Go go bars in Bangkok – the best and the worst

Bangkok go go bars are probably not as famous as the go go bars of Pattaya. But they’re almost as well known. And for good reason. They employ almost as many ladies as the agogos down on Walking Street. Yet they can be less expensive, even though they’re located in a bigger city.

While an increasing number of Pattaya go go bars seem to be shifting to a “maximum lady drink” model, more places in Bangkok still seem to have a more traditional focus on barfines. That could explain why so many Bangkok go go bars are full of guys while there are plenty of empty seats in more than a few Pattaya agogos.

I have been reporting on the go go bars in Bangkok for a decade. I do my best to keep this list of Bangkok’s best and worst go go bars up to date. Do remember that things can change quickly. Especially in this day and age. Also note that this website is only meant solely to entertain adult readers. I don’t advocate anything or give advice. You must take responsibility for your own life. And always remember that your mileage may vary.

Nana Plaza

Every few years new rumors start to emerge about Nana Plaza. I don’t know how many times I have heard that the place was going to be torn down or turned into yet another high rise condominium building. Whatever rumors were floating around lately have fallen flat. The lease on Nana Plaza was reported renewed for another decade. And the people in charge of the place even built a roof over the place to protect the courtyard and the people in it from rain.

The number of ladyboy bars seems to keep growing over time. So does the popularity of Erotica was one of the better bars in NEP in terms of staff and service. Featuring topless dancing and a 700 Baht ($23 USD) barfine, the place stood out from the pack. But things seem to have shifted this year. The wait staff is still kind and attentive, and the mamasans are as laid back as ever. Yet there has been a noticeable decline in the looks of the staff recently. The gals on stage are still friendly, but they’re definitely old and larger on average than they used to be. Perhaps this will change again in the near future.

Lollipop down on the ground floor changes names more than some people change their undergarments. The seating area outside the bar actually seems to be more popular than the go go bar inside. I don’t know for sure, but the ladyboy on the loudspeaker might have something to do with that.

Otherwise, there isn’t much new to report about. The Rainbow bars continue to be popular with Japanese customers. Rainbow 4 in particular expanded and is now one of the biggest go go bars to be found. It is filled with women, including many who dance topless often sporting artificially enhanced funbags that seem to defy gravity.

Spanky’s still packs in guys and then hits them with foam sticks. Twister has a new name but is similar to the place that came before. Mandarin stopped using the upper section of the bar due to an apparent lack of ladies. And Anglewitch still seems to be going strong with its regular routines, though it appears to be more popular with couples and guys who just want to see a show than men out on the prowl for gals to take back their rooms.

Soi Cowboy go go bars

There have been more changes over on Soi Cowboy, which is the other main area for go go bars in Bangkok. The most notable modification is the rise in prices at many bars. Bars like the ever popular Baccara and less liked Sahara have noticeably increased rates so that customers can now spend as much as 300 Baht ($10 USD) on a single lady drink. Asking for prices before buying a drink then is no longer only for cheap charlies.

Coyote dancers continue to be popular in many bars on Soi Cowboy. They are contracted to dance in bars where they wear less revealing clothes. They also tend to request tequila lady drinks that cost 200 to 300 Baht. And when they are willing to leave a bar at all, they usually require very high barfines. But since coyote dancers tend be more fit and attractive than many “regular ladies” they are still popular with some customers.

Cowboy agogos

There is arguably more flesh to be seen in Soi Cowboy than Nana Plaza. The neon strip contains several bars featuring topless dancers, as well as a couple of places where fully nude ladies can also be found.

Cactus is one of the smaller go go bars around. It is so small that you can actually miss it completely if you don’t know what to look for. Cactus go go isn’t known for employing any fashion models to be sure. But they do have some ladies to bear it all, which is enough to attract in customers.

Dundee recently received a much needed refurbishment. It is back in business now and not much has changed other than the interior. Although it looks sparkling new, it is one of the oldest go go bars on Soi Cowboy.

Cockatoo was for years the only ladyboy go go bar on Soi Cowboy. It seems to be most popular with Asian customers. The ladyboys inside aren’t necessarily aggressive, but they almost seem to beg for drinks whenever a new guy enters.

Shadow has been turned into Soi Cowboy’s second ladyboy bar. The old Shadow closed earlier in the year. It has since reopened with its new staff and style. Time will tell if there is room for two bars of this sort on the strip.

Lighthouse deserves credit for hiring a good number of attractive ladies. Some bars say they can’t be selective when it comes to staffing these days. But for some reason Lighthouse has managed to employ quite a lot of good looking gals. I also like what they wear.

