Why is Indonesian food so delicious?

As I was about to dig into a plate of Nasi Padang, a nice man sitting at the table next to me said:

“It’s because Indonesian food is based on fresh spices and herbs.”

And when you and I look at the list of food below, and notice the fresh herbs and multitude of spices used in Indonesian cooking, it truly is a huge contributing factor as to why Indonesian cuisine is so flavorful and exciting to eat.

In this blog post I’m going to share with you 50 incredibly delicious Indonesian foods. Get ready for a serious Indonesian culinary journey!

Related: For information on where I stayed and Jakarta travel tips check out this guide.

best Indonesian food
Amazing Indonesian home cooked Sundanese food with Ken @cowokrakus!

Indonesian Food: 50 Dishes

Before we get started, I just want to make it clear that this is not an exhaustive or complete list of food in Indonesia (there are thousands of Indonesian dishes), but it’s a definite start to discovering the incredible cuisine of Indonesia. Some of the foods I included, such as durian and petai, are simply because I love them so much.

For each of the dishes listed in this Indonesian food guide I’ve included the dish, and if possible, the restaurant where I ate it in Jakarta (you may also be interested in my Jakarta travel guide).

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Jakarta street food
Sate Ayam – chicken sate in Jakarta

This list is not in any particular order.

1. Sate Ayam / Sate Kambing (satay)

I’ve had a lot of different types of sate (or satay) in Southeast Asia, but there’s nothing that compares to real Indonesian sate; In my opinion you’ll find some of the absolute best sate in Asia within Indonesia. in Indonesia you’ll find many different types and varieties of sate, but two of the common versions in Jakarta at sate ayam (chicken sate) and sate kambing (goat sate).

One of the common recipes includes the meat marinated in sweet kecap manis soy sauce, before being skewered. I think is the main reason why Indonesian sate is so good, is because the skewers of meat are typically grilled on an extremely hot charcoal fire, so the meat cooks quickly, while leaving it smoky and juicy.

Where: Sate H. Romli in south Jakarta serves delicious sate ayam and sate kambing. Address: Jalan Kyai Maja No.21, Melawai, Kby. Baru, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 12 midnight daily; Prices: I paid 67,000 IDR ($4.99) for 2 plates of sate.

Indonesian food
Sate Padang on the grill at Sate Padang Ajo Ramon

2. Sate Padang (Padang satay)

Sate Padang is such a unique (and delicious) type of Indonesian sate that I had to include it in this food guide as its own. Originally from Padang, a food lovers province on the west coast of Sumatra, Sate Padang seems to have a cult following among food lovers – and after I had my first plate, I completely understand why.

The skewers of meat, which often include beef pieces, beef tongue, and offal, are first marinated in a mixture of spices, then grilled over hot flaming charcoal, and finally they are often served over sliced up compressed rice cake, called ketupat, and then covered in a thick brown colored sauce, and sprinkled with crispy shallots. The result of Sate Padang is not the prettiest dish you’ll ever see, but the taste is incredible.

Where: Ajo Ramon Sate Padang is one of the most well known names in Jakarta when it comes to Sate Padang lovers, and I couldn’t believe how good it was. Address: Pasar Santa Jalan Cipaku 1 Jakarta; Open hours: 5 pm – 10 pm daily; Price: 25,000 IDR for a plate of sate and rice cakes.

best Indonesian dishes
Ayam bakar Taliwang is for spicy lovers!

3. Ayam Bakar Taliwang (grilled chicken)

Have you ever eaten three chickens by yourself in one meal? When you eat ayam bakar Taliwang, not only are the grilled chickens so good you might be able to eat three of them by yourself, but they are also very small because they either free range chickens or sometimes spring chickens.

This type of grilled chicken originates from the island of Lombok, and it’s popular with spicy grilled chicken lovers throughout Indonesia. When I saw the amount of chilies caked onto my ayam bakar Taliwang, I knew I was in for a life-changing grilled chicken experience, and it was true.

The chicken itself was so flavorful, and not too tender, but with just enough texture so that with every bite it kept releasing more chicken juices, kind of like that crazily juicy chicken I ate in Osaka. But along with just being a flavorful chicken from the start, it was beautifully spicy. Ayam Bakar Taliwang is one of the dishes you don’t want to miss if you love spicy food.

Where: In Jakarta, you can try Ayam Taliwang Rinjani, I thought it was amazing, especially the super extra pedas chicken. Address: Jalan Pesanggrahan Raya No. 50, Puri Indah, Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 10 pm daily; Prices: We had 3 chickens and a few side dishes for 165,000 IDR ($12.39).

ikan bakar
Ikan bakar, or grilled fish, is a personal favorite

4. Ikan Bakar (grilled fish)

Even after eating ikan bakar, Indonesian grilled fish, dozens of times, I still can’t get over how good it is. Grilled fish is one of my favorite things to eat around the world, but I especially love it in Indonesia. Just like many of the grilled foods in Indonesian cuisine, what I like about ikan bakar is that it’s grilled over a very hot charcoal fire and grilled quickly, giving it a really incredible flame roasted fire flavor.

