If you’re anything like us, you’re hotly anticipating the re-opening of Cheap Charlie’s, Bangkok’s famed outdoor expat bar that closed eight months ago due to a land sale and recently announced its new location.
After getting an invite from the owners, we stopped in to check out the progress, the new location, and take some pics for Coconuts readers.
The new bar is located in a complex on Sukhumvit Soi 50 called The Beacon, opposite Tesco Lotus in On Nut. Approximately 5 minutes walk from the BTS station, The Beacon is comprised of several shipping containers that have been re-purposed into restaurants, bars, and cafes.
Before you start imagining something overwhelming on the scale of the Rod Fai or JJ Green night markets, stop. The Beacon looks to have only about 15 businesses and is just two walkways, meaning it’s very easy to get in and out. The place also has a great vibe, we could not believe we’d never been there before.
To find the new Cheap Charlie’s location, walk down the first walkway, the one closest to Sukhumvit, the new Cheap Charlie’s is the fourth on the right.
When I popped in on Sunday, owner Satit Budkajang and his son, Ekkachai Budkajang, where hard at work hanging the many knick-knacks and doodads that made the Sukhumvit Soi 11 original location so charmingly cluttered.
The guys looked happy and announced that they tentatively planned to open to the public on Dec. 1, a great way to kick off your end-of-year festivities.
Not only that, Satit was tickled to announce that some drink prices will drop even lower than they were at the old location. Though the prices were not yet finalized, he believed some drink prices would drop by THB10, placing everything on the menu under THB100.
When asked why, Satit said with a huge smile, “It’s Cheap Charlie’s! Why not even cheaper?!”
He was also pleased to point out the famous sign that hung outside the old Cheap Charlie’s tiny, ramshackle bathroom imploring customers to “Only pee, do not shit.”
Though the bar still has the sign, it is now just a memento. The Beacon has it’s own updated facilities where, it’s assumed, you can enjoy the bodily function of your choosing.
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