Opium
Asia's No.43

🔄 Last checked 4 Jul 2026 · details and hours can change — check the venue before you go

Tucked into the top two floors of a 120-year-old Chinatown shophouse that genuinely used to be an opium den, Opium is the bar that debuted on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 at No. 43, and also landed on the World's 50 Best Bars extended list at No. 92. Downstairs in the same building sits Potong, one of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, so climbing the stairs here feels like discovering a side of Yaowarat most people walk straight past without ever looking up.

The menu is called liquid surreality, and it earns the name: modern cocktail technique meets Thai ingredients you rarely see in a glass, from oyster salt to banana liqueur. There are close to 50 cocktails and mocktails, plus four house-made gins, each drawing its character from a different region of Thailand. The drink everyone talks about is the Opium Oath, inspired by old Chinese blood oaths and finished with a splash of fake blood made from Por Kun Ear Boh, a traditional remedy that was actually sold in this building back when it was a medicine shop. Behind the bar is Matteo Cadeddu, an Italian bartender whose career runs through Australia, Singapore and Mumbai; the bar itself is the creation of Arnon 'KK' Hoontrakul.

The room trades the gritty nostalgia you might expect from the name for something sleek and low-lit, the kind of place built for a slow night and a real conversation. Getting here is easiest via the MRT Blue Line to Wat Mangkon station, then a short walk into Yaowarat toward Vanich 1 Road. Seating is limited and this is a reservation-first speakeasy, so message ahead on Instagram at @opm.bkk before you go.

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cocktail bar

Opium

📍 422 Vanich 1 Rd, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100 🧭 Chinatown / Yaowarat, Samphanthawong

🔖 เก็บลงแผนเก็บแผน

🖼️ รูป 🗺️ แผนที่

Photo: theworlds50best.com🔍 แตะเพื่อซูม

🖼️ แตะรูปเพื่อซูมในหน้า · แผนที่ / โซเชียลฝังจากต้นทาง (ถูกลิขสิทธิ์)

Approx. pricepremium (reservation-essential speakeasy)

🏨 Hotels near the bar scene📍 View map

👍 Best forA serious cocktail night in a hidden Chinatown speakeasy; dates or small groups who love drinks with a story.

🍸 Asia's No.43New entry / first-time debutcocktail bar

🥢Signature — Opium Oath

Opium sits in Chinatown / Yaowarat, Samphanthawong. A serious cocktail night in a hidden Chinatown speakeasy; dates or small groups who love drinks with a story.

Must-tryOpium OathHouse gin flight (four Thai-region gins)Oyster Martini