¿Por Que No? - Tapas Bar - Jakarta
By
Tibs
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¿Por Que No? was opened in 2015 as a Spanish tapas bar and restaurant in the neighborhood of Menteng, at the northern end of Jalan Rasuna Said. While the food is decent but definitely not haute cuisine, it is an interesting venue to hangout and drink before party. Cocktails are just above Rp100,000 net and Bintang at Rp50,000 net, which is not that bad considering the central location. The food is more expensive and the portions small (obviously, small like tapas). There are 2 different areas, indoor and outdoor. Outdoor is a small rooftop where regular events are organized. In particular, they have some techno nights that attract a young and fun crowd. You also have jazz nights, open mic nights, etc. Check their Facebook page or Instagram below to get their latest schedule.
Cloud is a rooftop bar/lounge/club located on the 49th floor of the Plaza Tower, just 3 floors above Altitude which is part of the same group. For many years, Jakarta was missing a real rooftop bar. Some clubs, restaurants and lounges were located on higher floors but never opened on the outside (for instance Vertigo, Pure, Kampus). SHY in Kemang was one of the first rooftop lounges but the Papillion building where it is located did not offer a very impressive view. Being located on top of one of the tallest towers in the city, SKYE was the first real rooftop bar in Jakarta, with an immediate success. It probably encouraged others to copy it and I am sure that we will see even more of them in the future.
Basque is one of the most happening new restaurants/bars to open so far this year in Jakarta. It is a Spanish restaurant / Tapas bar with a great design, good food and a trendy feel. Currently, I see that more and more expats are hanging out there instead of Loewy. It is a good pick-up place for girls also. The location on the 8th floor of Noble House offers a nice view on the surrounding buildings of Mega Kuningan. The food is not so expensive, you can get a decent meal for less than Rp200,000. It is open every day for lunch and dinner. After 11pm, they generally turn up the volume and it turns into a bar. The music is a mix of popular songs from the past 20 years. Basque Bar de Tapas - Spanish Restaurant 8th Floor, Noble House Building, Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta 12950 Phone number: +62 (0) 21 2978 3111-12 Website: http://basquejkt.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BasqueJakarta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basquejkt/
BART is the latest of the Rooftop Bars in the city. Going on the roof is a very good option in Jakarta since most of the place are closed, with no windows and with full AC. That is maybe one of the reasons why so many rooftop bars have opened recently in Jakarta, and why it is so trendy. BART (Approximate Acronym of Bar at the Rooftop) is the latest of this long series, it is located in Artotel Hotel on Thamrin near Sarinah. The Hotel itself is very art-friendly with a different Indonesian artist decorating the rooms for each floor. This hotel opened in late 2013 and in October 2014 they are just opening the rooftop bar, maybe after the huge success of Awan Lounge , rooftop bar of Kosenda Hotel , located 200 meters away.
If you are a Mexican food lover, you can read my review of my favorite Spanish and Mexican places in Jakarta. Keraton at the Plaza in Jakarta might be one of the most luxurious and elegant hotels in the city, along with The Hermitage , The Kempinski, The Mandarin Oriental or The Ritz-Carlton. They have a buffet with fine cheeses, fresh oysters, and a wide variety of meat. But I came here to taste their "Modern Mexican kitchen". It is a special Mexican menu designed by a friendly Mexican chef (see picture above), struggling everyday to get Mexican products in his kitchen in Jakarta.
Is Jakarta becoming a hipster place ? Yes, if you refer to Awan Lounge, located in Menteng on KH Wahid Hasyim. I discovered this place thanks to a friend and we went there together to have a casual drink before going clubbing. Awan Lounge is located on 9th floor of the Kosenda Hotel, a recent boutique hotel located steps away from Ocha & Bella Restaurant . First advice: don't come with your car since the parking is very small ! Apart from that, I found the place very nice. This is definitely the kind of rooftop bar that this area needed. Kosenda hotel is a boutique hotel with a very unique style: I would define it as hipster but it could also be trendy/relaxing or even Arty-fancy. Awan Lounge is located on the rooftop of the Hotel. The great thing about this place is the view of the Jakarta skyline. You can see Thamrin Residence, Thamrin Executive but also The Plaza and Keraton at The Plaza from this Bar. They have elaborated cocktails starting at 99 K and also f
Altitude is a group of 3 restaurants located on the 46th floor of the Plaza tower, one of the most expensive office buildings in Jakarta (also home the the Keraton hotel). 46th floor, yes: Great view of course, but make sure to book in advance and ask for a table near the window (if possible in the angle of the building). Luckily for my wallet, I only tried one of the three restaurants, Gaia, the Italian. The food was good, but not spectacular for the price: 550k for one appetizer and one main course. The quality of the service and the attention that we got, not only from the waiters but also from the managers, including 3 foreigners, may have been what we are really paying in the restaurant. One thing felt very wrong: The music was clubbing style and they only had one CD. So we had Gangnam Style and Party Rock Anthem twice each in one evening. That's twice too much. In Altitude, there is also an Australian Steak House (Salt Grill) and a Japanese (Enmaru) that I haven
SKYE is the latest venue opened by the Ismaya Group, and for this reason, we can guess it will be the place to be in Jakarta for at least the next 3 months. The Menara BCA has 57th floor and is 230 meters high. Located on its 56th floor, SKYE's main attraction will obviously be the view over the city's skyline. The history of rooftop bars and restaurants in Jakarta has shown mixed results, with most places now closed ( Vertigo , Kampus , Pure , Cilantro , etc...). I wish more success for SKYE.
Updated 2019: Social House is currently under renovation. In the meantime, you can check Paulaner Brauhaus which is just one floor above. Social House is a restaurant and bar with a nice view of Plaza Indonesia's roundabout. The atmosphere is supposed to be the feel-like-home type, but it is actually one of the hippest venues in Jakarta, so you don't feel that comfortable. Many celebrities and models come here, literally dozens of them on any weekend night. I tasted the pizza there and it was not worth what I paid for it: It was very small and not well-cooked. Drinks are very expensive as well.