There’s no denying Singaporeans love making trips up north across the border for affordable buys and good eats aplenty.
But daytime travel means people everywhere you turn. Instead of literally rubbing shoulders with everyone, stay up past your bedtime to enjoy a peaceful night of shopping and eating once the crowds disperse. There’s much more to do than just this of course. Here are 11 best things to do in JB at night:
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A trip to JB without lok lok is frankly, quite incomplete. It’s undoubtedly a supper food, so even if you spent the whole day hopping around new shopping malls in JB, there’s bound to be a lok lok stall open late at night to satisfy cravings.
Image credit: @tamjiakxx
Fa Ge Lok Lok is one that’s just a stone’s throw away from the ever-popular KSL City Mall. Plus, they’re open till 4am. You’ll find all sorts of skewered meats and veggies priced from RM1.50/stick (~S$0.30). Regulars here tend to go for the marinated duck, salmon belly, and enoki mushroom wrapped in ham.
Once you’ve made your selection, you then get to choose to boil, fry or grill your sticks. And when they’re ready, dip them into spicy and tangy sauces for a burst of flavour.
Price: From RM1.50/stick (~S$0.30)
Address: Jalan Serigala, Taman Abad, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 7pm-4am, Daily
Contact: +60 16-716 4612
If you’ve no trouble staying up late because you can’t seem to relax when you get into bed, it may be time for you to release tension with a massage. Knead away sore muscles by heading to Bangkok Spa, where services here include foot reflexology, traditional Thai massages, and body scrubs.
A soak in a jacuzzi can held warm up tight muscles.
Image credit: Bangkok Spa
For couples looking to book quiet time alone, the massage parlour even has a private sauna and jacuzzi you can book from RM100/person (~S$31.70). It includes an hour-long foot massage, plus 30 minutes each in the sauna and jacuzzi.
If that knot in your back doesn’t seem to be going away, here are 10 more non-sleazy massage parlours you can check out during the day.
Price: From RM62 (~S$19.85) for 60-minute foot or traditional Thai massage
Address: 58 Jalan Abiad, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 11am-5am, Daily
Contact: +60 17-338 2277 | Bangkok Spa website
Here’s a romantic activity for lovebirds who also identify as night owls just across the causeway. The Danga Bay World Theme Park is a carnival that’s loaded with nostalgic rides like a brightly-lit carousel, bumper cars, and Ferris wheel, and it’s open till midnight daily.
Image credit: @ning.kang
Matching the old school vibes of the fair are the equally retro pricing. The carousel costs just RM2 (~S$0.63) for a ride, while the bumper cars go for RM8 (~S$2.60) per go.
Image credit: @nial_pilos
But before you go on all the rides, spend dusk with your dearest at Danga Bay. There’s a quiet beach there that sees hardly anyone in the evenings. The sun setting below the horizon as waves crash onto the sandy beach will be quite an intimate moment to behold.
Address: Danga Bay, 80200 Johor Bahru, Johor
Opening hours: 7pm-12am, Daily
From its name, you already know Loud Speaker KTV has karaoke rooms for you to sing your heart out. What you may not know is that this place also has gaming equipment for those who’d rather not hold a note.
Image credit: Loud Speaker KTV Facebook
PS4s and Nintendo Switches are yours to rent from just RM30 (~S$9.40) to use in your own private room. As for games, you’ll be spoilt for choice with their selection of popular titles like Tekken, Overcooked, and FIFA21 available for both consoles.
Price: From RM30/2 hours (~S$9.40)
Sutera outlet
Address: 135, 137 & 139, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/2, Taman Sutera Utama, Skudai, 81300 Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 11am-1am, Daily
Contact: +60 11-1535 9998
Austin Height outlet
Address: No. 17, Jalan Austin Heights 8/3, Taman Mount Austin, Tebrau, 81100 Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 11am-1am, Daily
Contact: +60 11-1535 7778 | Loud Speaker KTV website
If the kids are refusing to go to bed, tire them out with a little wholesome family fun – bowling. Daiman Bowl is one of the biggest bowling alleys in JB boasting 36 lanes, which means you’ll hardly need to wait to play a game.
Image credit: @peacemikix
While the kids work on getting strikes with the help of gutter guards, the rest of the fam can chill out at the cafe and pub for drinks and light bites. Should knocking down pins start to feel stale after your 5th game, there’s also an arcade for friendly competitions of DDR and Daytona Racing among you and your pals.
Price:
Youth (under 18 years old): From RM5.30/game (~S$1.68)
Adults: From RM6/game (~S$1.90)
Shoe rental: RM3.50/pair (~S$1.11)
Address: Taman Johor Jaya, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: Sun-Thu 10am-1am | Fri-Sat & Eve of PH 10am-2am (Closed on PH)
Contact: +60 7-351 3399 | Daiman Bowl Facebook
Remember when running to the LAN shop was the highlight of your day after a long day of school? You’d quickly change out of your school uniform into some other outfit you had stashed in your bag, then pound the keyboard playing Starcraft and Call of Duty until mum called you to come home for dinner.
