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Kuala Lumpur’s nightlife scene is growing, particularly along Changkat Bukit Bintang AKA Kuala Lumpur’s bar and pub street.
A huge tree lined street packed with pubs, restaurants and bars, Changkat Bukit Bintang is the epicentre for epic nightlife in KL, plus has masses of massage parlours open until very late.
A short walk from Jalan Alor night market, Changkat Bukit Bintang is open until very late, with happy hours galore and a popular place for expats and tourists to watch live sports or drink until the early hours.
One of the best things to do in Kuala Lumpur at night, from mojitos to massages, sports bars to beer prices, here is our guide to visiting Changkat Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur:
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Table of Contents
Where is Changkat Bukit Bintang in KL?
The location of Changkat Bukit Bintang is in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s bustling ‘Golden Triangle’ and Bukit Bintang neighbourhoods.
Changkat Bukit Bintang is within walking distance of many downtown hotels and can be easily walked from the KL Pavilion shopping center.
If you are travelling from other parts of the city, Changkat Bukit Bintang is easily accessible by public transport.
To reach Changkat Bukit Bintang, take the KL MRT train to Bukit Bintang station and leave through exit F. It is around an 8 minute walk.
Alternatively, you can get to Changkat Bukit Bintang by taking the monorail / MRT KG line to Bukit Bintang station.
Otherwise, we found Grab taxis very cheap in KL / Malaysia, and the GRAB ride would likely be around 10 to 20 RM from anywhere in downtown Kuala Lumpur.
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What is Changkat Bukit Bintang in KL?
One of Kuala Lumpur’s best all day drinking and dining spots, Changkat Bukit Bintang is a long street with around 30 to 40 bars and restaurants lined up in close proximity. So much so that it is sometimes referred to as the KL ‘pub’ street or Kuala Lumpur bar street.
From Irish pubs to American style bars, whiskey joints to cantinas, you’ll find lots to keep you entertained on Changkat Bukit Bintang – including masses of massage parlours and health spas.
Plus if you are looking for somewhere in Kuala Lumpur to watch live sports like the English Premier League or AFL or baseball, most of the bars in Changkat Bukit Bintang have huge TV screens showing live sports constantly.
With most pubs and bars open until at least 2am, this street is a great spot to drink or watch sports in Kuala Lumpur at night.
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The Bar Scene in Kuala Lumpur / Drinking Alcohol in KL
Changkat Bukit Bintang is pretty unique in terms of the drinking and bar scene in Kuala Lumpur – generally you won’t see that many dedicated bars or pubs in KL, other than bars in tourist hotels.
As Malaysia is mainly a Muslim country, alcohol isn’t really consumed so the pub culture here is quite limited.
Most restaurants who cater towards tourists (like the Jalan Alor Food Street) can serve alcohol with meals but stand alone pubs and bars generally seem to be concentrated in Changkat Bukit Bintang.
Alcohol happy hours generally run until 8pm or 9pm in Changkat Bukit Bintang. Also note that in Malaysia / KL, convenience stores such as 7-Eleven can only serve alcohol between 7am and 9pm.
Although bars can serve alcohol much later; most Changkat Bukit Bintang bars and clubs close around 2am to 3am.
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The Best Bars in Changkat Bukit Bintang
We’ve had several big nights out in Kuala Lumpur and we would recommend these as some of the best bars along Changkat Bukit Bintang, in terms of atmosphere, staff and drinks offers:
Rockafellers
Our most recent visit to Rockafellers Changkat in late September 2023 with the Aussie NRL final – wow, the bar was packed and had such an atmosphere.
A nice place to sit out on the terrace and enjoy happy hour drinks or alfresco cocktails, Rockafellers is one of the best appointed bars on the strip and is open daily from 2pm to 3am.
Rockafellers has loads of drink and dining options – we had two pints of Tiger beer (500ml) for 44 MYR plus service and tax. There are two happy hours, one until 8pm then a slightly more expensive second happy hour until 10pm.
Healy Mac’s Changkat
A chain of Irish bars in Kuala Lumpur, Healy Mac’s has a whole host of happy hour specials and drinks like jugs of Tiger Beer for less than 50 MYR. Staff welcome you wearing English premier league shirts and you can sit inside or out.
