Jakarta, Indonesia, nightlife in the red light district, the sex capital is well-deserved

Nightlife Districts There are so many nightlife districts in Jakarta that even residents can get confused. Broadly speaking, South Jakarta (modern city) has normal and upscale nightlife, while North Jakarta (historical center) has naughty nightlife. In detail, the following neighborhoods have the most happening: → Mega Kuningan : You will find chic bars not far from each other: Basque (#1 expat bar in Jakarta), Loewy (used to be #1), Flow (quiet lounge), Safehouse (trendy expats, electronic music), McGettigan (modern Irish pub), Jack Sparrows (next to Basque). Popular with young expats, western Indonesians, and girls looking for expats. If it's your first time in Jakarta, start here (I recommend staying at Oakwood Cosmo, a great hotel for this area). → SCBD : The trendiest district among young Indonesians. The main nightlife area is called Fairgrounds and it has some hot spots like Lucy in the Sky (hipster), Fable Club (popular with teenagers) and Pallas Lounge (only busy on weekends).



Elsewhere in SCBD, you should also try Club Empirica (Indochinese crowd), Beer Hall (live music), Beer Garden (cheaper prices), Hard Rock Café, Holland (restaurant and bar, expat crowd) and Cork & Screw (30-something Indochinese). Foundry 8 has closed. → Senopati : A wealthy residential area with exclusive bars and restaurants that cater to the elite, especially Chinese Indonesians. Current hot spots are Monty’s, Savoi, Lola and H Gourmet and Vibes. → Jalan Jaksa / Menteng / Sarinah : This is where to stay for good value in central Jakarta. The bars in this area are cheaper than average and they will appeal to Travelers, backpackers and Indonesians on a budget.

Best bars: Beer Garden Wahid Hasyim and Camden Cikini. =>This is a good area to stay in Jakarta if you are on a budget. I recommend Holiday Inn Express Wahid Hasyim. → Kemang: Another residential area favored by expat families. It has some expat bars and restaurants (Eastern Promise, Frank’s, Murphy’s, Queen’s Head) and a few teen nightclubs (Dronk, 999, Nu China). The current hotspot is the clubs, restaurants and rooftop at Hotel Monopoli. → Pantai Indah Kapuk: A sTrip of restaurants and bars for young, usually wealthy Chinese Indonesians living in Pluit. → Glodok/Kota: One of the main red-light districts in North Jakarta. It has everything from posh clubs to cheap massage parlors and bordellos. =>This is a great area for good hotels on a budget. My favorite is Santika Hayam Wuruk. It’s perfect if you also want to visit the old part of Jakarta. → Blok M: A small red-light district in South Jakarta popular with older Westerners. All the hostess bars are lined up on Jalan Falatehan. Unfortunately, it is a dying area and is empty most nights. → Melawai and Grand Wijaya: Two red-light districts in South Jakarta that cater to Japanese and Koreans (karaoke and massage parlors).

Some luxury malls also have bars and clubs: Grand Indonesia, Plaza Indonesia, Pacific Place, Senayan City, Plaza Senayan, Central Park and Pondok Indah.

Fortunately, I wrote a detailed article about all of them: Party in Jakarta: Nightlife + Hotels.

When to party?

Jakarta's nightlife is busy all year round and pauses during Ramadan. South Jakarta nightclubs are busy from midnight to 4am, and those in North Jakarta from 8pm to 3am. Some venues have longer opening hours (Golden Crown, 108 (former Illigals), Puja Sera). If you want to party 24 hours, the best solution is to rent a karaoke room (Jakarta Karaoke), such as 108 Club or Fashion Hotel.

→ Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: quiet in the south, normal in the north. The "normal" nightclubs will be closed, but most bars will be open. The busiest will be Basque, Loewy, Social House, Cloud, Cork and Screw, Skye. The hooker bars in 5-star hotels, like BATS and CJ are also happening. In the north, naughty clubs like Malioboro, Golden Crown, 36, Tease, should be very crowded. From what I understand, this is because married men have an easier time going out during the week. There are also more businessmen in Jakarta on weekdays.

→ Wednesday is my favorite party day in Jakarta. All clubs and bars are usually open and busy. The entrance fee is lower and you have promotions for ladies night. Try rooftop bars like Cloud or Henshin, bars like Basque, and go to Dragonfly.

→ Friday and Saturday are the hottest nights.

