A Shopping Mall on the Bangkok Riverside
ICONSIAM is the largest and most luxurious shopping mall in Bangkok. How many times did you read this sentence in Bangkok? When you thought there was enough mall and the latest would be the last for at least another decade, a bigger one would open.
At least, ICONSIAM is not on the ‘shopping miles’ that stretched from Siam to Sukhumvit but filled a void on the Thonburi side of Bangkok. If you don’t yet know, Thonburi is on the quiet side of the capital, where the only known landmark is Wat Arun (the temple of dawn). This new shopping monster covers a staggering 50 rai (750,000 square metres)
Most tourists, and even expats, don’t understand why Thai people love their malls so much. Malls are bright, air-conditioned, and a great place to meet friends, eat together, and maybe shop a little.
Since online shopping took over in Thailand, malls have shifted their focus to food and entertainment rather than just shopping. The number of restaurants and the choice of goods in ICONSIAM are huge.
The location on the Chao Phraya riverside makes ICONSIAM pretty unique and, not accidentally, very Instagram-friendly. You can reach it by the BTS Gold Line straight to Charoen Nakhon station, or take the little boat ride from Saphan Taksin BTS Station, which is the more fun option.
You might be a little confused about the mall’s layout if you enter the front door by the riverside. The riverside doors give access to the luxury floors, and since it’s not for all budgets, it looks relatively empty and quiet. Don’t stop here and walk to the back of the mall, where all the ‘normal’ stuff is.
The ICONIC Multimedia Water Features
The free fountain show at River Park is the one thing at ICONSIAM you should plan your visit around. Called The ICONIC Multimedia Water Features, it runs along the riverbank in front of the mall and is billed as the longest water show in Southeast Asia.
The Spanish water specialist GHESA built it, and it opened with the mall back in early 2019. The show pairs water, light, lasers, and music, with robotic jets that spin and rise at different heights, the tallest shooting up to 35 metres.
There are three shows every evening, at 7 pm, 8 pm, and 9 pm, and each one runs for about 10 minutes. It looks its best after dark, when the lights and lasers really carry. Get to River Park 10 to 15 minutes early on weekends and holidays, as the steps fill up fast.
If you would rather watch with a drink in hand, the riverside terraces and bars on the lower floors look straight onto the show, and a high room at the Millennium Hilton across the way gets the view too.
The Terraces
ICONSIAM has outdoor terraces on the 2nd, 6th, and 7th floors. The one on the 2nd floor, reached through the Apple Store, Nike, and Lululemon, feels more like a rooftop garden. The 6th-floor terrace belongs to the bars and restaurants, including Fallabella and HOBS.
Starbucks Reserve on the 7th Floor
The Starbucks Reserve on the 7th floor is not a normal branch, and it is worth a stop even if you are not a coffee person. This is the largest Starbucks in Thailand, spread over two floors and around 1,260 square metres, with roughly 350 seats inside and out on the terrace. When it opened, it was the country’s 12th Reserve bar, and it still pulls a steady crowd.
The design is the draw. A spiral staircase wraps around a carved coffee tree, and the ceiling is hung with lantern shapes inspired by Loy Krathong, the Thai festival of floating lights. Floor-to-ceiling glass runs the length of the room, so you get the bend of the Chao Phraya on one side and the mall’s indoor atrium and waterfall on the other.
The coffee leans on beans from Northern Thai farms, and a small part of every Muan Jai cup goes back to those growing communities.
It is a lovely place to sit at sunset, and the terrace seats fill up fast around that time. Two honest notes. Reserve prices are higher than a regular Starbucks, and the air conditioning runs cold, so the outdoor seats are often the better call on a hot day. There is also a shelf of Thailand-only merchandise and Been There mugs if you want a souvenir that is hard to find back home.
Shopping at ICONSIAM
ICONSIAM Central Area
The central atrium at ICONSIAM runs through the heart of the mall across multiple floors, with marble floors, towering LED screens, and flagship stores from brands like Gentle Monster, COS, and On running along open gallery walkways. It’s the kind of space where you find yourself stopping just to take it in before you’ve even started shopping.
Siam Takashimaya
Siam Takashimaya anchors the Japanese retail experience at ICONSIAM, bringing the iconic Tokyo department store format to Bangkok with an edit of Japanese lifestyle brands, beauty counters, and food hall offerings that you won’t easily find elsewhere in the city.
