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MBK CenterThe Most Popular Mall in Bangkok
MBK Center was built in 1985 and till recently (before the Siam Paragon and Central World) it was Bangkok's largest shopping mall. You definitely won't get bored there even if you are not a die-hard shopaholic. An enormous (eight-stories-high and 330 meters long) marble shopping mall houses over 2,500 various shops, more than 150 eateries, including numerous restaurants, fast-food outlets, and food courts, a supermarket, Internet cafes, and gaming parlors, an SF Cinema City multiplex, karaoke rooms and bowling alley. MBK is still the most visited mall in the country with an average of over 100,000 daily customers, even though the car park in MBK isn't free (in contrast to similar big malls). A four-story Tokyu Department Store is also situated inside the complex in addition to the 4-star Pathumwan Princess Hotel.
On its eight floors, in the market-style atmosphere and air-conditioned comfort you can find almost anything you can imagine ranging from cheap clothing, perfumes, and cosmetics to pricey furniture, household appliances, and home decorations. From tattoo mastering, computerized graphic design, and painting shops to a staggering number of vendors selling mobile phones and accessories, digital cameras and other electronics, men, women and children's clothes, shoes, bags, leather goods, crafts, silversmiths, dealers of jewelry and gold, optical shops, watches, bookstores, a good selection of copied videos CDs, DVDs, imitations of famous brands... you name it, it is all there and dirt cheap! It gives you a good idea of items and services available, and what a Baht can buy.
Leave a photo in the painting shop and come back a few hours later to pick up your oil paint portrait. Computerized graphics shops will design (or just copy) and print your business cards, invitations, or any other printed matter right away. Tips:
If you are looking for electronic goods such as MINI-DISCs, CDs Walkmen, iPods, Bluetooth Headsets, and similar novelty articles, MBK is the place. Most goods of this nature are smuggled in and do not have VAT and local taxes making MBK by far the cheapest place for such electronic items. It is also the place for anything related to mobile phones and accessories, MP3 music, and PlayStation games.
Mahboonkrong (pronounced mah-boon-krong) is the Thai original name of MBK Center and it's quite readily accessed by taxies. It is conveniently located on the intersection of Rama I and Phaya Thai roads bordering the National Stadium. The BTS Skytrain National Stadium station (Silom Line) is just nearby. BTS Skytrain Bridge is linking up MBK Center and Siam Discovery Center over the intersection of Rama I and Phaya Thai roads. Another air-conditioned pedestrian overpass over Phaya Thai Road to Bonanza Mall is leading to Siam Square.
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