The buzz: After spending more than 12 years working for the Four Seasons hotel group all over the world, David Stanton decided to quit his full-time job to reside in Bangkok and fulfill his dream of opening a small drinking joint. Despite its setting on the bustling Soi Thonglor, Print Bar presents an easy-going atmosphere and what Stanton’s calling a “zero attitude“ nightlife experience.

The décor: Even though the owner himself has never had any direct experience in publishing, the walls of Print Bar are decked in all sorts of faux press clippings and black-and-white sketches. The tiny room is filled with only a few tables while seats at the bar let you chit-chat with the man making your drinks. A yellow set of stairs leads upstairs to a more private zone on the mezzanine. Probably the nicer thing is that when the weather gets cooler at night, a convertible glass wall is opened up to give the vibe of an open-air bar, topped off by some nice black-and-white couches.

The music: Things start off mellow yet funky, before getting more upbeat with hip hop late at night. The bar recently launched a weekly hip hop night on Wednesday featuring DJs Pichy and Boogie G, which they plan to follow up shortly with a boogie and funk night on Tuesday.  

The crowd: A mix of Thai and expat office workers living in the neighborhood, as well as the Thonglor-Ekkamai party set looking for after-work-cum-pre-game drinks.

The price: There’s a decent list of signature cocktails to try, most of which go heavy on the herbs, but if you don’t know where to start, the bar will welcome you with a shot of their Print Ginger Mush (vodka, ginger and lime, B220). If gin’s more your thing, the Cucumber Gimlet (B260), made with fresh crush cucumber, lime and a bit of syrup, is aromatic and refreshing. Stronger yet is the Tamarind Margarita (B240), a mix of tequila, triple sec, homemade tamarind concentrate and orange juice. For something less herbal, try the sweet-and-sour Dot Grain (white rum, blue caracao and lychee, B260). The food side of things is more about snacks than full-blown mains; try the grilled calamari (B190) that you can dip in both sauce and bread flakes or the mini rare tuna burgers (B260 for three) served with wasabi mayo and warm haloumi cheese (B225) with an artichoke and pesto sauce.                  

Why you’ll come back: Print Bar is a nice, relatively low-key addition to what’s already a thriving nightspot and serves up tasty munchies in a comfortable setting. Vasachol Quadri