Guitar String (G-String) - CLOSED

Update October 2011: CLOSED

Guitar String (or G-String) is a girlie/live music bar on Jalan Falatehan (Blok M). I find it one of the nicest joints on the street, even though it isn't so crowded. They have live music everyday, with a mix of Top 40, classic rock and Indonesian pop songs. If the customers feel like it, they can make a song request and take the mic. Cheap (Rp30,000++ for draught beer), laid-back, and the waitresses are really friendly. I have a video of the live band on Guitar String on Youtube:

They also have a dozens girls waiting for customers. Few expats.

Guitar String Bar & Resto
Jalan Palatehan I No. 37
Blok M - Jakarta Selatan
Phone number: +62-21 727 97078 / 7131 / 7237
Fax: +62-21 7220 347

Facebook: G-String Bar Jakarta

Read more about Blok M nightlife on my blog review: Jalan Falatehan. 

Babyface Bar and Nightlcub (CLOSED) (Sarinah, same building as Cinema XXI)

Babyface closed a year ago... Its zenith was on the day of its opening as they had organized a huge party with indonesian celebrities, fashion models and TV cameras... but it never took off after that..

BB’s Reggae and Blues Bar and Club - Live performance-(Plaza Menteng, Jl Cokroaminoto)

Very popular bar with many young european expats (those working for embassies and NGOs) and the alternative crowd. Reggae/blues concerts. Tony Q plays on Friday nights, bringing along a large crowd of fans. Not many girls and no working girls at all. A definite favourite of the nightlife in Jakarta.

Update August 2010: BBs is closed... It is supposed to re-open in Kemang but I have no information about that.. If you know another reggae bar in Jakarta, email me so I can update the blog.

Contact details:
BB's Jakarta
Near Jalan Cokroaminoto (in Jl. Sidoarjo 1, a little street off Cokroaminoto actually, next to the Formule 1 Hotel)
Jl. Sidoarjo 1
Menteng, Jakarta 10320

Tel.: (62-21) 3193 1890.

Bedroom Lounge and Bar (CLOSED)

Long time I haven’t been there. Club that looks like all Kemang's club, except they have kind of small beds, very cozy to have a drink and relax. Haunt of the high-school kids. For about 6 months, 3 years ago, it was a very popular bar among expatriates but since that it has been off the radar.. I tought it was a nice club to party because it was quite small, and friendly.

Update March 2009: It closed!

Bin17 or Bin 17 Winehouse (CLOSED)

Update May 2011: The place is closed and it has been replaced, I think, by Panacea Resto and Lounge. I will try to check it and review it on this blog.

Bin17 is not to be confused with Bin's Club, a karaoke/massage parlour joint in Lokasari...

Bin17 is an upmarket wine house and restaurant. Nice design décor, comfortable sofas, but awfully expensive.. The waiters, and I don't blame them, do not seem to know a lot about wine as well. All they could tell us was: "This wine is very good, one of the best in the world!"

The food is correct but overpriced, they could take at least 30% off each items on the menu.

Bin17 Jakarta
Menara Dea, GF,
Mega Kuningan
Tel: +62-21 576 0939
Website (not working properly at the time of writing): Bin 17.

Photos of Bin 17 taken on its facebook fanpage. They have some infos about events (about once a week: live music, DJ): Facebook Bin17 Wine Lounge.

Bliss-Loft 25 (Menara Jamsostek, Gatot Subroto) CLOSED

2 rooms, one with hip-hop and Rn’B music, the other one with house music. Very young crowd (16-20) but can be nice sometimes because young kids know how to party. Too many people throwing up though. Nice view on Jakarta by night.
The place is closed now unfortunately... For similar clubs: Most of the places in Kemang = Nu China, Tipsy, Triple 9 because young people go there, or for RNB, maybe you can try Blowfish or Tribeca.

Black Pearl Martini Lounge & Bar (CLOSED)

French club, or at least french expat owner. Used to be located in Permata Hijau and is supposed to move to Menara Satrio. The old place was expensive and pretentious.

Bugil's Bar & Expat Jakarta hangout (CLOSED) (Taman Ria Senayan)

Very popular expat bar. Cute waitresses that usually end up marrying a customer if I believe the weekly newsletter that the owner, Bartele, used to send. Live music and good atmosphere... It's a good place to meet new people if you're are new in Jakarta. Some working girls from Blok M, but not a girlie bar... Girls here are looking for a boyfriend first, not immediate cash.