The Dollhouse has long had a reputation for staffing busty and beautiful women. Admittedly I have only been in the place a couple of times. But I have never seen what all the fuss is about. Since the place rarely seems to be very full, I guess I am not alone in my judgement. Maybe I am just missing something.

Crazy House is still going strong on Sukhumvit Soi 23 just around the corner from Soi Cowboy. Maintaining its full stable of fully nude dancers, the bar is now more popular than ever. It can noisy and crowded inside however. And the ladies do seem to be more keen for lady drinks than they were in years previous.

Kazy Kozy on Soi Cowboy is purportedly owned by the people because Crazy House. The certainly have a lot of fully nude dancers. Some even put on periodic shows involving things like oil and hot wax. Yet it doesn’t seem up to the standards set by Crazy House in the past. The seating is a bit cramped, the mamasans and dancers can be a bit forward, and for some reason there is a full size western motorcycle mounted in the middle of the stage that the dancers have to crawl over.

Tilac continues to draw in lots of guys too. I am never sure why. It doesn’t seem that much different from most other bars. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the place. I am just not sure what makes it stand out. But they must be doing something right judging by the crowds.

All the smaller hands on bars like Fanny’s, Jungle Jim’s, Toy Bar, and Afterskool are still operating as usual. Though it does seem like the ladies are at least a little less adventurous in the bars themselves. Of course in the short time rooms, things are different.

Patpong go go bars

After years of slow decline in terms of adult entertainment, things seem to be picking up in Patpong. At least in some regards. Sure the famed Club Electric Blue did close up shop and turn into a steak house. But some other bars have taken on new owners and transformed for the better.

The Strip now seems to be under Japanese ownership. Online they’re promoting the place as The Strip 2.0. As far as I can tell, everything is basically the same inside. Though they do seem to be getting more and better looking ladies inside. It is still not up to the high point it reached when the private booths were constantly in action. But maybe things are headed that way again.

Glamour is a Frencha owned go go bar in Patpong with some attractive ladies on staff. For whatever reason, the boss seems able to hire better looking ladies than the people in charge of many other agogos.

Thigh Bar is a fairly standard go go bar that continues on as expected. They do have some good looking ladies on stage every time I stop by. They also have one of the most straight forward price quotes I’ve ever seen in Bangkok. Whenever I have inquired, I’ve always been told that all of the ladies are able to leave the bar with guys for a fee of 3000 Baht that is inclusive of barfine and tip. Of course they expect this to be paid up front.

Badabing is still going, but it doesn’t seem to be as popular as it used to be. A couple of years ago the place had a reputation for having a lot of hot ladies on staff. Whenever I check in the place, it always seems quite average. There’s nothing wrong with the place. It just doesn’t stand out to me.

Kings Castle 1 and 2 continue to have plenty of dancers. And while guys and gals do enter both places, neither ever seems to be very busy. I guess they must be making money though. If they weren’t, why would they stay in business all these years?

At least one of the go go bars with guys has also relocated to Patpong 1. This was perhaps to be expected after rumors of closures over on the Soi Twilight gay entertainment area started circulating. There have long been a couple of ladyboy bars in Patpong. Still the arrival of this “boy bar” on Patpong may surprise some who are familiar with the area and its long and storied history.

Go go bars on Sutthisan Road

The Thai entertainment area around Sutthisan Road is still going, but it is not necessarily strong. The go go bars more or less just keep going as they have been. This area isn’t often visited by foreigners. But there are no rules against non-Thai guys entering any of the bars.

T Ded 99 is the biggest of the Sutthisan bars. And it is probably the most popular. Some times it seems pretty quiet inside. But you can expect to find a lot of Thai guys inside chatting up the ladies on busy nights. Still there are always a lot of ladies working, whether or not they are actually on stage.

Spicy Bar also known as Spice Girls Bar is a smaller bar that has been around awhile. It looks like any farang oriented go go bars, complete with bikini clad babes on stage working the poles. Spice seems to have some of the best looking ladies in the area whenever I stop in to check. Of course some of the ladies know they look good. So they tend to ask higher prices than others in the area.

Otherwise there is nothing all that notable going on in the Bangkok agogo scene. Clearly there have been some changes. Some things have improved. But there have also been some obvious declines. I am but a single observers. Although I am informed, I do not know everything there is to know.

Still, I also have the reports of bar employees and owners to go by. Many of them tell me that things are down across the board. Yet I have seen a number of bars filled with customers day after day, even in cases when prices were raised. Whatever the case may be, the fact is that Bangkok still has many go go bars filled with women. And there are many guys who go into the bars looking to spend time with them.