Jakarta Indonesia – Best Places to Eat and Dishes to Try

The food scene in Jakarta is one of the best in the country due to the sheer amount of different cuisines on offer, so you will certainly not go hungry in this city and you can spend your time eating your way through the different districts sampling all manner of local delights.

Local dishes to try

Jakarta is known for a range of local dishes that are also famous across wider Indonesia. Some of these include curries and soups like rawon which is a dark soup that is almost black in colour and is made with beef. Another famous soup in Java is soto which is a clear broth to which shredded chicken and noodles are added.

You can also get local favourites which are found across the archipelago such as nasi goreng which is a dish of fried rice which is cooked in a wok and served up with added ingredients such as juicy prawns or chicken. There is also a noodle based version of this dish which is called mie goreng where noodles are flash fried and cooked with eggs, bean sprouts and spring onions.

If you are a vegetarian then you can also try the local salad in Jakarta which is called gado-gado and is made with steamed vegetables like carrots and potatoes which are then added to salad and shredded cabbage. The salad is then served with a spicy peanut sauce and usually comes with a hardboiled egg and some prawn crackers, so just ask for these to be left off if you are a vegetarian or vegan.

Street food

When it comes to street food Jakarta is a haven for foodies. We loved the fact that we could walk along almost any street in the capital and find a number of street food stalls selling delicious snacks for less than IDR10,000. These include treats like satay which is a local grilled snack where meat is threaded onto skewers and we particularly loved the goat satay known as sate kambing. Another favourite in Jakarta is the soup known as bakso where you can pull up a stool at a street food stall and eat a bowl of toothsome meatball soup which is filled with noodles and other delights like fried tofu.

Restaurants in Jakarta

If you are looking for some of the most famous bites in Jakarta then head to Pondok Laguna which has been in business for more than two decades and is known for its gorgeous seafood. The signature plate here is a whole fried fish and you will find Pondok Laguna on Jalan Batu Tulis Raya.

One of the most famous restaurants in Jakarta is called Bandar Djakarta and it is known for its amazing seafood which comes fresh from the waters around the capital. You can try all kinds of dishes here such as crab, prawns, clams and even lobster in a range of local sauces and the price you pay depends on weight. The restaurant is located on Jalan Pantai Indah at Ancol and you will know it before you get close as it usually has queues down the street.

If you want to go back in time then you need to head to Dapur Babah which is located in a traditional shop house which would have been built in the 1940s. This is built in the traditional colonial style and you can try a rage of local dishes here such as duck cooked in aromatic herbs and gorgeous thick curries. To get to the restaurant you need to make your way to Jalan Veteran in the centre of the city.

Western and international food

If you want a break from Indonesian food and fancy some Western or international dishes then you are in luck in Jakarta as this is one of the best places to find a range of cuisines. There are restaurants all over the city that serve up a huge selection of different foods from Lebanese to Japanese, with German brasseries and English pubs mixed in, so whatever you are looking for you are likely to find it here.

There are also a huge number of Western fast food restaurants in Jakarta such as Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC, although one thing we noticed was that these are comparatively expensive compared to the local fare.

Coffee shops and cafes

Jakarta is getting increasingly well known for its coffee culture and there are coffee shops springing up all over the city. As you would imagine you will find large chains on almost every street corner such as Starbucks as well as local chains like the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

If you want to find the main coffee shop heart of the city then you need to make your way to Jalan Surabaya which is in the Menteng district and the road is studded with local coffee shops where you can sample some delicious brews. Indonesia is known for its coffee and you can try local Javanese beans here as well as other varieties from islands like Sumatra and Sulawesi.

Bars, pubs and other drinking venues

Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country and as such some venues may not serve alcohol as part of your meal. That said, we were pleasantly surprised by how many bars and pubs there were dotted across the capital. We were also surprised however by to find that alcohol is relatively expensive in Jakarta, but this is because many of the drinks are imported, especially spirits. If you want to get an alcoholic drink then you will find a bar inside almost all large hotels and some of these are known for the best bars in the city.

One of these is called Awan Lounge which is on the rooftop of the Kosenda Hotel and you can have a relaxing drink here and look out over the city and take in the stunning night views. One of the signature features here is the fact that there is a glass skylight here that lets you look down over nine floors and they are known for their delicious cocktails.

Another famous rooftop bar in Jakarta is BART which is located at the top of the Artotel Hotel and people rave about the decor here as this is said to be one of the most cutting edge hotels in town. You can get a full range of drinks here including cocktails, mixed drinks and beers and wines. But BART is also known for its signature drink which is called the liquid tiramisu, so make sure to give this a go if you have a sweet tooth when you visit. BART is located on Jalan Sunda 3.

Many locals also rave about Lucy in the Sky which is situated on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman and is a popular haunt with hipsters in the city. It is also a rooftop bar which lets you enjoy the warm weather in Jakarta and you can look out over the twinkling lights of the city below you. Not only do they have a full cocktail menu her and a stocked bar with beer and wines, but they also have a bar food menu where you can snack on local favourites like spring rolls.