ICONLUXE Wing
ICONLUXE is the luxury wing, running along the first floor by the river. Every big name is present, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Dior, Hermès, and Chanel, each in its own flagship store. It is usually calm and uncrowded, which makes it a pleasant stretch to wander and shoot photos, even if you have no plans to buy.
The river view through the floor-to-ceiling glass is built into the design and is worth the detour on its own.
Pop Mart ICONSIAM
The POP MART on the 7th floor is the largest in the world. It opened in August 2025, spreads over two floors and around 760 square metres, and pulls a steady queue of collectors hunting Labubu and the other blind box characters.
The fit out is a draw on its own, with rounded walls, bright colours, and zones built around Thai culture and the Chao Phraya River. Out on the riverfront terrace sits a four metre Molly figure in traditional Thai dress, riding an elephant, now one of the most photographed spots in the mall. The reason to come here over any other branch is the Thailand-only range.
You will find Labubu, Molly, and Crybaby figures tied to tuk tuks, long tail boats, and local dress that you cannot get anywhere else. Most of it is sold as blind boxes, so you do not know which figure you are getting until you open it. Limited drops sell out fast, and the shop gets very busy at weekends, so come on a weekday morning if you want room to look around.
Where to Eat at ICONSIAM
Tasana Nakorn Terrace
Tasana Nakorn Terrace is a riverside bar and restaurant on the upper floor of ICONSIAM, over on the Thonburi bank. People come for the wide-open views of the Chao Phraya and the landmarks across the water, including the old Customs House, now being restored as a luxury hotel.
The setting is at its best around sunset. Most visitors are here for the view more than the menu, so drinks on the terrace tend to be the smart order. Opinions on the food and service are mixed, so keep expectations sensible, but the outlook alone makes it a memorable stop inside ICONSIAM.
Thai Restaurants
SOOKSIAM Floating Market (lower floor)
SOOKSIAM features a vast choice of restaurants located on the G floor of ICONSIAM. The restaurants and stalls serve dishes from the 77 provinces of Thailand in a floating market setting. Some of the restaurants are inside old, traditional-looking houses, and some prepare your food in a little boat, just like it would if you were at the floating market.
It’s quite a unique experience and a fun photo opportunity without leaving Bangkok!
Thipsamai
Thipsamai (on the 6th floor) brings Bangkok’s most famous pad thai to the mall. The recipe goes back decades, and the signature plate is pad thai wrapped in a thin egg blanket with prawn fat. Order the fresh orange juice to go with it.
Mae Sri Ruen Restaurant
Mae Sri Ruen is a Thai restaurant on the sixth floor of ICONSIAM. It is a well-known noodle brand from Bangkok, best known for its chicken noodle soup made to an old family recipe. The kitchen also turns out Thai sweets and snacks, freshly made while you watch.
Their kanom krok, little coconut pudding cups, come in a riceberry version that is less sweet and slightly chewy. The kanom buang, thin Thai crepes filled with meringue and golden egg threads, are crisp and light. I always end up buying a box of the snacks before I leave.
Kub Kao Kub Pla
Kub Kao’ Kub Pla is a casual Thai restaurant on the fifth floor of ICONSIAM, with window tables that look out over the Chao Phraya River. It is part of a Bangkok chain created by the iBerry group, so the food is home-style Thai rather than fine dining.
The name roughly means “with rice, with fish”, and the menu is built around shared dishes to eat over rice. Popular orders include curry crab, salted egg yolk stir-fries, crispy pork with chilli and salt, and papaya salad. It can get busy at lunch. I always ask for a seat by the window for the river view.
Fine Dining
Blue by Alain Ducasse
Blue by Alain Ducasse is a contemporary French restaurant on the first floor of the ICONLUXE wing at ICONSIAM. It opened at the end of 2019 and holds one Michelin star. The dining room has royal blue walls and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the Chao Phraya River.
The kitchen, led by chef Evens López, serves a set lunch and multi-course tasting menus, with a French wine list built around Burgundy and Bordeaux. There is also a more relaxed all-day section for à la carte meals and afternoon tea. The river view at dusk is the part I remember most.
Fallabella River Front
Fallabella River Front is an open-air restaurant on the sixth floor of ICONSIAM. It sits right on the Chao Phraya River, with a 180-degree view that works well at both sunrise and sunset. The menu mixes Thai and Italian food, so you can order pasta and wood-fired pizza alongside grilled river prawns, black mussels and stir-fried salmon.
