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Bangkok’s weird, crazy theme restaurants! Kid Mai Death coffin, Unicorn Cafe & creative Thai cuisine.

go inside coffin death cafe bangkok

Death becomes her… so don’t you dare wake us from our slumber!

Why are Yukiro and I hanging out a coffin? Because Bangkok’s theme restaurants are strange and delightful. We’ll take you inside Kid Mai, a death-themed cafe…

unicorn theme cafe bangkok thailand

…and the fabulous Unicorn Cafe, which is rainbow cute overload!

For you foodies, we also explored the outstanding restaurant scene in Bangkok. Keep reading to see what we ate at Soul Food Mahanakorn and Pladib, located in the hipster districts Thonglor and Ari.

kidmai death awareness cafe

As Yukiro’s speech bubble says, “Death is a great leveler.”

If you’ve got a Gothic disposition, then you’ve got to visit the Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe. Follow the signs to Hell, and plop down next to a skeleton on the beanbag chairs.

dr veeranut owner kid mai death awareness project

The “cafe” is run by Dr. Veeranut Rojanaprapa. However, he emphasized that Kid Mai is more of an educational space.

The professor started Kid Mai Death Cafe to celebrate all the stages of life. Located in Bangkok’s hip Aree district, this open-air attraction lets visitors participate in interactive exhibits and ponder death in a meaningful way.

bangkok weird strange death restaurant

Visitors begin by walking through a long dark tunnel with emo messages, like “Is anybody waiting for you?”

The hallway sets the mood of the fascinating project, which brings death to the forefront and encourages you to reflect on typically “taboo” themes.

death museum bangkok festivals rituals

We were intrigued by this display about end-of-life cultures around the world. The food offerings and photos highlighted a variety of rituals, from Swedish death cleaning to Indian cremation at the River Ganges.

buddhist death fans rites

In Thailand, these decorated fans are part of Buddhist funerals. Usually, the fan contains the deceased’s name, and Buddhist scriptures relating to impermanence.

kid mai death cafe menu drinks

Then, you can head to Kid Mai’s cafe area, and slurp on sweet drinks with names like Born, Elder, Painful (coated in red syrup that mimics blood), and Death. Which one would you choose?

elderly classes bangkok

Artist Becky Hawkins made this drawing about our visit to Kid Mai. She shows how the staff offers free educational classes for the elderly.

Cross-generational compassion is a major theme. Younger visitors can put on a weighted vest to understand how it feels to be in an older body.

goths going inside coffin

You can even slip into an ornate Thai coffin and have a friend slide the lid shut… to mimic the feeling of being interred underground! (I felt like Beatrix Kiddo when she was buried alive in Kill Bill.)

death cafe bangkok thailand coffin

Beware, the rise of the undead…

creepy haunted goth restaurant bangkok

How does it feel to be shut into this confined space? Hot and humid… but otherwise, we were quite at home in a coffin.

kid mai ari aree weird cafe

The “birth experience” lets you swing in a red pod, and make your way through Fallopian tubes. (Just watch out for mosquitoes here!)

buried alive coffin theme cafe

Kid Mai Death Cafe is a thought-provoking space, which encourages you to reflect on death from all angles. This Bangkok experience is one-of-a-kind, and gets our Goth stamp of approval.

comic drawing bangkok rainy season rain

During our Thailand trip, my friends and I sometimes split up to do separate activities. Becky shares this comic about how she and Naomi went looking for food, and barely missed getting caught in torrential Southeast Asian rains.

exterior unicorn cafe bangkok

Meanwhile, Yukiro and I pranced over to Bangkok’s Unicorn Cafe! You’ll know you have arrived when you see a winged unicorn statue at the entrance, with front legs raised.

unicorn cafe bangkok thailand restaurant

The interior is total unicorn overload. The magical horned creatures cover every inch of the pastel rainbow cafe.

rainbow macarons cupcakes desserts unicorn cafe

Even the sweets in the display case have horns. Our eyes popped over the cotton candy, cupcakes, and macarons that matched the fantastical theme.

unicorn themed cafe bangkok

At the Thailand Unicorn Cafe, you can also pick up themed merchandise: I got a sparkly unicorn t-shirt. Guests can also rent unicorn kigurumi (full body costumes) to become “one” with the creatures.

menu unicorn cafe, rainbow food

As you’d expect, the menu looks like a Lisa Frank 90s girl explosion. There are both savory and sweet food choices, and many of the dishes are rainbow-colored or decorated with a unicorn horn. You can also order non-themed sides such as French fries.

cute stuffed unicorn toys restaurant

At each table, you’ll find stuffed unicorn toys that you can hold while you snack. The ceiling is also strung with My Little Pony plushies.

rainbow waffles, unicorn mermaid cafe

The Unicorn Cafe brought back so many childhood feels. The over-the-top space is a favorite for Instagrammers.

unicorn cafe bangkok food sweets ice cream

While this looks like a cavity in the making, the Unicorn Cafe’s platters were actually not too sweet, and came with fresh fruit. The birthday cafe flavor of the rainbow waffles was pure nostalgia.

kawaii unicorn themed restaurant thailand

There are no genders for the bathrooms, as we are all unicorns on the inside!

The Unicorn Cafe may be well-known at this point, but it was surprisingly good and worth visiting if you’re in Bangkok.

drawing thailand bakery breads

Now, for some non-themed restaurant reviews!

