Without a doubt, Emquatier and Emporium are two of Bangkok’s most popular shopping malls. Connected by Phrom Phong BTS station in the middle, the two malls make for days worth of food, shopping, and entertainment experiences that both locals and tourists alike would find difficult to pass up. Chock-full of culinary gems, stylish coffee shops are abundant within the complex, but one of the best finds of my trip to Bangkok was somewhere right outside the two attractions.
Situated beside Emquartier, Thirty Nine Espresso is the sort of hole-in-the-wall shop you see in movies – you could almost miss it if not for the gleam of a crisp white La Marzocco espresso machine and the easily identifiable Mahlkonig coffee grinder. In front of the shop was a charming cake stand, and in front of that was one of the busiest streets in the city – yet some how, as soon as you step in the shop, time slowed down to a more leisurely pace. It was coffee time.
Simple in decor yet exceedingly cozy, Thirty Nine Espresso makes for a great quick escape from the busy streets that is known for its coffee, and brownies, as I later found out. At the time of my visit, the shop was serving up some local Doi Chang coffee from Chiang Rai that made for a delightfully smooth latte.
The cafe is the brainchild of a Thai barista who worked at Sydney’s Allpress Cafe – part of a well-known chain of coffee roasters in Australia and New Zealand – who later used his six years of experience to create a cafe of his own in Bangkok. It’s been three years now, and it looks as though his time abroad has served him well.
As if the shop weren’t a great enough find, there’s also something you may want to check out in the back. You might have noticed that Bangkok is big on hostels, and right behind the shop was Bed & Barn Hostel. Housing 40 beds, the presence of this hostel meant the cafe always has a steady stream of people on laptops, backpackers discussing plans, and the odd solo traveler spending a peaceful afternoon. Of course, a good chunk of the patrons were regulars, people who happened to stumble upon the shop on their way to or from the malls, and a happy coffee blogger who was more than happy about how her afternoon turned out.
