Cazbar (Mega Kuningan)
By
The Jakarta Team
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Cazbar is a long-standing expat hangout in Mega Kuningan. If you are a newcomer in the city, above your thirties, you may want to try going there to meet other people. It isn't as busy as it used to be, but there are many regulars who come for the laidback atmosphere, the friendly waitresses, and the decent pub food. Also quite many Indonesians among the customers. Upstairs of Cazbar, there is a area dedicated to watching sports, with mainly (each time I go there), English Premier League + Rugby. The bar also have free wifi and some imported newspaper titles.
Note: I wrote this review 10 years ago but it is still up-to-date! Everybody was telling me about a place called "Louis" in Mega Kuningan, but I couldn't find where it was or what it was. It took me two months to realize that people were actually talking about Loewy, that you should pronounce like Loui (English speakers) or Louis (French speakers). Loewy is a retro-chic French bistro, with a cosmopolitan vibe: Half the customers are foreigners, and the other half Indonesians, usually between 30 and 45 years-old. Most of them are from the upper-class. It is owned by some of the folks behind Potato Head , from which they took the idea to partially open the restaurant to the air. This is quite bold for Jakarta, and you may feel hot inside when it is packed. Since it opened in 2008, Loewy has always been a happening venue, anytime of the day. People go there for lunch, for brunches, for an after-work drink, and finally to party. They have decent European food (i
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. Eastern Promise (Kemang) Live music in EP Kemang 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 pack
Just in time for the beginning of the Euro 2016, the Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta has opened a sports bar within the famous B.A.T.S . The new venue is located right after the entrance, before you walk down the stairs to the live music area. It is laid-back, ideal if you want to have some beers in a more quiet atmosphere. They also serve some popular foods such as French Baguette, Pizza Margarita, Turkish Kebab, German Bratwurst or Fish & Chips. The most important games are displayed on a large screen by an LCD projector, while less important ones are on TV. There is also a pool table and a foosball table. June will obviously be focused on football/soccer games of the Euro 2016. You can also expect to watch NFL, AFL, NBA, MLB, Rugby, the Olympic Games, Formula One, Moto GP, etc when a special event will be scheduled.
Aphrodite is a bar and restaurant located not very far from the Taman Rasuna tower. As such, it is a meeting point for many of the expats living in the area, and you'll almost always find it crowded. The menu is quite long, with mainly pub food. It is pretty decent and though more expensive than average, good value. Many customers come to Aphrodite to watch sports: English Premier League, F1, Cricket, etc.. You can check the schedule here: Sports Schedule Bar Aphrodite . Personally, since I'm not a fan of anything, all these plasma screens tend to bother me. And it's even worse when no sport is on because they will put Fashion TV, making it very difficult to stay focus talking to your average-looking friends. The best point about Aphrodite is that it is a popular hangout for some Indonesian girls as well, the kind you could meet in Red Square (looking for a foreigner, but not a pro). Thursday and Saturday is ladies' night, and the best night to visit if
Queen's Head Pub is one of the best restaurants in Kemang. It is an exclusive venue with an impressive design and excellent fusion food prepared by Blake Thornley, a New Zealand Chef who spent 5 years in Mozaic Ubud .
Double Doors is a live music pub located opposite of Puri Indah Mall in West Jakarta. There are not many other expat bars in the area so it attracts a small (but growing) community of foreigners. I visited on a weekday at 6pm and the place was reasonably busy with a mixed crowd of young expats and Indonesians. There were some girls too, seemingly office workers. The bar is part of the same group behind Eastern Promise , De Burse and De Hooi . The operate all their venues with a similar concept: Affordable pub food, regular events, friendly and outgoing waitresses, live music, and sports. They are not inside malls and they have a rustic charm that matches the traits of their Dutch owner Bartele Santema. The place is built on 3 floors: The ground floor is the bar area, the second floor the live music room, and the last one is dedicated to sports (or it can be booked for private events). Overall : I recommend you to visit Double Doors if you are looking for a place to social
Molly Malone’s Irish Pub opened in August 2012 on the ground floor of Plaza Arcadia Senayan. It is one of two authentic Irish bars in Jakarta, the other one being Murphy's in Kemang (same owners actually). Molly’s is divided into two separate sections, a traditional Irish pub and a live music venue Overall: With its location one floor below the infamous Red Square, it is ideal to kick start your weekend. There also have three comfortable VIP booths available to rent if you want a semi private area to enjoy the live music and soak up the party atmosphere.
