Tori Bar
Tori Bar is a Japanese-run izakaya on a side street near Jalan Falatehan, one of a cluster of Japanese-style bars that have anchored the Blok M area for decades thanks to the Japanese expat population in South Jakarta. The bar pours sake, shochu, Japanese whisky, and Asahi and Sapporo on draft, and the small kitchen turns out yakitori, edamame, gyoza, and simple donburi dishes. Seating is split between a counter that faces the open grill and a handful of tables for groups. The room is compact, holding perhaps 30 people at capacity. Evenings run quiet and conversational, with Japanese salarymen posted on weekday trips making up a large share of the clientele. This is not a ladies' companion venue and the atmosphere is a genuine izakaya register rather than any kind of adult entertainment setting.
Where to stay near Tori Bar
Hotels and rentals within walking distance.
What to Expect
A warm, low-lit room with the scent of charcoal grilling tare-glazed chicken, a soft hum of Japanese conversation, and an interior that would not look out of place in a Tokyo residential neighborhood. Quiet, deliberate, and calm.
Quiet, authentic, Tokyo-in-miniature. The kind of bar where regulars know each other by first name.
Low-volume Japanese jazz, city pop, and occasional 1970s Japanese rock through the speakers
Casual to smart casual. Office shirts fine, beach clothes out of place.
Travelers seeking a quiet drinking counter, Japanese food enthusiasts, solo visitors wanting conversation with a bartender rather than a scene
Cash in IDR preferred, some cards accepted when the terminal works, no QRIS
Price Range
Asahi draft 65000 IDR, sake carafe 120000-180000 IDR, yakitori skewer 25000-40000 IDR, Japanese whisky shot 90000-150000 IDR
Draft beer ~$4.30, sake carafe ~$8-12, yakitori skewer ~$1.70-2.70
Hours
18:00-01:00 Mon-Sat, closed Sunday
Insider Tip
Sit at the counter if you want conversation with the owner, who usually handles the grill himself. The yakitori negima and tsukune are the kitchen picks; ask for sichimi pepper on the side. Cash is strongly preferred over cards; the bar is small enough that the card terminal is sometimes down.
Full Review
Tori Bar is one of those Jakarta venues that reveals itself slowly. The signage is modest, the entrance is on a quiet side street, and the first impression once you step inside is that someone has lifted a neighborhood izakaya out of Shinjuku and dropped it into Blok M. A wooden counter runs along the open grill, eight stools facing the grill master, and a handful of tables along the back wall under soft pendant lighting. Posters for 1970s Japanese rock acts line the walls, yellowed with age, which tracks with how long this place has been operating.
The clientele is mostly Japanese expats and visiting businessmen. On the night I visited, four salarymen occupied the end of the counter, a group of two Indonesian office workers sat at a table working through a shochu bottle, and the rest of the seats filled slowly as the evening moved on. Conversation stays at normal speaking volume. The music sits low enough that you can hear the sizzle of the grill over the speakers. No one is performing. The yakitori arrived on bamboo sticks still catching trace heat from the binchotan charcoal.
Drink prices are reasonable for the quality. Sake options include a few decent junmai carafes at prices that wouldn't embarrass the bar in Tokyo. Japanese whisky selection covers the common bases: Nikka from the Barrel, Hibiki Harmony when stock permits, and the usual Suntory entry points. The Asahi draft is clean and cold.
Compared to the loud Falatehan bar strip a few minutes' walk away, Tori Bar operates in a completely different mode. This is a conversation venue. Couples and small groups come here to drink quietly and eat carefully prepared food. If you want anything resembling a club experience, go elsewhere.
The Neighborhood
Tori Bar is on a side street near Jalan Falatehan in the Blok M area of Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. The neighborhood hosts one of Jakarta's largest concentrations of Japanese expat businesses and restaurants, a legacy of Japanese corporate presence in South Jakarta going back to the 1970s.
Getting There
MRT to Blok M BCA station, then a seven-minute walk to the side streets off Falatehan. GoCar or Grab is easier after dark; drivers know the Jalan Falatehan area by name. Cash fare from central Jakarta runs 60000-100000 IDR.
Other Venues in Blok M
Eastern Promise
Long-standing expat bar on Jl. Falatehan that's been a Blok M institution for years. Cheap beer, pool tables, and a no-frills atmosphere.
Stadium
One of the larger clubs in the Blok M area with a main dance floor and VIP sections. Plays a mix of EDM and Indonesian pop to a mostly local crowd.
Top One Club
Late-night venue in the Blok M entertainment strip known for its hostess system and a predominantly male clientele. Gets going well after midnight.
D's Place
Small neighborhood bar popular with expats living in South Jakarta. Live acoustic music some evenings and a relaxed, unpretentious setting.
Berita Satu Bar
Local watering hole on the Blok M strip that stays open late and charges some of the lowest drink prices in the area. Simple setup, no cover charge.
M Bloc Bar
Live music venue inside the M Bloc Space creative complex hosting indie bands and local acts most weekends. Young, creative crowd and affordable craft beer.