Ari

Overview

Ari is an ultra-trendy, creative area away from busy Bangkok CBD famous for its tree-lined streets, hipster cafes and independent art-galleries. Ari gained prominence in late 2010s, earning a reputation of new ‘cool’ neighborhood. Don’t believe us? Ari made it into Timeout’s list of world’s 49 coolest neighborhoods in 2021 (look for it between Poblacion, Manila and Koregaon Park, Pune).

The area stretches from BTS Ari in either side towards Saphan Kwai and Sanam Pao. Most popular street with most of the Ari’s signature spots concentrated there is Phahon Yothin 7 Alley.

Ari started off as a quiet residential neighborhood, and despite all the recent development, in many way it still remains such. However in 2010s it saw influx of young entrepreneurs and creatives seeking new grounds away from skyrocketing rents of central Bangkok. Today its inhabited by the long-time locals, younger generation Thai newcomers, middle-income foreigners as well as the workforce of nearby office towers, government agencies and hospitals.

The area’s main hotspot is Phahon Yothin 7 Alley, also known as Soi Ari. As you make a turn into the soi from Sukhumvit, you will immediately see street food vendors lining up their pink stalls along the road. Venture a little deeper and you’ll find plenty of quirky cafes, craft beer joints and photogenic matcha bars sitting between small mom-and-pop shops, old family homes and traditional Thai architecture - despite all its hip hangouts Ari remains decidedly local.

Ari’s main mall - medium-sized La Villa - is located right next to BTS. Apart from La Villa, Villa Market and Big C, area has multiple unique specialty stores, boutiques and community spaces.

There is a good selection of hospitals and clinic around Ari, Sanam Pao and Saphan Kwai, including Vichaiyut Hospital, Phayathai 2 Hospital, Paolo Memorial Hospital Phaholyothin, Prasarnmitr Hospital and more.

Real estate market

Before anything else, Ari’s been a residential neighborhoods. Even now buzzy center is surrounded by quiet low-rise residential streets. In recent decade, the surge in popularity also saw developers rushing to develop mid-to-high range condo projects - mostly around Soi Ari.

The area also historically was - and remains - a popular location for high-end homes, catering to affluent Thai families. This trend is further deepened by the topology of the area: locations on many of side sois require significant detours to get to BTS, which is something that mass-market condos buyers are more sensitive about.

Currently as area gained popularity it attracts more middle-to-high income Thais and foreigners for lifestyle reasons. However, and perhaps more importantly, the area around Ari has multiple corporate HQs and government agencies, whose employees supply a steady rental demand. These include Pearl Bangkok (headquarters of Pruksa), AIS Tower, Kasikorn Bank Tower, IBM Tower, The Revenue Department of Thailand, The Ministry of Finance, The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission and Government Savings Bank.