Soi Cowboy

Soi Cowboy is located just a few yards from Sukhumvit Road, between Sukhumvit Soi's 21 and 23 in Bangkok. It is just a few yards from the Asoke SkyTrain and the Sukhumvit Metro.

For a long time, Soi Cowboy was a rather quiet, drab and tired looking strip of bars, frequented for the most part by a hard core of dedicated expatriates. However, recent years have seen a big rise in popularity for this little street and at the time of writing it is a much more lively and colourful place, enjoying the patronage of the expat community and tourists alike. Legend has it that it is named after an American airman who liked to wear a cowboy hat and who opened a bar there in the seventies.

It is a mixture of gogo bars, some large and some small and also has a handful of smaller 'hole in the wall' style bars. There are also a few places to play pool. In the evening, the street is often crowded with girls dressed in costumes tailored to fit the theme of the bar that employs them, enthusiastically trying to get passers by to go into their bar for a drink. It's rarely aggressive and is good hearted and fun.

Most bars in Soi Cowboy operate a 'bar fine' system, where you pay an early work release fee for the girl of your choice to accompany you. The street is something of a circus at night, with all manner of people strolling through to have a look, including groups of tourists curious to see one of the famous Bangkok entertainment areas.

As is so often the case with places like this in Bangkok, Soi Cowboy falls in and out of fashion over time and faces stiff competition from other expat entertainment districts, such as Nana Plaza and Soi 33, both just a short distance away.

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