The best bars in Kuala Lumpur

Marini’s on 57

If you were thrilled watching the extravagance of the Petronas Towers of KL, it’s time to chill at the 57th floor of Petronas tower 3. With an amazing panoramic view of the city and the magnificent twin towers of KL staring at you, Marini’s on 57 is the best place to hang out once the sun sets. The floor to ceiling glass windows with the glass roof lets you get a soaking view of the nighttime Kuala Lumpur as you enjoy the drink made by Rizal junior, the much-famed mixologist. The place has three sections – a neon-lit bar, a Havana-escue lounge and a dining area that specializes in Italian cuisines. While the lounge is furnished with luxury brown sofas, the bar has art-deco furniture.

If you are an ardent love of cocktails, Marini’s on 57 is where you need to be. Along with some great cocktails, the bar serves a wide-ranging selection of wines and champagnes. If you enjoy sipping Johnnie Walker Gold, the lounge will provide the right ambiance for you to enjoy the drink like you have never done before.

SkyBar

One of the coolest hangouts in Kuala Lumpur’s nightlife scene is the Sky Bar that is located on the 33rd floor of Traders Hotel in KL. The place is not only famous for its intoxicating views of the twin towers and the city’s skyline, but also the in-house pool. The semi-private cabanas by the side of the pool give a nice and cozy corner for the guests to enjoy their drink in absolute tranquility. The woven rattan furniture on the other side of the pool inside the bar gives a casual yet elegant appearance to the place.

While this most happening open air bar has a wide range of drinks to offer, the ones that you have to try at least once include the Kiwitini, the Lychee Rose, the Raised in Manhattan and the Mata D’or’, which are the signature cocktails of the Sky Bar. Step in before 8:30 pm local time and you can enjoy the happy hour deals. However, if you want to get the real feel of this somewhat expensive bar, you got to land there after 9 in the evening. The bar has extended hours till 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays.

View Rooftop Bar

View Rooftop bar finds its place in the list of best bars in KL not just because of its great cocktails or pulsating music. The place offers some of the most amazing views of the city that includes the Titiwangsa Mountain range, the Ampang Hills and obviously the famous twin towers of Malaysia.

Located within walking distance of the Petronas Towers, the View Rooftop bar has three sections. While the wooden terrace and potted plants of the Al Fresco bar will offer cool comfort along with panoramic view of the city, the indoor bars have a more modern touch. The Champagne room, the second section of this bar is furnished with minimal furniture and it sets the mood with its changing neon lights that would wash you periodically with green, blue or pink light. The place has a mixed crowd of locals as well as the expats that would give you an at-home feeling if you had been yearning to meet someone other than the regular Asians.

View Rooftop bar has some of the best cocktails in the town, most of which are found only here. Apart from the wide range of innovative cocktails, the place offers beers. Spirits and wines for the drinking pleasure of its guests who get soaked in the smooth jazz that plays in the background.

Havana Bar & Grill

Don’t expect a life-size portrait of Fidel Castro as you step inside the Havana bar & Grill. Besides the name and the special menu of cocktails, there is not much here that would remind you of Cuba. Located in the middle of Bintang Street, which is the Mecca of shopping and entertainment in KL, this bar and restaurant are housed in an elegant bungalow that dates back to 1950s. Ideal for hanging out with friends, you would keep on tapping your foot to the beats of the salsa band or the samba music that gets played by the DJ in the bar.

The place is divided into three main sections – the main outdoor bar, the back patio and the upstairs lounge. The bar specializes in serving Cuban-style cocktails that include the margaritas and the mojitos. However, that is not all that Havana will have in its store for you. It has a wide range of assorted rums, beer, tequilas, and cachacas to offer to its guests. Do watch out for the Happy hours to get some generous deals on beers here at Havana Bar & Grill.

Fuego at Troika Sky Dining

The theatrical menu of the Fuego at Troika Sky dining awaits those who love sipping on their cocktail while looking at the majestic view of the Petronas Towers in the background. With a South American touch to the menu, Fuego takes pride in having chefs who are experts in the art of making guacamoles. Justifying the meaning of the name, items in the menu of Fuego bar have a smoked effect. Be it the smoked quail eggs or Grilled King prawn, you would find smoking to be a common technique used in the making of food here at Fuego.

Along with the wide assortment of smoked items like the smoked snail in the jar or smoked meat, the cocktails that are offered here also have a grilled effect. With the potent mojitos and the refreshing pina colada, the cocktail menu of the Fuego is going to bring a wide smile on the face of the tourist who visits this place after a tiring day of city tour. The cool interiors of the place can be enjoyed equally with friends as well as with family members.

