Jakarta, Indonesia — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Jakarta, Indonesia
Restaurants
Recommended restaurants
Café Batavia
Something of a Jakarta institution, Café Batavia seldom disappoints. Bustling by day and by night, this is the kind of place equally adept at mixing up a few cocktails or a full evening meal, making it ideal for businesspeople.
Taman Fatahillah
Tel: (021) 691 5531/4.
Website: www.cafebatavia.com
Price: $$$$
Oasis
The welcome with live gamelan music sets the tone for a slick dining experience. Smooth service, interesting cuisine and a decent wine list complete the mix in an old Dutch villa that dates back to 1928.
Jalan Raden Saleh 47
Tel: (021) 315 0646.
Price: $$$$
Lara Djonggrang
This excellent Menteng eatery offers terrific food that spans the country's regional cuisines. Gorgeous creations include the likes of crisp fried fresh grey mullet served with coriander, candlenut sauce and fried cluster bean sprout.
Jalan Teuku Cik Di Tiro 4
Tel: (021) 315 3252 or 316 0288.
Website: www.tuguhotels.com/laradjonggrang
Price: $$$
Sabang Food Court
For those without the stomach or nerve to explore the street stalls, this is the perfect alternative. The food court has succulent and spicy food from all over the various regions of Indonesia, with something for everyone in a fun, informal environment.
Jalan Hali Agus Salim 49
Price: $
VOC Galangan
It may be set in a historic 17th-century building, but this is one of the funky new restaurants in the Kota district. Fusion food is on the menu here with influences from Indonesia, the Netherlands and elsewhere. Occasional live music is an added bonus.
Jalan Kakap 1
Tel: (021) 667 0981.
Price: $$
Nightlife
Jakarta is not the most buzzing nightlife destination in the region, through it does boast plenty of nocturnal venues, everything from stylish bars catering for the expat crowd right through to more authentic local haunts. Karaoke is still something of a local obsession, which seems to have caught on with sections of the local expat community as well.
Vodka drinkers should make a beeline for Red Square, Plaza Senayan Arcadia, while expats and visiting businesspeople tend to prefer the likes of historic Café Batavia, Taman Fatahillah, with its colonial ambience, and stylish Burgundy at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Jalan Thamrin.
The club scene is impressively lively with huge venues to look out for including Centro, Jalan Dharmawangsa 11 (website: www.centrojakarta.net), with its visiting international DJs, and Retro, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jalan Gatot Subroto Kav 2-3, with its retro house sounds.
Live music fans meanwhile should check out West Pacific, Jalan Thamrin 12, with its hip indie vibe, and smoother Jaya Pub, which is owned by the same family and situated just above its sibling. Backpackers tend to stick to the informal bars around busy Jalan Jaksa.
