Suzie Wong

Suzie Wong hides behind a vintage won ton noodle stall facade at Wisma Lim Foo Yong, 86 Jalan Raja Chulan, and has staged its 1930s Shanghai fantasy since 2016. Red velvet curtains, birdcage chandeliers, and old Asian movie posters frame a stage running feathered revues most nights.

The format keeps shifting upmarket; the venue now promotes single seating dinner show nights with monthly table releases on its official site. The Yum List notes that although famous for its performances, the bar makes really decent cocktails.

Who would hate it? Anyone allergic to spectacle or a dress code. Long pants for men, no open shoes, and the bill climbs with the feathers.

One Tripadvisor reviewer described rich red velvet curtains, intricate lanterns, and walls covered in old school Asian movie posters. A second room runs as an English style whisky and cigar lounge, per The City List.

The house Suzie Wong mixes rum, gingerbread syrup, coconut water, and citrus, and the Chili Margarita carries the crowd vote in recent Tripadvisor reviews. Cocktails run RM44 to RM56 plus service.

Order before 9pm. Once the show starts, the waitstaff watch the stage like everyone else.

Date night tables, expats, and KL's after work cocktail set fill the floor from 8pm, peaking between 11pm and midnight, per Nocturnal Asia. The diva show runs early in the week; the live band and themed revues take Friday and Saturday.

What regulars say:

• Best night in Kuala Lumpur, from a Tripadvisor reviewer who lived in KL for 10 years.
• The staff is friendly, the place is beautifully decorated and the performers are exceptional, per Tripadvisor.
• The counterweight: one Tripadvisor reviewer called the drinks horribly overpriced and skipped the miming.
• Although famous for its performances, they make really decent cocktails, per The Yum List.

Who it is for:

• Anniversaries that need theater with the drinks
• Visitors who want one big KL night with a story
• Avoid if you came to talk; Coley keeps the volume down

KL's most committed piece of nightlife theater. Book the table, pass the dress code, and let the noodle stall door do its trick.

Getting there: Lot 1.01, Wisma Lim Foo Yong, 86 Jalan Raja Chulan; enter from the Jalan Tengah side. Raja Chulan Monorail sits five minutes away.

Timing: Evenings Monday to Saturday until about 3am, shows from 9pm; dinner show tables release monthly through the official site.

Cost: Cocktails RM44 to RM56 plus service; weekend tables carry minimums.