Inside a Chinatown opium den awaits Bangkok’s newest speakeasy

Gold foil orchids dance across the black lacquer walls of a fourth-floor bar where a deep menu of cocktails are served in smoking-den chic. That’s what awaits at Opium Bar perched in a Chinatown building that’s the family legacy of Pitchaya “Chef Pam” Utarntham. 

Sitting above Thai-Chinese dining spot Restaurant Potong, Opium Bar is the latest swanky cocktail lounge for some speakeasy sips. The bar, taking over an opium den Pam’s ancestors once smoked in, was renovated into modernity while keeping its old-world charms.

Now the bar is run by Italian mixologist Matteo Cadeddu, who hails from Sardinia with a resume spanning several countries from Australia and the Netherlands to Mumbai and the Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel. The owner is Arnon “K” Hoontrakul, a veteran of the F B industry and bar aficionado himself. 

“A great drink is the one that…