In Bangkok, The Bookshop bar defies the laws of gravity with its upside-down bookshelves and "floating" books.
On the other side of town, Tawandang German Microbrewery sits inside a giant beer barrel.
In the trendy Groove wing of the CentralWorld shopping complex, Tales of Gold Mine recreates a turn-of-the-century gold mine from the American Wild West.
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Of course, a design concept doesn't have to be eccentric to be beautiful.
From a classic Parisian-style bar to a jaw-dropping spot high above the city, here are nine of the most aesthetically pleasing places to grab a drink in the Thai capital.
Smalls
A lavish mix of crimson drapes, rococo tiling and contemporary artwork decorates this cozy, atmospheric bar on Suan Phlu Soi, a street that over the past year has turned into a somewhat unexpected haven for cool, laid-back bars and restaurants.
Spread across three floors of a corner house, Smalls is the latest collaboration between David Jacobson, who first made a local name for himself as owner of the now-defunct Q Bar, and Bruno Tancrede, Jacobson's partner in the retro-styled French absinthe bar Le Derriere.
"We really don't like slick, corporate, trendy bars, and industrial cement and wood with black steel-framed windows have gotten old," Jacobson says.
"We wanted to create a relaxed, funky, Parisian vibe that doesn't take itself too seriously.
"Above all, we both value originality in design and take pleasure in creating an atmosphere where people feel instantly at home."
A R. Sutton & Co Engineers Siam
Australian Ashley Sutton radically reshaped the look and feel of Bangkok's bar scene when he arrived in the city in the late 2000s.
It all started with his fantastical cocktail bar Iron Fairies, which became something of a sensation and spawned a wave of imitators.
He then went on to create equally striking interiors for The Bookshop and Mr. Jones' Orphanage, among others.
Sutton's latest venture (and the only bar he currently owns) is the intimate A R. Sutton & Co Engineers Siam.
The place radiates a controlled eccentricity, with a carefully arranged jumble of brass fittings, twisting lighting and vintage furniture.
In other words, Sutton's distinctive fingerprints are all over the place.
The venue also doubles as a gin distillery (the signature Iron Balls is worth a try) as well as Sutton's office.
Maggie Choo's
At the Novotel Bangkok Fenix Silom, an unassuming wooden door marks the entrance to this underground wonderland created by, you guessed it, Ashley Sutton.
Sutton is no longer involved in running the place, but it hasn't changed much since the Fico group took it over, which means it's still one of the sexiest spots in town to sip fine wines and cocktails to late-night jazz sets.
Styled as an Eastern speakeasy of years gone by, Maggie Choo's exudes secrecy and glamour, from a network of private rooms hidden behind steel doors to the dim lighting, plush furniture and beautiful people dangling their legs from wooden swings.
There's also an excellent Thai-Chinese restaurant here.
The Bar at The House on Sathorn
After three years of restoration, the 126-year-old colonial mansion on Sathorn Road has reopened as the city's newest place to eat and drink.
Once the Russian embassy, The House on Sathorn is now part of the neighboring W Bangkok hotel.
The interior design pays tribute to the building's history and draws inspiration from Russian and Thai royal glamour.
Many original features, including the color palette of the house's facade and interior, have been preserved.
The signature cocktails carry an Asian twist, such as the pa, a cocktail made with Belvedere vodka, Citronge, coconut water and rose-and-jasmine syrup.
Namsaah Bottling Trust
You can't miss Namsaah Bottling Trust, a Thai fusion bar and restaurant set in an early-20th-century villa whose snow-white shutters pop against a solid pink facade.
Formerly used as the office of a soft-drink maker, a bank headquarters and the residence of a royal adviser, today the building is dressed in exquisite regional fabrics, antique furniture and bold Eastern ornamentation.
Behind all that beauty is some serious star power, including Thai culinary celebrity Ian Kittichai, whose portfolio spans successful restaurants in Mumbai, Hong Kong, Barcelona, New York and Bangkok.
At Namsaah, the menu is playful, with dishes like salmon tartare tacos in a wonton shell.
The cocktail list features blends such as a mandarin negroni and a Thai martini with rose apple.
Tep Bar
Returning to Bangkok after stints living abroad in Melbourne and Singapore, Kong Kangwarnklai noticed that, in the city's rush to embrace foreign ideals and influences, native "Thai-ness" had become something of an outdated notion.
"It's funny how trends in Thailand these days are pretty Westernized," he says.
"Yet somehow you have to be able to identify your own roots."
Kangwarnklai's answer to this was Tep Bar, which he founded in 2015 with three partners.
Set in a two-story, century-old shophouse in the lively Soi Nana area on the edge of Chinatown, Tep Bar's "Thai-ness" shows in everything, from cocktails mixed with ya dong (a kind of local herbal whiskey) and other regional ingredients to nightly live performances of traditional Thai music.
The most striking features of the space are the strips of gold-covered brick displayed among otherwise concrete walls, a clever nod to ancient times when the Siamese buried golden Buddhas in cement to hide them from invaders.
Sing Sing Theater
If you could travel to a glamorous club night in ancient China, it might look something like Sing Sing Theater (or simply Sing Sing).
Drawing inspiration from the ancient Chinese court theater and from a high-end brothel for nobility and the bourgeoisie, Sing Sing is defined by its all-out Chinese-style design: oil-paper umbrellas, lanterns and metal birdcages.
Secret passages, hidden speakeasies and symmetrical staircases help build the mysterious atmosphere.
Opened in 2015, it has become one of the hottest party spots in town.
Lit by red lights, the club screens a 20th-century film on a metal screen every night.
Live acts, from dazzling burlesque dances to comedy shows, happen frequently.
Sing Sing Theater, Sukhumvit 45, Bangkok; +66 09 7285 6888
Teens of Thailand
Right around the corner from Tep Bar, the specialty gin bar Teens of Thailand finds beauty in pared-back simplicity, its group of stakeholders having chosen to let the old bones of this restored shophouse speak for themselves.
Well, mostly: the sensual photography adorning the bare concrete walls certainly livens up the mood, almost as much as the killer cocktails from seasoned bartender Niks Anuman-Rajadhon.
"The concept and design of our bar are pretty simple: keep what's original," says Gunn Lee, who handles the music, design, art and marketing for ToT.
"When we first walked into this place, we felt strongly that tearing it down and building something else was definitely not to our taste."
Red Sky
Among the many things the 2011 critical flop "The Hangover Part II: From Vegas to Bangkok" got wrong in its clichéd portrayals of Bangkok was filming at the wrong rooftop bar. A better spot was farther down the road, in Pathumwan, at the Centara Grand in CentralWorld's Red Sky.
Setting aside the endless, subjective debate over the city's best rooftop bar, this chic terrace on the 55th floor reliably delights the crowd.
Known for its curving, color-shifting arches and luminous bar, Red Sky offers sweeping panoramic views, with soft sofas and glass balustrades surrounding its entire elevated platform.
