Old shophouses in Bangkok’s Chinatown are being converted into restaurants and bars — Daily Maverick
In Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, young entrepreneurs and artists are converting old quarters into restaurants, bars, galleries and shops. This was reported by Daily Maverick. In the city, modern shopping malls and skyscrapers stand alongside canals, temples and traditional wooden houses.
Renewal of Chinatown
Chinatown has become one of the centers of renewal. After the metro system was expanded in 2019, traffic in the district became less intensive, and the old quarters began to be reimagined. Temporary shops, galleries in former warehouses, vinyl stores and restaurants in buildings where families once lived are appearing in the alleys.
On Song Wat Road, the one-Michelin-starred Potong restaurant operates. It occupies a 120-year-old five-story shophouse where four generations of chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij’s family lived and ran a Chinese medicinal herb shop. Its tasting menus draw on Chinese-Thai culinary heritage.
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In the former red-light district of Soi Nana, the G.O.D. bar operates in a dilapidated shophouse. TAX, Independence and Teens of Thailand are also located nearby. Further south, in Talat Noi, old Chinese shrines and auto repair shops stand alongside modern cafes and restaurants.
Canals and traditional buildings
Bangkok retains a network of canals, or khlongs, which previously supported trade, transportation and irrigation. According to the publication, around 1,600 canals remain in the city. Along their banks, abandoned rice mills, temples and wooden houses on stilts can be seen; some of these buildings have been converted into guesthouses.
In the Khlong Bang Luang area, Baan Silapin is an art space in a teak house. There, visitors can paint, take part in creative activities or watch shadow theater performances. At the same time, the demolition of old buildings and construction of new residential complexes have led to the disappearance of some of the city’s traditional teak houses.
