20 cafes worth the trip across Thailand, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Thailand guides.
Roots Coffee The Commons ★ 4.8 · Bangkok
335 Soi Thonglor 17, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110
Roots Coffee in Bangkok's The Commons Thonglor is the city's foundational third-wave roaster cafe, opened 2014 by Varatt Vichit-Vadakan with a multi-origin.
Tip: The single-origin pour-over flight is the way to read the bean program. Closes at 19:00 daily; weekend mornings queue.
One Ounce For Onion ★ 4.7 · Bangkok
37 Soi Ekkamai 12, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110
One Ounce For Onion in Bangkok's Ekkamai is the hidden-courtyard cafe with rotating Thai and international roasters on the bar, opened 2015 in a converted.
Tip: The filter menu changes every couple of weeks; ask the barista what just arrived. Weekend brunch from 09:00.
Factory Coffee Bangkok ★ 4.6 · Bangkok
49 Phaya Thai Road, Thanon Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400
Factory Coffee in Bangkok's Phaya Thai is a competition barista cafe from World Brewers Cup competitor Sarisa Kanakam, espresso flights and a custom Probat.
Tip: The flight option lines up espresso, milk and brewed coffee from the same bean. BTS Phaya Thai is two minutes away.
Bottomless S33 ★ 4.5 · Bangkok
7/8 Soi Sukhumvit 33, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110
Bottomless S33 in Bangkok's Sukhumvit 33 is the Nonthaburi-born roaster's three-storey Bangkok flagship, a red-brick loft cafe pouring its own beans.
Tip: Three floors plus a rooftop; the ground floor counter is the spot for filter coffee, the upstairs zones are the work-friendly tables. Open 07:00-20:00 daily.
Ristr8to ★ 4.5 · Chiang Mai
nimman · 15/3 Nimmanhaemin Road, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
World Latte Art champion Arnon Thitiprasert's flagship Nimman bar, pouring award-winning rosettas and bold signature cups like the skull-mug Satan latte.
Graph One Nimman ★ 4.4 · Chiang Mai
nimman · 1/6 One Nimman A103-104, Nimmanhaemin Road, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
The One Nimman speed bar of Chiang Mai's cult Graph roastery, a concrete counter turning out inventive signature drinks and precise single-origin filters.
Rocket Coffeebar S.12 ★ 4.3 · Bangkok
147 Sathorn Soi 12, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500
Rocket Coffeebar in Bangkok's Sathorn is the Scandinavian-design coffee-and-brunch room from 2014, with a sister branch on Soi Methiniwet and Asok.
Tip: All-day brunch menu but mornings are the calmest window. The espresso tonic and the avocado on toast are the canonical orders.
Kaizen Coffee Co ★ 4.2 · Bangkok
888 Soi Ekkamai (Sukhumvit 63), Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110
Kaizen Coffee Co at the quiet end of Ekkamai is a sibling-run specialty bar built around an Australian-style program, with pour-over single origins.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The single-origin filter rotates weekly; the matcha lava cheesecake is the bakery cabinet pick.
Woo Cafe & Art Gallery ★ 4.2 · Chiang Mai
wat-ket · 80 Charoenrat Road, Wat Ket, Mueang Chiang Mai 50000
A florist, gallery and lifestyle cafe on Charoenrat, all blooms and cake stands, serving Thai and Western plates in one of the city's most photographed rooms.
Cheevit Cheeva ★ 4.2 · Chiang Mai
nimman · 6 Sirimangkalajarn Road Soi 7, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
Chiang Mai's most-loved dessert cafe, a bright Nimman room stacking Korean-style bingsu shaved ice and towering cakes that draw a permanent weekend queue.
The Baristro at Ping River ★ 4.2 · Chiang Mai
wat-ket · 62 Pa Tan Road, Pa Tan, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300
A crisp white-and-glass riverside pavilion from the design-led Baristro group, pairing serious espresso with one of the prettiest coffee terraces in the city.
Cottontree Coffee Roasters ★ 4.2 · Chiang Mai
nimman · 5/3 Nimmanhaemin Road, Green Hill Place, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
A warehouse roastery-cafe behind Maya founded in 2015 by couple Ton and Fai, pouring carefully roasted single origins to a quiet, coffee-serious Nimman crowd.
Brave Roasters Ari ★ 4.1 · Bangkok
76/1 Soi Ari 4, Sam Sen Nai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400
Brave Roasters in Bangkok's Ari is Aroon Boonchom's third-wave coffee cafe with a small roaster on-site, the canonical morning stop for Ari neighbourhood.
Tip: The pour-over menu lists every single origin individually. Weekend mornings the queue forms by 09:00.
Fern Forest Cafe ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai
old-city · 54/1 Singharat Road, Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
A leafy Old City garden cafe threaded with ferns and fountains, a calm spot for cakes, Thai tea and Western breakfasts away from the moat traffic.
The Barn: Eatery & Design ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai
nimman · 14 Sirivichai Road Soi 5, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
A rustic barn-and-garden cafe off Nimman with earthy wood interiors and a pond, a work-friendly favourite for brunch plates and slow filter coffee.
Roastniyom Coffee ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai
nimman · 51 Sirimangkalajarn Road, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
A local specialty chain's leafy flagship built around a huge tree on Sirimangkalajarn, a relaxed work-friendly spot for northern-bean filters and cakes.
Gateway Coffee Roasters ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai
old-city · Tha Phae Road Soi 4, Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300
A hidden upstairs coffee bar off Tha Phae Soi 4, a calm wooden hideaway above the Old City bustle serving considered black, white and brown coffee only.
Luka Cafe ★ 4.0 · Bangkok
64/3 Pan Road, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500
Luka Cafe in Bangkok's Pan Road is the all-day cafe-bistro from chef Mark Carter, with house-roasted coffee, brunch all afternoon, and a small-plate evening.
Tip: Weekend brunch books out; weekday afternoons are the calmest window for the work-friendly tables in the back room.
Ombra Caffe ★ 4.0 · Chiang Mai
nimman · Ratchaphuek Alley, Huay Kaew Road, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300
A tiny Italian-leaning coffee bar off Huay Kaew where the focus is squarely on well-pulled espresso, pastries and a quiet counter away from the Nimman crush.
Impresso ★ 4.0 · Chiang Mai
nimman · Nimmanhaemin Road, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
One of Nimman's longest-running specialty cafes, a small room with a people-watching patio between Sois 11 and 13 that has anchored the strip for years.