Skullduggery

Right from the rustic entrance to the copper skull studded walls, Skullduggery is the place that would keep on amazing you as you sip on some their tastiest cocktails. This place caught the attention of cocktail lovers with its wide range of tasty cocktails in 2016. If the sight of the costumed figure with a skulled head at the end of the stairs does not surprise you, the amazing taste of the potent potions here at Skullduggery certainly will.

You can expect some of the weirdest ingredients in the cocktails that you will find here at Skullduggery. Seaweed agave, cardamom milk jam, and black hazelnut bitters will give an offbeat taste to the cocktails that will get to sip on while enjoying the dark brown interiors of Skullduggery. Do not forget to have a quick word with Viji Thomas, the French mixologist who would tell you better about the different concoctions that get served here. The best part of this place is that it is not that expensive as those luxury lounges in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Heli Lounge Bar

What happens to be one of the five operational helipads of the city during the day turns into a thriving rooftop bar once the sun sets. The rooftop bar is accompanied by a lounge downstairs. While the lounge has an aeronautical themed decor, the rooftop bar is furnished with some simple lounge chairs and a portable drink station. With few pegs down, you better watch your steps on this helipad turned bar, as the place does not have any walls or rails to keep you off from falling all the way down the 36 floors if you get too far to the edges.

With checkered flooring, the lounge offers a comfortable ambiance. You will find waiters dressed as pilots serving common selections of cocktails, wines, and spirits. While you will not get any exquisite choice of liquor here at the Heli Lounge Bar, but you certainly do not get chances to raise a toast sitting on a helipad every other day. If you need more reasons to pay a visit to this comparatively inexpensive place, you got the opportunity to see the best sunset from the roof while you take a quick sip on your glass of Lychee Martini.

The Whiskey Bar

There are hardly any prizes for guessing the specialty of this favorite bar of locals and expats of Kuala Lumpur. Whiskeys! The place has almost 500 labels of whiskey to offer to its guests. You would not get such a collection of whiskey in the whole of South East Asia, let alone Malaysia. The cozy interiors with the leather round chairs would set up the mood as you order for some of the rarest names from the world of whiskeys.

Take the different whiskey flights that would cost about RM 90-140 and will let you treat your taste buds with some of the finest whiskeys from all around the world. Glen Elgin, Benriach, Aushentoshan, Glenkinchie and what not! If you are an avid whiskey lover, this place will haunt you in your dreams is what we guarantee. If you aren’t, this place will still not turn you down. It offers a wide range of cocktails as well, but all of them will have a subtle taste of whiskey in them.

Mai Bar

Love the taste of exquisite cocktails? Enjoy the loud and pulsating music? Looking for a poolside rooftop bar? The Mai bar is the place where you should find yourself at. The bar has the pride of offering some of the widest range of creative concoctions that are not to be found anywhere else in the town. Some of the must try cocktails here at the Mai Bar include the ‘Malaysian Princess Mai tai’ and ‘Mr. Jack’ both of them being the signature cocktail of this amazingly lavish and comforting bar.

The bar is very near to the KL Sentral stop and can be easily reached by means of LRT from KL City Center. The casual furnishing and the neon lights of the place offers an intoxicating experience that gets doubled as you enjoy the delicious cocktail that gets served to you here at the Mai Bar.

Luna Bar

What could be more refreshing than taking a quick dip in the swimming pool of Luna Bar before enjoying their wide range of cocktails? Luna Bar is one of those very few bars that offer a 360º view of the city of Kuala Lumpur with the stunning panorama of the Petronas Twin Towers. The bar is located on the 34th floor of Pacific Regency Hotel Suites and offers the usual selection of wines, beers, and spirits.

It is definitely not one of the inexpensive options of bars here in Kuala Lumpur. However, if you consider the exquisite cocktails, lip smacking taste of homemade sausages and the luscious lamb cutlets coupled with the mesmerizing view of the city, the price of RM50 might not sound a very big one. The bar cum lounge is a favorite for local celebs as well. Do not be surprised if you find the local supermodel matching your steps as you tap your feet to the music of the DJ who play till the shutters are down.

Delaney’s The Irish Pub

Located in Bukit Bintang area of Kuala Lumpur and very near to Low Yat Plaza, Delaney’s Irish Pub lets you savor our taste buds with some Irish liquids and cuisine. The furniture and fittings of the place are being shipped from Dublin and provide the perfect European ambiance in the middle of a busy South Asian country. The place offers the usual range of wines, beers, and spirits. What makes it popular among the European expats is the classic taste of Irish food that gets cooked by chefs who have more than 25 years of experience up their sleeves. Paying a visit here during the afternoon will not only let you relax with a chilled glass of Guinness but will also let you enjoy the benefits of happy hours. The affectionate behavior of the staff is another reason that makes people go back there time and again.