CRU Champagne Bar: forget Lebua or Bayioke

“Probably overpriced”, “another “best” rooftop”, and “there’s Red Sky anyway” – these were our thoughts when we first heard about the CRU Champagne Bar. One thing Bangkok surely doesn’t lack is rooftop bars. But it is true what they actually advertise – an exclusive rooftop bar. You won’t see people wearing any infamous “Chang” tanktops or “elepants”, but hey, I was wearing a polo and they let me in!

It’s not about the dress code though. Every business has an idea, or a vision, and I personally felt their vision is to represent values such as quality, exclusivity, and higher standards. It makes sense that they have “No.1” on their champagne!

What’s the catch?

Ok, this is THE fanciest rooftop bar we’ve been to. 360 degree views of Bangkok in golden haze, fancy champagne cocktails with impressive presentation, relaxed atmosphere and attentive staff – you’ll feel like a king!
Most places either have a random office building blocking the view, the music is a wreck, or it’s just saturated with anyone who has 300 baht to spend. This was actually everything we could ask for. Funnily, you have to look down to see the iconic Red Sky bar!

The view

Believe me, you don’t want to miss the sunset here. The CRU Champagne Bar opens at 5pm, which is the best time for photos. As soon as you step out of the elevator, you can feel the soft breeze (perfect relief from the heat below!). There’s no roof and nothing obstructing the view in all directions. There’s only the “crown” bit of the Red Sky to the north. Everywhere you look, there’s skyscrapers sinking in the sea of golden haze.

There aren’t that many sky bars where you have the luxury of watching the sunset without some random building blocking the view. The moments before the sun touches the horizon are simply stunning. And the view from 59 floors up is just indescribable! Well, it is describable, but a picture paints a thousand words, so…

The drinks

What made this bar different was the drinks that they offer. Their signature cocktails have a champagne base, and each one was like a piece of art – we were seriously impressed.

The first cocktail we tried was Bangkok Bellini, which was a mix of mandarin Absolut, vanilla syrup and champagne.
It came in fancy glass jar, with chopped mango on the side and a glass with a giant ice ball in it – we could mix all the ingredients ourselves. It was a tad on the sour side, so if you like sour cocktails – this is the one for you.

La Vie En Rose was even more impressive. Elegant ice bucket had two flutes of champagne, and a few test-tubes filled with strawberry puree and raspberry Absolut. It felt awkward mixing the champagne with these ingredients, especially vodka! Is that what Russian millionaires do in their free time?

It turns out Absolut was the sweet ingredient that ties it all together – so we poured the whole thing in. Strong? You bet! Interestingly, it was perfectly sweet and silky smooth.

And since it’s a champagne bar, we ordered a glass of champagne to try. We’re not experts in champagne, but who doesn’t love a glass of bubbly! We are really put off by Rose wine, so anything pink – we don’t want it. Had we known that the champagne was pink, we wouldn’t have ordered, but turns out it’s not that different from the golden stuff!
Tip before going: their menu is illustrated, so you can easily select the best looking cocktails. IG 4 LIFE!
Check their website and their menu HERE .

The food

The CRU Champagne Bar only offers light snacks, but our logic says that two snacks make a meal! The one and only thing I would definitely recommend is French fries with truffle salt! We first tried truffle fries at Daniel Thaiger’s “Crying Thaiger” outlet, and it’s OMGood. The cheese board had several kinds of cheeses, nuts, chutney, and some dried fruit, and a few slices of crunchy bread – very good selection. There was only one chutney that had some bittersweet aftertaste, but the rest – we licked the plate clean!

Last but definitely not least – the chocolate seedling. It was a cup filled with what looked like dirt inside, with a mint leaf topping, so it looked like a growing seedling! It was like a chocolate pudding, but miles better, and tasted just like quality hot chocolate, except it was cold and very smooth and melts in your mouth. No idea how they make it, but would love to find out.

The prices

Surprisingly affordable. Obviously, this is not a place to get drunk, but you’re well aware that Sukhumvit is more suited to such clientelle!

Champagnes and wines start from 600 per glass, signature cocktails are around 1000-1500. Although if you take something like La Vie En Rose, you get two glasses for that price. So the prices are actually not that different from the famous Moon Bar, but the atmosphere is so much nicer here.

It’s called CRU Champagne Bar for a reason: champagne, not sparkling wine – although most of us can’t tell the difference, can we! A glass of G.H. Mumm No.1 Pink Champagne was around 800 baht.

The snacks and desserts that we ordered were around 300 each – which is pretty descent for a rooftop bar.

Getting there

If you want to arrive without sweat patches on your back – just take a taxi. We’re not advocates of this, but you’ll save heaps of time. Otherwise…

Find the quickest way to walk through Central World from the BTS. When you’re dressed up, walking through the air-conditioned mall is a much better option than sweating in Bangkok’s heat. If you get lost, just ask the staff in the shops for Centara Grand – even if some of them don’t speak good English, they are very helpful and will show you the way.

And then you have to change elevators 3 times to get up to CRU. It sounds confusing, but it didn’t feel that way at all.
As soon as you reach the lobby level with the first elevator, the staff guides you to the second one which goes up to Red Sky bar, and once there another staff member meets you and guides you to the glass lift that takes you up to CRU Champagne bar. Effortless, eh?

The verdict

Brilliant music, proper deep house with a few hits mixed in here and there. Good number of people, not too quiet or crowded, mostly Thais taking selfies, or having their own photographers – wow. The ladies have very elegant uniforms (Auste said she’d like to have a top like that herself!)

It is highly likely that we will come back to the CRU Champagne Bar at some point because of the view. It’s just surreal. Hopefully it won’t become as inundated with tourists as some of the taller counterparts any time soon, because the atmosphere is just stunning!