Bangkok - (Spring 2025) - Day 2
Free Water Taxi to ICONSIAM Mall
The ferry service is very affordable but this particular taxi is free as it crosses the river to one of the premier malls in town. It’s fun to get a free boat ride and enjoy some good views of the city while on the way to the mall.
ICONSIAM Mall
Yes - it is totally worth going to the mall in Bangkok - especially this one. Even the locals enjoy the mall since you can get blasted by some free air conditioning in this sweltering city. This mall, however, really does stand apart. It if fairly new and it likes to flaunt its opulence and abundance. The place is lushly decorated with gardens and art displays and is immaculately clean. It of course has the high end luxury stores but also has affordable food markets as well.
And if you need to get someone flowers for some reason at the mall, here is a vending machine
Alangkarn Waterfall
One of the highlights of the mall is this multi-story circular indoor waterfall. I think it is more impressive than the one at the Singapore airport because this one can spell out words and make designs in the water as it rains down.
View of the Chao Phraya River from the Mall Balcony
Sook Siam Market
Escalators down to the Sook Siam Market
The other main attraction for me at the mall is this market. I guess you could call it a food court but that would undersell it. The basement level is filled with shops and stalls representing the different provinces of Thailand. They have directional signs put up for you to orient yourself to the regions (North, South, etc).
All different kinds of food stalls, shops, and restaurants can be found here. The abundance is pretty impressive. They also have a simulated floating market area as well.
Mango Sticky Rice Snack
Thai Roasted Bun Snack
Thipsamai (ICONSIAM)
ICONSIAM has many restaurants on several levels of the mall outside of the Sook Siam Market. This place is often regarded as the best pad thai noodle dish in town. That is probably debatable but it is probably at least the most famous. This one in ICONSIAM is a much better, if not as authentic an experience, than the original location. I never ate at the original location because it existed in a spot not easily accessible by public transit and you usually had to wait in a long line in the heat and then eat in a non-air conditioned space (I think they may have updated the place since then with AC - it’s been a while).
This spot in the mall is very swanky with circular dining booths set in a water pool with upscale surroundings. The pad thai is served in a pocket of delicately fried scrambled egg and you break it open to get to the noodles. At minimum, it is for sure the prettiest pad thai that I’ve ever had. We also tried the pad thai eggrolls as well.
Hobs (ICONSIAM)
The main attraction for me at this bar/restaurant is the view. It sits on one of the balconies of the mall and you get a great view of the river while you have your drink.
Return Boat Ride
Took a break at the hotel pool after a day at the mall
Jhasper Fashion
Going to give a shout out to my tailor. Not that I wear suits that often anymore but I get mine made here. Excellent craftsmanship and the couple that own the establishment (Dave & Pinky) are the friendliest people. Very reasonably priced and I especially like the extra details like the patterned fabric that they put inside the collar and cuffs of shirts. They also visit the US every year to service their clients (and ship for free). Ditch the off the rack stuff - get your clothing made here. Custom suits look much better.
Havana Social
This place has always been popular but now apparently they need a bouncer. In the old days it was a speakeasy and you had to enter the code “1940#” into the pay phone to slide open the wall of the booth to enter. I guess it’s busy enough now that they have a guy at the door with ropes and everything.
I originally came here back in the day because you could smoke cigars here. You still can in the upstairs lounge. You can bring your own stick here without a cutting fee and they have a fully stocked bar in the smoking lounge.
Pastel (Aira Hotel)
When I stopped in to say hello to my tailor this trip we discussed some of the bars we liked in the area. He recommended we check out this is a newer and trendy rooftop bar on top of a nearby hotel. It was popular and busy. It had a Middle Eastern theme to the restaurant and drinks. It had a Vegas vibe with the younger clientele there. The views were great from the bar.
Rendezvous (Landmark Hotel)
We went in search of one more drink for the evening within walking distance and found this hotel bar. Standard classic drinks were on the menu and the place had the feel that it catered to foreign business travelers.