shops are being replaced with speciality coffee, family-style restaurants are becoming more fine dining. There are more natural wine bars and small plates restaurants. People want these experiences, and there are a lot more foreign-born people living in Bangkok now. The city is more diverse. It’s become a really exciting place.”

Bangkok has changed and bars like Bar Us and Messenger Service, which moved to a central location in 2024, are changing it. But more important to the momentum of Bar Us as the new jewel of Thai cocktail culture isn’t the attention-grabbing drinks, or the beautifully designed bar architecture, it’s the fearlessness of Rojanavanich and Sawaengsupt, owners who have no issue throwing caution to the wind.