Chocolate belongs in every single part of the Concorde cake.
Bangkok can turn almost anything into an occasion, including an afternoon devoted to chocolate. The Sukhothai Bangkok takes that idea further than a conventional dessert buffet, bringing together a personalized chocolate trolley, elaborate pastries, ice cream, savory dishes and the calm elegance of its Lobby Salons. It is generous, playful and polished, although restraint becomes increasingly theoretical once the second plate arrives.
Our chocolate buffet Bangkok experience centered on Chef Laurent Ganguillet, who guided guests through chocolates from different origins and prepared hot or iced drinks to individual tastes. This updated Sukhothai Chocolate Buffet review covers the dishes Ian and I actually tried, from mangosteen salad and duck rillette to churros, wasabi chocolate ice cream and sticky date pudding. It also explains the current Saturday schedule and price, which have changed since our visit.
Is The Sukhothai Bangkok Chocolate Buffet worth booking?
Best for: dedicated chocolate lovers, couples and anyone planning a luxurious Saturday afternoon in Bangkok.
Contents
The Sukhothai Bangkok carries its luxury quietly. Clean lines and dark stone reference the ancient city that gave the hotel its name, while lotus ponds soften the scale of the property outside. Inside the Lobby Salons, decorative details reward a closer look without competing with the food. The setting gave the afternoon a sense of occasion, yet the room remained calm enough for us to concentrate on the parade of plates ahead.
The buffet occupied two sides of a spacious hallway. Savory dishes and fruit were arranged in the quieter section, while the sweets attracted a livelier crowd across the way. This division encouraged guests to move through the hotel and prevented one display from becoming congested. Where we sat also mattered: the savory side carried a more composed mood, while the dessert room had the energy one would expect around tables covered in chocolate.
Calling this a chocolate buffet tells only half the story. During our visit, the savory table included Thai, Japanese and Western bites, ranging from delicate seafood and fruit-led salads to sandwiches, potatoes and barbecue chicken. There was enough substance to turn the afternoon into a complete meal. Quality mattered more than volume, and a few dishes stood well above the rest, especially those that allowed Thai ingredients to bring acidity, heat and freshness before the desserts.
Minced kingfish seasoned with fresh Thai herbs was a sensible place to begin, followed by puff pastry filled with crab and avocado. Both were light enough to leave room for what followed. Duck rillette on brioche brought more richness, balanced by the restrained sweetness of semi-dried figs. The combination was creamy, warm and generous, which made the small portion particularly effective.
I returned for a second helping of mangosteen salad with dried shrimp and a spicy Thai herb dressing. Juicy fruit, salt, acidity and heat arrived in quick succession, giving the plate the balance that makes Thai food so satisfying. Among many polished international bites, this colorful salad was the one that most clearly belonged in Bangkok.
The sandwiches were generously filled, although some bread had started to dry while waiting on the buffet. My favorite paired Brie on whole-wheat toast with apricot compote, a simple contrast of salt, creaminess and fruit. The egg sandwich also worked well, combining finely chopped egg with gentle seasoning and enough pickle to keep it lively. A neat salad skewer completed this more familiar part of the spread.
Other choices included marinated salmon with cream cheese on rye and a smoked duck roll with fennel and orange. The salmon sandwich stayed classic and comforting, while fennel gave the duck crunch and orange cut through its richer flavor. These were useful pauses between more assertive dishes and the sweet course waiting across the hallway.
Guests wanting something more substantial could move on to baked young potatoes with cheese, sour cream and bacon. Barbecue chicken came with cherry tomatoes and caramelized pineapple, adding enough sweetness to connect the savory table with the chocolate-led second half of the buffet. These dishes made the experience much closer to a long lunch than a conventional afternoon tea.
The chocolate trolley turned a lavish buffet into something personal. During our visit, Executive Pastry Chef Laurent Ganguillet stood behind this mobile workstation with chocolates from different origins and the enthusiasm of someone who still found the subject fascinating. His desserts already showed considerable skill, but the conversation at the trolley gave the afternoon its identity.
Chocolate changes with origin, cacao variety and production method, and the samples made those differences easy to understand. Some carried fruit or acidity, while others leaned toward nuts, roast or deeper bitterness. The trolley invited us to taste before choosing, turning what could have been a decorative display into a brief lesson in cacao.
Thai cacao was part of the collection, a welcome reminder that Bangkok’s chocolate culture extends beyond imported European names. We had already explored this emerging scene during our visit to Kad Kokoa, where the bean-to-bar process places Thai cacao at the center. At The Sukhothai, it joined a broader international tasting and showed that local chocolate deserved its place.
At the trolley, we could describe the chocolate we preferred and decide between a hot drink, an iced version or fondue. Fruity and nutty notes could be adjusted around the chosen chocolate, so the result belonged to the guest as much as to the chef. Sampling the pieces first was part of the pleasure. By the third cup, however, personal research begins to look suspiciously like commitment.
This interaction explains why the buffet remained memorable years later. Quantity can impress for an afternoon, but having a chocolate prepared around our own preferences gave the experience a human center and justified the word “legendary” more convincingly than another row of cakes could have done.
