Ekkamai Bangkok: a guide to Sukhumvit Soi 63
Ekkamai Bangkok is Sukhumvit Soi 63, the street one stop east of Thonglor and the quieter of the two. It is spelt Ekamai on some signs and Ekkamai on others. Where Thonglor is polished, Ekkamai is a mix of tree-lined residential lanes, bars with tables spilling onto the pavement, Japanese restaurants serving the families who live here, and a bus station that sends half of Bangkok to the beach every Friday night.
The lay of Ekkamai
The soi runs north from BTS Ekkamai to Phetchaburi Road and is joined to Thonglor by several cross streets, so the two form one district in practice. The bus terminal and the Gateway mall are right at the station. The bars and restaurants are strung along the first kilometre of the soi and in the side streets, with Ekkamai Soi 10 and Soi 12 the busiest. Beyond that it is mostly housing, condos and schools.
Bars in Ekkamai
This is the part of Bangkok where craft beer took hold. Ekkamai and the side sois have bars with long tap lists, bottle shops and brewpubs, and the crowd is a loose mix of locals, expats and students from the nearby universities. Cocktail bars exist too, often above or behind the beer places, and a few live music rooms put on bands most nights of the week. The craft beer bars post lists the current cluster, and live music venues covers the rooms.
The atmosphere is less dressed-up than Thonglor. Shorts and sandals are fine at most places, prices are lower, and the night tends to start earlier.
Eating in Ekkamai
Japanese food is the area's strength. Families from Japan have lived around here for decades, so the ramen, tonkatsu and sushi are aimed at residents rather than tourists. [Gateway Ekkamai](/?q=Gateway Ekkamai), the mall attached to the BTS station, leans into this with a floor of Japanese restaurants and a supermarket. The Thai side is good too: grilled chicken and som tam stalls near the bus station, noodle shops in the side sois, and a few smarter Thai places in converted houses up the soi.
Late at night the stalls around the bus terminal and the bottom of the soi stay open for travellers waiting for buses, which makes Ekkamai one of the easier places on Sukhumvit to find food late. See late-night eats.
Daytime Ekkamai
There is not much to see in the sightseeing sense, which is partly the point. The appeal is cafes, small galleries and the pleasure of a shaded side street without traffic. Ekkamai has a run of good coffee roasters and several design and vintage shops. The vintage and thrift post covers the second-hand side.
Big C at the Sukhumvit end is useful for cheap supplies before a bus journey. For a longer walk, Ekkamai connects through to Phra Khanong and the canal-side lanes covered in the On Nut and Phra Khanong guide.
The Eastern Bus Terminal
The [Eastern Bus Terminal](/?q=Ekkamai Bus Terminal), always called Ekkamai, sits beside the BTS station. Buses leave for Pattaya, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat (for Koh Chang), and for the Ban Phe pier (for Koh Samet). It is small, easy to use and busy on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Minibuses also leave from here. Tickets are sold at counters inside; the day trips by train post covers the rail alternatives.
Getting there
BTS Ekkamai on the Sukhumvit line is the stop. Exits lead straight into Gateway mall and to the bus terminal. The main bar stretch is a ten- to fifteen-minute walk up the soi, or a short motorbike taxi ride from the rank at the mouth. From Thonglor, walk across on one of the connecting streets (Thonglor Soi 10 to Ekkamai Soi 5 is a common route). The Khlong Saen Saep canal boat stops at Ekkamai pier on Phetchaburi Road at the far north end of the soi, useful if coming from Pratunam or Siam. Taxis up and down the soi are slow in the evening peak.