The most important factor when picking a cocktail bar in Petaling Jaya is rarely the drinks list. It is whether you can park. Anyone who drives in KL or PJ on a Friday night knows that "the place we love" loses to "the place where we can park" almost every time. This is the parking-first guide.

Why PJ wins this category over KL

Street parking in most PJ commercial zones (Damansara Kim, SS2, TTDI commercial strips) is free after 18:00 and on Sundays. Covered municipal parking lots in PJ are typically RM 2-3/hour vs RM 5-8/hour in KLCC.

The math: a 4-hour cocktail evening in PJ usually costs RM 0 to 12 for parking. The same evening in KLCC costs RM 20-40 in parking alone, before you have ordered a drink.

This is a structural advantage that quietly shapes the KL-PJ cocktail scene. Many of the better operators have set up shop in PJ partly because the parking helps fill seats.

Our two outlets, the parking situation

Dissolved Solids (Damansara Kim). Street parking on Jalan SS20/11 is free after 18:00. Spaces fill from 19:30 on Friday and Saturday; weeknights are easy until 21:00. A covered municipal lot is a 3-minute walk away on Jalan SS20/10, RM 2/hour, almost always has space.

Soluble Solids (SS2). Street parking on Jalan SS2/24 is free after 18:00 and Sundays. A small public parking lot one block away on Jalan SS2/26 usually has space even at 21:00. Friday and Saturday after 20:00 are tight; plan for a 3-5 minute walk from your spot.

Both bars are above shoplots on the second floor, not in a mall, so the parking is street-based rather than mall-based. The trade-off: you have to walk a block sometimes; you do not have to navigate a multi-storey carpark on the way out at 01:00.

The parking-first decision tree

If parking is your highest priority and you are choosing between PJ neighbourhoods:

Easiest parking: Damansara Kim, SS2 weeknights, Section 17 weeknights.

Moderately easy: Damansara Utama (Uptown PJ), TTDI commercial strip, Bandar Sunway.

Hardest in PJ: Bandar Utama (1Utama mall area) on Fri-Sat, Mutiara Damansara during dinner peak, Sunway Pyramid evenings.

Avoid if parking matters: Bangsar on Friday and Saturday nights (legendary nightmare), and most of KL city centre.

Three rules for parking-stress-free drinking

1. Arrive before 19:30 on weekends. Even in easy-parking neighbourhoods, the window after 19:30 turns. Coming earlier is the simplest parking hack.

2. Take Grab if you are uncertain. A Grab fare to PJ from KL is usually RM 18-28 off-peak. If you would spend 20 minutes circling for parking and another 20 minutes walking back, the maths often favour Grab.

3. Designate a driver if you are a group of 3 or more. One person stays mostly sober, drives the round trip, gets a soft drink discount most places (we comp the designated driver a non-alcoholic cocktail at both bars). Spreads the cost and the responsibility.

Public transport context

If you are coming by LRT/MRT:

  • To Damansara Kim: Taman Bahagia LRT (5-7 minute Grab) or Bandar Utama MRT (7-10 minute Grab).
  • To SS2: Taman Bahagia LRT (5-minute Grab) is closest.
  • The bus network reaches both areas but timing is unreliable after 21:00.

Most of our late-evening guests Grab in and Grab out, even those who drove earlier in the day. The parking-and-then-Grab pattern is common.

One more practical note

If you are bringing a group of 6 or more by car: please WhatsApp ahead. We will give you the specific street that always has space at the time you are arriving, and which side of the block to enter from. Local knowledge saves 20 minutes.

The honest summary

Both of our bars are easier to park at than most KL options and equal to or better than most PJ options. Damansara Kim is the easier of the two on Friday and Saturday after 21:00, mostly because SS2 has a more compact commercial grid that fills up faster.

If parking is your top concern: we are open Tuesday to Sunday. The best parking is consistently between 18:00 and 19:30 on weeknights. Walk in.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I park at a PJ cocktail bar?

Street parking in most PJ commercial zones (Damansara Kim, SS2, TTDI strips) is free after 18:00 and on Sundays. Covered municipal lots run RM 2 to 3 per hour. Dissolved Solids on Jalan SS20/11 has plentiful street parking that fills from 19:30 on Friday and Saturday; weeknights are easy until 21:00. Soluble Solids on Jalan SS2/24 has free street parking with a small public lot one block away.

How much does parking cost for a cocktail evening in PJ?

Typically RM 0 to 12 for a 4-hour evening, depending on whether you score free after-hours street parking or need the municipal lot. Compare to RM 20 to 40 for the same evening in KLCC. The structural parking advantage is one reason many of the better cocktail operators have set up shop in PJ rather than the city centre.

What's the best time to arrive for easy parking?

Before 19:30 on weekends, anytime before 21:00 on weeknights. Even in easy-parking neighbourhoods, the window after 19:30 turns. Coming earlier is the simplest parking hack. If you are uncertain, take Grab; a fare to PJ from KL runs RM 18 to 28 off-peak, often cheaper than 20 minutes circling plus 20 minutes walking back.

Can I substitute Grab for driving if parking is tight?

Often yes; the maths usually favour Grab on Friday and Saturday after 20:00. A round-trip from a KL hotel is RM 36 to 56 by Grab, versus the parking-stress alternative. For groups of three or more, designate a driver and we comp them a non-alcoholic cocktail at both Dissolved Solids and Soluble Solids; the cost spreads cleanly and someone stays sober for the drive home.

Which PJ cocktail bar has the easiest parking?

Dissolved Solids (43-1 Jalan SS20/11, Damansara Kim, WhatsApp +60 11-4008 7607) is the easier of our two on Friday and Saturday after 21:00; the Damansara Kim grid is more spread out. Soluble Solids (50-1 Jalan SS2/24, WhatsApp +60 11-1682 8651) is equally easy on weeknights but tighter on weekends. Bringing six or more by car? WhatsApp ahead for street-specific parking advice.