This Jakarta nightlife guide was updated in May 2021. I removed many bars and clubs that have closed down because of COVID-19, and I added a few as well.
If you are a first-time visitor, you might also be interested in my Jakarta Travel Guide.
Nightlife Areas
There are so many nightlife areas in Jakarta that it can be confusing even for residents.
Tthe following neighborhoods are the most happening:
→ Mega Kuningan: This area, close to the embassies and the business district, is popular with young expats and businessmen. There are dozens of bars and restaurants that are within walking distance from one another, including famous ones like Basque or Loewy. If it is your first time in Jakarta, it is a good idea to stay nearby, for instance in Oakwood Cosmo.
→ SCBD: This business district is similar to Mega Kuningan, if not even wealthier. There is a trendy nightlife complex called Fairgrounds which is always busy. The current hotspots there are Lucy in the Sky (bohemian chic), Fable Club (popular with teenagers), and Swillhouse (Rn'B). Elsewhere in SCBD, you can also try the Beer Hall (live music), the Beer Garden (cheaper prices), Hard Rock Café, Chao-Chao Rooftop, and Cork & Screw (for Indonesian-Chinese in their 30s).
→ Senopati: Senopati nightlife consists of the bars and nightclubs on Jalan Senopati, Jalan Suryo, and Jalan Gunawarman. It is an affluent residential neighborhood with exclusive venues that cater to the elite, particularly Indonesian-Chinese. The popular venues in Senopati tend to change every 6 months so it's hard to stay up-to-date. Currently, the popular ones are A/A, Holywings, Lola, Zodiac, Sofia, or Kilo Lounge. What you can do also is just drive around and stop where you see many cars parked.
→ Kemang: This mostly low-rise residential area of South Jakarta is popular with foreign residents, especially families. As a result, you have a few expat bars and restaurants, such as Eastern Promise. There are also some cheap nightclubs targeting teenagers (Nu China, Dronk, Second Floor). The Hotel Monopoli is quite trendy as well with its basement club and its rooftop.
→ Thamrin/Menteng: Nightlife is more spread in this area but still interesting. There are fancy bars in the malls (Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indonesia), in the 5-star hotels (Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Kempinski), some nice rooftops as well (SKYE and Cloud), and even some cheap hangout spots like Camden Cikini or Melly's Garden.
=> Thamrin is a strategic location in Jakarta with a large choice of hotels. If you are on a budget, you have some excellent options on Jalan Wahid Hasyim, for instance, Holiday Inn Express
→ Pantai Indah Kapuk: This is the upcoming nightlife destination in Jakarta. I rarely go there because it is far from the center, but it has at least 30 bars, a few nightclubs (including the brand new Holywings), and hundreds of restaurants. The majority of customers are young Indonesian Chinese.
→ Glodok/Kota: This is an older part of Jakarta, less modern, but cheaper and more authentic. It is also considered a red-light district as you have several large complexes for men, such as Malioboro or 1001 Hotel.
Luckily for you, I wrote a detailed article about all these areas: Where to Party in Jakarta: Nightlife + Hotels.
When to Party?
Jakarta nightlife is great all year round, with a pause during Ramadhan.
Nightclubs generally start from midnight to 4AM, with few exceptions. As elsewhere in the world, they are busiest on Friday, Saturday, and, to a lesser extent, Wednesday. After closing, you can still party if you rent a karaoke room. The best ones look like small nightclubs, with laser lights and top-notch sound-system. Some are open 24-hour, for instance 108 Club (for more info: Karaoke in Jakarta).
Weekdays can be quiet, but you can still have fun in places like Loewy, Social House, Skye, Cork & Screw. 5-star hotel bars are also an option (CJs and BATS).
Budget to Party in Jakarta?
Nightlife in Jakarta is expensive as it targets almost exclusively foreigners or rich Indonesians (particularly Indonesian-Chinese).
For a good night out on weekends, I would say that you will easily spend IDR900,000. The best clubs will have an entrance fee of IDR200k-300k, and drinks will cost you IDR75k for a beer or IDR150k for a cocktail.
If that's too much for you, check Cheap Bars in Jakarta. And don't forget bringing a bottle of spirits from the duty-free before flying to Jakarta (alcohol is taxed 200% here).
If you party in groups, it is a good idea to open a bottle in bars/nightclubs. It will get you a free entrance for you and your friends, a table/sofa, and a better service from the staff. In the end, the cost is reasonable, especially when the bill is split between a few persons. If your bottle is not finished, you can ask the bar to keep it until your next visit. In a typical high-end club, you can get a bottle + a sofa for 4 persons if you spend around IDR 2-3M.
Also, taxi bills can pile up quickly, especially if you go from North to South and vice versa. A 15-minute ride costs about IDR50,000. You can save some money by using transportation apps like Grab and Go-Jek though. Uber is no longer operating in Jakarta.
