The best lesbian bars in Bangkok

What is it? Built as a tribute to the beauty, confidence and power of women, the room sets out to make everyone who walks through the door feel suitably divine.

Why we love it This one draws a firm line in the sand, running as a strictly women-only space with no men on the guest list. The interiors channel a sleek New York mood, all considered corners and unabashed feminine charm, which makes it a dream for a post-dinner tipple somewhere intimate, warm and reassuringly safe. With room for just 20 at a time, it delivers the sort of privacy that's near impossible to come by elsewhere in Bangkok. It's proof that a tightly kept secret often makes for the best night out, especially when you'd rather sip in peace than shout over a crowd.

Time Out tip The clever twist lies at the front door, where you need a daily password to get in, available straight from the bar. Weekdays come free, while Friday to Sunday asks B290 entry, comes with a signature cocktail and bottomless popcorn all night.

Tuff Bar. Phahonyothin. Open daily, 8pm-midnight

What is it? Up on the roof, this technicolour newcomer swaps intimacy for skyline swagger and lays on a night of full-throttle lights, colour and sound. 

Why we love it: Cocktails come with a celestial gimmick, every recipe drawn from the stars and your sign, which reads gauche on paper but lands as proper silly fun once a Scorpio number is in your hand. The kitchen pulls its weight too, so you line your stomach with something decent before the evening tips into chaos. What really sells the place is its flexibility. It works just as well for a rowdy group celebration as it does for a first date where you both need the view to fill any awkward pauses, or a low-key catch-up that asks nothing of anyone.

Time Out tip: Order by your birth chart and get the table comparing notes, a quick way to break the ice with strangers. Head up around sunset, when the sky does half the decor work for free.

Les Hi Bar. Vibhavadi Rangsit 8 Alley. Open daily. 8pm-2am

What is it? A lesbian bar that welcomes all ladies and friends of every gender alike, offering a safe place to hang out and be unapologetically themselves. 

Why we love it: Plenty of places slap a rainbow on the door and call it a day, but here the lesbian billing carries real intent. The room leans dyke, though transmascs, dolls, trans women and friends of every gender all find space to gather, feel safe and simply be themselves. A streak of playfulness runs through it too, embodied by Nu Hin, the resident rock-girl mascot who turns that geological backstory into something genuinely endearing. It's the rare hangout that takes its community seriously without ever taking itself too seriously, just the balance Bangkok's queer nightlife has been craving.

Time Out tip: Don't stop at one floor. Upstairs on the second you'll find Cake Bangkok, the city's much-loved bear club, while Bottle Rocket pours craft beer at street level, so a single drink easily snowballs into a full three-storey crawl.

Tuff Bar. Rama 4. Open Wednesday-Monday, 6pm-1am. Closed Tuesday.

What is it? At this bar, the mood is unpretentious and a little scrappy, channelling the easy energy of a proper dive where nobody clocks what you're wearing or how loudly you're singing.

Why we love it: Beyond the warm welcome, this place actively wants you to make a scene. Ask the staff nicely and they pass over a microphone, turning an ordinary midweek pint into your own sold-out arena tour, diva belters and all. It's the sort of silliness that gets a crowd onside fast. The real clincher, though, is how seriously the bar itself takes things. Whoever builds the drinks list has thought about everyone in the room, lining up non-alcohol and low-alcohol sippers next to full-strength spirits and craft cocktails straight from the tap. Sober, sober-curious or thoroughly off the wagon, you're sorted.

Time Out tip: Round up the group chat for a quieter midweek session, when the mic is yours for the taking. 

WO Bar Bangkok. Soi Pridi Banomyong 26. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 7,30pm-midnight. Closed Monday.