Bangkok has decided who takes the prizes at this year’s The Bar Awards. By Holly Graham. 

Bangkok’s latest bar industry heroes have just been announced this evening at The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, with big wins going to The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental, Eat Me and Rabbit Hole – claiming two awards each.

The Sunday night party celebrated the best of Bangkok’s bar talents and venues, giving them all-important recognition from their peers in the city. The Bamboo Bar scooped Best Hotel Bar as well as Best Bangkok Institution, and Rabbit Hole’s Noppasate “Depp” Hirunwathit claimed The Rising Star Award, with the venue also taking the coveted Bar of the Year prize. Eat Me’s Buntanes “Pop” Direkrittikul was named the Bartender of the Year and the restaurant also claimed the Best Restaurant Bar gong.

Despite an enforced closure and a brief hiatus, the now relocated #FindTheLockerRoom, owned by Hidetsugu Ueno (Bar High Five, Tokyo), Colin Chia (Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore), Nick Wu (Bar Mood, Taipei), Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn (Backstage Cocktail Bar, Bangkok) and Chennarong “Janz” Bhumichitr still took the Best New Bar award.

The two-month process in Bangkok was no different from the rest of The Bar Awards program across the region. A Lead Panel of industry leaders in the city picked the list of relevant categories in the city, before award nominations were opened up to the public. A wider city Panel of 44 industry members was then called upon to narrow the field down to Top 10s in each category, before the Lead Panel stepped back in to vote for the Top 4s and, finally, the winners.

Here are The Bar Awards Bangkok 2018 winners:

The Rising Star, presented by Perrier
For young bartenders born after January 1, 1990
Noppasate “Depp” Hirunwathit (Rabbit Hole)

Best Restaurant Bar, presented by Restaurant Pub and Bar Asia (RPB)
Eat Me

Best Beer Bar, presented by Peroni
Mikkeller

Best Wine Bar, presented by Jerry
La Casa Nostra

Best Hotel Bar, presented by Chalong Bay
The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental

Best Bangkok Institution, presented by Angostura
The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental

Best Hospitality Ambassador, presented by Fever Tree
David Jacobson (Smalls)

Best Hospitality Team, presented by Hendrick’s Gin
Backstage Cocktail Bar

Most Creative Cocktail Program, presented by Cointreau
Vesper

Best New Bar, presented by Campari
#FindTheLockerRoom

Bartender of the Year, presented by Monkey Shoulder
Buntanes “Pop” Direkrittikul (Eat Me)

Bar of the Year, presented by Mekhong, The Spirit of Thailand
Rabbit Hole


To learn more about The Bar Awards, see our hub page here, or their Facebook page here.

DRiNK Magazine is the official publication partner for The Bar Awards 2018.