Brunei Nightlife

Brunei has been officially dry since 1991, and the rules apply to everyone in the country, not just Muslims. Here is what visitors need to know.

No duty-free on arrival. Brunei’s airport shops sell no alcohol, and neither does anywhere else in the country, so buy your allowance before you fly in or at the duty-free stores just over the border in Malaysia.

Don’t skip customs. Undeclared alcohol can be confiscated, and bringing in more than the allowance is an offense. Go to the customs officers on arrival, tell them you are carrying liquor and fill in the form.

Restaurants and BYO. Restaurants are not licensed to serve alcohol. Some higher-end places, often Chinese restaurants, have long turned a blind eye to non-Muslim diners who bring a bottle to the table, but it is a gray area. If you try it, ask first, keep the bottle out of sight and never do it in a Muslim-run restaurant.

Never in public. Drinking on the street, on beaches, in parks or in a car is illegal, and so is being drunk in public. Since 2014 Brunei has also enforced the Syariah Penal Code, under which Muslims caught drinking face severe penalties.

The best night out in Brunei costs about B$5. Gadong Night Market (Pasar Malam Gadong) sits in a permanent open-sided market hall at Simpang 37, Jalan Pasar Gadong, just behind the Gadong shopping district, and it is where locals of every age buy dinner.

• Hours: daily, 4pm to 11pm. The rush is from 6pm to 7pm, and some stalls start packing up after 10pm. Arrive before 5:30pm for the widest choice.
• What to eat: nasi katok (rice, fried chicken and sambal, about B$1 to B$1.50), ayam penyet, satay and grilled chicken skewers, ikan bakar (grilled fish), roti John, kuih (cakes) and cups of air balang (sweet flavored drinks, about B$1).
• Prices: most items cost B$1 to B$3, and a full meal with a drink and dessert comes in under B$10.
• Paying: bring small Brunei dollar notes. A few stalls take cards or e-wallets, but many are cash only.
• Eating: the stalls are set up for takeaway, and seating is limited, so many people eat at home or in the car.
• Getting there: bus 20 runs from the central bus station in the city center, but buses stop around 8pm, so plan to take a Dart ride-hail back.

For what to order and how to eat it, see our guide to Brunei food and drink.

With no bars, Bruneians meet friends over tea and supper, and a handful of restaurants stay open into the early hours.

• TK Tea House: a local chain with branches in Menglait, Gadong (two), Kiarong and Sungai Hanching, open daily from 7am to around 4am. Expect alfresco tables, cheap seafood and noodle dishes, satay grilled at some branches, and football or movies on big projector screens.
• Restoran Semporna Enak: four outlets (Gadong, Rimba, the waterfront and Mentiri), open from 7am to around 4am. The asam curry fish and fried kuey teow are the dishes to order.
• Kedai kopi: small local coffee shops serve kopi and teh tarik, the frothy pulled milk tea that is Brunei’s default night-time drink.
• Tamu Selera: one of Brunei’s oldest open-air food courts, in the heart of the capital, good for ayam penyet and fried rice.
• Waterfront stalls: the outdoor food stalls on the Bandar waterfront serve cheap local dishes looking out over the river.

Hours at these places change, especially during Ramadan, so check a venue’s social media before heading out late.

The Brunei River is at its best in the hour around sunset.

Proboscis monkey trips: boats leave the waterfront jetties at around 5pm, the best time to see proboscis monkeys feeding in the mangroves. Trips last 30 minutes to an hour and cost roughly B$15 to B$30 a boat, so agree the price before you set off.

Kampong Ayer by night: the water village is home to thousands of people living in houses on stilts. A water taxi across the river costs about B$1 per person, and an hour-long tour should cost no more than B$30 (about B$15 for half an hour). Go before dark so you can see the village, then come back as the lights come on along the river. Read our Kampong Ayer guide before you go.

Mosques after dark: the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, completed in 1958, is floodlit at night and reflected in its lagoon, with the royal barge replica beside it. The view is free from the waterfront and surrounding gardens. The larger Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque near Gadong is also lit up after dark. Non-Muslims can only go inside during set visiting hours outside prayer times, so after dark enjoy them from outside.

Jerudong Park in Jerudong, about 20 minutes west of the capital, opened in 1994 as one of Asia’s most lavish theme parks, and Michael Jackson played a free concert there in 1996. It has shrunk to its original playground, but it remains Borneo’s largest amusement park and a family night out for locals, who mostly come after dark to avoid the heat.

• Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 4pm to 10pm, Friday 3pm to 10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 10pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday, with longer opening in school holidays.
• Cost: entry is free, and rides are paid for with ticket cards.
• Food: there is an outdoor food court, though only some of the old night-time stalls nearby still trade.

The Empire Brunei, nearby on the Jerudong coast, is the country’s grand resort hotel, built for about US$1.1 billion and opened in 2000. Evenings here are as close as Brunei gets to a glamorous night out: dinner at one of its restaurants, a walk around the huge atrium lobby, a film at its three-screen cinema, or a round on the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus golf course, which is floodlit for night play. Like everywhere else in Brunei, it serves no alcohol.

Getting home is the hardest part of a night out in Brunei.

• Buses stop around 8pm. Public buses run from about 6am to 8pm and cost B$1 a ride, so they are only useful for getting to the night market early.
• Use Dart. Dart is Brunei’s ride-hailing app and the easiest way to get around after dark. Prices vary with demand.
• Taxis are scarce. There are few taxis and most stop working by about 9pm. A ride to Gadong Night Market costs about B$10 to B$20.
• Driving: most locals drive, and malls and markets have parking.

Brunei is calm and has low crime, and walking around the capital after dark is generally safe. It is also a conservative Islamic monarchy, and a few rules matter at night.

• Dress modestly in public. Non-Muslims are not expected to follow Islamic dress codes, but cover shoulders and knees around mosques and government buildings and keep beachwear for the beach.
• Keep affection private. Public displays of affection cause offense, and same-sex relations are criminalized.
• No smoking in most public places. Smoking is banned in shopping and eating areas, bus stops, car parks and near public buildings.
• Friday prayers. Shops and restaurants close from about noon to 2pm on Fridays, but evenings are normal.
• Drugs. Penalties for drug offenses are severe and include the death penalty.
• Quiet nights. Much of Brunei goes to bed early, and outside the night markets and tea houses the streets are quiet by 10pm.

During Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight hours is illegal, even for visitors, with large fines for anyone caught. Most stalls and restaurants close during the day, though Chinese restaurants can sell takeaway food to non-Muslims. Ramadan 2027 is expected to start around February 8 (it moves about 11 days earlier each year).

Evenings change completely. Families break the fast at sunset with buka puasa meals, and Ramadan food markets sell food in the late afternoon for people to take home. Restaurants fill up after sunset, and the tea houses stay busy late.

At Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the festival at the end of Ramadan, the Sultan opens Istana Nurul Iman, the royal palace, to the public for three days of open house, the one time each year visitors can go inside. National Day (February 23) and the Sultan’s birthday (July 15) bring parades and public celebrations.

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