There is a goat cheese salad with Parma ham among the starters, plus a long list of cocktails and mocktails. Live music or a DJ usually plays in the evening. I book a table here mainly for the river view at night.
Chinese Restaurants
- Hong Bao (5th floor) is a fine-dining Chinese restaurant known for its dim sum, with a relaxed room and river views.
- Shoo Loong Khan specialises in mala hot pot.
Japanese Restaurants
MASA – Otaru Masazushi
MASA – Otaru Masazushi is a Hokkaido-style sushi counter on the fourth floor of Siam Takashimaya, in the Rose Dining zone at ICONSIAM. It is the first overseas branch of Otaru Masazushi, a sushi restaurant that has been run in the port town of Otaru for around 80 years. The kitchen serves Ezo-mae omakase, with fish air-flown from Hokkaido and a menu that changes with the season.
There are ten seats around the open counter, plus a private room for six. The wooden entrance is modelled on an Otaru warehouse. I go for the omakase, where the chefs explain each piece as they serve it.
Rose Dining
Rose Dining is a Japanese restaurant zone inside the Siam Takashimaya department store at ICONSIAM, mostly on the fourth floor. It brings together a group of well-known restaurants from Japan, several of which opened their first branch outside the country here. Between them, they cover most of the classics: tonkatsu, shabu-shabu, teppanyaki, tempura and soba, grilled eel, and Hokkaido sushi served as omakase.
The space is designed in a calm Japanese style, with warm lighting, wood finishes and small rock gardens. Each restaurant works as its own counter or room. I treat it as the place to go when I want proper Japanese food in the mall.
Kanori
Kanori is a Japanese hand roll bar on the G floor of ICONSIAM. It was Thailand’s first restaurant built around temaki, the cone-shaped seaweed rolls, and was started in 2023 by three siblings before expanding across Bangkok. The ICONSIAM branch is its first on the Thonburi side of the river.
You sit at a counter, and the rolls are made to order, so the nori stays crisp. The format works like a relaxed omakase: order one piece at a time or pick a set. Premium fillings include lobster, uni, otoro and negitoro. I usually order the signature Kanori Roll.
Korean Restaurants
Bon Chon does Seoul-style fried chicken in a special glaze, plus spicy octopus and bibimbap.
The Bibimbap and Guljak Topokki Chicken cover the rest of the Korean favourites.
Buffet and Hotpot
- Momo Paradise is one of the most popular Japanese Shabu in Thailand.
- You&I Premium Suki Buffet runs an all-you-can-eat suki hotpot.
- Bar B Q Plaza is the much-loved grill-at-your-table barbecue chain, easy for families.
- Nice Two Meat U is a meat-focused grill for bigger appetites.
Other Restaurants and Cafes
- Greyhound Café (2nd floor) is the stylish Thai-fusion café near the Apple store, good for a casual sit-down.
- Thong Smith Boat Noodle does a smarter take on boat noodles, including wagyu beef slices.
- Gordon Ramsay Bread Street Kitchen & Bar (Level 3) opened in early 2025. This is the relaxed Ramsay concept with British classics like beef wellington, fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding, plus a terrace looking over the Chao Phraya.
- D’ARK mixes a coffee bar and a full restaurant, with French decor, salads, seafood and pasta.
Dinner Cruises
Bangkok’s dinner cruises departing near ICONSIAM let you drift along the Chao Phraya at night with the city skyline and temple lights glowing on the water around you.
Saffron Cruise by Banyan Tree
The Saffron Dinner Cruise runs along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. It’s more relaxed than some of the other dinner cruises, with a casual dress code and a trendy feel rather than formal. The boat has an open deck upstairs where you can catch the breeze, which feels good after walking around Bangkok in the heat. You’ll pass Wat Arun and the Grand Palace, lit up at night, good for photos
Things to Do at ICONSIAM
Fitness First Club Icon
The gym at ICONSIAM is Club ICON by Fitness First, the top tier of the chain. It is kitted out with Technogym equipment, a 25 metre pool, and a sauna, and members can join group classes including barre, yoga, and Body Combat. A day pass here will cost you 850 baht.
The Cinema
ICON CINECONIC is the cinema at ICONSIAM, run by Major Cineplex. It has an IMAX screen, an exclusive lounge and the usual wide choice of snacks. It is one of the better cinemas in Bangkok if you want to catch a film during your visit.
