Shanghai Baby (Seminyak)

Shanghai Baby is one of the must-try new restaurants/bars in Bali in 2016. Designed by the Australian Grant Chyene, it was built on three stories in a 1930s Chinese art-deco style. The restaurant is on the ground floor, the lounge club on the first floor, and the rooftop on the second floor.

The food served is modern fusion Cantonese with a few Szechuan and Vietnamese specialties. It is well presented but not that special.

The most interesting part of Shanghai Baby is the lounge/club area on the first floor, which is currently one of the trendiest nightlife destinations in Bali. On weekends especially, it gets packed with a crowd of older expats, rich locals and possibly prostitutes. The original concept is that of a "bottle club", meaning that instead of a dance floor you have sofas and tables. For this reason, it is best to go there with a small group and order a bottle. Prior reservation is essential. You can still come for a drink at the bar even though it is small. It is usually rather easy to meet people (and girls). A beer costs about Rp60,000 and a cocktail Rp150,000.

The current resident DJs are Ben Burgess and Shammui, who play deep house, dance music and tech-house. They have been mixing in Mint, Jenja or Pyramid before.

Opening Hours:

Everyday from 6pm to 12pm for the restaurant

Wednesday to Sunday for the club from 8pm to 3am

Jazz nights on Wednesdays

Dress code:

No shorts, no singlets

Shanghai Baby Seminyak

Jalan Petitenget No. 208 (Next to W Hotel)

Seminyak, Badung, Bali

Phone number: +62 (0) 817 0030 088

Email: rsvp@shanghaibaby.asia

Facebook: Shanghai Baby Bali

Website: Shanghai Baby

Photos from Instagram: Shanghai Baby

Deejay Café - After Hour Nightclub in Bali

Deejay Café is an institution of Bali nightlife. It is a bit of a miracle that it hasn't been closed yet by the police, considering it is clearly a place to buy drugs and get high. I would be curious to know who the owners are.

Located in Kuta Station Hotel in a dirty street off Jalan Kartika Plaza, not far from Discovery Mall, Deejay Café starts to get busy after all the other nightclubs in Seminyak and Kuta close, around 4-5am. It peaks at 6-7am, then slowly dies at 9-10am.

I visited several times but never with a clear state of mind. The place is quite large, with rarely a full crowd. You normally have around 20 people on the dancefloor and twice as many sitting around it on high tables and sofas. The clients are overwhelmingly males, among which a lot of gays and transgenders. There are always a few women as well, but many are freelance prostitutes. I would say that most people in DJ Café are on drugs. The DJs play good non-commercial music labeled as progressive techno. It is similar to what you can hear in A-Club in Denpasar or Mille's in Jakarta.

Even though it seems like an easy thing to do, I recommend you to avoid taking drugs in Indonesia, especially in Bali.

The entrance fee is quite high, from Rp100,000 up to Rp200,000 depending on the DJ, with one free drink. They have special guest DJs occasionally, from Jakarta or from abroad.

Overall: Deejay Café is OK as an after-hour club. My only concern is that there are really too many guys inside.

Deejay Café or Deejay Club
Jalan Kartika 8x Plaza
Kuta, Bali 80361

Phone number: +62 361 75 8880
Blackberry: Pin 5A9B774F
Email: smm@kutastationhotel.com

Twitter: DeeJay Club Bali

Facebook: DeeJay Bali or Deejay Club (old Facebook)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deejayclubbali/

Charlie (Bali): Bar, Club, Kitchen

 

  

Charlie is one of the happening nightlife spots in Seminyak (Bali) at the moment, together with Townhouse and Jenja. As defined by one of its (foreign) owners, it is not just a bar, restaurant or club, but a lifestyle venue. You go there to spend some good time with friends, meet people and experience new food, drinks, or music.

If you are looking for a place to start your evening in Seminyak, I'd recommend you to try it. The food is great and affordable, including the pastries. Depending on the night, it can then become very busy and lively, especially when they have events or during the weekend. The crowd is mostly made of young expatriates (30-40).

Interesting enough: They were voted the Best Bar in Bali in 2014 by the YAK (though I imagine they must all be friends...).

Also, they have Burlesque nights, with (light) striptease or effeuillage by foreign dancers (on Friday):

Update July 2014: They have opened a French restaurant which I did not try but seems to have a good reputation. Worth trying.

Opening Hours:
From Monday to Saturday from 8am to 1am, on Sunday from 7am to midnight

Charlie (Bali)

Bar, Restaurant, Club, Bakery, Gallery

Jl. Petitenget 5, Seminyak (near Jalan Kerobokan)

Phone number: +62 821 474 7332 or +62 821 47417332

BB Pin: 2ae9dd1c
Email: mail@charliebali.com

Website: www.charliebali.com
Facebook: Charlie Bali

Instagram: http://instagram.com/charliebalibbb#
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Charlie_Bali
Foursquare: Charlie Bali
Youtube: Charlie Bar Restaurant Bali
Google+: Charlie

Please read my review Bali Nightlife Tips for more information about Seminyak Nightlife.