Diners flock to water-logged Thai riverside restaurant

Boosted by publicity in the Thai media, the Chaopraya Antique Cafe is now so popular that customers need to make reservations.

A flood-hit riverside restaurant in Thailand has become an unlikely dining hotspot after fun-loving foodies began flocking to its water-logged deck to eat amid the lapping tide.

Now, instead of empty chairs and vacant tables, the Chaopraya Antique Cafe is as full as ever, offering an experience the canny owner calls “hot-pot surfing”.

If you like your food washed down with plenty of water, this is the place for you.

Shortly after the water tops the parapet, the first diners arrive.

Customers of the riverside Chaopraya Antique Cafe enjoy themselves despite the extraordinary high water levels in the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi, near Bangkok, Thailand — Customers of the riverside Chaopraya Antique Cafe enjoy themselves despite the high water levels (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

The waiting staff – some clad in rubber boots – step gingerly through the swirl that quickly rises to more than 50 centimetres (20in).

The restaurant, in Nonthaburi near Bangkok, opened in February in a riverside location that perfectly complements its antique architecture and decor.

But a recent severe tropical storm and heavy monsoon rains combined to raise the river’s water level.

Coming straight after a months-long coronavirus shutdown, it could have spelled disaster.

Instead – boosted by publicity in the Thai media – it is now so popular that customers need to make reservations.

“This is a great atmosphere. During this flood crisis this has become the restaurant’s signature attraction. So I wanted to challenge myself and try out this new experience,” said 24-year-old Siripoj Wai-inta as he munched his food with the water creeping up his shins.

The owner has dubbed the experience “hot-pot surfing”.

When a passenger boat motors past you find out why.

Customers of the riverside Chaopraya Antique Cafe react to a boat’s wake as they enjoy themselves in the extraordinary high water levels in the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi, near Bangkok, Thailand — Customers react to a boat’s wake (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

It is TV presenter Titiporn Jutimanon’s first restaurant venture.

He says he was worried what would happen when the floods came, but added: “It turns out the customers have a great reaction. They are happy. We can see the atmosphere of customers enjoying the experience of eating in the water.

“So a crisis has turned into an opportunity. It encourages us to keep the restaurant open and keep customers happy.”

Best of all, he says, it means he can keep his staff happy by keeping them employed.

So, even amid harsh economic times, the only thing that needs a bailout is the restaurant itself.