We publish over 1000 stories on Lifestyle Asia Thailand in one year. Here are your top 10 most popular and most-read articles for 2022, as well as the 10 we most enjoyed writing (and why).
Ah, 2022. Fresh into an Omicron wave at the beginning of the year, new WFH rules, and rumours of dropping the mask mandate, we couldn’t have predicted the stories we’d be taking on this year.
We reported more news pieces than ever in 2022, whether these were tied to the remainders of COVID-19 regulations, COVID-19 regulations in other countries, or lighter snippets like that impromptu 4-hour American burger pop-up in Siam.
Indeed (and most luckily), our stories got lighter as regulations were dropped. You loved travel and dining stories. You were hooked on concert announcements. Music festivals across the regions were your favourite, though you still regularly checked in on our Netflix and HBO Watchlist. Whichever way you may kick it, we were happy to see that our community still loves to wine and dine, seek out the best cannabis strain (remember legalisation?), and trust us with those notorious listicle recommendations.
Lo and behold: The stories you loved reading and the stories we loved writing this 2022. For the former, we’ve included excerpts from each piece, and for the latter, a personal comment from the author.
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10 stories you loved reading this year
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022: 9 Bangkok restaurants make the list
The Bangkok restaurants that made it: A total of nine restaurants are present on the Asia’s Best Restaurants 2022 list. Most notably, the most celebrated restaurant of the night, Sorn took the No.2 spot, bringing Thailand into the highly revered Top 3. Sorn is followed by Le Du (No. 4), Sühring (No. 7), Nusara (No. 10), Blue by Alain Ducasse (No. 25), Sushi Masato (No. 29), Samrub Samrub Thai (No. 31), Gaa (No. 33), and Raan Jay Fai (No. 46).
Where to find cannabis-infused foods in Bangkok, from cakes to omakase
To preface—even though it is legal to be sold, bought, and prescribed from clinics, the usage of cannabis in the food industry is still highly regulated. The CBD compound is stated to offer some benefits, including pain and anxiety relief, but unless you consume an extremely large amount, you will most likely not feel a mental buzz. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good.
Where to find the best pad thai in Bangkok (actually, really, genuinely)
Love it or hate it, Pad Thai is one of the most popular and well-known dishes in Thai cuisine. The tourists love it. A lot of locals (even if they don’t always openly say so) love it. And in general, it is a dish that is not hard to find in Bangkok at all. But where should you begin if you wanted to suss out some of the city’s most recommended? Here, we’ve provided a rough guide of household names that are easy for the uninitiated to start with, and even for the fully initiated to enjoy. Consider it a starting point or a fail-safe list to bookmark, with a variety of options that cater to different tastes. Celebrity chef Pad Thai? Natural wine pairing for your Pad Thai? Vegetarian options? They’ve got it all. You can fight us on this list, but Pad Thai is for everyone.
Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022: 5 Bangkok bars win big for Thailand
The industry has been through a lot, and not only in Thailand. At the awards ceremony (and at the hefty afterparties), we found bartenders and bar lovers in arms, as chats around the bittersweet past months became a major and emotional talking point. As much as the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022 was an awards show and a numbered ranking, it was also a warm reunion. From the best bar in Asia to the big wins for Bangkok, here are the most special moments from the night.
The best Thai restaurants in Bangkok to recommend to visiting friends
Now that more and more of your friends are heading back to visit Bangkok again, it’s likely they’ll come to you, the budding local, for restaurant recommendations. Here are some of the best, most reliable, fail-safe, and authentic Thai restaurants in Bangkok.
A guide to the best bars in Chiang Mai
Want to drink in an intimate expanse with crepuscular lighting? The White Rabbit is the place to visit and sip away at. The cocktail-bar and speakeasy serves up interesting crafted cocktails for a cool insider crowd. Our tip? Make sure to try their ‘Make Me Invisible.’
Why Thai Cave Rescue on Netflix has been met with mixed reviews
As four years passed, there have been two documentaries and two films portraying the event. All have been met with, well, ‘critical’ reviews. So, it is understandable that when yet another one comes out, many have not been holding their breaths. Now the reviews are in—there are some things about Thai Cave Rescue that deserve to be praised, and some bits that should be left in the cooker for a while longer.
Midnight Asia: 16 thoughts we had while watching on Netflix
A travel docuseries that explores the food, the drinks, the art, the music, the nightlife, and the subcultures of six iconic Asian metropolises. That’s Midnight Asia: Eat. Dance. Dream. The six Asian cities featured are: Tokyo, Seoul, Mumbai, Bangkok, Taipei, and Manila. If we’re talking nightlife, needless to say, Bangkok makes the list. While we’re aware that Bangkok is the city that never sleeps, this Netflix documentary series delves into the why and the how of this statement. The ‘Bangkok, Thailand’ episode is the fourth in the six-episode series.
21 best rooftop bars in Bangkok to soak up the high life, literally
Bangkok nightlife has always been legendary and when it comes to soaking up the high life, there’s nothing quite like a sundowner to kick back and unwind. After all, when the heat hits and the sun sets, we’re always ready to clink glasses. As great a city as any, can we imagine any other metropole exhaling such a wow-feeling at Golden Hour like Bangkok does? Of course not.
