7 Best Jazz Bars and Pubs in Bangkok

Saxophone Bar is a local and expat favorite in Victory Monument. It delivers consistently good music, food and service with a different band every night playing a combination of jazz, blues and old classics. The cozy interior is bedecked with jazz paraphernalia, record labels and framed posters of jazz maestros, with a mezzanine level overlooking the entire stage area from above. It's usually packed on weekends.

Since 1985, Brown Sugar: The Jazz Boutique has been serving Bangkok's live music fans and has never failed to give everybody a good time. After 26 years of great service, the jazz bar moved from Sarasin Road to a bigger home on Phrasumen Road. The club is open during the day as a restaurant and coffeehouse. At night, it's an excellent spot for nice cold beers with live music 7 days a week.

An international legend, The Mandarin Oriental's Bamboo Bar is considered by discerning jazz fanatics to be the best live jazz spot in town. The sandy tones, palm fronds and furry patterns of the interior lend it a relaxing jungle-themed ambience that oozes class, sophistication and style. An upmarket but interesting crowd works the intimate setting, all enjoying the internationally acclaimed jazz singers and bands on its books.

The Living Room is a big, stylish venue that hosts a top-notch jazz band or musician every night. This lounge offers a relaxed, cozy atmosphere on the first floor of the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Alongside the jazz talent, great wines, cocktails and champagnes help get things shuffling. On Sundays, The Living Room hosts a 'Jazzy Brunch Buffet' between 12pm and 3pm. Book well ahead.

Jazz Happens is perhaps the most famous bar on Phra Atit Road. Popular among night owls who want more from a live band than simple pop music covers, this music bar was set up by a group of lecturers from the nearby Silapakorn University to provide their students somewhere to play and listen to quality jazz music. This cheap and cheerful bar offers a more personal experience than the bigger jazz clubs scattered around Bangkok.

Diplomat Bar is an elegant, upscale hotel bar in the heart of Bangkok's embassy district. This dimly lit venue is an ideal haunt for the sophisticated and glamorous. Its soft silk couches, striking round bar, and wood interiors make for a very classy cocktail ambience. A jazz singer croons every night, except Sundays. The cocktail and wine lists are suitably inspiring, too.

Glaz Bar at Plaza Athenee Hotel is where chic and contemporary take center stage in Bangkok. The interiors blend deep green marble floors, blue downlights and jet-black shiny surfaces. A favorite haunt among the sophisticated, Glaz Bar boasts a creative selection of cocktails, Thai-inspired tapas and snacks, accompanied by live jazz by international artists every night, except Sundays.