Potato Head Café (Pacific Place Mall) - CLOSED
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The Jakarta Team
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Updated 2019: Potato Head has closed and it is replaced with Robot & Co. Located in Pacific Place Mall, Potato Head is one of the hippest cafes you'll find in Jakarta. It has tables and sofas outside, a challenge for Jakarta considering the pollution/humidity and warmth, but surprisingly, it is actually nice to hang outside for once. Of course, if staying away from airconditioning scares you, there are also tables inside and that would even give you a reason to check the cool vintage industrial design of the place. Good reputation for food but extremely expensive: I had the Wagyu Beef Burger, which was ok but I paid over Rp150,000 for it plus the drink. To be honest, I don't really see what all the fuss is about this restaurant. I enjoy the creative interior and the average ++ food, but it's not the best restaurant in Jakarta by far. Just come get a drink after shopping in Pacific Place maybe, and then move somewhere else for eating. It is very close from Bursa
Revolution Vodka Party Bar was developed by some of the people who launched Red Square in Senayan Arcadia a few years ago. It is located in Lotte Avenue Mall, next to their sister Mexican restaurant Gonzo's Tex Mex Grill . For those who don't remember, Red Square was one of Jakarta's best bars/nightclubs for expats. It was wild, packed with hot girls with usually good DJs playing a mix of commercial and underground music. I personally had a lot of fun there and I was sad when it closed.
Edelweiss Hotel and Spa is a massage parlour / lounge opened just after the ramadan 2015. It is located in the commercial area Grand Galaxy City in Bekasi. It has become very popular since the beginning, probably because it is one of the few similar venues in Bekasi. Edelweiss is indeed a brothel with full sex available for Rp350,000 (or a regular happy ending massage for Rp190,000). For all of 2015, they are running a special discount: Rp150,000 for 60 minutes massage plus plus. The rooms are clean with air-conditioning and a shower. In the lounge, they occasionally have events such as sexy dancer shows.
Bau Haus 1933 is a restaurant / bar / club located in the East Building in Mega Kuningan. It is down in the basement so it is a bit hard to find if you don't ask for help from the security. It was opened by some of the people behind Lucy in the Sky in SCBD. I would define it as a trendy hipster place: The decor is made of vintage, recycled or cheap objects, assembled in a creative way. The place has an artsy feel, with references to literature (quotations in the menu), to painting (you have a large Van Gogh self-portrait on the wall) or to arts in general (the name Bau Haus is a School of Design from Germany). In spite of this laid-back, kind-of-messy approach, Bau Haus is definitely targeting the upper market crowd. Inside you will meet all the cool people in Jakarta, especially those who are now avoiding the larger bars and clubs. You will be welcomed by a chic team of PRs and waiters, and the prices are those you are charged in Union or Loewy .
Yeyo Lobby & Eatery is a trendy restaurant in Senopati, located just above Colette & Lola. During the day, it is a bit sleepy and not so happening. On the weekend nights, it turns into a great place to have a drink and to dance as well. They often have good DJs and the restaurant quickly becomes a dance floor around 11pm. Overall: Yeyo is one of my favorite places in this area. Good crowd and good music on weekends. It is not the best for eating though. There used to be a terrace on the second floor, but it closed unfortunaly, making Yeyo quite smokey when there is a party. I hope they open it again...
The Momo is a modern Japanese restaurant located on Jalan Senopati, just next to Three Buns 's burger joint. I only had a drink there, a fresh orange juice that didn't taste very good. The menu was interesting and if you are a fan of modern Japanese fusion cuisine, you should probably try The Momo. It also has a neat design, unsual for a Japanese restaurant, excellent staff (among which beautiful waitresses) and good music. Read more on this blog: The Best Japanese Restaurants in Jakarta
Townhouse is located on Jalan Oberoi, between Seminyak Square and Kudeta. It is the trendy spot in Seminyak in the beginning of 2014, especially among Bali expats and regulars. It is a single multi-storey building with a restaurant (Canvas), lounge, bar, club and gallery. The kitchen is headed by an Italian chef, Adriano Ricco. The place is owned by Mark Baker , who has opened night clubs in New York especially. He has modeled the club in Townhouse to resemble the Double Seven club in New York. There are weekly events with foreign DJs or bands that I invite you to check on their facebook page Townhouse Bali or their twitter Townhouse Seminyak / Townhouse . Recommended for a night out in Seminyak. Happy crowd, good music and drinks, and beautiful girls.
Update December 2016: Potato Head Garage has been closed and replaced with The Pallas, an event space managed by the All In Group (owner of nearby Fable). Potato Head Garage is the new branch of Potato Head, opened where the huge one-stop entertainment complex called Bengkel used to stand (Bengkel means Garage by the way). This area has now some of the most popular bars and nightclubs in Jakarta, including Lucy In The Sky and Fable . Probably the hippest location for nightlife in Jakarta as of today (June 2013). (Updated 2016: And still today)
MooVina was opened by the same team (Svarna Group) behind Ocha & Bella , the popular Italian restaurant on Jalan Wahid Hasyim. The concept of MooVina is similar with long wooden tables and a lot of plants and flowers surrounding the restaurant. There is also a special attention to design with a few surprising items, and most important of all, good food prepared by an imported chef from France. MooVina is not a copy of Ocha & Bella though. It is inspired by a romantic idea of France for the atmosphere, and the food combines French favourites with Vietnamese grill specialties. It opened at the beginning of October 2012 and I'm sure it will be quite popular during the next few months. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts about MooVina on this blog after you've experienced it. MooVina Restaurant & Bar Plaza Indonesia 3rd Floor #119 and 4th Floor #06 Jalan M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30 Jakarta, Indonesia 10350
Privé is the nightclub replacing Indochine . It is a mid-to-upper class venue, popular mostly with Indonesian but you'll always find a few foreigners there. The new management has been rather successful compared to the previous one, and the club has a good image and decent crowd on weekend. Expect mostly commercial music unfortunately. Also comes with 2 restaurants, Mezza9 and Privé Kitchen Cosmopolitan. Operational Hours :
Mezza9 : Everyday 11am – 11pm.
Prive Club : From Wednesday to Saturday (9pm to 3am, 4 am on weekends).
Update May 2014: The Jakarta City Administration has closed down Stadium following the death by overdose of a policeman who partied there. Best disco in Jakarta for me, Stadium can be extremely crowded on week-ends and for special events . It has four flours, each supposedly with different themes but tribal techno/progressive is dominant. Stadium is big enough to get you lost and so dark you could not recognize your mom if she was dancing 1 meter away from you.
Update October 2011: CLOSED Guitar String (or G-String) is a girlie/live music bar on Jalan Falatehan (Blok M). I find it one of the nicest joints on the street, even though it isn't so crowded. They have live music everyday, with a mix of Top 40, classic rock and Indonesian pop songs. If the customers feel like it, they can make a song request and take the mic. Cheap (Rp30,000++ for draught beer), laid-back, and the waitresses are really friendly. I have a video of the live band on Guitar String on Youtube:
Babyface closed a year ago... Its zenith was on the day of its opening as they had organized a huge party with indonesian celebrities, fashion models and TV cameras... but it never took off after that..
Very popular bar with many young european expats (those working for embassies and NGOs) and the alternative crowd. Reggae/blues concerts. Tony Q plays on Friday nights, bringing along a large crowd of fans. Not many girls and no working girls at all. A definite favourite of the nightlife in Jakarta. Update August 2010: BBs is closed ... It is supposed to re-open in Kemang but I have no information about that.. If you know another reggae bar in Jakarta, email me so I can update the blog.