One of Nana Plaza’s cornerstone go-go bars, Mandarin, reopens Sunday after nearly two months of renovations with a look and new name.
Visitors arriving at the top of the escalator will greeted with new signage and logos for Mandarin Go-Go VIP Club, marking a shift in the 25-year-old bar’s positioning and marketing from mainstream go-go to high-end lounge similar to Nana’s Lace Lounge and On Top Bangkok. Mandarin reopens at 8 p.m. with about three dozen ladies on the payroll.
From Reboot to Rebrand
Mandarin closed in early August, stripped bare of its fixtures, stage, and seating. At the time, management described the closure as a “reboot,” leaving the future of the long-running bar uncertain. Now the club is returning with a new brand and a fresh attempt to regain its place on the Nana Plaza’s middle floor.
As Mandarin reopens Sept. 21, only the downstairs level will in use, while renovation continues upstairs. The Mandarin relaunch is the first phase in a longer-term renovation project for the group, which will see Shark Soi Cowboy get a facelift to match the year-old Shark Pattaya.
New Look, New Stage
Perhaps the most noticeable change when Mandarin reopens will be the elimination of Mandarin’s slightly raised, square stage. Once dotted with six chrome poles and encircled by a low bar for customers, that platform has been replaced with a floor-level stage featuring a single pole at its center.
Customers who arrive when Mandarin reopens will continue to sit on the low benches that wrap around the stage, but the surrounding bar has been raised to a more standard and comfortable height. All seating inside the club is brand new, with upgraded bench-style sofas designed to match the revamped interior.
The mirrored wall behind the stage has been replaced with a design inspired by a traditional moon gate – a circular Chinese-style doorway, typically flanked by sliding panels. Mandarin reopens with an updated backdrop that brings a more distinct Asian identity to the bar, contrasting with the plain mirror wall that defined the old Mandarin.
After we got some exclusive photos in August and early September, management has keep the renovation under wraps to keep the “surprise” intact when Mandarin reopens. So you’ll have to see it for yourself Sunday!
Upstairs Still to Come
While Mandarin reopens Sunday, the bar’s second floor, which has long been underused – operating only sporadically as a show space – will not. During this reopening phase, it will remain closed while renovations continue.
No timeline has been given for when upstairs at Mandarin reopens, though management made clear the priority was reopening the downstairs space to bring dancers and customers back.
Mandarin Maidens Return
During the closure, Mandarin’s dancers were found at sister bar Red Dragon Club & Lounge next door. That move kept them working while renovations were underway, and now, as Mandarin reopens, those dancers will return to the stage up the steps; this time in a refreshed environment.
The group’s decision to invest in Mandarin’s revival, rather than shutter it, signals continued belief in the venue’s long-term value, particularly given its prominent atop the escalator at Nana Plaza.
Repositioning Mandarin into a VIP Club
Repositioning Mandarin Club, one of Nana Plaza’s earliest and most-famous go-go bars, as a “VIP Club” is an interesting move, but not a huge surprise given how the market has changed and Nana Plaza clubs evolved in the 25 years since Mandarin opened.
While Mandarin, for the first half of its existence, was a must-visit and a magnet for Japanese punters, it lost steam in the latter half of the 20-teens. Part of this was due to the fact that, while the Mandarin entrance was on the middle floor, you had to walk up a flight of stairs to reach the actual bar.
During the same time, the plaza got a massive amount of development with new “super bars” such as Billboard, Butterflies and Bangkok Bunnies opening. Those investments outstripped the upkeep in Mandarin and, by the end of the pandemic, Mandarin was feeling much in need of a refit.
Then, in October 2022, the Mandarin Group opened Red Dragon, a combination of its former Mandarin Table Dance and the newly acquired Mercury go-go bar. It became an overnight sensation. In June this year, Red Dragon expanded, making it even a bigger drawn than Mandarin.
During that same period, Tycoon aGoGo opened its Lace Lounge upstairs, a small, posh lounge aimed at big-spending VIP guests, bottle service and those looking for intimate settings rather than a big, loud go-go bar. That was followed in Janaury this year by On Top, from the Billboard Group, which also aimed the bar at VIP Club bookings.
With Red Dragon dominating the mainstream go-go experience, it made sense to pivot Mandarin to a similar crowd.
Check it out yourself when Mandarin reopens Sunday.
