Chesa, Bangkok Swiss Restaurant

Here’s the scenario. You have been invited to lunch or dinner at Chesa, the Swiss restaurant on Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 20. What do you expect? Will it be full of quaint, Swiss mountain folk communicating in some unrecognizable dialect? I mean is Chesa mostly for the Swiss community of Bangkok? Sorry to disappoint you but Chesa’s Swiss diners make up only about 10 to 15% of the place at any specific sitting. In fact a truly International crowd, peppered by Thais with a generous seasoning of foreigners from all over the globe is the rule rather than the exception. Not one of your “hi so” restaurants, Chesa is not a place to see and be seen.

Instead over the eight or so years of its existence, Rene and Thomas, the Swiss owner/managers have developed a loyal, easy going, casual clientele; a clientele that obviously enjoys being there. So why Chesa? Naturally the consistency of the food is a great reason. There is variety on the menu and care in the kitchen, but lots of good restaurants have that. No there is another reason for Chesa’s popularity and lo and behold I am darned if I can put my finger directly on it. Is it the management? Well, possibly. Possibly. But that isn’t the only reason. What about the staff? This too is getting close to the mark. Always present but never hovering if you get my drift.

Always friendly too, everyone says that. So we have got an excellent menu, great, friendly, staff and seemingly laid back but always there and always on top of things, management. Reason enough sure, but is it enough reason if you get my drift? Perhaps though I can, in my own, regular customer and friend way, clear it all up.

Chesa is the closest thing to a “local” that I have. It is a place I can go anytime from 11AM to 11PM by myself or with friends and eat almost what I want, when I want without pressure of any kind. It’s a place where I can walk in, almost any day and know some of my fellow diners and certainly 95% of the staff; a place where I can be left alone to read the newspaper or join or be joined by management, other friends, or both on a very good day. Chesa is where I like to go to eat and drink. Period.