Image credit: Mango Light Cyber Cafe
If you’ve been hit by a wave of nostalgia and want another go of life as it was, check out Mango Light Cyber Cafe. It’s open 24/7 and costs just RM2.50/hour (~S$0.79) after you sign up for a membership at RM20 (~S$6.35).
Image credit: Mango Light Cyber Cafe
This LAN shop has been fitted with the works too. In place of creaky chairs you might have had back in the day are ergonomic ones, so you can game for long hours without worrying about your posture. Each seat also comes with a noise-cancelling headset so you’ll be able to shout commands to friends while blocking out loud sounds coming from your neighbours.
Price:
Non-members: RM3.50 (~S$1.11) per hour
Members: RM2.50 (~S$0.79) per hour
Membership card: RM20 (~S$6.35), includes 4 hours of play
Address: 1, Jalan Maju, Taman Maju Jaya, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 24 hours, Daily
Contact: +60 7-207 4841 | Mango Light Cyber Cafe Facebook
Image credit: @chaiwallaco
Singaporeans can hardly say no to cafe-hopping even when in JB. But many of them close by evening, so it can be hard to find a place to just get a drink and chill out late into the night. Enter Chaiwalla & Co. Container Cafe that closes at midnight 4 days a week.
Image credit: @chaiwallaco
This drinks-only joint serves up a variety of beverages like decadent milkshakes and heavily caffeinated cold brew. There’s even customisable Thai milk tea and Vietnamese coffees that you can spice up with flavoured syrups.
Address: 36 Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 11am-6pm | Fri-Sun 11am-12am
Contact: +60 17-706 6800 | Chaiwalla & Co. Container Cafe website
When the cafe-hopping ventures come to an end at sunset, there’s still much more to explore. Around 6pm onwards, you’ll see Pasar Karat come to life as makeshift stores start popping up along the sides of Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. If you’re familiar with our local pasar malams, then think of this as a mega version of what we have.
Of course, there’s street food to fill you up quickly on snacks like takoyaki (from RM5/4 pieces, ~S$1.59) and BBQ skewers from RM2 (~S$0.64) each. The rest of the night market is filled with shops selling thrifted clothing, and even sport shoes at heavily discounted prices.
Address: 26/20 Jalan Segget, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 6pm-2am, Daily
Karaoke studios in JB are a dime a dozen, but few are open this close to our borders, and till as late as 3am like I’m A Singer Family Karaoke located inside KSL CIty Mall. This makes it handy if you want an impromptu late-night singing session just before heading back to Singapore.
Image credit: I’m A Singer Family Karaoke Facebook
Charges for the KTV studio are on a per room per hour basis, so you’ll want to rally up as many buddies as possible to split the cost.
Price: From RM30/room (~S$9.54) per hour
Address: KSL City Mall, Lot L2-089, Level 2, KSL City, Jalan Dato Sulaiman, Taman Abad, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10:30am-3am, Daily
Contact: +60 7-339 1008 | I’m A Singer Family Karaoke Facebook
Image credit: Avery-Day
By now, you would’ve spotted this blue-and-white convenience store reminiscent of Santorini splashed all over your socials. It’s Avery-Day, which is located just across the street from KSL City Mall.
Beyond its IG-worthy exterior, the convenience store has a number of gems inside. You’ll find your usual chips and candies, but look out for the fresh pastries baked in-house daily. There’s even imported Japanese snacks you won’t normally find at our local Don Don Donki.
Address: No 2, Jalan Rusa 6, Taman Abad 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 9am-12am, Daily
Contact: +60 16-250 1266 | Avery-Day Facebook
If you live life in the fast lane, the RUD Karting Centre might just be your homeground. Go karts here move at a speed of 90km/h – that’s almost twice the speed limit allowed on Singapore go kart tracks. Plus, you don’t even need a driver’s license to be a speed demon here.
Image credit: @celiainjb
The racecourse here also opens till the wee hours of 1am, with floodlights illuminating the track so you’ll feel like Jensen Button or Lewis Hamilton cruising through our CBD during the F1 night race.
Before you whizz off, there’s still a quick safety course to attend so you don’t crash into one of the 16 tight turns the racecourse has to offer. You’ll also be fitted with a helmet that’ll protect your noggin.
Price: From RM55/pax (~S$17.32) for 3 x 10-minute rounds
Address: PTD 200284, Persiaran Medini Sentral 6, Bandar Medini Iskandar, Iskandar Puteri, 79250 Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-1am | Sun-Sat 10am-1am
Contact: +61 16 747 1119 | RUD Karting Centre website
Whether you missed the last bus back to Singapore or are just an insomniac finding it hard to sleep during your travels to JB, there’s still plenty to do to keep you occupied as this list proves.
And if you find yourself needing to stay the night, we’ve got you covered with new hotels in JB you can check into before heading back home in the day.
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