The night's liveliest nests

    If New York already owns the epithet “the city that never sleeps”, then Bangkok can at least comfortably be called a city made for insomniacs. And that doesn’t mean just long working hours and 24-hour gas stations – and it doesn’t waver when the nightclub cops get serious about the 2am closing law.
In Bangkok, if you don’t sleep (or can’t), the city stays up with you. You can do your grocery shopping anytime of the night, rummage around a library, get a bag of tacos and even tuck into a dim sum breakfast at an ungodly early hour.
    The Thai-owned Villa Market near Sukhumvit Soi 33 has been a neon beacon for shopping moths since 1973, a supermarket open round the clock for supreme convenience, with excellent if sometimes pricey choices.
That convenience proved contagious. The American quick-shop chain 7-Eleven arrived in Bangkok in 1989 and quickly had outlets all over the city and then all over the country. Its always-open pantry with decent microwave food tends to be irresistible at 3 or 4 in the morning, and soon we were all paying our household bills there too, even buying plane tickets.
    Bangkok’s “anytime anywhere” appeal extends to coffeeshops as well, of course, but also restaurants of all descriptions. At the lower-priced end, several McDonalds and Subway outlets never close, and for more decidedly Thai food there’s the chicken-rice eatery Khao Man Gai Ko Ang near the Pratunam intersection, Kuay Chap at Victory Point near the Victory Monument and congee favourite Je Kiang on Chok Chai 4 Road.
Over on Ekkamai Road, a group of nurses who’ve just finished their night shift are tucking into a meal at Chok Dee Dim Sum. It’s somewhere between a midnight snack and breakfast.
    “We come here a lot to get the freshly cooked hot dim sum,” says one. “A lot of the street stalls close before we can get there, so 24-hour restaurants like this are really convenient and reliable – you know they’ll be open.”
Most of Chok Dee’s 15 branches in Bangkok are open round the clock, offering a big selection of dim sum, plus noodle and rice dishes. “It’s also nice to sit inside, away from the traffic fumes,” says the nurse, “eating clean, freshly cooked food. Even the restroom is nice!”
    No, the 24-hour places aren’t dingy at all. Burgers, chicken wings, waffles and a nice smoked-chicken salad are enjoyed at 25 Degrees Bangkok on Silom Road, in a setting so sophisticated that you’ll be snapping selfies for online bragging purposes.
    And there’s a full Mexican-food menu at Sunrise Taco between Sukhumvit sois 12 and 14, not just at sunrise but anytime. They do takeaway around the clock, or just grab a comfy seat at a table.
If it’s your sweet tooth that keeps you up at night, take it to the famed Mae Varee fruit stall at the top of Soi Thong Lor, where mango-and-sticky-rice is always available, all year round.
    On the other hand, if it’s your brain that’s nocturnally restless, the long-running Bug & Bee on Silom Road is a sanctuary for night owls. The four-storey cafe has the latest magazines, free high-speed wi-fi and outlets to plug in any gizmo, along with savoury dishes, sweets, smoothies and coffee. People actually go there to get some proper work done.
    “A lot of people are self-employed these days, and that can mean they have totally different working hours,” a customer calling himself Eak says at another 24-hour joint, Ban Rie Coffee on Ekkamai Road.
“I concentrate better at night – it’s cooler, less hectic and the traffic is light. Plus, I live with my parents and I can’t be making noise at 2 in the morning. Also, when you have a place that’s open 24 hours, you don’t have to rush to get your work done.”
    The wonderfully named Too Fast to Sleep near the Sam Yan MRT station draws businesspeople in need of a 3am espresso due to looming deadlines. There are also students cramming for exams, not to mention couples on an actual date. Even more cerebral is My Cafe the Library at Nawamin City Avenue, which swaddles insomniacs in books, food and drinks.
    New and noted is Hollys Coffee near Sukhumvit Soi 15, a branch of the South Korean speciality-coffee franchise. It’s got a nice calm vibe to it, along with free wi-fi, lots of power outlets, cushy seats and decent music.
But the place that probably exceeds all expectations when it comes to food and drinks around the clock is 24 Owls by Sometimes, near Ekkamai Soi 12. This two-year-old coffeeshop is also a proper, full-scale wine bistro. And it serves Thai fusion and Western entrees prepared by Cordon Bleu-trained chefs.
“We did enough research to see that this is what Bangkok lacks,” says Mattana “Ploy” Wichaiyo, who handles the Owls’ PR.
    “Coffee and snacks might be enough for some, but a lot of people want somewhere nice and comfortable to hang out with friends at the end of a night out, or just someplace to have a decent meal very early or very late. And, if you’re legal, you can have wine and cocktails here anytime you like.”
    The research must have been right – the place is packed even past 3am. The day never actually “starts”, but, tracking the sun, 24 Owls has school kids and their parents for breakfast, then replaces them with office workers well into the afternoon by. Meanwhile other patrons drift in and out for casual meetings or just to chill out.
At dinnertime there’s a fresh crowd that lingers until late. They vacate their seats in time for the real night owls, and these odd birds can include celebrities with no makeup! There is, after all, valet parking, which is also pretty amazing considering that a sizeable main course costs as little as Bt120.
    “Bangkok has more room for this kind of business,” Ploy says, “and the market is growing, with a healthy mix of Thais, expats and tourists. It’s all about location and how you handle the promotion, but the most important thing is quality in the food and drinks and atmosphere. That’s the key to success.”


Sleepwalkers, this way

• Bug & Bee is at the foot of the Sala Daeng BTS station; (02) 632 8883; www.BugAndBee.com.
• Hollys Coffee is close to Sukhumvit Soi 15; (02) 651 1062.
• My Cafe the Library is at Nawamin City Avenue on Kaset-Nawain Road; (02) 907 2220; www.MyCafeThailand.com.
• Too Fast to Sleep is close to the Sam Yan MRT station, opposite Chamchuri Square; (086) 300 9955.
• Mae Varee is close to the Thong Lo BTS station; (02) 392 4804; www.MaeVaree.com.
• Chok Dee Dim Sum has several branches; www.ChokDeeDimSum.com.
• Ban Rie Coffee is at the foot of the Ekkamai BTS station; (02) 391-9784.
• 24 Owls by Sometimes is on Ekkamai Soi 12; (02) 391 4509.
• 25 Degrees Bangkok is in front of the Pullman Bangkok Hotel G; (02) 238 1991.
• Sunrise Taco is between Sukhumvit sois 12 and 14; (02) 229 4851; www.SunriseTacos.com.