Prices will be higher on those days. The entrance fee to the luxury clubs can be up to 300,000 IDR. There are more foreigners in Jakarta, as many come from all over Southeast Asia. Hotels near Jakarta's Nightlife I get emails from readers almost every day asking me where to stay near Jakarta's nightlife. My answer is always the same: "Find a hotel within 500 meters of Jalan Sudirman".

My personal recommendations are:

→ 5 stars (over $150/night)
Kempinski or Mandarin Oriental. Shangri-La and Mulia both have lots of busy bars with live music. Oakwood Premier Cozmo is in Mega Kuningan and is in a great location, I recommend it if you plan to date Indonesian girls (we can invite them downstairs to Loewy).

→ 4 stars (over $100/night)
Fraser Residence, Fraser Place and Ascott Kuningan are new, centrally located and close to nightlife. Sarinah, Artotel, Morrissey and Kosenda nearby have their own bars.

→ 3 stars (over $40/night): Harris FX (very popular as it is located in a lifestyle mall), Ayaka Suites, Liberty Hotel, A-One, Ashley.

→ Under $40 per night: Dreamtel, Cipta, MaxOne, Favehotel Wahid Hasyim, Favehotel Gatot Subroto

All the hotels below are ranked #1 on Agoda. Because I receive a commission every time, please consider booking using the link I provide. Your price is the same and it helps me run Jakarta100bars.com. Backpackers with no money can check out guesthouses directly on Jalan Jaksa and nearby streets. You can get a room with a fan for less than 100,000 IDR. Best Bars in Jakarta.

Bars for meeting girls → Girls over 20: Basque, Loewy, Bluegrass, Social House, Henshin → Girls over 30: Eastern Promises, Aphrodite → Girls who want money: BATS, CJs, My Bar, 36 Cheap Bars → For students: Camden, Midway, Beer Garden → Backpackers: Melly’s Garden, Memories’ Pub → For expats: Masters, Everest.

Trendy Bars: → For young expats: Basque, Loewy, Bluegrass, Dutch, Safehouse, Jack Sparrows → For Indonesian Chinese and Hi-So: Monty’s, Léon, Savoi, Proof, Union, Cork and Screw, Pao Pao → For hipsters: Lucy in the Sky, Lola, Hide and Seek.

Best bars to meet expats and watch sports Eastern Promise, Aphrodite, Murphy’s, Master’s, De Hooi, McGettigan’s. Best bars for live music BATS, CJs, Eastern Promise, Hard Rock, Rolling Stones, Paulaner Brauhaus. Best chill bars → Rooftops: Henshin, Cloud, SKYE → Lounges: Flow, Burgundy, Prohibition. Best nightclubs in Jakarta.

Nightclubs for young people: Blowfish, Fable, Dronk, 999, Nu China
Nightclubs for upper class Empirica, Dragonfly, Blowfish, Immigrant. Nightclub with Electro/Techno Jenja. Nightclub with Hip-Hop Equinox (upper level of X2) – currently closed.
Nightclubs with EDM Empirica, Domain.

Cheap nightclubs: Dronk, Nu China, 999, Camden and to a lesser extent: Domain
Nightclubs with female companions and working girls → High-end clubs: Colosseum (1001 complex), Alexis (closed), 108 Club (former Illigals), Malioboro, Tease Club (Emporium complex) → Mid-range clubs: Classic, King Cross, Sumo, Travel, Golden Crown, Newton, Tematik, B’Fashion → Low-end clubs: MTR, Starmoon, Cherry, Mars (usually located in the red light district of Lokasari, Mangga Besar, Kota Indah or in the suburbs).

Note that all the high-end and mid-range venues mentioned above are located in large “one-stop entertainment” complexes with spas and karaoke. They are actually prostitutes with their own hookers and sometimes foreigners (Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Uzbek, etc.).
Surprisingly, there are a few that are hotels where you can book a room and sleep in a spa next door:

Classic Hotel: 30$ per night on Agoda (rating 7.2/10) – located in the center of Jakarta, very convenient. Tematik Hotel: 29$ per night on Agoda (rating 6.7/10) – located in North Jakarta (Pluit) B’Fashion Hotel: 39$ per night on Agoda (rating 7.1/10) – located in West Jakarta, between the airport and the city center Plaza Hotel (Golden Crown): 27$ per night on Agoda (rating 6.5/10)

Meeting Girls in Jakarta

It is usually easy to meet a girl in Jakarta, especially if you are an expat. As a traveler, it can be a bit complicated because most girls will assume that you are not looking for a long-term relationship. Meeting Girls Online: The best dating apps and sites are Tinder, IndonesianCupid, Badoo, Skout, and Paktor. You can try some of them, knowing that:

→ Tinder is best for decent people between 18 and 35 years old living in Indonesia. If you are white, you will get plenty of matches, but don't expect it to automatically convert into one-night stands.

