Hēi Jīi เฮยจี

Hēi Jīi, Chinese for black chicken, is a shophouse cafe at 415 Charoen Krung Road at the mouth of Soi 43, opposite TCDC in the old General Post Office, right where Si Phraya meets Talat Noi. Time Out's 2018 opening review gave it four stars and called it the hippest new cafe on the road. There is no espresso machine; every coffee is brewed by hand on an Aeropress. Sixteen-hour cold brew is 105 baht black or 115 with milk, a special Brazilian blend 125, freshly brewed iced tea by the pot 125, Thai milk tea 85 and Hong Kong papaya milk 85. The one food item worth noting is a financier with kumquat sauce from trees grown on site. The owner chose this soi because his parents met on Soi Charoen Krung 43; the room mixes retro-Chinese furniture with industrial finishes. The Standard listed Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00, closed Mondays in 2021, while Google now shows Tuesday as the closing day, so check the page first. Google rates it 4.5 from more than 400 reviews. Five minutes from Si Phraya express-boat pier, fifteen from MRT Hua Lamphong, and a sensible start to a Talat Noi cafe walk.