20 best steakhouses for all the meat lovers of Bangkok
Whether it’s for a celebratory meal, date night or dinner with friends, nothing satisfies the way a well-made steak of high quality does. Of course, Cosmopolitan carnivores in Bangkok are no strangers to premium cuts of beef. Whether your cut is tomahawk, T-bone, rib eye, or fillet mignon, there’s no shortage of meat-centric options for you to choose from in Bangkok. From classic steakhouses to Japanese and French restaurants, these smoking-hot places will satisfy your all meat cravings.
10 stories we loved writing this year (and why)
The best new bars and cocktail menus of 2022
As someone who’s passionate about drinks, it feels satisfying to look back at how much Bangkok has accomplished over the year. Things are opening back up after the pandemic, new places have popped up, and new menus were introduced. It’s one of my love letters to the bar industry, and to thank the wonderful people that I have met during this year. — Vichayuth Chantan
What would happen if ‘Inventing Anna’ took place in Bangkok?
I had so much fun writing this piece, I remember exactly where I was. I typed this up fresh off my Inventing Anna binge-watch hype weekend, freezing my fingers away at the ice-cold Starbucks at Sathorn Thani tower. I went to Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar’s official opening soon after, and someone approached me about this story. I’ll never forget how proud and shy I felt knowing that someone I quite respected enjoyed this quite silly piece. Do let us know whenever you enjoy our stories. Writers don’t get paid much and our egos love a feeding. We’ll remember the comment for months (and even recall it in our year-end highlights). — Lisa Gries
Subreddit of the Week
It’s always a treat to write this. It gives me an excuse to go deep into the Reddit rabbit hole. Plus, it’s great collabing with the boss; she does the awesome hero images! — Eric E. Surbano
So we talked juicy bar stuff with ‘Ping’ Rojanat of #FindTheLockerRoom
We had this wonderful idea one day in LSA about a column where I get to interview the minds behind our cocktails in a more relaxed, more lifestyle-ish way. This one is the first of the series that was so fun to do and made me excited to do more. Props to my editor Lisa Gries for a lot of help, King Ping for being King Ping, along with his team of talented people, especially Pete, Bank, Ong, and Pat. — VC
41 thoughts we had while going to the In-N-Out pop-up store in Bangkok
This was fun to write because we actually went to the pop-up store (for journalistic integrity, y’know) and tried the burgers for ourselves. It was an enjoyable little field trip that resulted in this dumb but oh-so-fun piece. — EES
What to write in a Valentine’s Day card if you live in Bangkok
This one got a lot of shares on social media, and was really cheeky to put together. It’s a bit of a passive aggressive love letter to Bangkok traffic, Mala hotpot, Healthland, and botox. We’re always trying to find ways to be more original on Valentine’s Day. It’s a yearly challenge to keep our readers excited on this day, but as it says in the article: “Like the line at Jay Fai pre-Covid, my love for you is endless. Like the line at Jay Fai post-Covid, I will forever keep trying, even when you reject me still.” — LG
The 5 levels of using cannabis, according to HighHerb Club
One of the topics I didn’t expect to be writing about at all is cannabis, and it turns out that there is a lot more science and passion behind weed than I thought. It’s also very important to understand all the little things to consume it safely. It was extremely fun to collaborate with HighHerb Club, as I can’t think of better people than Ice, August, and Czech to talk to and educate me on everything there is to know about cannabis. — VC
How to make the perfect highball, according to The Japanese Highball Bar 1923
I used to know highballs as a simple drink made from whisky and soda, but the people of The Japanese Highball Bar Krungthep 1923 made me realise the artform that goes into a single glass. I went in and tried one of the smoothest highballs I’ve ever tasted, and it served as a reminder not to assume something is easy just because the number of ingredients is small. Thank you to Sho, Neung, and Van for the hospitality, Chef Hara for those amazing katsu meatballs, and to the team of the bar. — VC
The Week in Geek
I was afraid when I pitched this column to my editor because I thought there would be weeks where I would have no geeky news to write about. Instead, I find myself having way too many things that I need to just pick certain news to include. Keeping up with everything nerdy week in and week out has been enjoyable. Hopefully, y’all enjoy the nerdiness too. — EES
An itinerary for Tilda Swinton in Bangkok, based on her best movies
Ever since Russell Crowe tweeted the itinerary I wrote for him last year, I have forced the team to write an itinerary when any and every famous person comes to Bangkok. We did it for Billie Eilish, The Script, Guns N’ Roses, and even for Manchester United and Liverpool FC (posted on the same day at the same time, for good sportsmanship). Tilda’s was hilarious because we attended her talk at the Thai Film Archive, and found that some of our imaginary itinerary had matched the star’s reality. I love that this recurring story has become a thing over the past year, and I love working with a team that has such a great sense of humour, and endless creativity, too. Famous or not, we’re ready for all the fun in 2023, and never taking ourselves too seriously. — LG
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Written by
Lisa Gries
Creative Content Director, Bangkok
Lisa is the Creative Content Director for Lifestyle Asia and Prestige Thailand. She leads a data-driven content strategy for both titles, finding the balance between scathing SEO metrics and sucks-you-right-in story-telling. Lisa writes mostly on dining, travel, and pop-culture, and is a sucker for a good savoury cocktail. Passionate about Bangkok’s ever-growing bar scene, she also sits on the committee for various bar and spirit awards in the region.