The dessert room extended well beyond the drink prepared at the trolley. Truffles, pralines, cakes, brownies and small pastries filled the displays, accompanied by playful details that kept the formal hotel setting from becoming stiff. Guests could cut marshmallow with golden scissors or search through a chocolate “grave” for something edible beneath the surface. The presentation appealed to an inner child, though the execution remained precise enough for grown-up scrutiny.
The churros were among the simplest desserts and one of the strongest. A crisp shell gave way to a remarkably tender center, and the dough had enough flavor to stand without chocolate fondue. Chef Laurent later told us that the recipe came from a friend’s grandmother. That small piece of history suited a dessert whose success depended on technique, texture and restraint.
The house-made ice creams were more adventurous. Ian immediately favored dark chocolate with wasabi, where the familiar sharpness warmed the cocoa’s bitterness without overwhelming it. The pairing sounded confrontational on paper and tasted surprisingly measured in the bowl. It was the kind of idea that made sense after one spoonful, which is usually a better test than novelty alone.
After several rich desserts, I moved toward tamarind and passion fruit. Both leaned closer to sorbet, bringing acidity and a clean fruit character that reset my palate. They were refreshing without tasting thin, a useful quality at a buffet where enthusiasm can easily run ahead of appetite.
Peanut butter ice cream returned to comfort. The peanut flavor remained clear, supported by a creamy texture and sweetness that stopped short of becoming cloying. Alongside the fruit sorbets and wasabi chocolate, it completed a range that moved confidently between refreshment, surprise and familiarity.
Sticky date pudding tested the remaining limits of our appetite and won. Dates gave the sponge moisture and a deep sweetness, while toffee sauce, vanilla sauce and whipped cream added layers of warmth and richness. It was unapologetically heavy, but this was hardly the moment to pretend we had visited a chocolate buffet in search of discipline.
The Lobby Salons offered coffee, tea and light cocktails alongside the buffet. We tried iced Thai tea and organic Saro Royal Lotus tea, a blend of lotus flowers, herbs and tea leaves. The latter carried floral sweetness and a honeyed finish, bringing a quieter rhythm to an afternoon dominated by cocoa and sugar.
The personalized chocolate drinks remained the obvious choice. Mine arrived cold and tailored to the preferences discussed at the trolley, while a hot version formed a heart in the cup. These drinks had enough depth to be desserts in their own right, so alternating them with tea made the long tasting far more manageable.
For devoted chocolate lovers, this remains one of Bangkok’s most complete dessert experiences. The peaceful hotel setting, broad savory selection and polished presentation already create a convincing afternoon, but the chocolate trolley lifts it beyond a conventional luxury buffet. Speaking with the chef, tasting chocolates by origin and receiving a drink made to our preferences gave the abundance a personal dimension.
The current THB 1,800++ price and Saturday-only schedule make advance planning sensible, and some sandwich bread was drier than we wanted during our visit. Those caveats did little to weaken the afternoon. The Sukhothai combined hotel refinement with just enough playfulness to make several hours of chocolate seem perfectly reasonable. Readers interested in Bangkok’s wider cacao scene can continue with our guide to the best chocolate bars in Bangkok.
These are our original ratings from the visit described in this review. They do not represent a new assessment made in 2026.
| Detail | Current information checked in September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Experience | The Sukhothai Bangkok Chocolate Buffet |
| Venue | Lobby Salons, The Sukhothai Bangkok |
| Address | 13/3 South Sathorn Road, Thung Maha Mek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120, Thailand |
| Current schedule | Every Saturday, 2:00 PM–5:00 PM |
| Current price | THB 1,800++ per person, including a selected soft drink, coffee or tea |
| Dress code | Smart casual; no sportswear, slippers or sleeveless shirts |
| Telephone | +66 (0) 2344 8888 |
| Our original price | Just under US$40 per person; not a current price quote |
| Official information | The Sukhothai Bangkok Chocolate Buffet |
The buffet now takes place only on Saturdays, so advance reservations are sensible. Check the hotel’s official information shortly before visiting because prices, schedules and inclusions can change.
Yes, especially for dedicated chocolate lovers who also appreciate luxury hotel surroundings and a substantial savory selection. The current THB 1,800++ price places it firmly in special-occasion territory.
The buffet is currently held every Saturday from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. It previously operated on more days, so older online information may no longer be accurate.
The price checked in September 2026 was THB 1,800++ per person, including a selected soft drink, coffee or tea. Our original visit cost just under US$40 per person, but that historical amount is no longer a reliable guide.
Yes. During our visit, the buffet included Thai, Japanese and Western savory dishes, including seafood bites, salads, sandwiches, baked potatoes and barbecue chicken. The current selection may differ.
The trolley allows guests to taste chocolates with different origins and discuss their preferences before receiving a personalized hot or iced chocolate drink. This interaction was the defining part of our experience.
It is served in the Lobby Salons at The Sukhothai Bangkok, 13/3 South Sathorn Road, Thung Maha Mek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120, Thailand.
The Lobby Salons specify smart-casual dress. Sportswear, slippers and sleeveless shirts are not permitted.
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