Okura Cruise in Bangkok: Among the Best Dinner Cruises on Chao Phraya River

Before the Cruise

You can find all necessary details about the cruise on the official website. There are three menu choices: kaiseki, beef teppanyaki and seafood teppanyaki. Teppanyaki is more expensive and is served a separate area. We picked the seafood teppanyaki menu as we already tried kaiseki and premium wagyu teppanyaki in Japan a few times.

Though we booked only about a week in advance, there were still seats available. That said, the cruise is still relatively new and July isn’t peak travel season in Bangkok. If you know your desired dates, book early to secure your spots.

The Okura Cruise departs from Asiatique Pier. Asiatique The Riverfront is a lively open-air lifestyle complex located along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. It has elements of a night market, riverside promenade, dining district, and entertainment hub. With a mix of lively corners and quieter pockets, we thought it was quite a fun place to explore.

Since traffic in Bangkok can be heavy during rush hour, we made sure to leave plenty of time. We booked a Grab car around 5 pm from our hotel, the Intercontinental Bangkok. The app estimated a 40-minute ride, but in reality, we arrived at Asiatique just before 6 pm.

As it was our first time at Asiatique, we wandered around before stopping at Make Me Mango for a quick mango sticky rice treat, knowing that dinner likely wouldn’t be served until around 7:30 pm. Afterward, we made our way toward the pier to find the Okura Reception Lounge. This turned out to be more time-consuming than expected. The signage was small and very easy to miss, and we ended up having to ask staff from other restaurants for directions.

So once you get to the pier, walk all the way to the left end. You should see The Siam Tea Room and next to it is the Okura Lounge. If the sign had been easier to spot, we could have been able to enjoy the sunset from the pier with a more relaxed manner. This small inconvenience aside, the staff at the lounge were polite and welcoming.

The lounge is styled in Japanese decor but is small, enclosed, and a bit stuffy with no outside view. Complimentary tea, coffee, and water were available, along with paid drink options. There are no restrooms in the lounge and guests must use public facilities in the Asiatique complex. There will be clean and spacious restrooms on the boat though.

We relaxed at the lounge for about 10 minutes and around 7 pm, staff escorted us to the boat. I do think they could have let guests out to the dock earlier, especially since it was such a beautiful time of the day, and the waiting lounge didn’t offer much to do.

Onboard Experience

The boat was not visible from the main area of the pier (blocked by greenery), so we hadn’t seen it until boarding. As we approached, we were immediately struck by how stunning it was. The vessel was far more beautiful than we had anticipated from the online photos. It looked obviously very new with a sleek design exuding modern Japanese elegance.

The warm-toned wood, clean minimalistic lines, and ambient lighting signaled a luxury experience right from the boarding point at Asiatique Pier. The large glass windows and open-air decks promised indoor comfort with expansive river views. Bathed in the soft light from the final sunset moment, it looked even more beautiful.

Getting on the boat, we had a quick glance of the kaiseki room before being escorted to the teppanyaki room. All indoor rooms are air-conditioned. The kaiseki room is more spacious with large glass windows on all sides. The teppanyaki room is considerably smaller but also has full glass windows. There are two teppan stations, each serving eight guests. On our cruise, the teppanyaki section was fully booked, while the kaiseki side still had some open tables. More than half of the teppanyaki guests were Japanese.

As a premium hotel brand from Japan with an on-site Japanese restaurant included in the Bangkok Michelin Guide, we expected the food to be delicious and it didn’t disappoint. Our seafood teppanyaki dinner began with several small appetizers and progressed through perfectly grilled lobster, scallop, snow crab claws, and kinmedai (golden eye snapper). Each item was cooked to showcase its natural sweetness and texture.

The huge lobster tail in particular was plump, juicy, and perfectly seared. The seafood overall was fresh and flavorful, complemented by thoughtful plating and clean seasoning. The only minor critique is that some items were not as hot as we would have liked when served. We suspect this was because the teppan chef had to prepare and plate dishes for all eight guests at once. Given the varying cooking times of different ingredients, some items were ready slightly earlier and sat briefly before being served.

Service throughout the meal was very attentive — comparable to what we have experienced at nice restaurants in Japan. The staff was observant, polite, and made sure everyone was comfortable and well looked after.

While we were having the small dishes, the chef already started with the teppan ingredients. Just as the lobster was served, the staff kindly informed all guests that Wat Arun was approaching and it would look more beautiful from the upper deck. We took one bite of the lobster tail, and though we were delighted by its sweetness and juiciness, we decided to pause dinner and rushed to the deck.

On the breezy deck, we were greeted with a breathtaking view of Wat Arun. It is our most favorite temple in Bangkok and at night it’s absolutely magnificent — golden and glowing with intricate details. The music on the deck at that moment was quite soothing, making it more atmospheric and mesmerizing.

The crew slowed down the boat so guests could admire the scenery with the best experience. Several guests also came on the deck but as it was very spacious, people just scattered to different spots so we still felt a great sense of calm and privacy. The bar staff offered to take photos for us and it turned out beautiful as they already prepared a small photography light. Every second we spent on the deck taking in the sight of Wat Arun felt amazing.

After viewing Wat Arun, we returned to finish our lobsters and scallops. The teppan chef was in the middle of preparing the next plate: grilled kinmedai and snow crab claws. These were also nicely done, though not as impressive as the lobster tails.

The boat had turned around while we were eating and by the time we finished the fried rice, we were approaching Wat Arun for the second time. Once again, we headed to the upper deck for the view. This time, the temple felt closer, allowing us to appreciate the intricate architectural details of its towers more clearly. The amazing view, elegant atmosphere, very good food and service made the Okura Cruise worth every penny to us.

After viewing Wat Arun for the second time, we returned to the dining room for dessert. All other guests chose matcha ice cream with red bean while we chose fresh fruits with honey jelly. Both the ice cream and fruits portions were very generous.

Now that dinner was finished, we spent the remaining time on the deck. ICONSIAM is another major lit up landmark during the cruise and we thought it was also beautiful. This huge shopping mall sparkles at night with its modern facade. After ICONSIAM, the boat soon reached Asiatique Pier at around 9:45 pm. The ferris wheel and lively pier were a picture-perfect ending point for this amazing cruise.

Conclusion

Overall, the Okura Cruise provided a relaxing, refined, and elegant experience with great food and attentive service – exactly what we were looking for. The ambiance feels romantic, upscale yet comfortable for all types of travelers, from couples, solo travelers, families to small groups as well. There’s no loud music or entertainment. We think it is perfect for memorable date nights, honeymoons, celebrations, or private events.

We initially debated between the kaiseki and teppanyaki options as teppanyaki is 25% more expensive. After taking the cruise, we thought choosing teppanyaki was a good decision. Along the cruise routes, there are actually not many landmarks or brightly lit structures beyond a few highlights like Wat Arun and ICONSIAM. Therefore, the live teppan cooking added an interactive element to fill in the quieter moments of the journey.

Check-in at the reception lounge begins at 6:30 pm, with boarding starting at 7:00 pm and the boat setting sail around 7:15 pm. It is not necessary to arrive at the lounge exactly at 6:30. I recommend spending a bit of time by the pier beforehand to enjoy the sunset. As long as you check in before 7:00 pm, you will still be able to board comfortably.

I believe the Okura Cruise is one of the best dinner cruises on Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. If it is a little over your budget, you can consider the Saffron Cruise or Manohra Cruise (Manohra boat is open-air and not air-conditioned though). I put together this Bangkok dinner cruise guide to compare these cruise options in more details.