What’s Interesting About Ari?

Ari is located to the north of Victory Monument and is easy to access via the Sukhumvit Line of the BTS Skytrain. Although you’ll first notice La Villa and Phahayolthin road as you arrive in Ari, the real attractions here are along Soi Ari itself and down the neighbourhood’s many quiet tree-lined side streets.

Excellent cafés and restaurants are plentiful in Ari, as are boutique shops. La Villa, an outdoor shopping mall located beside BTS Ari, is home to an international shopping mall and a typical assortment of Thai chain restaurants and cafes.

The world famous Chatuchak market is only 2 stops away from Ari on the BTS, making this neighborhood a great place to stop going to or from the market if you’re in need of somewhere to eat.

If you’re looking on a map, Soi Ari is formally known as Phaholyothin 7 – check out the Travelhappy Soi Ari Google map further down the page.

• Street Food on Soi Ari
  Soi Ari is home to a huge range of street food vendors serving fresh Thai food. Drop by after 4 pm to catch Soi Ari’s street food scene at its busiest, with workers from the nearby offices and government buildings visiting after work for inexpensive, tasty Thai food.
• Salt
  A neighbourhood favourite, Salt serves a great mix of Japanese and Italian food in a sophisticated interior and a spacious open air setting on Phahonyothin Soi 7. Authentic Italian pizza, a huge selection of cocktails and excellent desserts make Salt one of Ari’s best places to eat.
• Shinsei Sushi
  Solid sushi joint with an up-market feel but without being too painful on the wallet. There are plenty of seats for solo diners who can watch the chefs at work plus tables too. Booking ahead recommended if you plan to go at peak times. 10% discount if you pay with cash. See also nearby Sousaku for another sushi alternative.
• Lay Lao
  Lay Lao mixes fresh seafood and Isaan favourites, complete with a stylish modern interior. A favourite of local students and families alike, this basic but stylish eatery is located on Phahonyothin Soi 7.
• Fatbird
  Set inside a vintage Thai townhouse on Phahonyothin Soi 7, Fatbird serves a variety of Thai and Western dishes. Tasty food and a great selection of cocktails make this small, charming local restaurant a favourite of Ari residents.
• Hanazen
  Tucked away down Ari Soi 5, Hanazen is a Japanese restaurant and sake bar with a huge menu, refined interior (think white walls and dark wood) and great service. There’s an extensive Japanese craft beer menu too.

• Paper Butter Burger
  There are two Paper Butter Burger places – one is a small stall set up in the food court very near the top of Soi Ari (just behind Never Say Cutz hairdressers). The main Paper Butter Burger venue is on Phahayolthin 5 in front of The Yard hostel, bordering a pleasant garden to sit in of an evening and enjoy these excellent burgers.
• Pla Dib
  Pla Dib serves a huge range of fusion dishes, from Japanese-inspired Thai food to classic Italian pizzas. Dine indoors or, provided the heat isn’t too intense, sit outside and enjoy an extensive selection of Thai, Japanese and Italian-inspired fusion dishes.
• Baan Peung Chom
  Famous for its Pad Sahm Menh — literally “three smells, stir fried” — Baan Peung Chom is an ultra-popular Thai restaurant on Phahonyothin Soi 7 (Soi Ari). With an excellent menu and a relaxed setting, Baan Peung Chom is always popular with Ari locals.
• Flow
  Located on Phahonyothin Soi 9, Flow serves a Thai/Western fusion menu made up of comfort food and classic Thai dishes. A popular post-work dinner and drinks spot, Flow is usually busy serving Ari’s young urban professional crowd.
• Baan Mae Yui
  Located inside a classic Thai home, Baan Mae Yui serves a selection of great Thai dishes in a relaxed, residential setting near the Ministry of Finance building. Sit outside and enjoy great, unpretentious Thai food in a green and natural setting.

