¿Por Que No? - Tapas Bar - Jakarta
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Jakarta100bars
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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.
Sesto Senso is an Italian restaurant owned by a Japanese Chef, Hide Yamamoto . Located in Lotte Mall Kuningan, it is similar in concept with other recently opened venues such as AW Kitchen and Popolamama . All of these are managed by Japanese but sell mostly Italian dishes. The design of Sesto Senso is modern minimalist, which made me feel like it was soulless, a bit as if I was sitting in the waiting room of a brand-new hospital. It is a good thing the waiters were warm and friendly to compensate for that feeling. I also enjoyed the view of Jakarta's skyline from the large window. The menu (available in detail here ) features all the popular Italian classics, particularly pasta. The prices are rather expensive, about 20% higher than average. Pocket Size Pizza Margarita (Rp89,000+21%) Spaghettini Aglio Olio Peperoncino (Rp85,000+21%)
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.
Kemixtri Gastro Bar is the main Bar of the new Pullman Hotel Jakarta Indonesia. Inside you will find mostly clients of the Hotel, and mostly men. The name of the Bar comes from the Cocktail Phials they serve you (second picture) which I found pretty nice and unconventional. The place have a DJ Booth at the entrance and there is a DJ (a woman when I went there) from Wednesday until Saturday. They also have a wide range of Cuban cigars (like Romeo & Julieta) which make the place look like a Gentlemen's Lounge. The place reminded me somehow Nip & Dram (Whisky Bar).
Before it went under renovation, the club and the restaurant of Immigrant were not truly separated. You had clubbers next to you when you were dining, along with loud music and a terrible smell of cigarette smoke. This was obviously a problem and the owners of Immigrant have solved it by opening two different venues: The club Immigrant, and the restaurant, The Dining Room at Immigrant. Both are still next to each other on the 6th floor of Plaza Indonesia, but there is no direct connection between them. The Dining Room at Immigrant is probably one of the best venues for eating casual Western food in the mall, along with Moovina, Saint Louis (La Moda) and Bistro Baron. Compared to those, it has the advantage of being in a quieter location, and therefore more suitable for a date or an intimate dinner. It doesn't have a garden but there are large windows and many plants, giving the place a fresh feeling that it did not have before. I visited during lunch on a weekday.