It closed down a few months ago unfortunately because the whole Taman Ria Senayan complex is under construction (It caused the Embassy Club to close as well)..

So where can you go now to meet expats in Jakarta if you're new? I would recommend you go to places like Cazbar, Aphrodite in Taman Rasuna, BB's (if you work in NGOs), B.A.T.S. in Shangri-La Hotel (if you're above 40 and no family), Red Square (if you're below 40 and no family). In all these bars, the crowd is mostly expats, and rather laid-back.

Update September 2009: Bugils is set to reopen in a new location, apparently in the Pacific Place Mall near the Potato Head and Capoccacia...

Cafe Queen Traditional Jakarta Bar and café (Jl Halimun)

Very local dangdut bar, the place is quite dodgy and can become really hot since it has no air-con. The entrance is a bit hidden, just a small door on a small street next to the Cafe Queen warung.

"When you’re bored withthe loud head-banging music, you can relax eating apples or drinking es campur on the terrace, or call your friends from the wartel upstairs". SZ

Update April 2011: The place is unfortunately closed!

Café Queen
Jalan Halimun

Centro Night Club & Bar (Dharmawangsa Square) (CLOSED)

Very good upmarket night club, for college and high school students mainly. Some good DJs. It becomes a gay club on Sunday and during special events. One of Jakarta's most popular nightclub.

Update 2010: CENTRO IS CLOSED.

Contact details:
Centro Club Jakarta
Jl. Dharmawangsa IX
Jakarta Selatan

Phone number: (021) 72780818, 72780800 Ext. 523
Fax (021) 72780801

Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 9PM to 5AM.

For more information about events and facilities, please connect to their website: Centro Jakarta or check their facebook fanpage: Centro Club Dharmawangsa

Chameleon Bar, Bistro & Restaurant (CLOSED)

Update October 2011: Chameleon is now CLOSED.

Surprisingly, Chameleon is becoming a quite popular hang out joint for both expats and locals. It is in between a restaurant (with snacky food) and a bar, and it prides itself in being non-pretentious and welcoming. Personally, I find Chameleon to be dull. But after all, it's the clients and the staff that gives a bar its spirit, and since people are nice and relaxed there, in the end we have a place I recommend.

Best day is on Wednesday: Ladies Night (buy one get one for girls). Also, it has table football (foosball) and a pair of electronic dart machines.

Chameleon has reggae nights on Sundays with live music.

Chameleon Jakarta
Graha Codefin (Tira Building)
Jalan HR Rasuna Said Kav 3

Tel: +62-21 5793 3736
Email: Chameleonbeernbistro@yahoo.com
Facebook: Chameleon Jakarta

Cilantro Lounge and Bar, Live Jazz Music (Tower BNI Jakarta) CLOSED

Cilantro is a lounge and bar located in Jakarta’s highest tower. Live jazz band and really nice view. Perfect for a date.
It is closed.

Club 3 Degrees Christian Bar (CLOSED)

No smoking, no alcohol and only "clean" music: That's the worst concept I have ever heard for a bar, and it is that of Club 3 Degrees.

This "club" is not an entertainment venue, it was opened by a Christian religious group in order to "reach [the] city with the gospel in non-traditional ways".

Another word for that is proselytism. To be honest, i wonder what is the agenda behind this thing but I don't like it one bit. Just like I wouldn't like going to a Muslim club or a Jewish club, I won't go to a Catholic club either.

I don't blame the owner for wanting to drive the young generation towards a more positive lifestyle, but I think it is a wrong conception of life to start with. I believe the nightlife is a way to achieve a certain balance in life, by letting yourself free from rules for a short period of time. There is nothing wrong about it as long as you are mature enough to know what you are doing. It can be painful sometimes, but it is part of life also.

As a lover of dark, dirty and smelly nightclubs, this is a no-no for me and I cannot imagine anyone who could go there to party.

Update: The place is closed now. I guess I wasn't alone to think that.

Club 3 Degrees

FX Lifestyle X'enter Floor 7

Jl.Jendral Sudirman

Website: http://www.id.club3degrees.com/

Facebook (from which I took the photos), click here.

Email: kezia.pariury@id.club3degrees.com

Phone:

+62-21 81510564342

+62-21 925 91785

Club Bulgary (Kota Jalan Hayam Wuruk, 72) CLOSED

NB: I went to the club and found a place apparently being renovated so it is closed for now. Here's a picture:

Open at the beginning of November 2007, Bulgary Club is 100% chinese, except for the name which is probably a reference to the brand Bulgary, and not the country.

