10 Best Bars Near Grand Indonesia / Plaza Indonesia (Central Jakarta)
By
Thibaud (Jakarta100bars)
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The area near the malls Grand Indonesia and Plaza Indonesia, around the iconic Bunderan Hotel Indonesia (Hotel Indonesia roundabout) is one of the most strategic to meet friends for drinks and party in Jakarta. It is also an ideal location for inviting someone on a date. The main reason for that is that it is positioned in the center of the city, along Jalan Sudirman- Jalan Thamrin, its most important thoroughfare. It is therefore easy to reach, either by private car or by public transportation (Transjakarta and soon, the MRT). It is no surprise that I rated it the best area to stay in Jakarta . Naturally, you can find plenty of activities and businesses there, including 5-star hotels, luxury malls, prestigious office buildings, and, of course, a lively nightlife. In this article, I will review my top 10 favorite bars and clubs in Grand Indonesia / Plaza Indonesia. Please don't hesitate to leave a comment if you think I forgot an important venue. Cloud Rooftop Bar
Dream Ultralounge is a luxury club, restaurant and lounge who had its soft opening in February 2015. It is part of the revamping of the restaurant Moovina , which has been split in several venues, namely Wine Connection and Dream on its upper floor. Located in Plaza Indonesia, arguably the most prestigious mall in Jakarta, Dream is the counterpart of the Ego Ultralounge/X2 in Plaza Senayan. It is targeting a similar crowd of wealthy Indonesian executives and expats who don't mind spending a few millions a night to entertain themselves. As it is still new, it has not been ruined yet by the tourists and the ayam as Ego/X2 did already a few years ago.
Playground is a themed-restaurant located on the 4th floor of Plaza Indonesia. It is occupying an alley, not a proper, individual space. For this reason, it is suitable for people-sighting, but certainly not for a more intimate occasion like a date. Chicken Kiev Strawberry Juice I had the Chicken Kiev at Rp85,0000++. What they brought me was small and it tasted average. No need to make a long comment about it. I also had a strawberry juice which was rather tiny for Rp40,000++.
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.
Yo' Panino is a local, independant fast food restaurant with a large range of sandwiches and paninis. It is located in Kota Kasablanka and in Plaza Indonesia. The design and the marketing of the place puts it in the same category as Mc Donalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc... I didn't expect incredible food but I thought Yo' Panino was a good alternative to the above mentioned restaurants as it offers the same concept, the same prices, but a much more original choice of sandwiches. I tried the Grill Chicken Pesto Sandwich combo meal for 68,000rp net with french fries and a drink. It tasted fine enough and if I was a big fan of junk food I would certainly return to Yo' Panino. Opening Hours: Yo' Panino is opened every day from 10am to 10pm (until 12pm on Friday and Saturday)
Bakerzin is a long-time favourite dessert restaurant in Jakarta. I had never visited it until recently, in the Central Park branch. The place was very busy and I could not get a table nor a waiter until a few minutes. My first impression was that everything was very confused and unorganized. The manager of the restaurant may have seen that I was getting impatient and he started to take care of me, which really improved the whole experience. The menu is not just a menu, it is a full book with photos and text. My initial plan was to eat, but the pictures didn't look appetizing. I just took a Strawberry Juice and a Cherry Flan. Both were very average and they didn't match with the expectations one could have about Bakerzin considering its prices, its marketing, its locations (high-end malls), and its success. Overall : I will not try Bakerzin again. Opening hours: From 10am to 10pm every day (following the mall schedule) Contact Details of Bakerzin Restauran
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 14: Saint Louis Lounge is no longer located in Plaza Indonesia. It has been relocated to Jl. Teluk Betung no. 43A near Grand Indonesia. Saint Louis Lounge is located In Plaza Indonesia, one of the most fancy malls in Jakarta, along with Pacific Place Mall. The place is white, very white, shiny white ! White reminds you of purity and luxury. This restaurant is owned by Hermès, the famous French Luxury brand. So it has to have a certain standard. I tried the food there and it was really good. This is not a very pricey place but the prices of some items are definitely on the upward trend. The food is mainly French-style and Asian Fusion. This is a place to be seen, so get dress to impress while going there...
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
The Bistro Baron is a French-themed restaurant serving popular French dishes. Expensive (at least Rp 180,000 for a meal), it serves decent but not excellent food. Clients pay also for the atmosphere since the place is a copy of a chic Parisian bistro. I must said the attention paid to details was impressive. Ideal for snack, i recommend you to try some french specialties such as the crêpes suzettes, the lait-fraise or the orangina. For a full meal, I think there are better French restaurants in town ( Java bleu , Escargot , Lyon ) but if you can afford it, why not.
Located on the 2nd floor of Plaza Indonesia, Arella Café is an upmarket restaurant featuring classic Western and Asian dishes (salads, steaks, chicken, fish, pasta, burgers and asian favorites). On average, you should pay around Rp100k per main dish, Rp70k for starters, and Rp50k for desserts including taxes. I took the "poulet roti", a slow roasted young chicken served with sauteed spinach and mushrooms, red wine gravy sauce, and glazed potato pumpkin with honey (Rp 80k++). I wasn't expecting so much as I'm usually disappointed with the restaurants located in malls, but I was happy with my food. The presentation was superb, and there was some original sweet & sour flavors in the chicken that made it quite special and enjoyable. Concerning the prices, it is expensive, but not outrageous considering the food is correct.
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.
By The Beach restaurant is located in Plaza Indonesia/eX, where Fashion Bar used to stand. I was quite seduced by the design of the place: It is a replica of a sunny, mediterranean beach restaurant, with large windows and wooden floor. They could have avoided the plastic palm trees and some very un-authentic artefacts, but overall, it is a nice looking venue.