Best Outdoor Bars in Pattaya: The Open-Air Drinking Guide
Where to find open-air atmosphere in Pattaya – from beachfront bars to beer garden complexes to the spots locals actually recommend.
Walls Are Overrated
There's something wrong with drinking inside in Thailand. You flew 8,000 kilometers to be somewhere tropical, and you're sitting in an air-conditioned box that could be anywhere in the world. The same furniture, the same music from a speaker, the same hermetically sealed atmosphere.
Step outside and everything changes. The warm night air. The sounds of the city. The sense that you're actually somewhere – not just in another interchangeable bar.
Pattaya offers plenty of outdoor drinking options. But not all open-air bars are created equal. Some are just regular bars that ran out of indoor space. Others are designed around the outdoor experience, built to make the most of the tropical night.
Here's where to find the good ones.
What Makes an Outdoor Bar Worth It
Sitting outside isn't automatically better than sitting inside. Plenty of outdoor spots are just... outside. Plastic chairs on concrete. Fluorescent lighting. Mosquitoes making themselves at home.
A proper outdoor bar needs:
Atmosphere by design – Not an afterthought. Lighting that works with the night. Seating that encourages staying. A sense that someone thought about how this would feel after dark.
Protection without isolation – Ceiling fans, strategic shade, maybe a breeze channeled from somewhere. Comfortable enough to stay, open enough to feel the night.
Something worth being outside for – A view. Live music. An energy that wouldn't exist inside four walls.
Quality that matches the setting – Good drinks, attentive service. If you're sacrificing AC, you shouldn't sacrifice anything else.
The Options in Pattaya
Beach Road: Views Without the Vibe
The oceanfront bars along Beach Road deliver exactly what you'd expect – sunset views, sea breeze, the sound of waves if you tune out the traffic.
The upside: You're facing the Gulf of Thailand. On a good evening, the colors are worth the trip.
The downside: Most of these spots feel like tourist staging areas. The drinks are fine, the service is acceptable, but the atmosphere often lacks... something. You're watching a view, not having an experience.
Good for: A single sunset drink. Checking "beachfront bar" off your list.
Not ideal for: An entire night out.
Soi Buakhao: Street-Side Reality
Soi Buakhao's bars often spill onto the sidewalk. You're outside technically – sitting on a chair that might be on the street – watching the Pattaya parade pass by.
The upside: Authentic atmosphere. You're in the middle of the action, watching everything from taxi negotiations to late-night noodle runs.
The downside: It's chaotic. Loud. The seating is an afterthought. You're part of the scene but not in a crafted experience.
Good for: People-watching. Catching the energy of the city.
Not ideal for: A relaxed night or a proper beer garden atmosphere.
Walking Street: Volume Over Atmosphere
Walking Street has outdoor elements – the street itself is pedestrian-only, the bars blast music into the open air, the neon competes with the stars.
The upside: Maximum energy. Nothing subtle about it.
The downside: The outdoor space is a thoroughfare, not a destination. You're either inside a club or walking past one.
Good for: Sensory overload.
Not ideal for: Actual outdoor drinking.
Las Vegas Beer Garden: The Purpose-Built Option
Soi Diana, a short street between Soi Buakhao and LK Metro, holds something different.
Las Vegas Beer Garden is an open-air complex – ten bars arranged around a courtyard with a stage at the back. The entire venue is designed around outdoor drinking. Not a bar with outdoor seating. An outdoor venue with bars in it.
The ceiling is the sky (plus some strategic covering for the monsoon months). Fans move the air. The music comes from a live band, not speakers. And the layout invites exploration – ten different spots to try, each with its own staff and selection.
The upside: This is what outdoor drinking in Pattaya can be when someone designs for it. The atmosphere is real, the music is live, the options are extensive.
The downside: You won't want to go back to regular bars.
The Case for a Beer Garden
A single outdoor bar is a nice change of pace. An outdoor complex changes how you think about a night out.
At Las Vegas Beer Garden, you're not committed to one spot. Order a drink, take in the scene, then wander. The bars at the front have a different energy than the bars at the back. The stage-side seats offer a different experience than the mid-complex perches.
By the end of the night, you've had three or four different atmospheres without ever leaving the venue.
This flexibility matters. Some nights you want to be in the thick of the crowd, close to the music. Some nights you want a quieter corner. In a beer garden, you can have both in the same visit.
Stage-Side: The Best Outdoor Seats
If you're going to drink outside, drink with a view worth having.
At Las Vegas Beer Garden, the bars at the back sit next to the stage. Not behind it, not across from it – next to it. The band is right there. The speaker stack is close enough to feel. The energy from the performers reaches you directly.
KQ Bar occupies this position. Stage-side seating, the strongest AC in the complex (yes, outdoor bars can have AC – ceiling fans work overtime here), and a drink selection that includes imports most bars don't carry.
From these seats, the live band isn't background music. It's the foreground. You're part of the show.
The Practical Details
Las Vegas Beer Garden - Location: Soi Diana (Soi Pattayasaisong 13), between Soi Buakhao and LK Metro - Hours: 6 PM – 3 AM, every night - Live music: From 8 PM - Cover charge: None
Getting there: From Soi Buakhao, walk toward LK Metro and turn right onto Soi Diana. The neon glow gives it away.
Best seats: For maximum outdoor atmosphere with live music, head to the back of the complex. KQ Bar (black and gold sign) has the stage-side position.
The Truth About Outdoor Drinking
Indoor bars are easier. Predictable. Climate-controlled. You know exactly what you're getting.
But you didn't fly to Thailand for predictable.
The outdoor experience – the tropical air, the live music carrying across the open space, the sense that you're somewhere specific and alive – doesn't happen inside.
Las Vegas Beer Garden is built around that idea. Ten bars, one open-air complex, live music every night. The kind of outdoor drinking that makes you wonder why you ever settled for walls.
Find it on Soi Diana. Walk past the first few bars. Find the stage. Find a seat.
The night takes it from there.
Las Vegas Beer Garden – the open-air beer garden experience in Pattaya. For the complete guide, see Beer Gardens in Pattaya. For stage-side seating, visit KQ Bar.
Topics:
Las Vegas Beer Garden
Your guide to Pattaya nightlife