Cabbages & Condoms in Bangkok (November 7, 2025)
When Paul Grainger invited me and my family to meet up in Bangkok, Thailand, I was happy to oblige. The only question was where? Given that he moved here from the UK something like 30 years ago (or was it closer to 25?) I thought he should pick the place. What did he choose?
When in Bangkok, why not “go all the way?”
First off, the food was amazing and by far the best appetizers that we’ve had since we’ve been here in Thailand. Turns out the restaurant has been here in Thailand since 1987 (38 years!!!). I don’t know if you know anything about the restaurant industry, but that’s nothing short of astonishing! Unheard of in most major cities like Bangkok.
What Uncle Google Has to Say About C&C’s History
The Cabbages and Condoms restaurant in Bangkok was founded by Mechai Viravaidya as a social enterprise to promote family planning and safe sex. The name comes from his belief that condoms should be as ubiquitous and accessible as cabbages in Thailand. The profits from the restaurant support community development projects, and the unique name and decor are a playful, non-taboo way to raise awareness about sexual health and family planning.
Origin and name
The restaurant was started by Mechai Viravaidya, who is nicknamed "Mr. Condom" for his work promoting family planning in Thailand.
He chose the name "Cabbages and Condoms" because he wanted condoms to be as common and readily available as vegetables, like cabbages, which are found everywhere in Thailand.
Social mission
The restaurant's primary goal is to make a statement about sexual health and family planning in a humorous way.
It was founded to make condoms less taboo and to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic and high population growth rate that Thailand faced.
All profits generated by the restaurant are used to support community development programs initiated by the Population and Community Development Association (PDA).
The funds support projects such as rural education and sustainability initiatives.
Restaurant experience
The restaurant features a unique decor with mannequins dressed in outfits made of condoms, which serves as a conversation starter.
Diners are often given a condom instead of a mint at the end of their meal.
Despite the quirky name and decor, the restaurant is known for its high-quality traditional Thai food.
And yes, at the end of the meal, a basket of free condoms was placed at the center of the table for all to enjoy. I love what this restaurant has done for the community (and continues to do) and like I said the food was beyond amazing — best we’ve had so far and that’s saying a lot since every meal seems to be better than the last. I’ll have to check my recency bias, but I promise you this one topped them all.
Violet taking a selfie with Paul Grainger, Bill & Elena at C&C
Now, here’s the funny part. After we said our goodbyes, we were stuffed. Didn’t need to eat again for a long, long time. We skipped desert and even as I write this at nearly 7pm I’m not planning on having any dinner tonight.
But here’s the thing. We wanted some plane snacks for tomorrow, so we went to the local mall and Elena picked up some of her favorite snack (cashews) and I grabbed some Brazil Nuts and Macadamia nuts. On the way out, we found our first Cinnabon that I’ve seen in more than 4 months. When Elena texted Violet, well, see for yourself:
I just added “Hellyeahiwannacinnabon” to my spellchecker ;-)
Did we need it? Not at all. Did we tear it up on benches directly accross from the kiosk where it was sold to us in under 5 minutes? You bet.
One the way back to our hotel, I also saw this:
Is this how “Prescriptions” are supposed to work? Like receipts?
It seems that Thailand’s “Medical Marijuana” is essentially recreational for anyone who wants it according to this sign anyway. It seems you go in, select what you want to purchase and then “check in” with a doctor as part of our purchase experience and get a prescription as part of the purchase process. This is where Capitalism leads us and for profit healthcare. Wonder where else this will show up in the future?
But I digress. The real point is about Thai Massages.
See, when my family and I get together, we know how to have fun. Every day since we’ve been here in Thailand, we’ve been getting Thai Massages. You read that right — plural massages. And why not? For a one hour massage, it’s $8. I went ahead and did a 90 minute one day for a whopping … wait for it $11. My whole family had an hour massage on the first night and we paid less than $30 including tip. What??
Sign me up. And keep my name pinned to the top of that sign up sheet. We’re going to keep coming back for more. And Thai massages are the BEST. They integrate yoga stretching into massages. I’ve had them in the US and they are just as good there, but usually cost about $150 (or what it would cost me to have about 19 of them here).
Point is, by the time we’re done with this part of our journey, our bodies should be really well healed. Elena and I have been doing our daily Yoga in the morning too, so we’re already pretty limber for those incredible masseuses who do acrobatics and contort our bodies into all these incredible positions to release muscle tension.
So as we leave for Phuket tomorrow, as soon as we settle into our new location, the first thing we’re doing is finding our local Thai Massage place and getting to know the owners. We’re ready to become their best customers this week, just as we’ve become the best customers of the establishment one block from our hotel this week.
Oh yeah, and we’ve continued to see some really, really beautiful temples for those who are interested. Check this out:
One last thing. I was lucky enough to see them feed the koi fish. It was truly a feeding frenzy and a ton of fun to watch.
Feeding frenzy!!!! The koi fish knocking each other over for fish pellets
What was REALLY fun was watching a small child feed the fish. Mom and child were having a ton of fun and I was having so much fun watching the fish jump all around going for all the food in the water. I’ve really enjoyed my stay here. The name of this hotel is Feung Nakorn Balcony. It has everything. It’s close to everything. I’d highly recommend staying here again. Love it.
