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.
Located in Menara Rajawali (opposite Loewy), Arrack and Spice is one of the newest openings in Mega Kuningan. It is owned by the people behind the successful Hause, a trendy rooftop bar and restaurant set amid a cute garden in MD Plaza Tower (Kuningan). Arrack and Spice is a more formal venue, but it shares some similarities with Hause: Experimental food and drinks, tasteful design, regular events, and an overall willingness to appeal to millennials (for instance by offering healthy and vegetarian dishes). It is split in three different areas:
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
Home to 5-star hotels ( Ritz-Carlton , Raffles , Marriott ), foreign embassies, luxury apartments and prestigious offices, Mega Kuningan is easily one of the most exclusive areas in Jakarta . As it was recently built from scratch, it is very different from the rest of the city. There are no warungs, no street sellers, no poverty and barely any traffic jams. Instead, you will see large streets lined with palm trees and a dozen of skyscrapers (with a few more still under construction). Though Mega Kuningan does not have a proper nightclub yet (apart from the gay club Apollo ), it has a vibrant nightlife almost any day of the week. You can walk in any towers and you are almost guaranteed to find a restaurant, a lounge or a bar. While each of them is unique, they generally target the same clientele: Expats, upper class Indonesians and businessmen. The following article will give you a quick overview of my 10 favorite bars in Mega Kuningan. They aren't far from each o
McGettigan's is a brand-new Irish pub and sports bar that had its grand opening on May 16th, 2017. Located in Mega Kuningan, in the basement of Menara BTPN, it is part of a larger group with 17 locations around the world (including Dubai , Singapore, New York, and of course Ireland - see more here: McGettigan's ). I had a chance to visit it a few weeks before their official opening on a Saturday night and what I saw looked promising. McGettigan's is easy to find, just across the road from the Ritz-Carlton, and walking distance from famous bars like Loewy or Basque. It is in a business district so it gets particularly busy for lunch and after office hours. It is built on one spacious floor, with several distinct spaces for customers to sit down: On the left corner, a quiet dining area with private booths and tables. In the back, a long and elegant bar that serves 9 kinds of draught beer. In the center, several high tables and chairs for more casual m
Masters Sports Bar and Restaurant is located on the ground floor of Bellagio Mall in Mega Kuningan. The place looks unassuming from the outside and you may have already walked past without noticing it. Should you decide to step inside, you'll be surprised to find a spacious 350m2 area with a long wooden bar, a 50-seat dining area, 2 professional electronic dart boards and 5 full-size tournament pool tables. Unlike the trendy venues nearby like Loewy or Basque, Masters has a much more laid-back atmosphere, perfect if you are looking for a quiet place to chill after work. Later in the evening, it gets a bit more loud and busy, especially on Friday and Saturday as they have a live band. It is one of the few dedicated sports bars in Jakarta and it features at least 8 different TVs, including two massive HD projector screens near the entrance. It must be among the largest ones I've seen anywhere in Asia. If there is any live sports event in the world, you are prett
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/
Update 2017: Safehouse has changed location and it is now in Menara Anugrah (still in Mega Kuningan). In just about a few weeks, I received 3 emails from readers recommending me to try Safehouse in Bellagio Mansion in Mega Kuningan. As I am a docile blogger, I went there last Friday with a friend. It is located where Piccolo used to be, and it is a mixed concept: Restaurant, Bar, Club, Store. It was opened by the designer and make of the sneaker brand "SomeAreThieves" (which is why the place is called Safehouse). The idea behind the restaurant was to promote the brand by attracting the trendy crowd of Jakarta. They hired Tomasso Gonfiantini, the Chef who opened the first Trattoria in Jakarta (before it changed its name to Pepenero ). He actually came to see us, which was nice, and recommended us one of his sandwiches, which according to him are the Signature food of Jailhouse. My sandwich was the "Gourmand" (95,000rp++) and it
Oh La La Maison is an upmarket version of the Oh La La cafés. It is located in Mega Kuningan in the ground floor of Bellagio Mall. It serves mostly French food, French bakery and French pastries with some other popular Asian and Western dishes. The design of the place is not extraordinary but it is neat. It features a wooden parquet, decorative tiles and various pictures or paintings of France on the walls. I tried the Honey Dijon Chicken Baguette (72,000k++): The whole sandwich was good enough but the bread was very soft and unfortunately not tasting like a real French baguette. I also had a Chocolate Croissant (20,000++), which was really big and again, far from tasting like an authentic Chocolate Croissant in France. In spite of the disappointing food, I still enjoyed Oh La La Maison. The waiters were very attentive and friendly, and the general atmosphere pleasant with good lounge music and a busy crowd.
Established in Indonesia since 1979, Amigos is a popular family restaurant , the first with Mexican food in Jakarta (now there is also Hacienda ). It has two main targets, American expats who miss their tacos, and Indonesian middle class families eager to discover another continent's cuisine. Actually, we are seeing a lot more of these lately as expats are being spoiled with much better places to eat... The food is junk food, but the atmosphere is friendly. If you want to eat quietly, don't go in the evening because they have live music which can be quite loud. Happy hour from 4pm to 7pm (50% off soft drinks, juices and beer). There are two branches: Amigos Kemang (It is the one with the best reputation) Jl. Kemang Selatan I
Apollo is a mixed club where people from both sexes are welcome to party. Most of the crowd is male during the week, but you have about 20% girls on weekends. It is located in Bellagio Mall just above Everest Bar and Jim's Sports Bar. There is an entrance fee on the most busy days + special events that can cost something around 80,000 rupiah with a drink included. They have several shows on the evenings including dancers, singers. You can check on their website or on their facebook page below for more information about the schedule and promotion.
Blu Martini is the stylish bar of the 5-star Marriott. It is non-happening, and most customers are guests from the hotel. Not a ton of hookers like in BATS or CJ's , but still a few, plus some older women who might be looking for gigolos. Live jazzy music playing from Monday to Saturday. Overall : I've been to Blu Martini once only, on a Thursday for Ladies Night. It was so quiet that we didn't stay more than 10 minutes. Not worth it if you don't stay in Marriott. Rather expensive, but as long as you're there, you should try one of their 88 kinds of martinis. Opening hours: From noon to 1am everyday.
Trattoria is an excellent, good-value Italian restaurant in Indonesia . Except for their steaks, most of the dishes in Trattoria are very affordable and taste just as good as in Europe. That's very rare in Jakarta! I have been a regular for a few years already, for every occasion: Lunch with colleagues, dinner with friends, dates, etc.. It used to be full of expatriates, but now you will find most customers are Indonesians. The service is very friendly and efficient, and very often, you'll see the Italian manager (or owner?) around.