Stadium (Jalan Hayam Wuruk) CLOSED
By
The Jakarta Team
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Update May 2014: The Jakarta City Administration has closed down Stadium following the death by overdose of a policeman who partied there. Jakarta's mythical nightclub, Stadium can be extremely crowded on weekends and for special events. It has four floors, 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 2019: Hooters Kemang has closed down. According to the Hooters girls I know, they are currently preparing to open again in Bali and in Pantai Indah Kapuk in 2020. When I first heard that Hooters was coming to Jakarta, my first thought was that it would make a perfect target for the FPI or any other religious groups. I was skeptical that it would actually open, and if it did, I remember saying to friends that I would not feel safe visiting it. It turns out I was wrong. The first Hooters in Indonesia official opened in Jakarta last Friday (March 24th), and I went there yesterday (March 28th). For those who don't know, Hooters is a cultural icon in America. It is a chain of sports' bars/restaurants where all the waitresses are pretty girls in sexy outfits. They tend to flirt a bit with customers as a way to encourage repeat visits. The exact location is in Kemang, just in front of Eastern Promise. The entrance is rather discreet, especiall
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
Update 30 October 2017: Alexis was shut down by the new Governor of Jakarta. Contact details: Alexis Hotel, Play bar, Bathhouse Spa, XiS Karaoke Ancol, Jl. R. E. Martadinata No. 1 Jakarta Utara 14430 Phone: +62 21 6983 3333 Fax: +62 21 6983 1111 Email: admin@alexisjakarta.com
UPDATE 2019: Blok M is now a dead zone. No more nightlife there.
Jimmy's is the bar/nightclub that replaces Vertical Six in Marriott Hotel in Surabaya. It is more of a live music venue, similar with Colors Pub. I've never seen it completely packed but still, it is one of the most happening bars in town. You can expect to have between 50 and 100 pax every night, a mix of local residents, travelers and expats.
Update 2018: Hide & Seek is now called The Swillhouse and it's a club specializing in Hip Hop/Rn'B. Hide & Seek is a restaurant and bar located next to Lucy in the Sky, Fable and Potato Head Garage in SCBD area. It is a small, discreet venue with an industrial theme. I think they got their inspiration from the Nautilus submarine in Jules Verne's novel. I never tried the food there, but I went quite a few times for parties on Friday and Saturday nights. It's not too crowded so it's perfect for having a few drinks before moving elsewhere in SCBD. Occasionally they have good DJs as well. Beware that most clients are quite young, in their early 20s.
Update: Red Square in Senayan Arcadia is currently CLOSED.
Jakarta nightlife still surprises me... The latest unexpected find was Siera which I had heard of before but never had the chance to visit... People also call it Pujasera, but I was unable to understand which name was the proper one... Siera is located on Jalan Mangga Besar, about 1 kilometer East of Jalan Hayam Wuruk. It is not too difficult to find but you should be attentive not to miss it. It looks like a Roman temple, with colorful lighting. You have to pay about Rp20,000 to get in, and for this price, you will get a small bottle of water. Inside is really crowded, until morning. The club is like a long corridor, maybe 100 meters deep, with at least 500 people, maybe 1000. If you were on the dancefloor at the end of the corridor and suddenly there was a fire, you'll have no chance to escape. It is very likely that 90% of the customers have taken drugs, and I would imagine that many girls in this place are working. As the price and facilities are quite cheap, it a
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 who are obviously working as lady companions. It is quite friendly, but people look at you a bit strangely since not many foreigners come here. For those who don't know dangdut, you can check on YouTube some songs like Kucing Garong, SMS Bang, or Jablai.
Domain is a trendy club by the creators of Cork&Screw, Portico and Loewy. As with the previous places, it is a chic venue, with cool design, expensive drinks and a lot of upper class customers. It is not too pretentious though and it feels like people are in Domain to party only, not to show off. If you are single and around 30, I would say it is among the best nightclubs in Jakarta for both guys and girls.
Update October 2011: Double Six is now CLOSED. Double Six Club, located in Seminyak, is one of the landmarks of Bali nightlife. Huge nightclub with electronic music with an indoor area and an outdoor area, around a swimming pool (and with the possibility to do bungee jumping). It is a real clubbing venue, with usually a good DJ playing non-commercial tunes. The crowd is made of a mix of expats and less tourists than Kuta, plus dozens of Indonesia girls, most of them half hookers. Drugs are often proposed inside and outside the disco but it's really dangerous to try in Bali so I strongly advise against it. Double Six is extremely uneven, with some absolutely extraordinary cool parties on some evenings and some very dull. The problem I think is that it is very big so unless there are over 200/300 clubbers, which is not so easy to have, it feels empty. The other thing with Double Six is that it doesn't get full until really late, 3 AM at least, sometimes 4 or 5, so you c
Update: Embassy is now closed. Very good club, with house/techno music and international DJs coming at least once a month. Expensive. 3 floors: Balcony is the club upstairs (semi-private) and Wonderbar is the club downstairs. Located in Taman Ria Senayan, South Jakarta.
This place is now closed. Exotis Club Jakarta Jl Mangga Besar Raya Ruko Mangga Besar Permai 10 Jakarta 10730
Golden Crown is now closed. Contact details/Address: Golden Crown Jakarta Glodok Plaza Lt7-9 Jalan Pinangsia Raya No1, Jakarta Phone number: 021 6230 28888
Immigrant is a new trendy place in Jakarta and, for once, it isn't just about marketing. In my opinion, Immigrant is a great nightlife spot offering good crowd, perfect location (with a superb panorama of Jakarta by night), interesting events and stylish design. It is quite big, in between Blowfish and X2 , but it is full most of the time. I've been there a few times during weekends recently (July 2011), and I think it is the most happening nightclub in Jakarta at the moment. The music can be too commercial and the crowd too posh for some people, especially during the weekend. To avoid that, you can come instead during weekdays, Wednesday is usually great for instance. Immigrant resembles a NYC loft with vintage, industrial design and dim-lighting. The restaurant and the nightclub are well-separated from each other, so it is possible to finish your meal even after the music gets loud around midnight. Excellent steaks among other stuff. The crowd in Immigrant is up
Maybe one of the worst places I've been to in Jakarta and in my entire life. It is hard to believe a place can be so bad! All the above photos were taken when the club was still open. We were the only customers, but the band was there, plus the waiters, plus some lady companions, plus the DJ. The karaoke VIP rooms are just amazing, with one small TV and no seats but a concrete floor with a central pole for dancing.
Update 2021: I just walked past Memories Café and it was closed with a sign "For Sale". I'm keeping the review here in case some people want to remember what it was like. The most popular bar in Jalan Jaksa. It has a live music band almost every night, playing a mix of favorite indonesian pop song and classic Top 40. The drinks, especially beer is really cheap, around Rp. 18,000/bottle, so you will meet many backpackers, english teachers and mid-class indonesians.