Riau
Escape Pekanbaru's grind and head up to the top of Sumatra's tallest building to enjoy a cold beer or cocktail with 360-degree city views. Its outdoor bar…
Must-see nightlife in Southeast Asia
Haiphong
Picture an open-air German beer hall with a rowdier crowd, and you've got the vibe of this fun venue. Couple the surprisingly tasty draught brews (7000d…
Semarang
This delightful cafe is one of several popping up in the old city area. Housed in a beautifully restored colonial terrace, with a pink awning and wrought…
Kuching
This self-styled 'Modern Dayak' bar features a mash-up of modern and indigenous design, and there's occasional live music – including metal and local hip…
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
Hanging baskets and lush potted plants framing the bar set the leafy, botanical tone for the superior cocktails made by the mixologists at this cocktail…
Vientiane
Refurbished shipping containers in front of a spooky abandoned building, riverside breezes, and local rum distilled by a Japanese resident. Laodi is hard…
Banglamphu
A superb modern interpretation of a classic Bangkok teahouse, this tiny, atmospheric shophouse serves delectable blends of premium tea sourced from China…
Vang Vieng
This mega-chill riverside bar is a slice of the old Vang Vieng, before the buggies took over. Order a Beerlao (we don't recommend eating here) and swing…
Ubud
The namesake bridges are right outside the Divine Wine & Cocktail Bar on the lower level of this bar/restaurant complex, which has sweeping views of the…
Ko Samui
With serious wow factor and spectacular panoramas, the W Retreat’s signature bar is the best place for sunset cocktails. Get there early to bag the…
Banglamphu
Tired of buckets and cocktails that revolve around Red Bull? Head to Ku Bar, the polar opposite of the Khao San party scene. Climb three floors of stairs …
Cebu City
A top Philippine craft-beer producer, Turning Wheels has opened up a lovely open-air taproom on a side street east of the Ayala Center. More than a half…
Kuala Lumpur
This is what you get when a boutique coffee roaster teams up with health-conscious cooks in a quiet green oasis. RBG serves excellent hand-drip and…
Sentosa Island
Tanjong Beach Club is an evocative spot, with loungers on the sand, a small, stylish pool for guests, and a sultry, lounge-and-funk soundtrack – perfect…
Chinatown
Quirky name aside, this watering hole originally opened in 2015 as Bangkok's first craft-beer bar. Given Thailand's liquor laws (heavily tilted against…
Malaysia
With guitars, clocks and rock icons set against its whitewashed brick walls, Café Lumière has a loose Parisian theme and an upbeat atmosphere. Daily food…
Chiang Mai
Inspired by Australian coffee culture and using roasting skills learned in the US, this place takes your cup of joe to the highest heights, from flat…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Part storage room for over-the-top vintage furniture, part restaurant and part friendly local boozer, this quirky bar certainly doesn’t lack diversity –…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Studio Lam is an extension of uberhip record label ZudRangMa, and has a Jamaican-style sound system custom-built for world and retro-Thai DJ sets and the…
Phnom Penh
After floating around from pier to pier for a few years (hence the name), the city’s premier nightclub found a permanent home on terra firma. It draws top…
Bangkok
This deceptively classic-feeling bar-restaurant is one of the most popular watering holes in Bangkok's business district. As the name unequivocally…
Koh Rong
Perched way up on the hill overlooking the pier, Sky Bar is Koh Rong's most sophisticated bar, with professional cocktails, a rocking gen-X soundtrack and…
Manila
This snazzy tequila bar and Mexican eatery carries a rotating selection of close to 85 different tequilas and mezcals, Mexican beers and several types of…
South Jakarta
In the most unlikely of locations (the lobby of an office building), you'll find this top stop for visiting DJs to Jakarta. Lights are projected onto…
Kuta & Legian
An infinity pool, suave lounges, a commanding location and tiki torches: this ostentatious bar above the Double-Six hotel could be the villain's lair from…
Vang Vieng
Made from driftwood and clay, this artsy hillside bar-restaurant pipes out fine tunes to match the ambience, with live music nightly from 7pm. Check out…
Quy Nhon
Close to the Cham towers, this fine coffee house is perfect for either espresso or Viet drip-style coffee (or a great juice). The decor is quirky (think…
Phnom Penh
An always-packed speakeasy, Battbong is tricky to locate. Look out for the Coca-Cola machine at the end of Langka Lane and locate the hidden button…
Phnom Penh
This place keeps visitors hanging around the Russian Market area long after dark with its combination of rare single-malt whiskies, Cambodian craft beers…
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
The southern end of Jln Petaling's evolution into a hip ’hood is helped along by this cocktail bar concealed behind a fake toyshop in a building that was…
Chiang Khan
The most pleasant of a number of cutesy cafes that dot Th Chai Khong, this plant-filled, wooden-shuttered, roadside perch serves excellent coffee as well…
Mactan Island
Jutting into the ocean, this is the sleekest beach club in the Visayas, with cool white seating, decking and sail-like canopies drawing Cebu's bright…
Melaka City
A swinging recorded soundtrack of jazz and classic pop keeps the beers flowing at this traveller magnet. The first cafe to open on Jonker St (in 1999), it…
Nha Trang
Ramshackle bar on the riverbank owned by a hospitable Japanese couple who speak great English. Music is very well selected, with DJ Alan Ritchie spinning…
Kampot
Reserve Tuesday nights for a visit to Karma Traders' rooftop bar, where there's live music, US$2 tacos (try the Coca-Cola pulled pork) and two-for-one…
Manila
This arty new bar is a breath of fresh air on the fringes of Makati's Central Business District. Superb selection of craft beer, both in bottles and on…
Thanon Sukhumvit
This cool and friendly neighbourhood bar also packs in a gallery space. Arty locals and resident foreigners come for the old-school cocktails, live music,…
Ko Chang
Perched at the north end of the island, past the flash marina, this poolside bar has a magnificent outlook across green lawn to a secluded golden sweep of…
Khon Kaen
Khon Kaen's youthful population has spawned many good coffee shops, but this friendly, attractively cluttered, front-terrace cafe is our favourite. It…
Chinatown
No one ever expects to find a bar this sophisticated – yet this fun – in Chinatown. Tep hits the spot with Thai-tinged, contemporary interiors and boozy…
