Does Patpong Nightlife Still Exist?

[FriscoKid]

Serious question about Patpong. I haven’t been down there at night in at least 10 or 15 years. When I’ve passed through the area during the day, it’s always been hard to tell if anything is actually still happening down there after dark.
 

I assume most of the go-gos are gone, and the night market probably doesn’t get much of a Chinese crowd, so it’s likely pretty dead, I suspect.

Just curious what actually goes on there these days. Any decent bars with live music, dance clubs, or good restaurants to draw people in, or is it just a hollow shell of its former self with nothing happening?

I’m really surprised the whole big plot hasn’t been sold off for some mega mall project to Central Group with hotel and condos and all redeveloped by now. Prime land isn't it? 

[scubascuba3]

I walked past it day time a couple weeks ago and had the same thoughts, looked like nothing going on

[Harrisfan]

2 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

Serious question about Patpong. I haven’t been down there at night in at least 10 or 15 years. When I’ve passed through the area during the day, it’s always been hard to tell if anything is actually still happening down there after dark.
 

I assume most of the go-gos are gone, and the night market probably doesn’t get much of a Chinese crowd, so it’s likely pretty dead, I suspect.

Just curious what actually goes on there these days. Any decent bars with live music, dance clubs, or good restaurants to draw people in, or is it just a hollow shell of its former self with nothing happening?

I’m really surprised the whole big plot hasn’t been sold off for some mega mall project to Central Group with hotel and condos and all redeveloped by now. Prime land isn't it? 

Looked the same 3 years ago.

[Mark1969]

I like Patpong. It has a blade runner lonely vibe that some guys like, especially on a rainy night. Some places are still open.

 

It depends on the kind of guy you are. If you like happy drunk, chatty or backpacker type scenes or "English Breakfasts"  it's probably best avoided.

 

What kind of guy are you?

 

If you are having difficulty with that question, spend a rainy night in Patpong and let it teach you something.

[Patong2021]

I supposed, it depends on the time of the year. We were there at Christmas 2023. My Thai friends who had never been, disliked it. I caught a lot of stick for picking the destination.  Very busy, congested and the quality of both Thai and farang was the subject of  constant negative commentary.  I found that Patong had changed for the worse compared to 5-10 years ago. It's just one big traffic nightmare with a  cloud of  vehicle exhaust hanging over the city. The bay was still polluted and overcrowded, with too many of the disgusting jet ski and parasailing scammers, and the tuk tuk thugs still control transportation. The airport transportation option was the same old rip off.

 

Bangla Road was busy, but many of the venues were empty. It was one identical tacky bar after another with a noise level that was unhealthy. The ladyboy hustlers still work Bangla. I walked by my old favourite restaurants and bars around town, and saw that Covid had killed off most of them or redevelopment had chased them away. Absolutely, no one that I had known for years was  around. Covid had forced so many people to go home,, and they   never came back.  There's a new Central shopping mall, but it was empty when I was there. people still flock to Jungceylon. The prices for goods and services were always 10-25% higher than Bangkok and  have not come down. The fish restaurant on Rat U did not look appealing, not that they ever did, but it  wasn't inviting and running the menu flapper gauntlet wasn't helpful. We walked by the old Paradise gay ghetto and it was dead. It used to be very busy, but I guess the era of specific gay bars has come to an end. The plaza  leading to the  large Paradise hotel tower looks it was redeveloped into generic shopping and lady bars now. Unfortunately, the pushy massage parlors still  are all over the place with the aggressive workers  and their Hello, where you from, you want massage nonsense.

 

[MalcolmB]

4 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

supposed, it depends on the time of the year. We were there at Christmas 2023. My Thai friends who had never been, disliked it. I caught a lot of stick for picking the destination.  Very busy, congested and the quality of both Thai and farang was the subject of  constant negative commentary.  I found that Patong had changed for the worse compared to 5-10 years ago.

I think you are confused.

Patpong is in Bangkok.

 

But thanks for the long winded answer to Patong

[Patong2021]

39 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I think you are confused.

Patpong is in Bangkok.

 

But thanks for the long winded answer to Patong

Apologies, I read Patong.

[blanes2007]

I stayed in Patpong a few weeks ago. Lots of massage parlors. During the day, the barkers still whisper conspiratorially "Pussy show, Pussy show" and show pictures of body parts, just like many years ago.

