3 Old-School Pub & Restaurants in Bangkok To Visit For a Dose of Nostalgia
The generation segmentation has become a talking point in the past few years, with words like “Millennial” and “Gen Y” showing up on articles and analysis that are shared like wildfire on social media. There have been some people who claim the generation gap between the oldies and young people are creating a drift in their relationships. While it’s true that it might be hard for your uncle to learn how to use an iPhone within a few hours, we often look over that, that generation of people have lived through ages that were an inspiration for the futuristic creations we young people have become accustomed to.
One of the “good old times” we mentioned earlier was the golden age of music. When Hard Rock, Blues, and Jazz hit the radios back then, it was a time of happiness for everyone. People had more music to add to their life and artists started to explore in creating the next top hit that draws inspiration from their personal life. It was a beautiful time that must’ve passed by so swiftly for that generation of people. While most of us can enjoy the music of yesterday from Spotify, your parents might be longing for something that better represents the golden age of music that is now just a good memory.
Bangkok is an excellent hub for leisure, have seen venues that want to relive those “good old times” opening up as well. So it’s time to put down your plans to go to a modern pub and bars for now and take yourself down to one of these 3 old-school bars and restaurants to fill up your daily requirement of nostalgia. Find music that tells a story, live in an atmosphere from the old times, and you might find yourself bonding with your elders like you’ve never done before.
The Cavern Club Bangkok
The name of this nightclub drew inspiration from the famous underground nightclub at 10 Mathew Street, in Liverpool, England where The Beatles spent their early years. Knowing that you can expect to find music from the golden age of 60s and 70s here. When you walk in, one of the first things that will meet your eyes is a model of Mount Rushmore with the faces of the U.S presidents replaced by the faces of the four members of The Beatles.
As you walk past the Hall of Fame filled with portraits of legendary musicians, you will fill a spacious room decorated similarly to the original The Cavern Club. The room acoustics is specially made for live music, and the tables are all facing the main stage. Sometimes you can find the band playing the soothing tunes of the Bee Gees while you down that pint of lager beer made in-house by the restaurant owners. Talk about a good time!
Just like listening to the potent vocals of Queen’s front-man Freddie Mercury, you will find yourself not wanting the dining experience here to end too fast. The German Pork Knuckle and Deep Fried Duck Beaks are made from the restaurant’s secret recipe that is to die for. And if you are hankering for a bowl of nachos, make sure you finish them quick before The Beatles Bangkok take the stage. Because when they do, you won’t be heading back to your table anytime soon.
After you have filled your tummies with good food and brimmed your heart with quality music, don’t forget to grab yourself a couple of cocktails at the end and spend a few moments chatting about some good old memories with your friends.
Roadhouse BBQ Bangkok
While driving towards the beginning of Surawong Road, it will be hard not to notice the colored wooden building with the American saloon style entrance waiting for the green light at the Henry Dunant junction. In the traffic infested roads of Rama 4, this place stands out like no other.
You won’t be able to resist pushing through the swinging doors like in those Western movies we all grew up watching. As you walk through the wooden saloon showered with some gentle sunlight through the windows, the smell of a big juicy steak over the fire will get you to your seat. Dimly lit yellow lights in the room will get you hankering for a pint draught IPA to down before the last light of the day slowly fades away. Feels like being in a music video for the song Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd.
While you and your friends fight for the last onion ring, the full rack BBQ Ribs with sides of homemade coleslaw and baked potato have just arrived. It’s a combination that no one in the restaurant resists and will know exactly what they want for dinner as soon as they see you tear the pork meat easily off the bones. If you just want to drink, accompany yourself with your favorite sports, as you can as the restaurant to switch channels on your nearest TV to any match you like.
Everybody needs to stand up and stretch after a few pints and a hearty meal. Walk up to the 3rd floor, and you will find a Shuffleboard and a pool table waiting for you to break out your pub sports skills. And if any song pops up in your mind, you can always walk over to the computer the restaurant had set up for you to queue your favorite tunes. What a place to have some old-school fun!
Saxophone Pub & Restaurant
This Jazz & Blues Pub has been accommodating Bangkokians since 1987 and slowly became a hermitage for the best musicians as all performers are handed picked by the owners personally. As you walk up to the small wooden entrance with a timeless emblem of the pub over your head, you can start to hear some Fusion Jazz sneaking out through the space between the walls, overcoming any noise made by the arriving BTS Skytrain on the Victory Monument station.
You can find old musical instruments lined up along the walls like an art exhibition. Abstract pictures drawn by local artists are hung up on the walls for your viewing pleasure. Just above the stage, you can find invaluable old vinyl recordings of legendary Jazz musicians. It makes us feel that art is timeless and can be enjoyed by anyone, young or old.
Like we said before, this venue is very careful about who they choose to put on a show on their stage every night, and that hasn’t changed for over 30 years. Because of this, many musicians consider this place a “dream stage” for them to test the waters whether they can call themselves professional musicians yet or not. One of the success stories here is with T-Bone, Thailand’s very own Ska-Reggae band that had modest beginnings at Saxophone themselves and made it as far as Glastonbury at their peak. There is also Neung Jakrawan, one of Thailand’s best pianist, the legendary Koh Mr. Saxman, and many more. If you are a fan o-of any, be sure to check with the pub for the show schedule, and you might just be able to catch a show from one of Thailand’s finest musicians at one of the most iconic nightlife venues in town.