Thailand Gateway - The Rise of Soi Cowboy

Member Area

Friday

Jul 30th

Home

The Rise of Soi Cowboy

The last few years Soi Cowboy has become an ever more popular nightlife entertainment venue.

In our view it all started about 5 years ago (if memory serves us just a little) with the establishment of Baccara Bar on the soi 23 end of Soi Cowboy. The bar introduced the first two level bar in Soi Cowboy, with a transparent dancing floor on top. It still is easily the best designed bar around, and Nana Plaza surely also has no bar that remotely comes close. Not long thereafter Dollhouse opened a bit further down the soi. While not crowded most of the time, the bar keeps its number of faithful customers.
After Dollhouse, Suzie Wong got new management and a new look. Soon thereafter the same management opened Shebas just opposite. With the opening of Suzie Wong and Shebas, also increased price levels arrived. Before that, Nana Plaza was definitively more expensive. Now Soi Cowboy slowly but surely seems to become the more expensive venue.

Midnite Bar, Soi Cowboy

The last year, a lot of construction has been going on. Almost all the bars have added beer bars in front of their main venue. The first to establish a better looking outside area was Tilac Bar, close to Asoke road. A lot of these outside bars also feature television screens, catering to the fans of European soccer. Drink prices are just a bit cheaper than inside the bars.

A number of bars have been bought, then refurbished, by a new enterprise. The same owner at present runs DejaVu bar, Midnite Bar, Ourplace, and Spice Girls. All of these bars have attractive lighting outside, and a completely remodeled and rather flashy interior. Prices of drinks in these bars are up to 140 baht now, with lady drinks at 150 baht.

The latest bar to completely redo itself, is Tilac Bar. Tilac Bar is one of the longest established bars in Soi Cowboy. For more than 2 decades, it has been more laid-back than most. However, despite not featuring shows or nudity, the bar was always operating well. Now (end november 2007) it has reinvented itself. With a flashy exterior, lots of blue lighting inside, and new original dance stages (also including table dancing), and just a touch of nudity, the bar has probably taken the right gamble.

Tilac Bar, Soi Cowboy

The main message is : Soi Cowboy has been upgrading itself continuously over the past few years, while Nana Plaza is becoming somewhat decrepit. Soi Cowboy now has better designed bars, with a 'new' look. On that of that, it offers shows and nudity in most bars. The drawback is that prices have increased more than necessary.

< Prev		Next >

Headline

1/4

It is red holiday for Abhisit

IT is 10pm on a Wednesday night in Bangkok. And there’s a picnic in front of the residence of General Prem Tinsulanonda, the 88 year-old chief adviser to the Thai king. A “picnic” if you disregard the phalanx of riot policemen standing guard along the concrete fence of Prem’s home, the red-shirted protesters shouting “ok pai Prem (Prem get out in Thai)” and a poster depicting Thaksin Shinawatra as Superman. Free food - fried noodles and bottled mineral water - is flowing. Most of the protesters are sitting picnic-style on the road listening to stinging speeches condemning Prem.

History