Jakarta Nightlife: Best Bars and Clubs (Updated 2023)

COVID-19 is (hopefully) behind us and Jakarta nightlife is as vibrant as ever. Dozens of exciting new clubs and bars have opened this year, including H SCBD, the largest nightclub in Asia.

I wrote this article to give you a concise overview of Jakarta nightlife. I'll answer all the questions you may have about the best areas for partying, the most recommended hotels, the best venues, as well as plenty of tips to help you have a great time. If you still have some questions, don't hesitate to leave me a comment below.

Want to know more about Jakarta nightlife? Read Jakarta's Best Bars and Jakarta's Best Nightclubs. 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.

The following neighborhoods are the most happening:

→ Mega Kuningan: This area, close to the embassies and the business district, is popular with young expatriates and businessmen. There are dozens of bars and restaurants that are within walking distance from one another. If it is your first time in Jakarta, it is a good idea to stay nearby, for instance in Oakwood Cosmo. You could, for instance, start your night out in Loewy then move to Basque by foot.

→ SCBD: This business district is similar to Mega Kuningan, but the crowd is more Indonesian. There is a trendy nightlife complex called Fairgrounds which is always busy. The current hotspots there are Lucy in the Sky (bohemian chic), Swillhouse (Rn'B), Bengkel (large events), and Zoo. Elsewhere in SCBD, you can also try the Beer Hall (live music), the Beer Garden (cheaper prices), Hard Rock Café, Chao-Chao Rooftop, Embassy Club, and Cork & Screw (for Indonesian-Chinese in their 30s).

The H Club, that I mentioned above, is also in SCBD. With a capacity to host 2,000 clubbers, it is now the main nightclub in Jakarta. They have an exciting schedule with regular top international DJs and live bands. More info on their Instagram: @h.scbd.

H Club in SCBD

→ 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 ones that are the busiest are Hush (young, trendy vibe), Zodiac (alternative music), Valhalla (mainstream music club), Brotherhood (beer, grill, live music), Ms Jackson (live music) among others. What you can also do is just drive or walk around and stop wherever you see that many cars are 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, the most famous of its kind in Jakarta. There are also some cheap nightclubs targeting teenagers (Nu China, Brexit, Second Floor). The Hotel Monopoli is quite trendy as well with its basement club and its rooftop. Other venues you can try: FOS (techno), Ding Dong Disko (alternative) or Tiger Club (live music and DJs).

Near Kemang, Blok M is a growing nightlife area as well. You can visit the M Blok M complex that has several restaurants, cafés and bars. Walking distance, Little Tokyo is a fun area with many Japanese eateries, some KTVs, and the underground bar Nebula.

→ 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 Tiger Club and Phoenix), and hundreds of restaurants. The majority of customers are young Indonesian Chinese.

→ Glodok/Kota/Hayam Wuruk: 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, Classic, Emporium, 108 or 1001 Hotel (home to Colosseum club). 

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 Ramadan.

Nightclubs generally start from midnight to 3AM, with few exceptions. As elsewhere in the world, they are busiest on Friday, Saturday, and, to a lesser extent, on 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-systems. 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 IDR 900,000. The best clubs will have an entrance fee of IDR 200k-300k, and drinks will cost you IDR 75k for a beer or IDR 150k for a cocktail. Don't forget that you usually have to add between 15% and 21% of tax and service charge to your final bill.

If that's too expensive for you, check Cheap Bars in Jakarta. And don't forget to bring 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 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 3-5M (that's about 2 bottles of liquor with the mixers).

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)

Kempinski or Mandarin Oriental.

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)

Stanley Wahid Hasym

Holiday Inn Express Wahid Hasyim

Best Bars in Jakarta

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, Melly's Garden

Trendy Bars:

→ For young expats: Basque, Léon Goldstein, Loewy, Caspar, Zodiac

→ For rich Indonesians: Léon Goldstein, Cork & Screw, Phoenix PIK

→ For young people: Lucy in the Sky, Hush, Nebula

→ For good cocktails: Pantja, The Cocktail Club, St Regis Bar

Best Expat Bars and Sports Bars

Eastern Promise, De Hooi, Cazbar, De Hooi, Loewy

Read: Best Bars for Meeting Expats in Jakarta and Best Sports Bars in Jakarta

Best Bars for Live Music

→ Western music: BATS, CJs, Eastern Promise, Hard Rock, Paulaner Brauhaus

→ Popular with young Indos: Duck Down Bar (rock/pop), Ms Jackson, Tiger Club

→ Jazz: Motion Blue

Best Rooftops for Chilling

→ Henshin, Cloud, SKYE, Chao Chao, Café Cali

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:

Note: If you are young, trendy and looking for the hottest spots to party, you can follow the Instagram account Jakarta Uncensored. 

Nightclubs that are the most popular with foreigners:

Dragonfly, Boca Rica, Basque, H Club, Caspar

Read: Nightclubs to meet girls in Jakarta

Nightclubs for younger people and with cheaper prices:

Brexit, Nu China, Tipsy Monkey

Nightclub with techno:

Apart from FOS, I don't think there is another nightclub dedicated to techno music in Jakarta. That said, there are techno events every week in venues like Zodiac, Hush, Nebula, or Colosseum. You can follow the Instagram page @technopartyjkt for more information.

Nightclub with Hip-Hop

Swillhouse

Nightclubs in the Red-Light District*

→ Upmarket: Colosseum (1001 complex), 108 Club (ex-Illigals), Malioboro, Tease Club (Emporium complex)

→ Mid-range: Classic (also a hotel), King Cross, Sumo, Travel, B'Fashion (also a hotel)

*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 in Jakarta

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. Hinge is growing in popularity too. Younger guys between 18 and 40, who live in Indonesia, will get plenty of matches on those.

Another website, more controversial, is extremely popular in Indonesia. Seeking.com specializes in sugar dating, meaning the girls using it expect to meet older guys who will take care of them financially.

If you are not living in Indonesia, I suggest using 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.

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. A photo of your passport should be enough.

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, Venue or Brexit (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.

Is it allowed to smoke inside nightclubs in Jakarta?

Unfortunately, yes

Are any drugs allowed in Indonesia?

It is still illegal and severely punished to consume drugs in Indonesia. In spite of this, they are not that uncommon among clubbers. It is just that they are not so easy to get and they are very expensive.

If you have questions, you can ask them in the comment section below or send me an email: thibaud@jakarta100bars.com.

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