Bandung
A classy restaurant serving modern, well-presented Sundanese food, including fresh fish and karedok (salad of long beans and bean sprouts in a spicy sauce…
Must-see restaurants in Java
Jakarta
An excellent low-key local chain restaurant just a short walk from glitzy malls and hotels. Classic Indonesian dishes from satay to beef rendang are…
Central Java
This attractive teahouse is set in an authentic joglo (traditional Javanese house), with over a dozen wood tables shaded by parasols edging tea terraces…
Jakarta
One of several similar places around Taman Fatahillah, this restaurant is housed in a cute old Dutch building with green shutters. You can eat inside…
Borobudur
About 5km west from Borobudur Temple is this enchanting cafe set inside a restored 200-year-old Javanese house with rustic-chic furniture in keeping with…
Jakarta
You'll see cooks preparing fried and steamed Chinese pork dumplings out the front of this ramshackle but highly popular little place in Glodok, dating…
Jakarta
This 200-year-old building overlooking Kota's old Dutch quarter pulls crowds. It certainly looks the part, with its classy bistro styled with colonial…
Yogyakarta
Offering a surprise haven from the traffic, this secret garden of a restaurant is part of a project centre for street youth. It focuses on meat-free…
East Java
Attached to the Cafe Lava Hostel, this is about the best place to eat around the volcano, though that's not saying much. It has a menu of Indonesian…
Surabaya
This cafe is adjacent to the House of Sampoerna museum and occupies a gorgeous colonial structure complete with stained-glass windows and brash and…
Yogyakarta
Traditional Javanese dishes including eyem penggeng (chicken simmered in spiced coconut cream) are served in this tasteful interior space with wood…
Solo
Most notable for the setting in a restored Dutch colonial compound (with some puzzling modern touches such as a ceiling of umbrellas), this enormous…
Yogyakarta
Located in the Kota Gede area, this is considered by locals to be one of Yogya’s best restaurants, with a lavish setting in a 150-year-old colonial…
Solo
A classic backpackers' hangout, the Baru is also a good spot to try local Solonese specialities such as nasi liwet (coconut-milk rice with chicken and egg…
Yogyakarta
Foodies seeking out Yogya's most prized dish, gudeg – a slow-cooked, caramelised jackfruit curry – won't want to miss out on this much-celebrated…
Solo
Solo street dining at its best, this evening-only stall, run by an ibu (mother; older woman) clothed in traditional batik, specialises in nasi liwet:…
Central Java
Occupying a Dutch colonial building, this restaurant comes into its own at lunchtime, when busloads of tourists pile in for the buffet-style lunch on…
West Java
This restaurant–strawberry farm has startling valley views from its roadside perch in Alam Endah. Ignore the tour groups, pick a table and soak up the…
Solo
A landmark on Jl Slamet Riyadi, this open-air food court with dozens of brightly lit stalls is known for its local specialties. Some, such as nasi gudeg …
Semarang
Almost opposite the Gereja Blenduk church, this sunken storefront is packed with locals from opening till closing time. Why? Because it serves the best…
East Java
For over 70 years Bik Ati has been perfecting its house special, nasirawon (black beef soup with rice). The secret to the taste is the inclusion of keluak…
Jakarta
Funky spot with geometric lampshades, bright colours, solid marble counter tops and patterned chairs, serving a mixture of Asian and Western eats. Order…
Yogyakarta
This restaurant is touched by royalty as it's located just outside the kraton, within the residence of Prince Gusti Jaryo Haju Joyouksumo, a son of the…
Semarang
There's often an hour's wait for a bench at this riverside warung next to Tay Kak Sie temple. It's not the location that attracts the crowd but the…
Jakarta
This open-plan space at Grand Indonesia mall has an attached wine shop. Diners can enjoy a courtyard feel (and indoor trees!). It serves dinner, but the…
West Java
A tourist-driven kitchen serving international and local favourites. It does a tasty fish curry and reasonable pasta and fish and chips, and even mixes…
Bandung
In a colonial 19th-century villa in a well-heeled neighbourhood is this Dutch restaurant that does the likes of bitterballen, traditional stews, soups and…
Surabaya
This dimly lit dive, filled with locals, is the original location of a chain of soto ayam warungs with branches across Surabaya. Short on noodles, long on…
West Java
A tasteful, soulful Chinese diner with a wonderful mapo tofu on the menu (the tofu was among the silkiest we've ever had), along with a number of ethnic…
Solo
This delightful restaurant is inside a former batik factory, currently occupied by the Roemahkoe heritage hotel. It's particularly evocative at night,…
Jakarta
One of a few branches of this ice-cream chain, serving Italian-style scoops in a cool space decorated with pastel tones and plants. The ice cream and…
West Java
Dress smart for this classy upmarket restaurant, located inside a painstakingly restored colonial building. The menu consists primarily of expertly…
Jakarta
Good brunch spot in a trendy retro space with a display of vintage phones and radios and a polished factory chic feel. You can't go wrong with the croque…
West Java
The most happening eatery in Bogor. There's seating on three floors beneath a soaring, pyramid-shaped thatched roof, though the best tables are on the…
Jakarta
One of the first buildings restored as part of the government program to revitalise the Old Town, this pie-shaped 1928 beauty makes a good first…
Yogyakarta
This stone-and-glass cafe is a delightful venue for Italian ice cream. Flavours on rotation include ginger, kemangi (lemon basil), dragon fruit, 'hot and…
Central Java
Live music every Saturday (7.30-10pm) has helped to establish this stylish basement bar and restaurant as a popular gathering point for locals and…
Malang
The delightfully eccentric Inggil is as much a museum or art gallery as a restaurant. Walls are lined with old photos, dozens of wayang kulit puppets…
West Java
Pangandaran might have lots of fabulous seafood, but sometimes you just need something, well, less healthy… And this fun pizzeria a few kilometres out of…
Yogyakarta
Via Via is always full with travellers enjoying a menu of global cuisine including Indian and Middle Eastern dishes, homemade pastas, burgers and…
