The Bar Upstairs Bangkok Review: A French Wine Bar Remembered

The Bar Upstairs Bangkok was a French-inspired wine bar on Sukhumvit Soi 11, hidden above Brasserie Cordonnier behind a staircase wrapped in greenery. Its leafy interior, walk-in wine cellar, imported cheeses, and relaxed sharing plates gave us a memorable escape from the usual Bangkok bar scene. The venue is now permanently closed, but this review preserves what made its short life so appealing to wine and cheese lovers.

The Bar Upstairs Bangkok Ambiance

The Bar Upstairs Bangkok looked less like a conventional city wine bar and more like an abandoned country house reclaimed by plants. Glass, weathered wood, wine bottles, and greenery filled the open interior, creating a setting that briefly removed us from the traffic and neon of Sukhumvit Soi 11.

Guests could sit near the main bar beneath the open ceiling or move upstairs to the balcony beside the large walk-in wine cellar. We chose the upper level, where we could look down into the room without losing the convivial atmosphere. Even the bathrooms continued the rural theme with sounds of nature on a summer evening. It was playful and unexpectedly calming, though the designers occasionally placed one decorative idea too many into the same space.

The Bar Upstairs Bangkok Menu

The historical menu centered on casual French comfort food, imported cheeses, and cold cuts from France and Spain. Its most unusual sharing option was the chef’s picnic basket for three or more guests, packed with a bottle of wine selected by the chef, bread, butter, salad, cheese, charcuterie, dessert, and several surprise additions.

At the time, the cellar and bar stock held more than 150 international wine labels. DIY gin and tonics, cocktails, and a broad spirits list also appeared on the menu. Choice was certainly not a problem, although we thought the strongest identity came from the simpler combination of wine, cheese, and French-style sharing food.

Imported Cheese in Bangkok

A red retro prosciutto slicer stood near the entrance, followed by a refrigerated display of imported cheese. The selection during our visit included Fourme d’Ambert, raw-milk Camembert, Manchego, Mimolette, Morbier, Brie de Meaux, Saint-Nectaire, Brillat-Savarin, 24-month Comté, Ossau-Iraty, and Rocamadour. In 2018, that range made The Bar Upstairs a notable address for imported cheese in Bangkok.

Drinks at The Bar Upstairs Bangkok

Wine was the natural partner for the menu, though we also tried the DIY gin and tonic. Our combination used G’Vine Floraison gin, 1724 Inca Tonic, rosemary, and rose. Its dry, aromatic profile refreshed the palate between richer bites, but the red wine proved to be the more convincing match for our cheese and charcuterie.

We chose a 2017 Camino de Chile Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maule Valley. Cherry and raspberry fruit, pleasant acidity, and restrained wood and leather notes gave it enough freshness for the fatty cheeses without disappearing beside the stronger cured meats.

Food at The Bar Upstairs Bangkok

Our meal focused on a generous board of cold cuts and imported cheeses, followed by a half-baked raw-milk Camembert served in a rustic pot with bread. Salt brought structure to the Camembert’s sweet, milky richness, while the Cabernet’s acidity cleared the palate after each buttery mouthful.

The Charcuterie Board

Rosette Supérieure Duc de Coise salami brought juicy meat, soft pockets of fat, and confident seasoning. The Italian prosciutto was less memorable than the best examples we had tried elsewhere, though its gentle saltiness and soft texture still made it enjoyable in Bangkok. More importantly, the board worked as a whole, with enough variety to keep a shared bottle of wine interesting.

Butter, Rillette, and Cheese

The butter tasted more milky than fatty, with a texture close to silky clotted cream. It was an unapologetically rich addition to an already generous board. The duck rillette had a clean meat flavor and subtle seasoning, accompanied by crushed caramelized nuts that were easy to scatter over the bread.

A young cheese spread seasoned with chives had a light texture that fitted comfortably beside the stronger items. The unpasteurized sheep’s-milk Manchego was crumbly, gently sweet, and not overly forceful. Brie de Meaux finished the cheese selection with buttery depth and notes of mushroom and almond.

Pickled vegetables with Asian seasoning provided the necessary pause between the fatty cheese and salty charcuterie. Their acidity and crunch may have been a small detail, but they made the entire board easier to enjoy.

Conclusion

The Bar Upstairs was at its best when it concentrated on the essentials: a good bottle, carefully chosen cheese, charcuterie, and an unhurried table surrounded by greenery. Cocktails, spirits, and DJ nights broadened its appeal, though none of them were as persuasive as the original wine-bar concept. Our 9.3/10 score reflects the 2018 experience, not a current recommendation, since the venue closed the following year.

For a cocktail after dinner, we walked roughly 50 meters to Havana Social Bangkok, another distinctive bar on Sukhumvit Soi 11.

The Bar Upstairs Bangkok Review Card

• 9.4/10
  ATMOSPHERE – 9.4/10
• 8.9/10
  SERVICE – 8.9/10
• 9.4/10
  DRINK SELECTION – 9.4/10
• 9/10
  PRESENTATION – 9/10
• 9.4/10
  OUR DRINKS – 9.4/10
• 9.5/10
  FOOD – 9.5/10
• 9.2/10
  VALUE – 9.2/10

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