How to Get to ICONSIAM
Unless you are one of the rare travellers to stay on the Thonburi side of Bangkok, the most comfortable and most convenient way to reach ICONSIAM is to take the BTS Skytrain and get off at BTS Krung Thon Buri station and transfer to the Gold Line to take the train to BTS Charoen Nakhon Station.
Another option is to stop at BTS Saphan Taksin station (the station just before crossing the Chao Phraya River). From there, it is relatively easy to reach the well-indicated ICONSIAM pier and ride the free shuttle boat for a short 5-minute ride.
More Photos of ICONSIAM Bangkok
Insider Tips
- Walk in through the back, not the river. The riverside doors lead you to the luxury floors, which look empty and can make the whole mall feel dead. The everyday shops, food, and energy are towards the rear.
- The free shuttle boat from Sathorn Pier, next to BTS Saphan Taksin, is the nicest way to arrive. It runs every few minutes, and the short ride across the river is half the fun.
- Time your visit around the fountain show on the river plaza in the evening. The water and light display is free, and the riverside steps are the best place to watch it.
- For food on a budget, head to SOOKSIAM on the G floor rather than the upper restaurant floors. You get dishes from across Thailand at far lower prices, in a setting that is worth seeing anyway.
- Do not skip the Takashimaya supermarket on the ground floor at the back. It is the best spot in Bangkok for Japanese groceries, snacks, and fresh items you will not find in a normal mall.
- Weekends and Thai public holidays get very busy. A weekday morning is calmer if you want photos without crowds, and the light through the glass is good earlier in the day.
- If you are a tourist, keep your passport handy. Larger stores and department stores offer VAT refunds on bigger purchases, which you claim at the airport on the way out.
Through the Years
It is easy to forget that ICONSIAM sits on one of the oldest working stretches of the river. Long before the mall, this Klong San side of Thonburi was a port. After the Bowring Treaty opened Siam to foreign trade in 1855, ships that were not allowed further upriver tied up here, and the bank filled with warehouses, ship repair yards, rice and sugar mills, and the homes of foreign traders.
A goods station once stood nearby to move cargo arriving by boat. The district itself is well over a century old, and the wider Thonburi bank was briefly the capital of Siam under King Taksin in the late 1700s.
For most of the last century, though, Thonburi stayed the quiet side. Locals knew it for its markets, its temples, and a slow pace that the Bangkok side had long lost. Wat Arun was the one name visitors recognised.
That changed in November 2018, when ICONSIAM opened after a build reported at around 50 billion baht. The Gold Line, the city’s first monorail, was put in largely to carry people to it, and a wave of riverside condos and hotels followed. The developers kept a nod to the past on site, with a heritage museum that tells the story of the river and the old trade.
Across the water you can still see the old Customs House, now being restored into a luxury hotel, a reminder of the days when this part of the Chao Phraya ran on cargo rather than coffee and shopping.
Where to Stay Near ICONSIAM
Millennium Hilton Bangkok
The Millennium Hilton Bangkok hotel has an enviable location along the riverfront near ICONSIAM shopping centre and BTS station. The large 533-room high-rise hotel offers a range of rooms from twin deluxe size to family and executive suites. More recently, The Millennium Hilton has ramped up its dining options, adding a riverside bar and beer garden and featuring an award-winning chef doing tableside cooking.
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is the best riverside hotel in Bangkok and probably one of the most famed hotels in the world, with its long history of hosting glittering guests, a design that oozes opulence, and a superb location on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Known for its impeccable service, the 331-room Mandarin Oriental offers a range of luxury accommodations from premier rooms to 2-bedroom suites with large river-view terraces.
The Peninsula Bangkok
The Peninsula Bangkok is a luxurious 370-room hotel set on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River. The hotel’s design is a vision of classic elegance with optimal views of the river throughout, especially from its lovely three-tiered swimming pool. Among the luxurious touches to enjoy at The Peninsula are a fabulous 9-course culinary experience at the hotel’s Mei Jiang restaurant, spa treatments, and spacious silk-swathed guest suites.
ICONSIAM Info
Location: Thonburi – Riverside
Address: 299 Charoen Nakhon Rd, Khlong Ton Sai, Khlong San, Bangkok 10600
Closest BTS/MRT Station: BTS Charoen Nakhon: 0 m
Open: 10 am – 10 pm
Open since: 9 November 2018
Size: 750,000 sqm
Floors: 7
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