[baansgr]

I believe the star of midnight BJ bar is still round the back 

[spidermike007]

Yes but it's quite horrific these days, my nephew visited sometime ago and he really wanted to see one of those sex shows, so we went there in search of one, and we must have walked into 15 different places that had those shows, and all of the women were over 50 and ugly. We ended up going to a show but we spent the whole time studying the vintage posters on the wall because it was so painful to look at the stage. 

 

I'm sure they must have some clubs that have hot women but my guess is that they're grossly overpriced. The other aspect is that many of these places are famous as being clip Joints, so one has to be very careful to avoid getting beaten up by the bouncers over a ridiculous bill. No thanks. 

[mancub]

Heard it became a gay/ Lgbtqwerty enclave ?  Not on my radar .

[carlyai]

When we lived nearby we regularly went to Misu Japanese restaurant. One day we arrived too early and the place was full of cats and their stink. On the tables, everywhere. Owner must like cats. Left and never been back.

[Magictoad]

I don't think.  It faded away about 25 years ago. Then definitely finished by 2013/14 with the military coup which destroyed all of Bangkok nightlife. Up till 2013 Bangkok was great.

[scubascuba3]

I stopped going to Patpong when the ladyboys infiltrated the agogos

[short-Timer]

2 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

I supposed, it depends on the time of the year. We were there at Christmas 2023. My Thai friends who had never been, disliked it. I caught a lot of stick for picking the destination.  Very busy, congested and the quality of both Thai and farang was the subject of  constant negative commentary.  I found that Patong had changed for the worse compared to 5-10 years ago. It's just one big traffic nightmare with a  cloud of  vehicle exhaust hanging over the city. The bay was still polluted and overcrowded, with too many of the disgusting jet ski and parasailing scammers, and the tuk tuk thugs still control transportation. The airport transportation option was the same old rip off.

 

Bangla Road was busy, but many of the venues were empty. It was one identical tacky bar after another with a noise level that was unhealthy. The ladyboy hustlers still work Bangla. I walked by my old favourite restaurants and bars around town, and saw that Covid had killed off most of them or redevelopment had chased them away. Absolutely, no one that I had known for years was  around. Covid had forced so many people to go home,, and they   never came back.  There's a new Central shopping mall, but it was empty when I was there. people still flock to Jungceylon. The prices for goods and services were always 10-25% higher than Bangkok and  have not come down. The fish restaurant on Rat U did not look appealing, not that they ever did, but it  wasn't inviting and running the menu flapper gauntlet wasn't helpful. We walked by the old Paradise gay ghetto and it was dead. It used to be very busy, but I guess the era of specific gay bars has come to an end. The plaza  leading to the  large Paradise hotel tower looks it was redeveloped into generic shopping and lady bars now. Unfortunately, the pushy massage parlors still  are all over the place with the aggressive workers  and their Hello, where you from, you want massage nonsense.

 

 

Patpong not Patong. 

[short-Timer]

24 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I stopped going to Patpong when the ladyboys infiltrated the agogos

That happened back in the nineties, no?

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, short-Timer said:

That happened back in the nineties, no?

1998 many young spinners, 2000s Lbs starting appearing, difficult to pick them out, not the obvious ones

[Mark1969]

24 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

1998 many young spinners, 2000s Lbs starting appearing, difficult to pick them out, not the obvious ones

I think you may be correct

 

[DonniePeverley]

It's more of a gay area now. 

 

A gay lass i know wanted to go to a few bars there, and they were packed out. On Saturday night there were huge lines to get in one or two of the bars there. 

 

For the normal punting it's not too great - full of aunties. 

[StayinThailand2much]

It has been dead for 

4 hours ago, Magictoad said:

I don't think.  It faded away about 25 years ago. Then definitely finished by 2013/14 with the military coup which destroyed all of Bangkok nightlife. Up till 2013 Bangkok was great.

 

I can confirm that. Great until 25, or so years ago (with upstairs shows still going on). Good-looking young girls in King's Group and other bars. Ten years later it looked like dead, at least on the outside, and the women on average quite a bit older and 'bigger'... Now, after the pandemic, I'd be surprised if it were still worth visiting.

[lou norman]

Tom Yum Kung crash killed it in the late 90s.

[carlyai]

My son came to Bangkok from Aus at 14 when his Mother kicked him out. 