Ari Cafés

• Casa Lapin
  Casa Lapin is one of Bangkok’s most fashionable coffee chains, with two branches in the city’s hipster hotspot of Thong Lor. The Ari location is easy to find on the ground floor of the Noble Reform condo building, with a great selection of coffee and café treats on offer.
• Puritan
  Puritan specialises in desserts. With decorations that make it feel more like a European home than a suburban café, Puritan’s mix of interesting decor and tasty cakes, tea and coffee make it a popular spot for Ari locals to enjoy dessert on Ari Soi 5.
• Porcupine Café
  One of Ari’s most popular cafés and eateries, Porcupine Café is located in a new, bigger space on Ari Soi 4, after relocating from Soi Ari itself. With a wood and cream-coloured interior, Porcupine Café is a great place to relax with your laptop or a good book.
• FabCafé
  Creative space FabCafé is located on Ari Soi 1. Doughnuts, cake and macarons are just a few of many sweet treats available alongside a great coffee menu and a DIY sandwich and salad selection.
• My Coffee
  Located on Ari Soi 1, My Coffee specialises in what you’d expect it to: coffee. Alongside an excellent selection of coffee starting from just 50 baht, My Coffee also serves a selection of café treats, including excellent pancakes.
• Kaffe by Library
  One of Bangkok’s hippest independent coffee shops opened a branch in Ari – it’s an airy modern space incongruously set in the lobby of a condo. It’s located just along from Ari BTS station on the main Phahayolthin road.
• Hor Hidden Café
  Despite the name, Hor Hidden Café is easy to find. This charming café and eatery was originally located down a small alleyway off Ari Soi 1, hence the name, but has now expanded to have its own full restaurant shopfront so you can’t miss it. Food is much more than the usual café fare – this neighbourhood cafe also serves pizza and great steaks.

Nightlife in Ari

Lots of Ari’s top restaurants double as its most popular nightspots. Salt’s outdoor area is great for people watching and relaxing with friends, while Fatbird’s great cocktail menu makes it one of Ari’s most popular places to socialise after sunset.

• O’Glee
  Located next door to the Noble RE:D condo building on Ari Soi 1, O’Glee is a comfortable red-brick bar specialising in beer and indie tunes. With a continually changing craft beer on tap and many more bottled beers available, O’Glee is an excellent choice for drinks and bar snacks in Ari.
• Tap Room
  This is actually the same place as Casa Lapin cafe, but in the evening the cafe starts selling a multitude of craft beers on top. There’s at least 10 draught beers at any one time. The only downside is that it’s expensive and the glass sizes are small.
• Jim’s Burgers
  Open from 5 pm, Jim’s Burgers serves great burgers and a fantastic selection of beers. The huge selection of draft and bottled beers makes Jim’s a popular spot for drinks and comfort food after work.
• Izakaya Ryoma
  Izakaya Ryoma is very basic (think unfinished cement floor and tables built from packing crates) and located at the far end of Rama VI Soi 30, next door to the Belgian Beer pub. If you want lashings of beer and Japanese snacks, this is where to come.
• HOBS (House of Beers)
  Upmarket bar chain HOBS (House of Beers) has two branches in Ari. The bigger of the two is located in Aree Garden on Rama VI Soi 30, while the second — called HOBS Away — is easy to find inside La Villa Aree beside Ari BTS Station.

Things to See and Do in Ari

• La Villa Ari
  La Villa Aree is an open air community mall located next to BTS Ari. Home to a selection of cafés and restaurants, it’s a great place to relax with a good book, socialise with friends and dine out for lunch or dinner.
• Aree Garden
  Boutique shops, fantastic cafés and restaurants and an outdoor market make Aree Garden a great place to relax and shop. Located on Areesampan Soi 11, opposite the Thai Ministry of Finance building.
• NumThong Gallery at Aree
  Located on Ari Soi 5, NumThong Gallery at Aree is a cosy art gallery that provides exhibition space to some of Thailand’s most acclaimed visual artists. The gallery hosts a range of new exhibitions every year from Thai and international artists.
• Ari School of Fitness
  Dubbed “Bangkok’s happiest gym” by its members, Ari School of Fitness is one of two CrossFit gyms in Bangkok. Located down Ari Soi 3, this open air gym contains a training course and a large swimming pool. Open to members and drop-in customers.

Getting to Ari

• By BTS
  Ari is extremely easy to reach using the BTS Skytrain. Take the Sukhumvit Line towards BTS Mo Chit and get off at Ari Station (N5). Go out of Exit 3. At the bottom of the stairs, doubleback on yourself and walk 20 metres along Phahayolthin Road and you’ll then turn left into Soi Ari.

   

  Ari is two stations away from Mo Chit, making it easy to get to Ari after transferring off the Bangkok MRT at Chatuchak Park Station.

Bangkok BTS and MRT Map