Blok M - For the Beginner
Difficulty:Easy, but be careful when you leave Jalan Falatehan, most taxis will overcharge you.
Transportation:Walking only
Highlights: Hectic street life on Jalan Falatehan, with a mix of beggars, prostitutes and fake blue bird taxis; Secret backroom in D's, Live band in Top Gun
Don't arrive too late and drink plenty of water beforehand. Start at 8pm, during the week (Wednesday or Thursday), with the bars that are located in the end of the street (Oscar and Maxi). After a few beer in those deserted joints, visit My Bar, Highway to Elle and D's Place, have a pause in Everest and Sportsman, then finish in Top Gun.
Jalan Jaksa - For the Tourist
Difficulty:Easy
Transportation:Walking only
Places to see:Dyna Pub, Domares, Embassy 21st, Melly's Garden, Ocha & Bella, Obama Bar, Pappa Cafe, Ali's Bar, Venus, Cocktail and Friends, Equal Park, Memories
Highlights: Live bands in Equal Park and Memories Café; Cheap beers; Friendly backpackers; Street food; Chatting with Paula, owner of Dyna Pub; Ladyboy spotting on Jalan Wahid Hasyim
The base camp for the Jalan Jaksa trail is actually on Jalan Wahid Hasyim: Dyna Pub, which has been around for ages, is not crowded but it is pittoresque. After that, you can have a quick look at Domares, 20 meters from it, and Embassy 21st (in front of Akhmani hotel). This bars are far from happening, but they are interesting because you will hear live bands playing old Indonesian favourites. On your way to Jalan Jaksa, you will see Melly's Garden on your left, with a nice crowd of young Indonesians, but stopping is optional.
Further east, at the crossing between Jalan Jaksa and Jalan Wahid Hasyim, you may stop in D'Consulate, a lounge popular with arabs. The elegant "Ocha & Bella" in Morrissey Hotel is noteworthy too if you want to meet some higher class Indonesians.
In Jalan Jaksa, most busy places are located around Margot Hotel: 3 bars should be on your to-do list: Equal Park, Memories Cafe, and Cocktail and Friends. If you still have time and/or need a drink, you may go to Ali's Bar, Venus, Obama Bar, and Pappa's Café.
The Jalan Jaksa trip can be undertaken any day of the week.
Kemang - For the below 21
Difficulty:Easy. Many venues have a First Drink Charge (FDC).
Transportation:Walking, but if you take a cab for a few short rides, you can extend to some cool bars.
Places to see:Within the "walking distance perimeter": Eco 365, Monaco, Elbow room, Tipsy, The Green, Attics, Nu China, 999. Optional, with a car: SHY, Beer Garden, Bremer, Eastern Promise, Venue (all of these to begin the evening), SF Club and Barcode (for clubbing, on weekends), Dim Sum Festival (to close the night)
Highlights: The irrespirable atmosphere in smokey Tipsy; Hearing electronic music until you become deaf; Watching the Indonesian youth getting hammered.
You should do this route on weekends since the clubs might be empty on weekdays. There is a vibrant nightlife in Kemang, but one area has such a high concentration of bars and clubs that you may spend a whole night there without taking a cab. You could follow this trail:
Start eating and drinking in Elbow room at approximately 10pm. At 11pm, walk about 200 meters to the right, and go to Eco 365 near Aksara. At this time it should still be quiet and "loungy", so don't hesitate to have at least a couple drinks. Around midnight, move to Tipsy, which should be already packed with students. If you cannot stand the smoke, go to Monaco, then head for Attics, Nu China, and finish in 999. Those venues usually close around 4am.
Senayan: "Hookers and Socialites"
Difficulty:Moderate. Expensive, you will have to pay at least Rp500,000 in entrance fees. Dress appropriately: No T-Shirts or torn jeans.
Transportation:Walking + Car
Places to see:Union, Red Square, X2, Domain, Portico, CJs. Optional: Hyu, Black Cat, Hacienda, KTV Boutique
Highlights: One of the best bar hopping trail in Jakarta because of the diversity of the fauna you will encounter.
Start with a karaoke in Hyu or KTV Boutique (optional), then have a drink in Union, or alternatively Portico. At 11pm, head to Hotel Mulia with a car (5 min ride) and stay in CJs until 1am. Then go to Domain (5min with cab) until 2.30am, then Red Square (walking 10 min or with cab, 3 min) and at last X2 (just in front of Red Square) which closes at 5am. In the same area, if you need more bars to warm up, you may visit Hacienda or Black Cat in Senayan Arcadia.
Sudirman to Hayam Wuruk: "From One World to Another"
Difficulty:Moderate, once in the North, you should be careful with taxis. Girls should dress with skirt and high heels if you plan on going to Immigrant.
