Thailand has more than its share of English-themed bars, but in just three months, The Shakespeare Pub in Ekkamai has become the best British pub in Bangkok.
While other British bars sat empty on a rainy Friday night Aug. 28, The Shakespeare on Soi 63, just a few steps from the Ekkamai BTS, was proving again it’s the best British pub in Bangkok, heaving all night with fans of The Beatles tribute group The Fab Four going full groupie, singing, dancing and jumping on tables. Yes, lots of beer was consumed.
The ironic part was that 80% of the crowd wasn’t even alive when The Beatles were pumping out chart-toppers. Not bad for a band whose last No. 1 came decades before most of them were born.
Best British Pub in Bangkok
What makes The Shakespeare the best British pub in Bangkok? It stands out because managing owner Harry Williams gets the basics right: good beer, authentic food, warm atmosphere and attentive service staff.
Williams is in the pub most days, keeping an eye on the bar, kitchen and staff while spending time with regulars. That hands-on management has helped maintain the standards he set when Shakespeare opened.
The menu has expanded well beyond its original dozen or so dishes. Big British breakfasts, fish and chips, curry nights and familiar pub staples now sit alongside aggressive promotions, including 75-baht pints until 5 p.m. and 99 baht from 5-7 p.m.
Breakfast at the best British pub in Bangkok now comes with a buy-one-get-one-free offer until 2 p.m.: order a Full English, Full Scottish or Ultimate breakfast and get a Shakey Special free. Thursday’s Curry Club prices a curry meal at ฿299 or an XXL two-curry version at ฿449, with choices including korma, butter chicken and vindaloo.
Friday brings a ฿495 fish-and-chips spread with Atlantic cod, battered sausage, mushy peas, tartar sauce, curry sauce and gravy. Thursdays also feature Killer Pool at 7 and 9 p.m., with a ฿200 entry, three lives per player and the winner taking the pot, while pub quizzes offer free entry with ฿1,000 for first place and ฿500 for second.
An Outsized Influence
Williams is one of four partners in The Shakespeare and the captain of the ship, but co-owner Joe Liley, who runs the “Joe in Thailand” multi-channel influencer brand, has played a big part in the making the best British pub in Bangkok an almost instant success after its May 30 opening.
Liley, who totals more than 230,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, has been quite public in his videos about The Shakespeare’s business prospects. He said revenue in the first two months was 50-60% higher than pre-open projections. In his most recent video, he said the only issue now is that some daytime hours are a bit slow, hence the introduction of the early-day specials.
Enthusiastic, International Fan Base
Friday nights are the biggest of the week at The Shakespeare Pub, but Aug. 28 was a throwback to World Cup crowds. Even before The Fab Four took the stage at 8 p.m. there wasn’t a table or seat to be had unless you shared with a group already there. Not that much of the crowd spent much time in their seats.
Knocking out the entire Beatles songbook, plus hits from John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney’s solo days, The Fab Four put on an electric, nearly soundalike performance that had everyone up clapping, singing and dancing. Co-owner Roger went tilt on the groupie scale, grabbing a microphone to sing along to “Hey Jude” and jumping up on the covered pool table at one point for a solo dance.
Yes, plenty of beer had been consumed.
The crowd Friday was representative of The Shakespeare’s overall customer mix, a solid blend of Thais and westerners, with Thais probably outnumbering the farang on Friday night.
Some of the overflowing crowd in the beer garden and balcony said they had come to the Shakespeare after popping into another British pub nearby or on Sukhumvit to find them dead, quiet and devoid of vibe. They agreed that, in August 2026, The Shakespeare Pub is now the best British pub in Bangkok.
