Bangkok soul-food icon Sky High to close after 46 years

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2022

Bangkokians have just six weeks to get their last taste of Sky High Restaurant, before the culinary legend disappears for good after 46 years.

The restaurant delivered the bad news to its army of loyal customers on Thursday, in a Facebook post announcing it is shutting down for good on January 31.

Sky High earned its reputation as a culinary icon with Thai soul food including rice porridge made on a charcoal brazier and spicy chicken-leg soup. After tickling tastebuds for almost half a century on Ratchadamnoen Avenue in Phra Nakhon district, the restaurant moved to The Sense shopping mall in Bangkok Noi district in 2020. Ironically, the eatery is now rooted to the ground floor though the quality of the food reportedly still soars.

The owners explained sales had fallen after Covid-19 arrived and the restaurant can no longer cover operating cost, before thanking its loyal customers for their years of patronage.

Although Covid-19 restrictions have now been lifted and the overall economy is recovering to pre-pandemic levels, not all restaurants are managing to bounce back from the crisis.

Among the obstacles to revival after Covid are rising costs for raw materials and labour, as well as the switch to food delivery services driven by the outbreak.