Got him into an international school and all was good (I thought). 

Going back to Aus for a Christmas and him and his mates said ' Dad let me show you somewhere' and they took me to the big Agogo...super girls or something. Walked in and all the girls knew the young boys. Seems like it was a regular haunt for the international school kids. Met at Milkbar (never went there) and drank spirits with valium chasers then agogo. 🙂

Like father like son. 🙂

 

[saintdomingo]

50 minutes ago, lou norman said:

Tom Yum Kung crash killed it in the late 90s.

Covid didn't do it any favours either. If your idea of Bangkok bars means places with screens everywhere forget it.  For me the attraction went when the Madrid and the Safari closed. Patpong is OK now for one or two in the Old Other Office for something completely different. Or the Crown Royal to see what a real Bangkok bar was like.

[Keeps]

7 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

It's more of a gay area now. 

 

A gay lass i know wanted to go to a few bars there, and they were packed out. On Saturday night there were huge lines to get in one or two of the bars there. 

 

For the normal punting it's not too great - full of aunties. 

 

[bendejo]

Around 20 years ago a friend was visiting Bkk, went to meet him where he was staying in that area.  He's gay.  We're walking around past all  the gogos and quick-service bars, we turn a corner and suddenly it's all bars/cafes with tables spilling out into the street and loaded with people, a big gay scene, and very crowded.  I had no idea.  The area now sports a bunch of boutique hotels catering to that crowd.

Be cautious when going to use the public bathrooms at the malls in that area, some of the lads may think you are there to socialize.

 

[FriscoKid]

I’m a bit surprised by people saying it has suddenly become a gay area, for a couple of reasons.

 

Anywhere you go in Bangkok at night for nightlife, there’s always some kind of gay presence, so that’s nothing new.

 

Specifically around Patpong, you’ve always had Silom Soi 4 right next door, which was a mix of bars, many of them gay. The Rome Club at the end, for example, was owned by a gay foreigner and had a lot of gay clientele. Then there’s Silom Soi 2, which has long been the main gay nightlife soi in the city center, at least back in the day. So the whole area has always had a big gay presence nearby.

 

But Patpong itself was never really part of that scene. Around 80% of the bars were bar girl places, and the rest were mostly ladyboy bars. Ladyboys are a different scene and not really part of the regular gay nightlife crowd.
 

You also had some purely gay gogo bars over on Suriwong, with a couple of separate sois for those, if I remember right. Not sure if those are still around these days either. But there has always been a strong gay element to Silom nightlife. 

[FriscoKid]

18 hours ago, Mark1969 said:

I like Patpong. It has a blade runner lonely vibe that some guys like, especially on a rainy night. Some places are still open.

 

The first time I walked down Patpong Soi 2 in the early nineties at night, past Foodland towards Silom where the road curves slightly, I paused for a moment, my jaw slackened a bit, and it suddenly felt like I was standing in the middle of that LA 2019 dystopia from Blade Runner. I've never forgotten that moment. 

[lamyai3]

4 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

You also had some purely gay gogo bars over on Suriwong, with a couple of separate sois for those, if I remember right. Not sure if those are still around these days either. But there has always been a strong gay element to Silom nightlife. 

 

The small alley off Surawong known as Soi Twilight was permanently shuttered in 2019. Several of these bars relocated to the Pink Panther end of Patpong 2, hence the perception of the area becoming much more gay oriented. 

[Peter Crow]

If you read between Stickman's lines you'd think that Patpong is near dead, Soi Cowboy is struggling, Nana has changed and still reviewing its business model.

 

Is this a bad thing?

 

Stick himself thinks of resigning.

[Mark1969]

10 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

 

The first time I walked down Patpong Soi 2 in the early nineties at night, past Foodland towards Silom where the road curves slightly, I paused for a moment, my jaw slackened a bit, and it suddenly felt like I was standing in the middle of that LA 2019 dystopia from Blade Runner. I've never forgotten that moment. 

The first gogo I ever went into was in Patpong, around 2000. I remember looking over, seeing a curtain and having it move just enough to see a bunch of girls gyrating on stage, but only visible below the head. I ventured in and had a seat in one of the booths. I was the only guy in there. I remember how surreal it was. I did not stay long but still remember it vividly.

 

That's probably why I like the area, strange memories, not really the way it is now.