| Also called | Soi Sawatdi |
|---|---|
| District | Watthana, Bangkok 10110 |
| Nearest BTS | Phrom Phong, about a 5 minute walk |
| Known for | Destination dining, coffee, quiet residential streets |
| Michelin-starred restaurants | Three (Gaggan Anand, Sushi Masato, Haoma) |
| Best months | November to February |
Where it is
Sukhumvit Soi 31 runs north off Sukhumvit Road in the Watthana district of central Bangkok, in the stretch most visitors think of as Phrom Phong. Its older name, still on some signs, is Soi Sawatdi. The mouth of the soi is about a five minute walk from Phrom Phong BTS station, beside the Emporium and EmQuartier malls, and the street runs back from there into a quiet web of sub-sois and lanes.
How to get there
The easy way is the BTS Skytrain. Ride the Sukhumvit Line to Phrom Phong, leave by the exit for the Em District malls, and walk across to the soi. The venues near the front are an easy stroll. For the restaurants and spas deeper in, especially in the heat, most people take a short taxi or motorbike taxi from the corner rather than walking the whole way.
What the soi is like
Soi 31 is the calm cousin of the louder Sukhumvit sois. It is residential and green, lined with condos, old houses and the occasional embassy, which is why it stays quiet even when the main road is roaring. There is a strong Japanese and Korean presence alongside a cosmopolitan European and American crowd, so you will pass an izakaya, a French bakery and a Thai spa within the same block. It is a street for people who live well rather than party hard.
When to go
Bangkok’s cool, dry season from November to February is the most pleasant time to be on your feet here. Whatever the month, the rhythm is the same. Mornings belong to coffee and the bakeries. Early afternoon is for a long lunch or a spa before the heat peaks. Evenings are when the soi comes into its own. Weekends at the better restaurants book out, so reserve ahead.
How to spend a day on Soi 31
Morning. Start slow. A filter coffee at PAGA Microroastery, or a croissant at Holey Artisan Bakery. To linger, Sometimes I Feel is a calm glasshouse with its own gelato.
Afternoon. Beat the heat with a massage. The garden villa at Oasis Spa is the special-occasion choice; Ruen-Nuad keeps the old massage-house tradition at honest prices.
Evening. The main event. Book ahead for Gaggan Anand or the omakase at Sushi Masato for an occasion, or keep it relaxed with Roman cooking at Appia or charcoal at Thaan.
Nightcap. End in a dim room with a good drink. OFTR is the cinematic one, Alonetogether the speakeasy with live jazz, and The Mooon the rooftop pool if you want a view with your last drink.
Where to stay
Most visitors base themselves a stop or two away and travel in. The quiet advantage goes to anyone who books a room on the soi itself. Public House, a design hotel in the middle of the street, puts all of the above within a few minutes of your door, and has its own charcoal grill, cocktail bar and rooftop pool. The Eugenia offers heritage character, and Dot Art and Suite a pair of rooms above an art gallery.
