Beer Bars in Thailand: The Relaxed Way to Start a Night

A local beer in a Thai beer bar typically costs around 70 to 120 baht, and a lady drink roughly 120 to 250 baht, so even a long evening with company rarely comes close to a gogo bar bill. Pattaya is usually the cheapest, with Bangkok and Phuket a little higher. VIP members see current drink and bar-fine prices by area, so you know a fair bill when you see one.

Beer bar fines are usually around 300 to 1,000 baht, lower than in gogo bars, and paid to the bar so she can leave work. Her own fee is agreed with her directly, before you go. Many Pattaya beer bars, especially on Soi 6, have short-time rooms upstairs that rent for a few hundred baht, so you don't need to take her back to your hotel at all. Agree everything before you stand up.

Most beer bars open from the afternoon or early evening and carry on late into the night, with closing times set by the area and local enforcement. Pattaya's Soi 6 is busy from the afternoon, which is rare. The evening crowd builds from about 8pm. Afternoons are the quietest and easiest time to chat, play a game and find the bar you like before the night gets busy.

A bar girl challenges you to a game of Connect Four, and the loser buys the drinks: your beer if you lose, a lady drink for her if she wins. Expect to lose. The girls play all night, and many spot a four-in-a-row long before you do. It's a cheap, easy icebreaker and a good way to see who you get on with, and nobody minds if you stop after a few games.

Yes, and plenty of expats and tourists do exactly that. Beer bars are neighborhood watering holes as much as pick-up spots, and nobody expects you to take anyone home. The girls will chat and may ask for a lady drink; a friendly 'not tonight' is fine, and buying one or two for someone who's good company keeps you welcome. Leave small change on the tray if you've enjoyed the evening.

Walk the whole street or complex once before you sit down, because every bar is run separately with its own staff and prices. Look for a visible price list, a few happy customers and girls who chat rather than pounce. A mamasan who greets you without a hard sell is a good sign. Skip any bar where drinks arrive for the girls before you've offered. Go back to a bar you like a few nights running and you'll be treated as a regular.

Yes, bar hopping is completely normal, and nobody expects you to stay all night. Have a drink, settle your chit before you move on and say goodbye on the way out. Carry plenty of 100-baht notes, because beer bars run on cash and change for a 1,000 can take a while late at night. If you plan to come back later, tell the girl you were chatting to: a promise kept earns you a warm welcome.

It depends what you want. In high season, roughly November to March, bars are busier and livelier, but bar fines and hotel rates rise and the most popular girls are often taken early. In the rainy low season, roughly May to October, bars are quieter, girls often outnumber customers and you get far more attention for the same money. Some island bars close in low season, but Pattaya and Bangkok keep going all year.