Beer bars do not just sell beer. In fact they sell any sort of beverage you might fancy. They are also everywhere in Pattaya. The line the streets, they are in huge complexes hosting 10, 20 or even 30 different bars. A number of complexes have Thai boxing every night for your entertainment.
A 20 baht tip to the winner of each match is traditional. They are generally open air type bars, with a roof but no walls, although many of the individual bars are on the ground floor of shop-houses. Most are not air conditioned so it can be a little hot, although fans work overtime to try and keep you cool.
Each beer bar individually is a fairly small outfit with room for 10 to 15 customers to sit around the bar, drink and chat with the 10 or so girls that work there. The girls are very friendly and will make you feel right at home. Language is sometimes a problem but working around that is half the fun.
There are a number of games the girls like to play with customers to while away the hours and they are pretty good at them. Many bars have pool tables but Connect 4 is certainly the favourite. I know a few Farang (foreigners) who have left Pattaya swearing they are going to study Connect 4 at home so they have a chance of winning on their return.
Rolling through Pattaya of an evening, it is easily possible to hit 10 to 20 bars. At each you will find friendly girls who treat you well. Many guys returning after 6 months or a year's absence are stunned to find exuberant girls celebrating their return as if they were long-lost friends. This can happen, even if you only popped in to the bar two or three times for one beer. The girls have astonishing memories.
Drinks will set you back 60 - 100 baht a shot. If you want to take a girl out, you will have to pay her bar fine. This is a fee that the bar gets because they are losing the services of that girl for the rest of the night, usually 150 - 250 baht. This payment is for the bar only, what happens next and how much it will cost you is between you and the girl.
Once you take a girl out, you can do many things. Take her to a nice restaurant, go bar hopping with her in tow, catch a show or just get to know her very well. Many men have paid the bar fine for a girl expecting to have a few hours of fun, and have ended up with a wife.
There are also bars with Bar Boys. I believe these bars are quite popular with Japanese women. You will find them in Boys Town (Pattayaland Soi 3) and Sunee Plaza.
A Go Go Bars
A Go Go bars are a bit more full on. There are around 50 in Pattaya and you will see the traditional Thai Go Go girls hanging on to their poles and performing the old bump and grind.
Expect a little more pressure than in the Beer Bars and slightly higher drink and bar fine prices. The shows range from sedate to sleazy and everything in-between.
Love 'em, or hate 'em, you can't visit Pattaya without checking out an A Go Go. The largest selection is along Walking Street and Pattayaland 2.
Pubs and Nightclubs
Once again you are never spoiled for choice in Pattaya. Some pubs and nightclubs have hostesses and some do not. Most have live music, serve food and have a lively atmosphere. From Shenanigans (Irish pub) to the Hopf (German Brew House), and everything in between, you’re sure to find a venue to your liking.
