10 Best Bars to Meet Expats in Jakarta

The expat population in Jakarta has always been limited, both because of government regulations and because of the lack of attractiveness of the city. My guess is that if it wasn't for Indonesian girls, there would probably be close to zero foreigners around.

The upside of this situation is that the expat community is compact and rather friendly. It is easy to meet people as long as you are willing to socialize in the right places.

To help you with that, the following article will give you a list of the best bars in Jakarta to meet other expats.

Note: If you are single, you may want to meet Indonesian girls instead. Check my article Best Dating Websites in Indonesia for that.

Also called EP, Eastern Promise is certainly the most famous expat bar in Jakarta. It has 4 distinct rooms: A small bar, a restaurant (serving Indian and British dishes), a sports café and a beer garden with live music. Weekends are packed with expats of any age, gender and nationality. Based on my observations, it is also a hunting ground for Indonesian cougars.

Eastern Promise is part of the Bugil's group that also owns Frank's (Kemang), De Burse (SCBD), Cazbar (Mega Kuningan), Double Doors (Puri Indah) and De Hooi (Pondok Indah). Each of these bars has a similar concept and I would recommend to try the nearest from your home.

Both of these Irish pubs were created by an Indonesian-Irish couple. They feature live music every day, live sports on every screens, International pub food (including Irish dishes) and various kinds of draught beers (Bintang, Heineken, San Miguel, Kilkenny, Guinness). Their prices are about 10% cheaper compared to the venues of the Bugil's group. I would say the crowd is more Indonesian as well (but I might be wrong).

Murphy's has a ladies night on Thursday with 50% off every cocktails for ladies

Before 10pm, BATS is a great American restaurant with some of the best steaks you can eat in Jakarta. After that, a live band (imported) starts playing Top 40 songs to an enthusiast crowd of expats, businessmen and Indonesian girls (many of whom may be interested by the size of your wallet).

This bar is still new but it is probably one of the best venues in Jakarta to watch sports, thanks to their massive projector screens. It is owned by a group of long-term expats (with also an Indonesian partner) who can often be seen talking with customers or playing pool. Very affordable prices and laid-back atmosphere.

Aphrodite is the first restaurant of the eponymous group (which is also behind Fez, Dungeon, Kinara and Liquid Exchange). It has always been popular thanks to the proximity of the Taman Rasuna towers that provide a never-ending supply of expats. Its restaurant is much-recommended if you are looking for affordable Western food, especially their lunch specials. They also have pool tables, live music and live sports.

Those two restaurants are under different management but they are both within 300 meters of each other in Mega Kuningan. The expats you'll meet there are usually in their 30s or 40s, single, and looking for girls. If that does not match with your profile, you can still enjoy their food: Casual French for Loewy and Spanish for Basque.