An all-time favourite of Jakarta's nightlife, BATS is the bar of the Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta. It is the equivalent of BRIX in Grand Hyatt in Singapore . It is very, very popular among expatriates, especially those who are already married. Easy to know why, considering the number of pretty, sexy girls . But the place isn't just about finding a partner. You can have a lot of fun partying there because you will easily meet people in a relaxed atmosphere.
Expensive drinks (Beer = Rp 60k), but classy bar with live music everyday (including Jazz ) and businessmen talking. Not a hotspot of Jakarta nightlife and rather quiet, it attracts the capital's most upmarket crowd. Definitely not a girls' bar comparing with BATS in Shangri La hotel or CJs bar in Hotel Mulia, but unexpected meetings are not impossible since some rich, older indonesian women come here. There are a few working girls as well that always hang out in Burgundy and I suppose they are up for grab. Awesome view on Plaza Indonesia, making the experience quite enjoyable.
Café De Burse is the latest bar opened by Bartele, probably Jakarta's most famous expatriate. He is also the owner of Eastern Promise , De Hooi , Cazbar , and One Tree . De Burse is different from his other venues, though the concept remains similar: It is a restaurant and bar with an international menu, friendly and cute waitresses, and a regular schedule of events and promos. So far, it is still quiet, probably because the location is only busy during working hours. I had a caipirinha (Rp68k) and I was disappointed as they used ice cubes instead of crushed ice. But it is common in Indonesia so it wasn't a big deal. I didn't order any food, but considering what I had in his other venues, you can expect good-value for money, even with western dishes. An average meal will cost you less than Rp80k, and a pint of Bintang Rp53k, including taxes.
Cafe Batavia is a classy, distinguished bar, in one of the most beautiful colonial buildings of Jakarta. A must-do for any tourists or newly arrived expats, it should also provide you with a good opportunity to visit Kota Tua, the historical center of Jakarta. Nearby buildings include Old Batavia's Townhall and the VOC Governor office which can all be reached by foot. The area is currently being renovated as the government has finally come to realize its cultural importance and, though not much has been done yet, a stroll around the (polluted) canal back to the Stasiun Kota is something I really enjoy. For those who are bold enough, I advise you to make a stop in Stadium on the way back, as a way to enjoy another monument of Jakarta!
CJ's is the bar of the Mulia Hotel . No entrance fee but you have to buy a first drink, which costs over IDR200,000 (free for hotel guests). They have a foreign live band playing international hits, and a DJ taking over when they are on break. Very entertaining. Beware lots of prostitutes.
An excellent bar, De Hooi was not in our listing until now only because it is located a bit far from the center, in Pondok Indah, where we seldom venture. In this part of town however, it is easily the most popular and the most happening bar, attracting a good mix of both expats and locals, in an easy going and welcoming atmosphere. Many regular customer crowd the bar and it seems like most patrons know each other already.. Live music , free-wifi, and a good menu featuring American, Indian, Dutch, Indonesian food (you can take a look at it here: De Hooi menu part 1 , part 2 , part 3 , they do delivery). If you live in Pondok Indah, this is the place where you want to go to have fun.
Face Bar, part of the Face group, is one of the oldest bars in Jakarta. It is still popular, especially with expats and tourists, in spite of being expensive and even though dozens of similar lounges have opened all around the city. The secret of Face Bar is undoubtedly its interior design, which combines old antiques with more contemporary paintings and sculptures. It is quite small, and there are always some regulars, in particular foreign journalists. There is a pool table too but it is rarely used. There are two fine dining restaurants in the same building, each one with a theme: Lan Na Tai (Thai food) and Hazara (Indian cuisine, reviewed on this blog here ) Face bar is usually a recommended nightlife spot by many magazines/websites about Jakarta. Myself, I like to take my friends there when they come to Jakarta, because it is the kind of venue that would be popular in Europe. Don't expect something very happening though, it is a bar to chill and relax, not to party.
Fez is a popular expat bar in Kemang, owned by the same people behind Aphrodite . It is usually quite crowded, especially during sporting events. As in Aphrodite , you have some decent food (for around Rp100,000 a meal), and always a few pretty girls. You can check the food here: Menu Fez Kemang . You also have two pool tables. It is not my favourite in Kemang (I prefer Murphy's or Eastern Promises ), but still a good venue. Price for one small Heineken: Rp50,000 with taxes. Opening hours: Everyday, from 3pm to 2am (3am on weekends)
Oh la la... Cilandak !! This is very far for us... but I’ve heard it’s a friendly place, with good, affordable food, pool table, beer garden and sports on TV. Very functional then, very not-french. A good place to meet expat since it is a very popular hangout place, especially for American, Australian and British older expats.