What are Silom and Sathorn like?
You fly in for meetings on Sathorn Road and want the evenings to be as good as the deals. Silom and Sathorn are Bangkok's business district: office towers, banks and embassies by day, restaurants and rooftop bars by night. Silom Road and Sathorn Road run side by side from Lumphini Park towards the Chao Phraya River. There, Charoen Krung Road begins the old riverside district.
The two names are often said together, but each has its own feel. Silom is busier and louder, with street food at lunch, the Patpong night market and the late-night bars of the Silom zone. Sathorn is calmer and greener, with wide roads, embassy gardens and several of the city's quietest luxury hotels.
Charoen Krung was Bangkok's first road, built from 1861 to 1864, the Fine Arts Department says. Today it links Silom to the riverside hotels and galleries. Our Bangkok destination guide covers the riverside and the other neighbouring areas.
Where to stay in Silom and Sathorn
The best hotels in Silom and Sathorn are calm city resorts close to Lumphini Park and the river. Choose The Sukhothai Bangkok or COMO Metropolitan for quiet. For a high view, our pick is Banyan Tree Bangkok or lebua at State Tower. Dusit Thani Bangkok is a famous name reborn.
How to choose: pick Sathorn if you want quiet nights, a garden or a business address. Pick Silom if you want to walk to dinner, the rooftops and the late bars. Both sides are a short ride apart, so the choice is about the feel of the street outside your door.
The Sukhothai Bangkok (Sathorn). A calm Sathorn address, with Celadon for Thai dinners. See our Sukhothai review.
Dusit Thani Bangkok (Silom). The hotel says it has reopened after a full transformation. Cannubi by Umberto Bombana, one Michelin star (2026 guide), is now inside.
Banyan Tree Bangkok (Sathorn). A tall tower with Bai Yun on the 59th floor, serving lunch from 11:30 to 14:30 and dinner from 18:00 to 22:30. Vertigo and Moon Bar are closed for renovation and reopen on 2 December 2026.
COMO Metropolitan Bangkok (Sathorn). Home of nahm, one Michelin star (2026 guide).
lebua at State Tower (Silom). An all-suite hotel with 179 suites, Sky Bar and Mezzaluna above it.
The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon (Silom). A 155-room hotel in the King Power Mahanakhon tower, with six restaurants and bars.
SO/ Bangkok (Sathorn). A 237-room hotel at 2 North Sathorn Road.
Fine dining in Silom and Sathorn
Silom and Sathorn hold some of Bangkok's best restaurants. Restaurant Sühring has three Michelin stars and Mezzaluna by lebua two (2026 guide). Le Du, nahm and Cannubi each hold one star. The 2027 guide is revealed on 10 November 2026, and we update every star then.
Restaurant Sühring. Off Yen Akat Road, on the Sathorn side. Dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, lunch from Thursday to Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Mezzaluna by lebua. On the 65th floor of State Tower, from 17:30, closed on Sunday. Dress is smart elegant.
Le Du. Modern Thai cooking in Silom, Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 23:00.
nahm. Thai cooking at COMO Metropolitan, dinner daily from 18:00 to 22:00.
Cannubi by Umberto Bombana. Italian cooking at Dusit Thani Bangkok, Wednesday to Sunday.
For a less formal night, Blue Elephant on South Sathorn Road and Issaya Siamese Club in Sathorn both serve Thai cooking in a relaxed setting. Celadon at The Sukhothai and Eat Me in Silom are both Selected in the 2026 guide. The best tables are small, so we book the moment you confirm your dates. Menus with '++' add service charge, which should be 10% or less, plus 7% VAT. See our Michelin restaurants in Bangkok.
Rooftops and cocktail bars
Silom and Sathorn have the city's most famous rooftop and some of its best cocktail bars. Sky Bar by lebua, on the 64th floor of State Tower, opens daily from 17:00 to 00:30. Distil on the same floor keeps the same hours. Spire Rooftop at Dusit Thani opens from 17:00 to 01:00.
Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant sits on level 37 of Pullman Bangkok Hotel G, from 17:00 to 23:30. Le Du Kaan, on the 56th floor of The Empire, has a bar open from 17:00 to 01:00. It is the highest seat in this group, and our pick for the view. At street level, Vesper on Convent Road opens daily from 17:00 to 02:00. Bar Sathorn at The House on Sathorn opens from 14:30 to 01:00.
For live jazz, Smalls in Suan Phlu opens from 18:00 to 02:00, closed on Tuesday. Smart casual is the dress code at most of these bars. Sky Bar is also known from film: lebua says it appeared in The Hangover Part II, so expect visitors with cameras at sunset. See all rooftop bars in Bangkok.
Silom at night: Patpong and the late-night zone
Silom is one of Bangkok's three licensed late-night zones. Licensed entertainment venues here may open until 4am; ordinary bars and restaurants close earlier, usually by 2am. Patpong and its night market sit inside the zone.
A few streets away, Silom Soi 2 and Soi 4 are the centre of Bangkok's gay nightlife. DJ Station on Soi 2/1 opens from 21:00 to 03:00, later at weekends. The Stranger Bar on Soi 4 opens from 19:00 to 02:00 (checked November 2026). Read our LGBTQ nightlife guide.
Example plan, one Silom night. Sunset drinks on a rooftop come first, with the river turning gold below you. Sit down to dinner around 20:00, then move to Vesper for cocktails or to Smalls for live jazz. If you want to dance after 2am, stay inside the zone, where the licensed venues keep going.
Things to do by day
By day, Silom and Sathorn are made for slow mornings and high views. Walk or run around Lumphini Park before the heat, then ride up the King Power Mahanakhon tower. Its SkyWalk charges adults ฿1,000 from 10:00 to 15:30 and ฿1,200 from 15:30 to 19:00.
The Standard's Sun Club offers a day pass for ฿1,200 net, including ฿600 to spend, from 07:00 to 20:00. A spa afternoon at one of the hotels fills the hot hours well. For business visitors, The Bangkok Club in Sathorn City Tower is by invitation and opens Monday to Saturday, closed on Sundays and public holidays.
If your trip falls between 29 October 2026 and 28 February 2027, the Bangkok Art Biennale is on across the city. Charoen Krung, at the river end of Silom, is the easiest place to start an afternoon of galleries before dinner.
Getting around Silom and Sathorn
Suvarnabhumi Airport to Silom Road is about 36 minutes by car without traffic (checked November 2026); allow much longer in rush hour. Inside the district, the BTS Skytrain and the MRT underground both serve Silom and Sathorn, and river boats stop at Sathorn pier.
Mandarin Oriental and The Peninsula run free boats to Sathorn pier for their guests on request, which makes the river an easy link. Traffic in Silom and Sathorn is heavy at rush hour, so use the train by day and a car with driver at night. See our luxury chauffeur service.
Health and practical
BNH Hospital on Convent Road, in central Silom, is JCI-accredited. Carry your passport or a copy of the photo page and stay stamp, because foreigners must, with a fine of up to ฿2,000. Menus marked '++' add service charge and 7% VAT to the price shown.
Plan it with Tanner
Tell Tanner, your planner, your dates and what you want from Bangkok. We book the hotel, the tables at Sühring or Le Du, a rooftop for sunset and a driver for the nights. One planner covers the whole stay, from a solo business trip to a team of thirty. Our Bangkok staff eat in this district, so we can say which tables deserve the booking. One message is enough to start.