One of the best Changkat Bukit Bintang bars to watch live sports, Healy Macs also do 2 for 1 cocktails Mondays to Thursdays – now that is a good KL happy hour!
Although note that whilst local beers and spirits like Tiger are OK in price, Irish beers and ciders like Magners are a little more expensive.
Healy Mac’s Changkat is open from 2pm Monday – Friday and from 11am Saturday / Sunday until 2am.
Gravy Baby
As the huge sign says outside, KL’s Gravy Baby is famous for its cocktails and pies – now that is our kind of big night out in Kuala Lumpur.
Gravy Baby currently has four locations in KL but Gravy Baby bar is always the best and busiest. Gravy Baby often has live music and live sports on TV with a happy hour on until 9pm.
Gravy Baby bar serves pub grub style food like pizzas, chicken and nachos (including vegetarian versions).
It is also one of the bars with the longest opening hours, starting at 8am daily for brunch and closing at 3am Friday and Saturdays (2am the rest of the week).
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Changkat Bukit Bintang Restaurants
All of the bars and pubs along Changkat Bukit Bintang have extensive food menus (likely as a result of the strict alcohol licensing laws in Malaysia), with many serving Western style fare like burgers or fish and chips.
If you are looking for a special meal, some of the best restaurants in Changkat Bukit Bintang include:
Old Shanghai
A Shanghainese style restaurant that is highly rated and popular for its epic tasting menu and stylish cocktails. Signature dishes include the rendang and delicious dim sum dishes.
Loco Mexican Bar and Restaurant
With all the happy hours, people often go ‘loco’ in Changkat Bukit Bintang but here it is fine, as it is the name of a popular Mexican restaurant which has lots of inexpensive dining options like tacos, quesadillas and burritos.
El Cerdo
A Spanish restaurant serving up European dishes like Gambas al ajillo, paella, chorizo al vino and pork knuckle.
Havana Bar & Grill
Easily one of the best looking restaurant bars in Changkat Bukit Bintang located towards the top of the hill, Havana Bar & Grill provides mojitos and latin music to the masses and is a top night spot to eat decadent food and dance the night away in KL.
Opening hours of the Changkat Bukit Bintang bars
Most of the bars and pubs along Changkat Bukit Bintang bars generally open around 2pm in the afternoon and close between 2am and 3pm, 7 days a week (although this may vary on public holidays).
For instance, two of the best Changkat Bukit Bintang bars and pubs, Healy Macs and Rockefellers both open at 2pm with Healy Mac’s closing at 2am and Rockfellers shutting at 3am.
Other bars and restaurants may open earlier for breakfast or lunch service – for instance, GravyBaby opens for breakfast and brunch at 8am most mornings.
Massage Parlours in Changkat Bukit Bintang
As well as bars, pubs and restaurants, Changkat Bukit Bintang is perhaps equally popular for having a large number of massage parlours and health spas (generally concentrated in the area between Jalan Alor Night Market and the start of all the bars on Changkat Bukit Bintang).
Indeed, as you first approach the main bar area walking away from Jalan Alor, you’ll likely be bombarded with dozens of masseuses throwing their massage menu and spa list in your face – some even follow you down the street a little!
It can be a little annoying / overwhelming at times but if you are looking for a spa treatment massage in KL and you want to compare lots of massage parlours in a short space of time in a small area, Changkat Bukit Bintang is the place to go.
Massage treatments generally start from around 30 MYR for a basic 30 minute foot massage.
Example prices of massages in KL’s Changkat Bukit Bintang are 40 MYR for a 30 minute body massage and 90 MYR for a 45 minute aromatherapy massage; example massage and treatment prices based on signs spotted in September 2023.
Most spas and massage parlours seem to open mid morning around 11am and operate until very late (some are open until 3am).
Changkat Bukit Bintang Hotels
The Golden Triangle is a great place to base yourself whilst staying in Kuala Lumpur, particularly if you want to hit late night bars or get a massage after a ‘hard’ day of sightseeing.
