BKK Social Club

Berlin-born Philip Bischoff came from Singapore's decorated Manhattan Bar to open the Four Seasons' flagship on the Chao Phraya in February 2021, and by 2023 BKK Social Club stood at No. 3 on Asia's 50 Best Bars, the highest placement any Bangkok bar has managed.

Why go

The concept runs on what the Asia's 50 Best profile calls "the parallels of Buenos Aires and Bangkok," a city BK Magazine reports Bischoff "believes is a distant sister to Bangkok," played out in a grand garden-side room built for what the list sums up as "glitz, glamour and good times." The record backs the glamour with hardware: The Best Bar in Thailand at Asia's 50 Best in 2022, 2023, and 2024, the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award in 2022, and world ranks of No. 13 in 2023 and No. 12 in 2024. The menu turns over by theme; the current list works agave spirits against Thai food, with drinks that carry their own provenance stories.

Order this / avoid

• Order: from the current agave menu, La Capilla, "named after the bar in Tequila where the drink was invented," and Since 1942, which "honours the late master tequilero in an old fashioned-style drink with agave at its base," both per the Asia's 50 Best profile. The Evita (rum, Campari, apricot, bay leaf, B420 at opening) was the original flag bearer if it resurfaces.
• Avoid: planning a Sunday without checking; the bar ran Monday to Saturday at opening and current days are unverified. And budget accordingly, every line here is Four Seasons pricing.

What locals & experts say

• Asia's 50 Best Bars (2023, via Time Out Bangkok): No. 3 and "The best bar in Thailand," which Time Out called "the highest a Bangkok bar has made on the list." ref
• Asia's 50 Best Bars (2025): No. 19, with the profile noting "The bar's emphasis on conviviality is clear from the moment you walk in the door, and the engaging hospitality is equally fantastico." ref
• BK Magazine (2025): "dropped 12 spots to No.19 in 2025" after ranking No. 7 in 2024, with Bar Us "usurping Four Seasons' BKK Social Club as the best bar in Thailand." ref
• The World's 50 Best Bars: No. 13 (2023), No. 12 (2024), No. 49 (2025). ref
• Bangkok Bar Show Awards (2025, via Time Out): No. 5 on the Top 20 and Best Hotel Bar presented by Fever Tree. ref

Good to know

• The record vs the save: Jeff's note reads best bar in Asia; the pinned record is Asia peak No. 3 (2023) plus The Best Bar in Thailand 2022 through 2024, with the Thai title passing to Bar Us in 2025.
• Booking: through the Four Seasons; recommended, especially for the garden terrace seats.
• Timing: evenings; Monday to Saturday at opening, confirm current days before going. The 2026 Asia list lands July 29, 2026.
• Getting there: the Four Seasons on the Chao Phraya riverfront, about a 10-minute ride from the Surawong base or a walk from BTS Saphan Taksin.

Jeff's take (his words)

• Note: "rated best bar in asia"

Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)

must-visit — The most decorated bar in Bangkok's history: Asia No. 3 in 2023, the highest the city has ever placed, The Best Bar in Thailand three years running, the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award 2022, and world top-15 finishes in 2023 and 2024. The 2025 slide to No. 19 Asia and No. 49 world is real and stated, but the rung rests on a hospitality standard and a track record no other room in the city can match.