Transportation:Mostly by car
Places to be seen:Face Bar, Social House, Paulaner Brauhaus, Hard Rock Café, Immigrant, Malio, Millennium, Stadium
Highlights: Very interesting route as it takes you from some of the hippest bars in Jakarta to some of the worst places the city has to offer.
Start in a classy venue such as Facebar or Social House, perfect to warm up. At 11pm, go to Paulaner Brauhaus or Hard Rock Café to enjoy live music. At 00.30am, Immigrant should start being busy... You can stay an hour or two because clubs in North Jakarta stay open very late. Before 3am though, head to Malio Club (not Malioboro Spa). Warning: This is a place with "sexy dancers" so anyone may not feel comfortable inside. Malio closes at 4am, so after that you should go to Millennium, only 300 meters from there. If you take a cab, try to get a Blue Bird or Ekspress, or pay Rp20,000 without hargometer.
Millennium is interesting because it is one of the largest disco in Jakarta, with an incredibly loud sound system. Inside the club, ask for the room with "western music" (music barat). When you're sick of Millennium, and depending on the time (if it is before 5am), you may still have the chance to visit a few places such as Illigals, Monggo Mas (scary), ML Disco (even scarier). There is also the very funny Mandarin singing hall De Volvo.
Stadium always closes very late (and it doesn't close at all on Sundays), so it is the best place to finish your route.
Lokasari-Glodok-Mangga Besar: "Holy Sh*t! Where Am I?"
Difficulty: Hard. You need to feel confident visiting club with almost no foreigners, full of drugs and prostitutes, sometimes dirty, dark and trashy. You will also need to walk at night in a reputedly unsafe area to go from one place to another and/or to find good taxis.
Transport: Walking + Car
Places to see:Golden Crown, Sydney 2000, Diamond, Sun City, Club 36, Super, Nuansa Permai, Siera, Exotis, Mille's, Mn'B
Highlights: Most venues you will discover are incredible and are highlights of their own.
You can start with a drink in the lounges of Sparks Hotel (Mn'B) or Golden Crown at 9pm on almost any nights. It is North Jakarta so expect some dancers between breaks. At 11pm, move to Sydney 2000 (walking distance from Golden Crown, 5 min taxi ride from Sparks). Sydney 2000 is pretty much hell on earth, and its nickname is the "ectasy factory": It will be so dark and loud that you won't stay more than 10 minutes. Once done, you can walk 5 minutes to Diamond Club, where you have live music again, and plenty of working girls.
More fun, Sun City is worth spending at least an hour, from midnight to 1am. Many foreigners from other Asian countries there, and a fun atmosphere most of the time. Don't stay too long though because you still need to visit 2 very local entertainment venues: Super Club and Nuansa Permai, both on Jalan Labu, to where you can just walk from Sun City. These venues are a bit old-fashioned, but very friendly: Do not hesitate to take the mic and sing some dangdut. When they close, you can stay in Jalan Labu and visit one of Jakarta nightlife's icons: The Club 36. This coyote bar features sexy dancers non-stop all night long until 5am, and it is always lively and crowded.
After such easy fun, you're ready for more hardcore stuff: Head to the crossing between Jalan Mangga Besar and Jalan Hayam Wuruk and ask for a club called "Siera". Locals should know about it (my review about Siera is not online yet). If you are walking, it should not take you more than 10 minutes from Club 36. It is a horrifying disco, with at least 500 persons high on drugs inside. Bring a torchlight because it is impossible to see even your hand. Once you are out of Siera, if you want to see another club just like that, you can take a taxi and go to "Exotis" (less than 5min). If not, then head to Mille's, the best nightclub for afters in Jakarta. Mille's rarely closes, so you're free to party there forever.
Highlights: Most venues you will discover are incredible and are highlights of their own.
You can start with a drink in the lounges of Sparks Hotel (Mn'B) or Golden Crown at 9pm on almost any nights. It is North Jakarta so expect some dancers between breaks. At 11pm, move to Sydney 2000 (walking distance from Golden Crown, 5 min taxi ride from Sparks). Sydney 2000 is pretty much hell on earth, and its nickname is the "ectasy factory": It will be so dark and loud that you won't stay more than 10 minutes. Once done, you can walk 5 minutes to Diamond Club, where you have live music again, and plenty of working girls.
More fun, Sun City is worth spending at least an hour, from midnight to 1am. Many foreigners from other Asian countries there, and a fun atmosphere most of the time. Don't stay too long though because you still need to visit 2 very local entertainment venues: Super Club and Nuansa Permai, both on Jalan Labu, to where you can just walk from Sun City. These venues are a bit old-fashioned, but very friendly: Do not hesitate to take the mic and sing some dangdut. When they close, you can stay in Jalan Labu and visit one of Jakarta nightlife's icons: The Club 36. This coyote bar features sexy dancers non-stop all night long until 5am, and it is always lively and crowded.
