The Best Nightlife In Jakarta! Welcome!

People asked us to create an English version of Crazy Night$ In Jakarta, our French blog where we try to uncover some of Jakarta's hidden nightspots. But the truth is our English sucks, and we don’t have time. So we found a compromise by making short reviews about 100 bars and clubs (170 now actually but we like the name of the blog) in Jakarta : The Jakarta One Hundred. We receive many emails of people asking us where to pick up girls/prostitutes in Jakarta.. It is definitely not our purpose in writing this blog... Yes, we went to a lot of nasty clubs in Jakarta, but curiosity is driving us, not our libido.. That said, we hope you'll enjoy this blog as much as we enjoy doing it! At the end of the blog, we also put wrote some advices for a better understanding of Jakarta's nightlife (click here).

For vocabulary: We call Techno Kota the head-banging music they play in some of Kota's clubs... sounds like spanish makina (hear an example here and my all-time favourite funky house song here - connoisseurs of Kota nightlife should start crying).

Last update: June 2009. Please add comments on the bars and help us keep this blog up-to-date! Thanks in advance.. For any info about nightlife in Jakarta or about living in Jakarta, or if you want to exchange links, don't hesitate to send us an email: jakartateam at gmail.com and we will be happy to write you back!

999 (Triple 9) Club (Kemang Arcade)

One of the latest addition to Kemang's nightlife. I think that since I've been living in Jakarta, the club which is now called Triple 9 has changed names at least three times. Last time it was called Dizzy Lounge... So apart from the changes of names, it is the same as before: a basic, large dancefloor with a lively party atmosphere, a bar in the center, electro music, DJ & VJ, many high school and college students (a lot more guys than girls), and prices not so so high..

One of the best night clubs in Kemang (I also like Nu China). There is a 50,000rp entrance fee (on weekends at least) with free drink included.

1001 Night Club (or Seribu Satu or Thousand and One International executive club) (Hayam Wuruk, next to Stadium)

Classy, huge "one-stop entertainment nightclub", but not so crowded. It's located just next to Stadium, it is the building you can see from the street with a big red lighting. The music is Techno Kota, except in the lounge where they have prostitutes from all over the globe. That’s why they call it an International Executive Club I guess, because we’ve not seen many foreigner there. You have everything you need to party here, as long as you pay: Drugs, sexy girls, spa, karaoke, massage center and maybe more... It is one of the nightclubs depicted in the book "Jakarta Undercover", a famous book about nightlife in Jakarta.

2nd Floor Bar (Kemang)

High school bar, really cheap. Music was Top 40 last time I came. An all-time favourite of Kemang's nightlife.

Absolut Café (Jalan Jaksa)

One of the only bar in Jaksa with air-con. Lots of English teachers and journalists, and also some girls from Jaksa. Free pool table, darts, cheap beer, Premier League Soccer games on screen and always quite crowded by the same group of people. Nice.
More about Jalan Jaksa and nightlife in Jakarta on our french blog: jakartateam.blogspot.com

Alexis Hotel (Ancol, Jl. R. E. Martadinata No. 1 North Jakarta)

The Hotel Alexis is not really an hotel, it’s more like a bordello. You’ve got a good club downstairs, The Play, with house/progressive music and sexy dancers, and a very select lounge/spa on the seventh floor, the Bathhouse, with girls from countries as far as Uzbekistan, Myanmar or Russia coming to entertain the patrons. Entrance fee for the Bathhouse lounge is Rp. 120,000, and no drinks included. Also a karaoke (I forgot the name), very nice, with flat screen TV and audio equipment suitable for outdoor concerts. Goddam expensive though, about Rp 3.5 million for 4 people.

In the club the Play, they have a sort of live show with naked girls pretending to have sex, but you can only see the shadow... quite interesting...
Hotel Alexis has become one of the most famous party place in Jakarta over the past 2-3 years, along with Stadium, Bats, Blowfish and Red Square. Be sure to check the 7th floor...

Comment from Anonymous:

"I've been to 34 countries and never found a place quite like this. You can start the evening with a drink in the main salon upstairs. Here you will find a selection of girls from everywhere. Just tell the madame what you want, and the parade begins. After you select, have a soak in the jacuzzi and/or one of the best damn massages I've ever had. Felt like rubber afterward. Then a trip to the strip club for a few drinks, and finish in a private karaoke room or well-appointed suite. regulars and big spenders will get a private hostess to ensure your comfort and pleasure. Get there early, the lockers fill up fast."

Ali’s Bar (Jalan Jaksa)

Bar of the african community in Jakarta. It is quite cheap, like most places in Jalan Jaksa.

Aphrodite (Club Rasuna, near Pasar Festival, Jl Rasuna Said)

The bar caters to the expats living in Taman Rasuna. Always quite crowded, good food. English Premier League Football games and Fashion TV on one of the dozen plasma screen. Popular hang-out for Indonesian girls as well, the type you would meet in Red Square. You guessed why. Not a place to party on weekends but during the week it's one of the best place to meet people.

