Tahitian Queen was doing Pattaya nightlife before most of Pattaya nightlife existed.

Opened on Beach Road in 1978, the legendary TQ is widely regarded as Pattaya’s oldest surviving go-go bar. Nearly half a century later, it still occupies the same unmistakable spot between Soi 12 and 13, watching the city grow up around it.

TQ has always done things a little differently. Rock ’n’ roll and classic rock replace the usual club soundtrack, while decades of expats, bikers, golfers, tourists and Pattaya regulars have given the place the feel of an institution as much as a go-go. It also opens unusually early, making an afternoon drink at the Tahitian Queen a Pattaya tradition in its own right.

There are newer bars, bigger bars and considerably shinier bars. Few can say they were here in 1978.