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Opium

Bangkok

Theatrical serves rooted in Thai ingredients

Just upstairs from Potong – No.13 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list – Opium occupies the top two floors of a 120-year-old Bangkok Chinatown shophouse that once operated as an opium den. Today, it delivers one of Bangkok's most transportive cocktail experiences. Created by Arnon 'KK' Hoontrakul and led by Italian bartender Matteo Cadeddu – whose resume spans Australia, Singapore and Mumbai – the bar offers a deep, imaginative menu of nearly 50 cocktails and mocktails, along with four house-made gins – each with the character of a different Thai regions – and a selection of inspired tasting flights.

Among the more theatrical serves is the Campfire, which is designed to transport its guests from the busy streetscapes of Bangkok to a quiet mountaintop huddled around a crackling fire via a combination of dark chocolate-infused bourbon, apple vinegar reduction, local coffee flower honey and mulled wine. It arrives at the table complete with a basket of aromatics to help bring the vision to life. The superlative bar food comes from the award-winning kitchen downstairs, with highlights including red oil wontons or wagyu golden fried rice, and exploded crab sandwich with Thai-Chinese curry sauce and house pickles. On weekends, the team offers tuk-tuk rides to nearby bars, turning a night out into a rolling Chinatown adventure.

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