Restaurant Review: Brown Coffee in Bangkok, Thailand

The reason I found Brown Coffee is because I was on my way to see Bangkok's number one tourist site, the Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, and I was hungry. I wanted something quick, light, fresh and inexpensive, and I didn't fancy sitting outside near a street stall and noisy passerby. I got off the Tourist Boat, the Chao Phraya River Express, at pier #9: Chang Pier also called Maharaj Pier. I looked to my immediate right and left and saw some women loudly hawking water bottles for sale at 20 baht when you can buy them for 10 baht or less at the 7-11. There were a bunch of small shops selling tourist-fare, and then finally, on the right side I laid eyes on a simple yet chic café with a river view. I figured their prices would reflect their great location, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that their main dishes ranged from 50 to 200 baht ($1.40 to $5.70). Realizing this cute café was in my budget, I stepped inside.

It was difficult to choose from the variety of options on the menu. Brown Coffee offers appetizers, salads, pastas, soups, Thai dishes and desserts. They also have a large drink menu, as most cafés in Bangkok seem to. I only want a l light snack, so I ordered an appetizer of spring rolls and a watermelon smoothie. The food came, literally, within a few minutes. The spring rolls were hot, crunchy and tasty, and the drink was refreshing. The spring roll appetizer also came with a side of dry shredded veggies to munch on. While eating, I enjoyed the soft music and the river breeze. At that time, around 2:00pm on a weekday, there were only a few Thai schoolgirls and me enjoying the café.

My bill was around 90 baht ($2.50) and I left a 10 baht tip in the tip jar. The servers were all very friendly and not obtrusive. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to work at Brown Coffee, and I was certainly happy to eat there. If I'm in Bangkok again and heading off to the Grand Palace, I'll definitely plan on eating at Brown Coffee either on my way to or from the palace and temple, and I'd suggest you check it out! It's a nice respite from the chaos of the tourist areas in Bangkok.