After such easy fun, you're ready for more hardcore stuff: Head to the crossing between Jalan Mangga Besar and Jalan Hayam Wuruk and ask for a club called "Siera". Locals should know about it (my review about Siera is not online yet). If you are walking, it should not take you more than 10 minutes from Club 36. It is a horrifying disco, with at least 500 persons high on drugs inside. Bring a torchlight because it is impossible to see even your hand. Once you are out of Siera, if you want to see another club just like that, you can take a taxi and go to "Exotis" (less than 5min). If not, then head to Mille's, the best nightclub for afters in Jakarta. Mille's rarely closes, so you're free to party there forever.
Pen-J: The Blok M of North Jakarta
Difficulty: Medium (Hard to find, very local, mostly bad taxis)
Transport: Walking only
Places to see:Sari Ayu, DV, LA bar, Astro, Royal, M Karaoke, MTR Club
Highlights: For those who wish to experience Indonesian-style male entertainment.
I must say I went to Pen-J only to take pictures from outside the bars, so it still needs to be explored. From what I could understand, many of these venues have live music or club music with working girls, and some rooms upstairs. Once you find the street with all the bars, it is extremely easy to go from one place to the other by foot. Here are some photos I took in July 2011:
Highlights: For those who wish to experience Indonesian-style male entertainment.
I must say I went to Pen-J only to take pictures from outside the bars, so it still needs to be explored. From what I could understand, many of these venues have live music or club music with working girls, and some rooms upstairs. Once you find the street with all the bars, it is extremely easy to go from one place to the other by foot. Here are some photos I took in July 2011:
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| Astro Massage and Bar |
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| MTR Disco |
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| L.A. Bar |
Mega Kuningan: Meet some fellow expatriates
Difficulty: Easy
Transport: Mostly by car with some walking if you know your way around
Places to see:Sports Café, Tempus (ex-Mistere), Loewy, Cazbar, Poste, Blu Martini, Apollo (Gay)
Highlight:Avoid the traffic.
Mega Kuningan is a bit like an island isolated from the continent: Because of the crazy traffic on Jalan Gatot Subroto and Jalan Casablanca, it is almost impossible to get out of it (or into it) at peak hours. So if you're stuck there, the good thing is that you'll find a decent number of drinking options. It never gets crazy though, but it is always friendly and perfect to meet other expatriates.
I would start the evening with Sports Café, with its fun crowd of regular patrons, for a couple of beers at 6pm. Then visit Cazbar at 8pm because they will often have events, and if not you can always play pool. Not later than 10pm, go to Poste (optional) or Blu Martini (optional) only if you are curious. If you want to meet other people, then head for Loewy, make friends there, and take the whole group to Tempus (Ritz-Carlton) to enjoy the live band. There is also a fantastic karaoke in Ritz-Carlton. At last, when the whole troop is intoxicated, head to Apollo, the most popular gay club in Jakarta. When you're done, there shouldn't be much traffic, allowing you to go home fast.
Little Tokyo: The Japanese Karaoke Experience
Difficulty: Easy, once you've found Jalan Melawai VII, near Blok M, South Jakarta
Transport: Walking only
Places to see: Tokishirazu, Flamingo, Geisha, Jawa-Jawa, Himeragi, U-Zou, Cantik Jakarta, Chameleon, Club J, Don Sancho, Genji, Gokurakucho, Junko, M21 International Club, Maimu, Matsuri, Mitsubachi, Q-RI, Studio 21, USA-G1, Yujiro, ZII (all the Japanese karaoke in Jakarta available here)
Transport: Walking only
Places to see: Tokishirazu, Flamingo, Geisha, Jawa-Jawa, Himeragi, U-Zou, Cantik Jakarta, Chameleon, Club J, Don Sancho, Genji, Gokurakucho, Junko, M21 International Club, Maimu, Matsuri, Mitsubachi, Q-RI, Studio 21, USA-G1, Yujiro, ZII (all the Japanese karaoke in Jakarta available here)
Highlights:More than the karaoke, the atmosphere of the street is very amusing with all the Japanese signs and customers. You should also try the Japanese restaurants of the area such as Aji Hara, among the best in Jakarta.
The problem with Little Tokyo is that if you are not interested in karaoke, you will get very bored since there isn't a pub or a lounge. If you do like karaoke, you can probably do a 24-hour karaoke marathon in Jalan Melawai, changing venues every hour.
Grogol/Daan Mogot: The unchartered Territory
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| Indo girls in Japanese costume in Blok M |
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| Having fun in Little Tokyo |
When I came back home from the airport the other day, my taxi drove to a street with at least 10 bars and clubs next to each others... I was in a hurry so I couldn't stop, but the driver told me it was Daan Mogot, in Grogol. It is a bit far so I didn't have time to visit yet, but when I have time I will make a report for Jakarta100bars.com.