The lounge is quite small and doesn’t have a dancefloor. It looks like an old fashion cabaret, with baroque paintings on the walls, small marble statues, and an elegant red carpet. There is a live band during the week, singing Mandarin favourites. During the break, some (not so) sexy dancers entertain the guests. According to management, they go topless on week-ends. House music, the exact same as in Sun City.

A bit pricey : 42,000 Rp. for 1 Bali Hai (because they don't have Bintang). The crowd is a bit old, mostly men above their forties, coming with their wife (?) or taking a girl from the bencong mamasan..

Update March 2011: A similar club replaces Bulgary, it is called De Volvo.

Contact details:
Bulgary Club Jakarta
72 Jalan Hayam Wuruk
Phone number: 021 - 626 00 666

De Tao Lounge and Restaurant (Jalan Kebon Sirih, near Jalan Jaksa and Sabang)

Update July 2011: This place is closed now, and replaced by another restaurant. I will try to visit soon.

Restaurant/Lounge/Bar: Not so crowded, but the design is nice, and it holds one of the best podium in Jakarta. The food is good too!

I haven't been there for a really long while, and the last time, they where under renovation... You can try to call them to make sure it's still open... it will avoid you some of Jakarta's traffic jam: +62 21 344 7912

Dizzy Lounge, Bar and Nightclub (South Jakarta, Jalan Kemang Raya) CLOSED

Kemang club - Some good DJs sometimes but nothing really special. It closed and reopened under the name "triple 9" or 999.

DIZZY LOUNGE Kemang
Arcade 3rd|Kemang Raya No.20A
South Jakarta

Elbow Room (Kemang) CLOSED

NOTE: ELBOW ROOM HAS CLOSED AND IT WAS REPLACED WITH SPANKYS

Self-proclaimed Jakarta’s first “gastropub”, Elbow Room is a simple, yet nicely decorated rustic bistro in Kemang. Targeting mature clients, it has created a cosy atmosphere, with comfortable leather sofas and dim lighting. Good European food and imported wines/beers, but pricey (almost Rp. 150,000 for one person with drinks). Background music is usually something jazzy or soul, except on Wednesdays and on week-ends when they will often have a live band. You can check the program on their Facebook page here: Elbow Room Kemang Facebook.

Rare enough to be mentioned: Elbow Room has a non-smoking area.

Address:
Elbow Room Jakarta
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 24 A

Phone number: (62-21) 719 4274
Email: elbowroomjkt@gmail.com

Embassy Night Club/Balcony Lounge /Wonderbar Bar(CLOSED) (Taman Ria Senayan, South Jakarta)

Very good club, with house/techno music and international DJs coming at least once a month. Expensive. Next DJs coming: Peter Kruder (23 Nov), Booka Shade (7 Dec). The Balcony, the club upstairs, is semi-private but is not really worth paying for it in my opinion, except to show off. It closed unfortunately, and it's too bad because Embassy was without any doubt the club where you could hear the best music in Jakarta.

"This high class crowded house club upstairs (Embassy) has his stairs down to the hell (Wonderbar), a dark empty kind-0f gloomy bar. A good example of the two faces of Jakarta". SZ

Embrio bar (Kemang) (CLOSED)

Embrio is a small club in Kemang, a bit struggling to find its place among all the other nightlife spots there. It has the same music (electro/house/progressive), the same marketing strategy, the same drinks, etc.. than most of other places there so it doesn't really stand out of the crowd. Nicknamed the "deep violet bar", which is quite a light concept, it has cheap prices making it is especially popular with the younger crowd, 18-22.

Contact information: Embrio Kemang
Jl. Kemang Raya 88, Jakarta Selatan 12730
Tel (021) 719 3766.

Open from 5PM to 4AM.

Update October 2010: Embrio bar has closed, but it has been replaced by No2 bar.

Emerald Night Club in Hotel G2 (Hayam Wuruk next to Stadium Disco Jakarta) CLOSED

Club next to Stadium. The disco is on the 4th floor. After it closes, some people finish there until the ecstasy drops, since the music is exactly the same. Not a very big dancefloor, but many tables and many dark corners. Nice actually but not so crowded. It has posters of Jim Morrison or the Gun's and Roses, a bit surprising. It also has an hotel where you can take your date from Stadium...

Update December 2010: Emerald club is closed now