We have been wanting to do a nomad lifestyle for a while and finally, we can be in Thailand. We have covered the topic of coming to Thailand during pandemic using Thailand Pass in our previous post. Upon arrival in Thailand, we had the pleasure of spending 2 months in Ari during our workation. Ari in Bangkok is an up-and-coming neighborhood known for yummy food and chic cafes. In this post, we will share a review of our experience living in Ari, Bangkok.
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Proximity and transportation
Ari is located in the Phaya Thai district of Bangkok, which is not far away from landmarks like Chatuchak market and the Victory monument. Many buses pass through Ari. But more importantly, there is a BTS station for the Ari area along the green BTS line. The BTS can conveniently take you from Ari to places like Chatuchak and Siam (where Siam Paragon and MBK are located) within a few stops.

Accommodations in Ari, Bangkok
There are many apartments and condos in Ari. We ourselves had stayed in Centric Ari Station and Sailom Apartment. Both apartments are great residential sites with convenient locations. With the many available condos and apartments in the area, this means there are plenty of Airbnb in Ari, which is a good option if you are looking for a short stay. When we stayed in Sailom Apartment, we booked the place for 2 months via Airbnb and the experience was wonderful.
However, the area also has some hotels for those who are looking for one
- The Quarter Ari by UHG is located in Ari Hill, a tall building in the area
- Craftman Bangkok Hotel, a chic, low-rise hotel in a nice and quiet part of Ari
- Josh Hotel, a boutique hotel surrounded by cafes and restaurants
The Ari area is known to be a good neighborhood even among the locals. It is quite safe and nice to live in.

Grocery and essentials shopping
From our experience living in Ari for 2 months, we find it convenient to get our daily needs in the nearby supermarkets. There are a few supermarkets but the ones that we frequented were Villa Market (right below Ari BTS station) and Big C near Saphan Kwai station.
Frankly, we went to Villa Market in Ari more because it was 10 mins by foot from Sailom Apartment. The supermarket also has some offerings that may not be available in Big C. We especially always go to Villa Market to stock up on our favorite craft beers, which are not available in Big C. Ari is one stop away from BTS from Saphan Kwai, so you can imagine the walk from our place to Big C can take up to 20-25 mins. However, having multiple options for supermarket in Ari was important to us to make sure we can get what we need.
Restaurants
There are an endless number of good restaurants and cafes in the area, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Some of our favorites are:
Lay Lao: for Northern-Eastern style, Isaan food
Lay Lao have such killer sour and spicy pork bone soup and also Isaan sausages that go really well with some raw vegetables. We didn’t really try their Som Tum and much of their beef menu, but according to the Michelin food guide, Som Tum and beef dishes are famous here as well.
Wraptor: for your favorite Mexican dishes
We love Wraptor’s burritos and most importantly, their french fries. Hands down, their french fries are to die for. There are various fillings you can choose for the burritos. The burritos come in a big size and if you are not a big eater, you can even split it into 2 portions.
Thongsmith: for a bowl of comforting noodle
Thongsmith offers yummy boat noodles in their menu. The price is on a more premium side but you can tell that the ingredients are of good quality.
JONG Dimsum: for your Chinese food and dimsum fix
Jong is our go-to place when we crave Chinese food. Their dimsum and stir fried vegetables, noodles as well as drink selections are all excellent. They use big wok and big fire for their stir fried food so you can enjoy the ‘wok hey’ aroma.
Salt: for a chill evening vibe
Salt is a restaurant with outdoor space and chill vibes. It is located among the hip cafes/restaurants in its proximity. The vibe in the evening is quite chill and relaxing. The food and drinks there are frankly so-so for its price. If you just want to enjoy the ambiance, go try this place.
Lek Pork Soup & Rice: for a strong pork bone soup
This food stall is located between Saphan Kwai and Ari. They have a strong and tasty pork bone soup, which is very soothing. We especially love the combo of Chinese roll, pork soup, and meat in their dishes. If you like pork innards, they also have a variety of them that you can choose from.
Cafes
In recent years, Ari has grown to be a hip area and there are a lot of cafes sprouting in the area. We visited a few and we love all of them.
Nana coffee roasters: for a great atmosphere to sit down and wide selection of good coffee
Coffee No. 9: a wide array of coffee concoctions for takeaway
Drop by dough: for soft and fluffy donuts, that will go very well with your black coffee
Neighbouring areas
If you are bored with what the Ari area has to offer, you can also explore the nearby places around Ari. Some options for you are Saphan Kwai and Pradiphat market, as well as The Camping Ground, which are around 30 mins from Ari. Both Pradhipat and The Camping Ground are a hub of food stalls located in an open area. It is chill to hang out there in the evening, perhaps eating roasted chicken while sipping some beers.
Since Ari has its own BTS station, you can travel to the popular Chatuchak market that is 2 stations away (closest BTS to Chatuchak is Mo Chit). Other than that, you can also go shopping at the Siam malls that are 5 stations away (stop at Siam station). If you want to go to the Suvarnabhumi airport and avoid the traffic on the road, you have the option to go using BTS as well via the Phaya Thai Airport link. Simply go to Phaya Thai station, which is 3 stations away from Ari and interchange to the Airport link. The total trip (including changing lines) will be around 40 mins.
Will we recommend you to stay in Ari, Bangkok?
We love staying in Ari and we would recommend this area for a short or even medium-term stay! The location is so convenient and we found it really homey after 2 months staying there. It is easy to find good food, and this is an important point for us because we want to enjoy the good food that Bangkok has to offer during our short stay there.
At some point last year, we were planning to purchase an apartment/condo in Bangkok and Ari was also at the top of our list of locations to stay at. So for those of you who are thinking of renting a place long-term, we will also recommend this area. They also have newly constructed condominiums in the area that are worth checking.
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