Carrots Bar: Redefining Jakarta’s Cocktail Culture Through Community

Carrots Bar has redefined what a cocktail bar in Jakarta can look like. In a city where cocktail venues are often large, built for volume, with booming music, secluded seating, and clouds of cigarette smoke, Carrots chose a different path. Small, intimate, and community-driven, it has risen to prominence precisely because it was brave enough to go against the norm.

That contrarian spirit has not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, Carrots earned a place on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list, drawing international recognition to a bar that feels more like a neighborhood living room than a glossy nightlife spot. For co-founders Alvin Sung Jaya and Monica Jonan, the accolade is less about prestige and more about proof that Jakarta’s hospitality scene can thrive on warmth, connection, and creativity.

Design & Atmosphere

Located in the basement of a building filled with chaotic clubs, Carrots feels like an oasis of calm and hospitality. A communal table extends from the bar, bringing guests shoulder to shoulder and sparking conversations between strangers. The bar enforces a strict e-cigarette and vape-only policy, eliminating the heavy haze of tobacco and creating a more inclusive, breathable environment.

The setting is simple but intentional. There are no grand design flourishes to distract; instead, everything is arranged to make guests feel comfortable enough to interact and connect. Monica calls herself Carrots’ “Chief Everything Officer,” but that humility is emblematic of the space: Carrots is hands-on, personal, and built on the idea that the bar itself should facilitate genuine community.

Drinks & Program

If the design sets the mood, the cocktails bring the vision to life. Alvin stresses that Carrots’ rise isn’t about one single decision or gimmick but “a consistent effort in delivering what we know best: excellent cocktails, good conversation, and a warm place for everyone.”

Among the bar’s standout creations is the Baba Daiquiri, designed by Head Bartender Anthony. Inspired by the dessert Baba au Rhum, the drink employs a milk clarification technique with toasted milk powder to capture the Maillard reaction’s baked flavors, layered with Sulawesi vanilla and passion fruit for balance. It’s a dessert-inspired cocktail that surprises by evoking not just the fruit or spice, but the sensation of pastry itself.

Another emblematic serve is the Kretek, a cocktail homage to Indonesia’s traditional clove cigarettes. By infusing vermouth with clove and spices and finishing with a smoldering clove garnish, the drink captures the sensory memory of kretek without the tobacco, a bold expression of local culture reimagined in liquid form.

Beyond individual drinks, the full 16-cocktail menu reflects inclusivity at its core. Monica explains, “We try to have something for everyone, and then present it in an approachable way.” Local ingredients naturally find their way into the recipes, not as novelty, but because they are part of the team’s culinary DNA, vanilla from Sulawesi, cloves from East Java, flavors drawn from the food and culture they grew up with.

People & Impact

Carrots’ true strength lies in its people. Alvin and Monica lead a small but devoted team that treats regulars like family and newcomers like soon-to-be friends. Monica notes that the bar’s success stems not from a pivotal breakthrough but from “the repeated decision by our team to do our best for our guests, five days a week, for the past two years.”

Alvin & Monica, Co-Founders

That dedication has ripple effects beyond Carrots itself. The bar’s rise has shown that intimacy, community, and connection can be just as powerful in shaping Jakarta’s drinking culture as innovation or scale. Carrots proves that going against the grain, choosing closeness over spectacle, can create the experiences people didn’t know they needed.

The recognition from Asia’s 50 Best has already amplified Jakarta’s profile. More international guests are traveling to the city specifically for its cocktail bars, discovering that Jakarta is no longer an afterthought but a destination. Alvin points to the city’s “amazing talents, from passionate young bartenders to supportive mentors,” while Monica highlights the role of guest shifts, brand partnerships, and senior bars paving the way for growth. Together, Carrots and its peers are fueling a cocktail renaissance.

For Carrots, the journey is only beginning. The team is expanding into a larger back space with lounge-style seating and the possibility of a kitchen, while also developing a new menu set to launch by the end of the year. Alvin’s vision is clear: “The only way is up. Be genuine and be kind.”

As Jakarta gains international attention, Carrots stands as both a symbol and a guidepost. It shows that the city’s future as a cocktail destination won’t be defined solely by big, flashy venues but also by the quiet power of community, hospitality, and shared tables.