Desithai

When Suan Lum Night Bazaar was no more, there was a bit of a cultural loss for Bangkok. Siam Paradise goes a long way in healing that.

Guarded by a pair of decoratively clothed elephant statues, the all-new Siam Paradise has opened opposite Sukhumvit 101/1, in a location between BTS Udom Suk and Punnawithi stations, the market is very accessible like Suan Lum was. An ample beer garden abuts Sukhumvit Road at the pedestrian bridge near Soi 101/1. The usual suspects — Singha, Tiger, Leo, Chang, Heineken, and Federbrau — are all on tap and available in beer towers. Parallel to the road and closing in the beer garden is a two-level structure featuring food vendors on the ground floor and seven 10-person karaoke rooms up above. Live music plays the whole time the market is open — that’s 3 pm to midnight daily.

There are only 20 or so shops open so far, alongside the fully functioning beer park, though occupancy is expected to rise as visitors increasingly find their way to the market.

Occupying a site almost as large as the old Suan Lum night market, there are sections for food, pets, clothes, gifts, and everything else the old incarnation was famous for. In keeping with its heritage, it’s also home to an open-air beer garden, replete with large LCD screen playing sporting action, live music from the in-house and visiting bands, and food court.