Nightlife in Malaysia

KL's bar scene grew up fast. Over the past decade, rooftop bars with dramatic views of the Petronas Twin Towers became almost a cliché, yet Marini's on 57 and Heli Lounge Bar (a real working helipad) still pull it off with enough style to justify the markup. Down at street level, Changkat Bukit Bintang is the only walkable bar strip, a single street crammed with sports pubs, craft cocktail dens, everything in between. The Petaling Street area birthed excellent speakeasy-style bars like PS150, where creative cocktails arrive in a beautifully restored shophouse. Bangsar plays neighborhood-bar: wine bars, casual whisky spots, the kind of place locals hit on a Tuesday. Beer prices at a mid-range bar run RM20, 35 (around USD 4, 7) per pint, steep if you're coming from Thailand.

This is honestly where Malaysia's nights get special. The mamak stall, a 24-hour Indian-Muslim hawker institution, is the backbone of late-night eating across the country. You'll find them on virtually every major street: roti canai, mee goreng mamak, maggi goreng, and teh tarik (pulled milk tea) at any hour, for RM5, 10 a plate. They're where everyone ends up after clubs close, from students to DJs. In KL, Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang is the famous tourist-facing street food strip, it runs until the early hours and offers everything from satay to grilled seafood. Chinatown's Petaling Street area has late-night dim sum and noodle stalls. In Penang, the hawker culture is arguably even better: Gurney Drive food court and the stalls around Georgetown run impressively late. On a budget, you can eat an extremely good meal at 2am for under RM15.