Apollo Bar and Lounge (Bellagio Boutique Mall, UG Floor)

The new gay bar in Jakarta. They have live male dancers, usually foreign models. People from both sex are welcomed. The price is rp 80,000 for special events.

Asmoro (Jl Blora)

The most famous dangdut bar in Jakarta and probably the best. Interesting if you want to experience something different in Jakarta. A bit dodgy and not so dangerous, just a few hundred meters from Plaza Indonesia. The clients are mostly middle aged male indonesians, but there are many girls too, though not so sexy, working as prostitutes. It is quite friendly, but people look at you a bit strangely since not many foreigners come here. We had very nice parties here but be sure to be drunk first and to dance!

"The first time you hate it because you don’t understand it. The 3rd, the place is yours and you are the queen of the dancefloor, requesting ‘kucing garong’." SZ

For those who don't know dangdut, I found some on youtube: One of the most famous is Kucing Garong, with its unbelievable stupid video clip.. please enjoy it here. Readers with an ear for music will notice the Red Hot Chili Peppers's Otherside sample, at exactly 2:00.
Another great Dangdut song is SMS Bang, which all of you roisterers should be able to sing perfectly in order to enjoy the messiest nights out, especially in Kota and in dodgy karaokes around Lokasari.
At last, Jablai, though a bit older, is also one of the most popular songs heard in karaoke and dangdut bars in Jakarta and in Indonesia.

Read more and see photos about Asmoro on our other blog (in French) about nightlife in Jakarta : L'Asmoro ou l'initiation à l'univers Dangdut (par SZ)

Athena Executive Club and Bar (Kota Tua, near the canal)

Surrealistic club in Kota Tua, Jakarta's old town, on the border of the canal. Loud Music, very dark and apart from the waiters and the usual working girls, no customers. They probably have a karaoke and a spa, or some sort of massage parlour, because that's the way people party in Kota.

Babyface (CLOSED) (Sarinah)

It’s closed baby, and it’s better this way.

Barcode (Jalan Kemang Raya No.8 3rd Floor )

New "luxury" club in Kemang. Im not really a fan of the night clubs in Kemang. The crowd is too young, the girls still have braces and the music played is the same everywhere. The clubs' lifetime in the area is about 6 month, then they're not hip anymore, then they re-open later with a different name and a promise to be different.
But since bar-hopping is so easy in the city, don't miss an opportunity to experience more of Jakarta's nightlife... after all, it's not that bad, if not the best.

BATS (Hotel Shangri-La)

An all-time favourite of Jakarta's nightlife. Very, very popular bar among expatriates, especially those who are already married. Easy to know why, counting the number of pretty, sexy girls. But the place isn't just about having sex. You can have a lot of fun partying there, because you will easily meet people in a relaxed atmostsphere. BATS has a live band, imported from Quebec the more often and playing Top 40 songs. A bit annoying because it's hard to talk and hard to find a place to seat though, but at least you will be pushed in the crowd and on the dancefloor. The entrance fee is quite expensive, around Rp. 80,000, but they will serve you a very large beer. Good to go on Sunday or Monday because it is one of the few places still crowded. Very tasty steaks at the restaurant.

BB’s (Plaza Menteng, Jl Cokroaminoto)

Popular bar with many young european expats and the alternative crowd. Reggae/blues concerts. Tony Q plays on Friday nights, bringing along a large crowd of fans. Not many girls.


"Laid-back atmosphere, different from the rest of Jakarta's bars". SZ

Bengkel Night Club (Semanggi)

Techno club, good sound system. They have karaoke also. On their website they consider themselves as the biggest nightclub in the world, with 15,000 people capacity. It's not true though having spent some time inside to check the capacity. However, the billiard place is huge for sure. Somebody told me it used to be the place to get striptease in Jakarta. It is probably closed but we need somebody to confirm.

Bedroom (Icon Commercial Building 4th fl Jl Kemang Raya 15) CLOSED

Long time I haven’t been there. Club that looks like all Kemang's club, except they have kind of small beds, very cozy to have a drink and relax. Haunt of the high-school kids. For about 6 months, 3 years ago, it was a very popular bar among expatriates but since that it has been off the radar.. I tought it was a nice club to party because it was quite small, and friendly.

Update March 2009: It closed!

Betawi Café (Jalan Jaksa)

Cafe popular with both expats and Indonesians. On Saturday nights, good live band, rock or reggae. It was used as a setting during the shooting of the sinetron Jalan Jaksa. It's quite cheap and you can eat something there too.

Beverly Hills (Alamat: Kota Tua Jakarta)

It might be a club where they might have strippers and it might be owned by the same guy who owns the Stadium, but we couldn't find the place. Anybody who went there is welcome to comment.