These Bukit Bintang hotels in KL are all within a few minutes walking distance of all the pubs and bars:
Stay Collection Bukit Bintang
The closest big-brand chain hotel to Changkat Bukit Bintang, this is literally in the midst of all the late night entertainment and only a few seconds from all the bars, pubs and clubs – the Stay Collection features a rooftop pool and has recently been renovated. Check rates and availability for Stay Collection Bukit Bintang >
citizenM Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang
Just a 5 minute walk from Changkat Bukit Bintang, citizenM Kuala Lumpur is a technologically advanced hotel with room functions controlled by a tablet. A 4* KL hotel in the heart of the action, rooms are cosy and compact with beautiful communal areas. Check rates and availability for citizenM Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang >
Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur
Treat yo self – this epic 5* KL hotel is just a 15 minute walk from the nightlife at Changkat Bukit Bintang. Close to KL’s best shopping mall, the Pavilion, Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur is a luxury hotel with an incredible pool. Check rates and availability for Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur >
Check out these other top hotels in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur >
The best time to visit Changkat Bukit Bintang
The main pub street is available to visit any time of day, and is a good Kuala Lumpur activity to combine with nearby Jalan Alor Night Market, a nearby Food Street that opens up nightly from around 5pm to 1am.
If you want to make the most of the happy hours Changkat Bukit Bintang, most happy hours run from around 3pm to 8pm.
We quite like visiting and drinking around dusk / sunset as the street looks quite nice in the early evening and revellers aren’t too intoxicated (unless there is a big sport games on).
Things to look out for in Changkat Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur is generally a very safe city – recent reports in 2023 even suggest the overall crime rate in Kuala Lumpur has dropped by 10%.
We have never had any issues whilst drinking and eating in the bars and restaurants along Changkat Bukit Bintang.
That said, given all the happy hours here, it is best not to get too intoxicated and also check your change after paying the bar tab (we got short changed a couple of times).
Other Popular Nightlife areas in KL
Other nightlife and nightclub areas in Kuala Lumpur include a wide variety of rooftop bars, lots of hotel bars around KLCC (perfect for night time views of the Petronas Towers), The Commons KL plus Asian Heritage Row near Chow Kit.
A little out of town, one of KL’s newest is Electric Boulevard, located in TREC Kuala Lumpur. Here you’ll find nightclubs, karaoke bars and lots of restaurants, although Electric Boulevard KL is a little out of the city so you may need to take a GRAB taxi.
Things to do near Changkat Bukit Bintang
Apart from visiting the bars (and restaurants) of Changkat Bukit Bintang (or even getting a massage), there are lots of other things to do within a ten minute walk of the nightlife here including:
Jalan Alor Night Market
Covering a 0.5km stretch of straight road, the Jalan Alor Night Market in KL has around 200 different street food stalls and permanent restaurants (plus the occasional non food stall) – it is also a very short walk from Changkat Bukit Bintang.
Most of the street food / night market stalls at Jalan Alor start setting up around 4.30pm to 5.30pm and then close late, usually around midnight to 1am.
From shakes to satay, durian to dumplings, here is our guide to visiting Jalan Alor, KL’s famous night market in Bukit Bintang >
Graffiti Alley
Running in parallel to Changkat Bukit Bintang, Graffiti Alley consists of several streets and alleyways swathed in street art.
The street is literally covered in cool creative paintings in bright colours (plus one street has fluorescent neon clouds hanging over it).
If Graffiti Alley sounds up your ‘street’, it is probably best to visit it in the daytime before going to Jalan Alor night market as the area is dimly lit in places and feels a little sketchy at night.
Also, some of the art is a bit rubbish and many of the streets back out onto restaurant rear entrances so there is quite a bit of garbage and grime.
Go Shopping
There are several big KL shopping malls within a close distance of Changkat.
The nearest malls are Plaza Low Yat, billed as the biggest IT / technology mall in Malaysia plus Sungei Wang Mall, chock full of independent traders and food stalls like Pappa Roti over several stories.
For a little more glitz and glamour, head to Pavilion Mall, KL’s premier shopping experience or nearby Fahrenheit 88 or Starhill Malls.
The Commons KL
Just one block away from the craziness of Changkat, the Commons KL is a food hub and restaurant space that has several upmarket bars and food outlets (plus a cigar lounge) with local and international food.
So if you want to enjoy KL’s nightlife in a slightly more refined and quieter way, check out the Commons KL.
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