Where to Eat in Jakarta ⋆ LBSB World Travel Blog

For anyone who knows us, or has read our other blog posts, you know that we love food and especially Indonesian food. You can find any type of food and standard of restaurant in Jakarta, from street food to 5 star restaurants. I have far from tried all restaurants in Jakarta, also new ones are popping up all the time. But in this guide to where to eat in Jakarta I have listed some of my favourite places to eat, which I usually go back to every time I’m in the city.

All places below are added on our Indonesia map.

Street food

Street food can be found anywhere in Jakarta, it’s hard to pinpoint these as they move around and are not always there. Therefore I won’t come with any specific tips on tips, more than follow your nose and don’t be scared of trying street food, follow the locals. There are many street food areas, everywhere where many people are passing you will find street food stalls with different types of food.

Warungs

Warungs are local restaurants, very simple. At street food stalls and warungs is where I’ve had most of my best meals in Indonesia. In general warungs are very cheap to eat at, a little bit more expensive than street food, but still very cheap. Here are some of my favourite warungs in Jakarta:

Bakmi Cong Sim

Located in Mangga Besar, between Glodok and Thamrin is this little place. It serves Bakmi, noodles. Simple but oh so tasty! Still dreaming about these noodles.

Nasi Uduk Kebon Kacang Zainal Fanani

Great little local place in a small alley in Thamrin. Their specialty, Ayam Goreng (friend chicken) and Ayam Bakar (grilled chicken).

Warteg Gang Mangga

Located in Glodok, simple warung with many dishes to choose from. We got to walk behind the counter and point on what we wanted and got huge portions of food for a very very cheap price.

Warung MJS

This place in Kuningan is on the fancier end of a warung. Make sure to sit in the smoking area, as this is a lovely outside garden with a small pond and loads of colourful lights. The non-smoking are on the other hand is a boring small room inside.

At this place you point/tell them what you want when you get in and then get seated. There’s loads of choice of Indonesian food, and it’s all really delicious, make sure to order many different things, as this is how you eat in Indonesia. Almost like tapas, you order many different things and share them between you. Although, when we were there we over did it and couldn’t finish it all.

It’s a very popular place, so you might have to queue for a bit if you come in rush time, but it’s definitely worth it.

Restaurants

Restaurants are the next step up from warungs. However, there are loads of varieties in restaurants in Jakarta. From local Indonesian places to Western 5 star restaurants. Here are some of my favourite restaurants in Jakarta, most of them Indonesian food:

Restoran Garuda Sabang

This is a Padang restaurant, with food from, well yeah, Padang in Sumatra. There’s no menu and you won’t be asked what you want to eat. All the food will just appear on the table without you ordering anything. Don’t be scared tho, this is how it’s done, and you will only pay for what you eat.

It can be a bit tricky to know what is what if you don’t have an Indonesian with you, but on the other hand you can just try what looks good or ask the people working there. The padang cuisine do have some food that is not common in the west, such as brain, so if you don’t fancy that you might want to ask someone.

This place is still cheap to be a restaurant.

Padang food at Restoran Garuda Sabang, Jakarta

Bebek Bengil

Whenever I crave Balinese food whilst in Jakarta, I head to Bebek Bengil in Menteng. It’s so nice to walk in here through their lush little garden with Balinese music playing in the background. Try their speciality, grilled duck!

This restaurant is a bit pricier, but still ok.

Sate Khas Senayan

This place started off as a street food stall, which turned into restaurants. There are a few different locations around Jakarta. They serve the classic Indonesian street food dishes, such as Sate, Tongseng, etc. but in a restaurant setting. It’s still a local place and with good prices and very popular among Indonesians.

THREE BUNS

This is the only western place that made it onto this list. I am a huge hamburger fan, and if you find yourself craving burgers in Jakarta, this place in Senopati is where to go. It’s a cool space with an industrial feel.

It’s on the more expensive side, located in a rich area with many expats visiting. However, still worth a visit and it’s not more expensive than European prices.

Plataran Dharmawangsa

This is a more luxurious restaurant, however, I would say it’s still worth a visit. And depending on what you compare it to it’s not super expensive. It’s a very nice restaurant with a lot of artefacts and beautiful architecture. This restaurant in south of Jakarta is serving well made Indonesian dishes.