Hotels in Jakarta Near the Nightlife
When readers ask me where to stay near Jakarta nightlife, my answer is always the same: "Find a hotel within 500 meters from Jalan Sudirman".
Booking.com has a list of hotels in the area that you can check here: Hotels Near Jalan Sudirman Jakarta.
My personal recommendations are:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (more than 100$/night)
Shangri-La and Mulia both have busy live music bars
Oakwood Premier Cozmo has a great location in Mega Kuningan and I recommend it if you plan on having dates (you can have them downstairs in Loewy).
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (between 50$ and 100$/night)
Fraser Residence, Fraser Place, and Ascott Kuningan are new, centrally located, and near the nightlife. Near Sarinah, Artotel, Morrissey and Kosenda have their own bars.
⭐⭐⭐ (under 50$/night):
Harris FX (very popular due to the location within a lifestyle mall)
Best Bars in Jakarta
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I already wrote a long article about the best bars in Jakarta so I won't repeat myself here. Instead, I will just summarize it as follow:
Lively Bars to Meet People
→ Boca Rica, Basque, Loewy, Eastern Promise
Cheap Bars
→ Camden, Holywings (several locations), Melly's Garden
Trendy Bars:
→ For young expats: Basque, Léon, Loewy, Bacco, Safehouse, J. Sparrow, Caspar
→ For rich Indonesians: Léon, A/A, Union, Cork and Screw, Pao Pao, Black Pond Tavern, Chao Chao
→ For hipsters: Lucy in the Sky, Lola, Swillhouse, Zodiac, Kilo Lounge
Best Expat Bars and Sports Bars
Eastern Promise, De Hooi, McGettigan's
Best Bars for Live Music
BATS, CJs, Eastern Promise, Hard Rock, Paulaner Brauhaus
Best Rooftops for Chilling
→ Henshin, Cloud, SKYE, Chao Chao
Best Nightclubs in Jakarta
As for the best bars, I also wrote a ranking of my favorite nightclubs in Jakarta: Top Nightclubs in Jakarta. Below is a quick overview:
Nightclubs that are the most popular with foreigners:
Dragonfly, Fable, Blowfish, Boca Rica, Basque
Nightclubs for Younger People and with Cheaper Prices:
Blowfish, Fable, Dronk, Nu China
Upper-Class Nightclubs
Dragonfly, Blowfish
Nightclub with Electro/Techno
Colosseum (on some nights)
Otherwise, go to Zodiac and Kilo Lounge
Nightclub with Hip-Hop
Swillhouse
Nightclubs in the Red-Light District*
→ Upmarket: Colosseum (1001 complex), 108 Club (ex-Illigals), Malioboro, Tease Club (Emporium complex)
*Note that all of these venues mentioned are located within large "one-stop entertainment" complexes that feature a spa and a karaoke. They are de facto brothels with their own prostitutes, sometimes even foreign ones (Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Uzbek, etc.).
Online dating works very well for foreigners who are living in Jakarta. Those who are just traveling for a few days may find it harder as many girls will assume that they are not looking for a long-term relationship.
Some of the dating apps that are commonly used are Bumble, OkCupid, Tinder, Happn, Skout and Badoo. Younger guys between 18 and 35, who live in Indonesia, will get plenty of matches on those.
If you are not living in Indonesia, I suggest to use IndonesianCupid. For some reason, this website is full of girls who want to marry foreigners and who don't mind long-distance relationships. You can use it to make some contacts a few weeks before coming to Jakarta. It's a paying site but the price is reasonable.
If you are planning a trip to Southeast Asia, it is a good idea to use AsianDating instead (the sister company of Indonesian Cupid). The site has thousands of girls from everywhere (mostly Thai, Filipino and Indonesian).
→ SeekingArrangement is a sugar baby website with very pretty open-minded girls but there is one catch: They expect you to give them money or gifts.
→ SeekingArrangement is a sugar baby website with very pretty open-minded girls but there is one catch: They expect you to give them money or gifts.
You can read a more detailed article on this topic here: Best Online Dating Apps in Indonesia and 15 Best Dating Apps in Asia.
Frequently Asked Questions:
These are some of the most common questions I receive from readers:
Do I need an ID to visit a club in Jakarta?
Some clubs may ask for an ID if you look less than 21 years old. Personally, I never carry one and I've only been asked once, in Camden Bar Cikini.
Upmarket nightclubs can be very strict with age requirements. Dragonfly does not allow anyone under 21. If you are under 18, you can try some clubs in Kemang, like Nu China (famous for accepting underage clubbers).
What is the dress code in clubs in Jakarta?
You cannot enter a nightclub in Jakarta with flip-flops and short pants. Make sure you are wearing a shirt, long pants and shoes. Avoid torn jeans, even if they cost 500$ a pair.
Women are often required to wear a dress and high heels. Boca Rica, Dragonfly, Fable, and Blowfish all enforce this rule strictly.
If you have questions, you can ask them in the comment section below or send me an email: thibaud@jakarta100bars.com.