Terminal 21 Asok

Floor by floor, one city per level

LG · Caribbean

Gourmet Market supermarket, food and drink stalls.

G · Rome

The main entrance from the Asok skywalk, with international fashion brands.

M · Paris

Fashion and accessories on the mezzanine ring above the atrium, and the information counter for the tourist privilege card and luggage deposit.

1 · Tokyo

Small Thai and Japanese fashion shops, mostly independent.

2 · London

Menswear and shoes, under the red double-decker bus.

3 · Istanbul

Bags, shoes, jewelry and lifestyle shops.

4 · San Francisco

Restaurants around the Golden Gate Bridge, the first of two dining floors.

5 · San Francisco / Pier 21

Pier 21 food court, the cheapest sit-down meal in the district, with Thai dishes at about ฿40–90. Load a prepaid card at the counter, tap it at the stalls and get the balance back on the way out.

6 · Hollywood

SF Cinema, bowling, arcade and fast food.

The gimmick works, which is the surprising part. The mall is dressed as an airport, and every floor takes a different city as its theme, from the Caribbean in the basement through Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London and Istanbul to San Francisco and Hollywood at the top, decor and signage carried right through, down to the washrooms people go out of their way to photograph. There are more than 600 shops, a broad mix of international labels and Thai brands, plus Gourmet Market on LG and SF Cinema on the sixth floor. The escalators run up to 36 m, which makes them some of the longest in Thailand.

The real reason I'd send you here is Pier 21, the food court on the fifth floor, the second San Francisco level. You load a prepaid card at the counter, tap it at the stalls, and hand it back for whatever you didn't spend, and Thai dishes run about ฿40 to ฿90, the cheapest sit-down meal in the district. The catch is seating. At weekend lunchtimes tables fill fast, so eat at 11:00 or after 14:00 if you can.

Terminal 21 is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00. A covered skywalk links it to BTS Asok (Exit 1) and MRT Sukhumvit (Exit 3), and you come in on the Rome floor without crossing a road. Pick up the free tourist privilege card, which gives discounts in participating shops, at the information counter on the Paris (M) floor, where you can also leave luggage.