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Actors Studio Bangsar
Theatre and comedy are staged at this studio located in a shopping centre a couple of kilometres north of the Bangsar Baru. Prices depend on the performance.
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Bar Flam
A stylish, modernist lounge bar attracting design darlings and Bangsar trendies. Most people dine at the attached restaurant before they dance.
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Bar Upstairs
The bar at this popular bistro is probably the most chilled-out drinking spot in Bangsar Baru. Comfortable chairs and soothing sounds on the decks.
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Beach Club Café
Jln P Ramlee has numerous theme bars with live music or DJs and happy-hour specials. Unfortunately, these places tend to attract lots of sex workers and sexpats. Beach Club Café and Rum Jungle are the most popular places in this part of town.
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Bed
The famous Bed concept has been imported from Bangkok to KL. The resulting bar is small but ubercool, with an upbeat DJ soundtrack and glowing neon furniture.
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Black Hole
Older locals come to this big Desa Sri Hartamas party pub to wine and dine outside and dance upstairs. It's brash, boisterous and good honest, fun.
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Blue Boy
At the bottom of the heap is this grungy pick-up joint just off Jln Sultan Ismail behind the rebranded Millennium Hotel. Come before to sing karaoke with the winking lady boys; later it gets packed with a rent-boy crowd.
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Ceylon Bar
Big, comfy lounges, inexpensive drinks and a genuinely convivial mood make this one of the friendliest drinking holes in KL. Come early to bag one of terrace tables or the sofas inside.
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Chinatown Liquor Shop
Join the hardened Chinese drinkers for a tumbler of rice wine at the Chinatown Liquor Shop.
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Chinese Assembly Hall
Stages occasional shows of Chinese traditional dance and theatre, though no English translation is provided. Prices depend on the performance.
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Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
A state of the art concert hall inside the Petronas Towers. The respected Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra plays here (mostly at weekends) along with other local and international ensembles. Smart dress is required.
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Espanda
A long-established club in the Jln P Ramlee entertainment district with resident DJs and regular theme nights. Zouk has stolen some of Espanda's thunder but it still gets busy at weekends.
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Finnegan's in Bangsar
A popular branch of the Irish pub chain Finnegan's.
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Finnegan's in Desa Sri Hartamas
A popular branch of the Irish pub chain Finnegan's.
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Finnegan's in Golden Triangle
This Irish chain-pub faithfully recreates the mood of a local boozer. It's a good place for a knees-up, with stout and bitter on tap and a decent pub-grub menu. Happy-hour prices apply before .
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Frangipani Bar
On Friday nights, the seductive bar above the restaurant of the same name hosts a stylish and discrete gay crowd.
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Garçon at Maison
This is the Sunday night gay-friendly session at club Maison in Asian Heritage Row. It's a glam space that attracts a glam crowd, with the DJs from former gay haunt Bliss.
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Golden Screen Cinemas in Golden Triangle
Book a seat in Gold Class (around RM40 ) for La-Z-boy-style reclining chairs and a drinks service.
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Golden Screen Cinemas in Mid Valley
Book a seat in Gold Class (around RM40 ) for La-Z-boy-style reclining chairs and a drinks service.
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Green Man
Another Irish-ish pub with Guinness and bitter on tap, plus a menu of stodgy British food and a pool table. It's calmer indoors than on the busy terrace.
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Hard Rock Café
Ok, so it's a tacky international chain, but it's worth swinging by for the impressive line up of live bands. Weekends have the best live acts.
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Istana Budaya
The National Theatre is the setting for big-production music, dance and theatre shows. Keep an eye out for traditional musicals and shadow-puppet shows, and plays inspired by events in Malay history. The website has a listing of upcoming shows.
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Ivy
The Ivy faithfully recreates the feel of a British gastro pub. The downstairs bar has draft beers (including Guinness) and bar snacks, while the upstairs restaurant showcases modern European cooking.
