WET Bar Bangkok Review: Natural Wine Without the Formalities

WET Bar Bangkok approached wine with a sense of humor. Created by chef Gaggan Anand and sommelier Vladimir Kojić, the original Langsuan bar paired an ambitious wine list with neon, exposed brick, and an entrance that looked like a public bathroom. We came for the bottles and left remembering the people, the conversation, and a place where knowing less about wine was no reason to enjoy it less. This is our review of that now-closed bar, with the wines we drank and the details that made it memorable.

Who Was Behind WET Bar Bangkok?

WET was a collaboration between Gaggan Anand and Vladimir Kojić, the sommelier associated with his restaurant. Gaggan’s name brought considerable attention: his original Bangkok restaurant ranked No. 4 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019. We had missed the chance to eat there, so our enthusiasm for WET came from the bar itself, without a dinner at Gaggan to color the evening.

The original restaurant’s closure and plans for a Japanese project were part of the conversation when we first wrote this article. Those plans belong to that period, and Gaggan subsequently opened another restaurant in Bangkok. WET deserves to be remembered on its own terms: an informal place to drink interesting wine, with Kojić’s enthusiasm shaping the selection.

Vladimir Kojić and the Wine

Kojić wanted to run a wine bar, and Gaggan supported the idea. His interest in natural and biodynamic wines ran through the list, which gave us a useful introduction to producers beyond the most familiar names. There was enough choice to interest an experienced wine drinker, along with staff who could help someone simply looking for a good glass.

The Ambiance of WET Bar Bangkok

The bathroom-style entrance was the first clue that WET had no interest in conventional wine-bar elegance. Guest signatures covered the walls, and the room beyond combined neon, brick, and a relaxed atmosphere. It was a very different approach from the cellar-inspired setting we had enjoyed at The Bar Upstairs Bangkok, where wine sat comfortably among wood, greenery, and French food.

I liked the commitment downstairs. The entrance was deliberately provocative, and the bar carried enough of that attitude to make the idea work. Upstairs, the rustic, attic-like room lost some of the nerve that made the lower floor interesting. It looked more conventional, as if the designers had become cautious halfway through. That was our main reservation about the setting.

The Staff

Milan, a Croatian member of the team, made the wine conversation easy. We learned plenty through our chat and enjoyed the humor that came with it. The staff were pleasant and professional, with knowledge that helped us choose instead of making the choice more intimidating. Milan and Vladimir, our invitation to lunch in Slovenia still stands.

The Idea Behind WET

My interpretation of that entrance was simple: leave your baggage at the door. The joke worked on more than one level, especially in a wine bar, where people sometimes worry about asking the wrong question or admitting they do not recognize a producer. Once inside, there was no need to prove that you knew enough about a bottle to deserve a glass of it.

That is my reading of the design, not a claim about what the designers intended. What we experienced was a bar where curiosity was welcome and the conversation stayed friendly. Wine can support a long discussion about a place, a vintage, or a grower; it can also be something you enjoy with another person while the rest of the evening takes care of itself. WET made room for both.

WET Bar Bangkok Wine List

The list we encountered had about 20 wines by the glass and more than 150 labels by the bottle, with a strong European presence. Natural and low-intervention wines were the focus, including producers associated with organic and biodynamic growing. Those numbers describe the former bar’s offer, not an available menu today.

Kojić’s selection moved between names such as Paolo Vodopivec, Domaine Georges Noëllat, and Domaine Ponsot, and producers including Nando from Slovenia and Ivan Kosovec from Croatia. Seeing wines from closer to home in Bangkok added to our interest. A list of this breadth would have caught our attention in Europe as well, and the range by the glass made it possible to explore without committing to a bottle.

Our Wine Selection

Vivi chose Domaine Sébastien Riffault “Les Quarterons” Sancerre 2014 from France. This Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and medium-bodied, with a pronounced yeasty character. We found honey, apple, fig, and citrus on the nose, followed by a salty impression, a buttery texture, and a grassy finish. Its oxidative character was noticeable alongside the fruit. I also picked up a note that reminded me of botrytis, which was a tasting impression, not something we had confirmed about the harvest.

I chose Ivan Kosovec Frankovka 2017, a Croatian Blaufränkisch from Moslavina. It was a useful reminder to look beyond the Croatian regions that usually receive the most attention. The wine gave us another point of connection with home, this time through a producer whose bottle we were enjoying far from its origin.

The Frankovka was fresh, balanced, and medium-bodied, with dark fruit and a little leather on the nose. The fruit carried through into the taste, the acidity was gentle, and the finish stayed fruity without becoming heavy. Alcohol did not dominate our impression. It was an easy wine to spend time with, and quite different from Vivi’s more oxidative Sauvignon Blanc.

Conclusion

We do not make wine bars an automatic stop on every trip to Asia. With so much good wine close to home, a bar needs to give us another reason to go out of our way. WET had that reason in its people and its idea: an inviting place to explore wine without treating the evening as an examination. The downstairs design had personality, Milan made the conversation enjoyable, and both glasses justified the attention we gave them.

The upstairs room was less convincing and the cost of a glass was significant. Even with those reservations, we remember WET fondly. Its closure turns this review into a record of a short-lived Bangkok address, and the photographs preserve something of its humor. I hope that the pleasure Gaggan, Vladimir, and Milan brought to the place has followed them into their later work.

WET Bar Bangkok Review Card

• 9.2/10
  ATMOSPHERE – 9.2/10
• 9.3/10
  SERVICE – 9.3/10
• 10/10
  DRINK SELECTION – 10/10
• 8/10
  PRESENTATION – 8/10
• 9.5/10
  OUR DRINKS – 9.5/10
• 8.3/10
  VALUE – 8.3/10

WET Bar Bangkok: Closure, Price, and Former Location

The original WET wine bar closed on August 24, 2019. Identità Golose’s report from that day records the closure alongside the original Gaggan restaurant. We found no verified reopening of that venue when checking this update in October 2026. Older listings and our original map link are useful as historical references, not as directions to an operating bar.

Frequently Asked Questions About WET Bar Bangkok

You Might Also Like

For more of our experiences in Bangkok, read about wine and French food at The Bar Upstairs, the WoodShed jazz bar, and our evening at Red Rose Jazz Bar in Chinatown. Each review records the venue as we experienced it; check its own update before planning a visit.