Where to dine
In 2021, Chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij put Chinatown on the global gourmet map by transforming her great-grandparents’ herbal medicine dispensary into Potong, a Thai-Chinese fine dining spot that has received endless accolades. Her new Khao San Sek, set in a jumbled shophouse down the road, drops the haute polish to offer Thai cooking at its essence, with a menu revolving around the most characteristic local ingredients—rice, chile, coconut, fish sauce, and palm sugar—served in fiery curries, punchy relishes, and charcoal-grilled seafood.
Where to shop for art
Chinatown’s rough-edged energy inspired the duo behind TARS Unlimited (short for The Artist Run Space) to relocate their decade-old downtown gallery to an early-19th-century factory off Song Wat Road. A rotating roster of mostly Thai artists treats the weathered building as part of their work, with site-specific pieces that incorporate Buddhist posters left by prior tenants or the afternoon light that filters through the windows. Stop by for limited edition caps and shirts made in collaboration with the exhibiting artists.
Where to grab all-day eats
Landing a last-minute table at Charmgang or Charmkrung, chef Aruss “Jai” Lerlerstkull’s hot-ticket Thai diners on Charoen Krung Road, is not an easy task, but his new casual spot, Charmkok, is more accessible. By day the restaurant serves Southern Thai lunch staples such as Hat Yai karaage chicken, rice noodles with crab curry, and melt-in-your-mouth pork belly smoked with sugarcane. After dark, the space transforms into a standing bar with a craft-beer-heavy drink list and a menu of kap klaem (“drinking foods”).