Bangkok is now known as a world-class food destination, with everything from Michelin-starred eateries to street food. Naomi Rubin drew this scene from a delicious French bakery that we visited.

cute cafe black white line drawing

Becky Hawkins captures a charming Bangkok cafe interior. There’s an enormous variety of excellent food in this city, at all price points and from all regions of the world.

Soul Food Mahanakorn exterior

We wanted to focus on creative Thai cuisine, run by young chefs in the hippest districts of Bangkok.

Soul Food Mahanakorn was highly recommended to me, and lived up to its reputation for serving authentic, street food inspired dishes.

thai izakaya street Soul Food Mahanakorn

The cozy restaurant is inspired by the flavors of regional Thai cooking. There’s an impressive wine and cocktail selection, and the ingredients focus on organic and fair-trade sources (such as small farms in northeast Thailand).

food menu Soul Food Mahanakorn bangkok

Soul Food Mahanakorn is a wonderland of flavors, which makes you realize the depth and variety of Thai cooking (going far beyond what you’ll find on a typical takeout menu!)

We adored the grilled sea bass wrapped in banana leaf, and tender smoked duck larb. The egg dish is Yam Makrua Yao, a smoked eggplant salad with soft duck eggs and a flavorful sauce.

Jarrett Wrisley owner bangkok restaurant

Restaurant founder Jarrett Wrisley sat down with us to chat about his passion project. Becky Hawkins made this sketch of the American food writer, who opened up one of the most soulful Thai restaurants in recent years.

bangkok michelin star restaurants

Onto spicy mains, such a pork belly curry with a side of organic rice. The execution is not too heavy, using local herbs and spices with finesse to bring out the flavors.

thai food dishes drawing

Naomi Rubin drew the aftermath of our meal — you can tell that we enjoyed every bite, and somehow managed to finish all the plates!

No wonder Soul Food Mahanakorn is recommended by the Bangkok Michelin Guide. For a truly memorable Thai dinner, make a reservation here and raise a glass to Jarrett for us.

Pladib restaurant ari aree

In the hipster neighborhood Ari / Aree, we were warmly welcomed into Pladib, a restaurant set in a modern space.

Pla Dib does fusion in a fresh way — marrying Thai tradition with Japanese and European influences. The dishes are presented without fuss or over-seasoning, which lets the quality of the raw fish and organic produce do the talking.

baking oven sketch

Naomi Rubin sketched the pear-shaped wood oven in the back. Pladib is a popular spot for locals to hang out, and share wood-fired pizzas. The space also brings in art exhibits and DJs.

pla dib  ปลาดิบ bangkok

A fresh coconut paired nicely with grilled octopus with black mayo, and creamy mushroom ravioli.

bangkok hip creative hipster restaurants

The melt-in-your-mouth grilled duck salad turned out to be one of my favorite duck dishes of all time!

eating shrimp girl comic

Becky Hawkins illustrates the joys of eating fresh shrimp, and sampling Pladib’s farm-grown vegetables.

trendy restaurants ari bangkok pla dib

We couldn’t decide between the lemon or dark chocolate tart — so we got both, plus lots of berries and extra ice cream.

Pladib is an inventive, modern Bangkok restaurant that I think you’ll love.

mae yui bangkok restaurant food

Bangkok’s Ari / Aree area has become a food and art hotspot. My friends and I had multiple meals at Mae Yui. We ate the food so fast that there are no photos, but Naomi Rubin made this delectable watercolor.

ari aree hipster neighborhood bangkok

Aree’s hipsters love to hang for hours at Mae Yui restaurant, which features a home-style Thai menu. The dishes are nostalgic favorites prepared with a light touch. Our favorites included the tuna salad with Thai spices and herbs, creamy Thai ice tea, and fresh passion-fruit sorbet.

google touring bird bangkok travel tips

If this story makes you hungry to visit Bangkok, then you can find more of my tips about the city here on Touring Bird. I featured a Totoro theme cafe, and other fabulous eateries in Thailand.

You’ll find me all over TouringBird.com — I wrote almost 700 articles about insider spots, in dozens of worldwide cities. I hope you’re enjoying this travel resource so far (it’s a project by Google Area 120).

undead goth emerging from coffin

And that’s the final nail in the coffin, for these “Bangkok bitches”… until I come back again!

For more alternative Bangkok travel tips (boutiques, hotels, restaurants etc), you can see all my Thailand stories (from my trips in 2013 and 2018).

SHARE & COMMENT

7 Comments

  1. Lauren Hay
    Posted July 13, 2019 at 2:27 pm | Permalink

    I dragged my boyfriend to the unicorn cafe and loved it haha!! I had no idea about Kid Mai however, looks a memorable day out that’s for sure!

  2. Kareemah Ashiru
    Posted July 13, 2019 at 3:55 pm | Permalink

    This looks like a fun restaurant! I would totally wanna visit here. Thanks for introducing it to me.

    • lacarmina
      Posted July 14, 2019 at 2:16 am | Permalink

      Sooo much fun. I want to go back and visit more weird theme restaurants!

  3. Danielle
    Posted July 13, 2019 at 7:10 pm | Permalink

    These are crazy! The Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before but it sounds really interesting!

    • lacarmina
      Posted July 14, 2019 at 2:15 am | Permalink

      It was quite the brush with death – in a great way!

  4. proo
    Posted July 15, 2019 at 5:17 am | Permalink

    Thanks for sharing this nice post.

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