Update June 09: It is another one of Jakarta's strip clubs with many high class prostitutes.

Beyond Lounge (Jl Iskandarsya, in front of Pasaraya Grande)

Lounge/club with house music. We got kicked out for no reasons, just after buying four long islands, because a customer (apparently the manager of Dewa) didn't like us. I'm sure it's good though.

BFC Café (Jalan Jaksa)

Outdoor cafe/bar in Jalan Jaksa, the street where you can find cheap hotels in Jakarta, with live music sometimes. Prices are very reasonable and there is a happy mix of foreigners and indonesians. Nice to drink a beer and talk to backpackers.

Bin's Club (Lokasari Plaza)

Funny karaoke, but it has nothing really special compared to other Karaoke in Lokasari: The same terrible microphone, bad speakers and girls on ecstasy. And it's not really funny, it's just the name... It might be a massage parlour as well, since there are so many floors and so many prostitutes going up and down.

Black Canyon (Dharmawangsa square)

Quite popular salsa nights on Saturday nights. Otherwise, it's a regular bar sitting on a mall. No reasons to go there unless for those special Salsa nights. Doesn’t sell alcohol except beer so if you're too shy to dance, do a warm up before. Girls seem a bit desperate to find dance partners in Jakarta, so it's a good opportunity to meet young, smart and independent indonesian ladies. The same thing applies to Mistere in Ritz-Carlton.

Black Cat Jakarta Jazz Club (Senayan Arcadia)

Classy jazz Bar with very good live performances. The seats are not so comfortable though and it’s a bit too dark. Mixed expat and Indonesian crowd.

Black Pearl Martini Lounge & Bar (CLOSED)

French club, or at least french expat owner. Used to be located in Permata Hijau and is supposed to move to Menara Satrio. The old place was expensive and pretentious.

Blowfish (Wisma Mulia, Gatot Subroto)

One of the most popular club among the Jakarta elite, with Dragonfly and now Immigrant, and a classic of Jakarta's nightlife. Lots of Chinese people, some expats as well, and many beautiful girls with expensive dresses and perfect hair. It's glam until 3am, then everybody is drunk. It seems most people don't really go to Blowfish to have fun, but rather to be seen, a glass of Champagne (mixed with Sprite to make it more sweet) in the hand. The music is good though, usually Rnb and on weekends it's always crowded. The club has foreign DJs regularly, and good ones, making it a very happening night club. Apart from the bar and the club, there is an excellent italian restaurant, Puro.

Blue Print (Twin Plaza Hotel, Jalan S. Parman)

Club located on top of Twin Plaza, near Taman Anggrek. Nice view, nice sofa but a bit old. Doesn't seem to attract many customers apart from the Hotel client and a few working girls. It may have some sort of karaoke or spa or massage place.

Bliss-Loft 25 (Menara Jamsostek, Gatot Subroto) CLOSED

2 rooms, one with hip-hop and Rn’B music, the other one with house music. Very young crowd (16-20) but can be nice sometimes because young kids know how to party. Too many people throwing up though. Nice view on Jakarta by night.

The place is closed now unfortunately... For similar clubs: Most of the places in Kemang = New China, Tipsy, Triple 9 because young people go there, or for RNB, maybe you can try Blowfish.

Bugil's (CLOSED) (Taman Ria Senayan)

Very popular expat bar. Cute waitresses that usually end up marrying a customer if I believe the weekly newsletter that the owner, Bartele, used to send. Live music and good atmosphere... It's a good place to meet new people if you're are new in Jakarta.
It closed down a few months ago unfortunately because the whole Taman Ria Senayan complex is under construction (It caused the Embassy Club to close as well).. So where can you go now to meet expats in Jakarta if you're new? To meet fellow expats living in the city, I would recommend you go to places like Cazbar, Aphrodite in Taman Rasuna, BB's (if you work in NGOs), Bats in Shangri-La Hotel (if you're above 40 and no family), Red Square (if you're below 40 and no family). In all these bars, the crowd is mostly expats, and rather laid-back.

Buddha Bar Jakarta (Jl Teuku Umar 1, Menteng)

Not a big fan... Very predictable.. Very-well marketed though because I'm sure it will be very popular : Sign of modernity for Indonesians, and a taste of back home for expats... In spite of that, I have to admit the location of the bar is really nice, in an ancient colonial building, and that the deco is really perfect. But i would just rather go to Buddha Bar in Paris rather than in Jakarta.

Dress well and take some money with you...

Update June 2009: Buddha Bar Jakarta has been drawing the attention of worldwide media because Buddhists (it seems like there was an invisible hand behind this, but who?) in Jakarta have been protesting over the use of the name "Buddha" next to bar. They won a battle, if not the war, and the management of Buddha Bar Jakarta is now planning to change its name.