→ IndonesianCupid is best for people who don't live in Indonesia. For some reason, this site is full of girls who want to marry foreigners and don't mind long-distance relationships. You can use it to make connections a few weeks before coming to Jakarta. It is a paid site, but the prices are reasonable.

If you plan to travel in Southeast Asia, it is better to use AsianDating (sister company of Indonesian Cupid). The site has thousands of girls from all over the world (mostly Thai, Filipino and Indonesian).

Meet girls in nightclubs If you are young and confident, nightclubs are your second best option to meet girls in Jakarta. One-night stands are common, especially with girls from Basque, immigrants and dragonflies. But be careful, the older you are, the more likely you will be asked for some money in the morning.

Making the first move is a guy's prerogative: Indonesian girls may stare at you, but they rarely approach you directly. The good news is that they are never arrogant and even if they reject you, it is in a gentle way.

Buying bottles in a nightclub is always a good idea. Not only does it get you free entry for a few people, a table/couch and more attention from the waiters, it is also a good way to approach girls and invite them to join you for a drink. Many people are attracted to the bottles like flies are attracted to honey. In the end, the cost is reasonable, especially when split between several people.

Frequently Asked Questions: These are some of the most common questions I receive from readers: Do I need an ID to visit clubs in Jakarta? Some clubs may ask for an ID if you look under 21. Personally, I have never carried one and I was only asked once, at Camden Bar Cikini.

High-end nightclubs are very strict about age requirements. Dragonfly does not allow anyone under 21. If you are under 18, you can try some clubs in Kemang, such as Venue (known for accepting underage clubbers). How much does it cost to go out? It is quite expensive to go partying in Jakarta, mainly because of the alcohol tax (200%).

In cheap bars, a small beer will cost $2-3, a glass of alcohol $4-5 and a cocktail $6. In high-end bars, a small beer is $5-6, a glass of spirits $6-9 and a cocktail $7-10. Entrance to the best nightclubs is about $15 on Wednesdays and $20 on weekends. Taxi fees can pile up quickly, especially if you are going from north to south or vice versa. A 15-minute ride is about $5. You can save a lot of money (up to 50%) by using transportation like Grab and Go-Jek. Uber no longer operates in Jakarta.

Overall, I would say you need at least $100 to have fun. If you can't afford it, you can buy a bottle online or at duty free and start drinking at home before going to the club. What is the dress code for Jakarta clubs? You can't enter a nightclub in Jakarta wearing flip flops and shorts. Make sure you are wearing a shirt, long pants and shoes. Avoid ripped jeans, even if they cost $500 a pair. Women are often required to wear skirts and high heels. Dragonfly, Immigrant, Fable, Empirica, Blowfish and X2 all strictly enforce this rule.

If you are stubborn, these are the nightclubs where drugs are common: 108 Club (former Illigals), Golden Crown, Exotis, Siera (Puja Sera) and Old Town.
How do you think the election of the new Governor will affect Jakarta nightlife? Will the Stadium reopen? Some of those who support Anies Baswedan (the new Governor) have possible connections with Jakarta's nightlife industry (see Who Owns Jakarta Nightlife?). These people are interested in reopening nightclubs like Mille's, Stadium or the Kalijodo red light district.

Bars, clubs and spas are also money makers and they employ thousands of people. They are one of the few fun things to do in Jakarta and without them the city would welcome fewer Tourists. The problem is that Anies did a whole campaign about religion, for which he promised to eradicate prostitution. While I’m sure these are empty promises and allowing the stadium to reopen would be an insult to his voters, I can’t imagine it happening. Under a different name, in a few years, why not, but not so soon. He may need to close several venues of symbolic importance, especially those belonging to the Alexis Group, who have not been spared by the Ahok until now. Will he go further? It’s too early to tell. It will depend on how badly he needs to use the religion card to stay in office or to divert attention. Whatever happens, Jakartans will always find a way and prostitution will not cease to exist. If it dies in one place, it will simply move to somewhere else.