There are many different types of ikan bakar, but typically the fish is butterfly cut so it lays flat, then it’s rubbed in a sambal sauce marinade, and then finally it’s grilled. Ikan bakar is then served with either kecap manis or a variety of different sambal chili sauces and rice.

Where: You’ll find ikan bakar at many roadside restaurants and seafood restaurants. A local seafood restaurant I tried was Gebang Seafood 49 Restaurant. Address: Jalan Hidup Baru, Jakarta; Open hours: 5 pm – around midnight daily; Price: My wife and I had 2 fish and other seafood dishes for 180,000 IDR ($13.77). Watch the video here.

Indonesian pepes ikan
Pepes ikan

5. Pepes (herbal packet)

Pepes is very similar to Thai aeb, but it’s the Indonesian version of an assortment of fish, meat or tofu, mixed with lots of healthy herbs and spices, wrapped in a banana leaf package, and either steamed or grilled.

Originally a Sundanese food from the Western part of Java, some of the most common versions of pepes include chicken, different types of fish, tofu, or mushrooms, mixed with shallots, garlic, chilies, turmeric, candlenut, and lemon basil. What I love so much is that the ingredients, since they are all wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked, all mesh together really well, but also the banana leaf gives an extra green essence to whatever is cooked inside.

Where: I had this pepes at a restaurant in Bogor, but you’ll find it available at most Sundanese restaurants.

Babi Panggang
Babi Panggang – Batak style grilled pork

6. Babi Pangang (Batak grilled pork)

On a spur of the moment decision, my wife and I decided to eat at a restaurant in Jakarta that served Batak food, from the Lake Toba region of Sumatra. One of the traditional Batak dishes, is something called babi pangang (sometimes babi panggang), which is a type of grilled or roasted pork.

From my understanding, babi pangang can refer to grilled pork many different ways, but the version I had was nice and salty, and had the most incredible grill fire roasted flavor of just about any grilled pork I’ve ever had. And additionally, the pork itself was incredibly well marbled, not too fatty, but with a great ratio so it was still juicy and succulent.

Where: Lapo Ni Tondongta is a famous Batak restaurant in Jakarta, and the grilled pork was amazing. Address: Jalan Gelora Los A1, Senayan, Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 10 pm daily; Prices: I paid 88,000 IDR ($6.62) for a meal for 2 of us.

ayam goreng
Ayam goreng – Indonesian fried chicken

7. Ayam Goreng (fried chicken)

Is there any country in the world where fried chicken is not enjoyed?

I haven’t found one yet, and in Indonesia, due to both the deliciousness of the actual chicken (more about this below), and because fried chicken, which is known in Bahasa Indonesia as ayam goreng, is always served with sambal chili sauce to dip it in.

Ayam kampung, or village chickens, are the free range country style chickens popular in Indonesia, and often used in the making of local style Indonesian fried chicken. The chickens, while small, definitely make up for their size with their flavor. Unlike big fat chickens that can sometimes be too tender and artificially juicy, ayam kampung are the types of chickens that have a slight rubber texture to them, but with every chew comes more and more chicken country flavor – and I loved them.

For many types of Indonesian fried chicken, the chicken is not heavily breaded or battered, but it’s marinated in lots of pureed garlic and shallots, lightly battered, and deep fried to a serious golden crispiness. What I love about Indonesian fried chicken is that all that flavor gets embedded into the chicken instead of the batter. Here’s a great recipe if you want to make Indonesian fried chicken.

Where: You’ll find ayam goreng all over Jakarta but the version pictured is from Nasi Uduk Zainal Fanani. Address: Jalan Kebon Kacang 8 No. 5, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 12 am midnight daily; Prices: 75,000 IDR ($5.74) for 2; Watch the video here.

best Indonesian dishes
Bebek goreng – deep fried crispy duck

8. Bebek Goreng (fried duck)

Just like the small flavorful fried chickens in Indonesian food, bebek goreng, which is deep fried duck, is not that much different, apart from being duck. They are often very small, but you wouldn’t trade the flavor of the small country ducks for a fat one.

I will admit that the bebek goreng I ate in Jakarta was pretty intensely greasy and salty, but it would be a lie for me to say that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy every single bite all the way down to the bone. The duck was deep fried until crispy, even all the way through the skin to the meat some of it was crispy. Served with rice, an assortment of raw herbs like lemon basil (maybe to cut the grease), and not forgetting the sambal chili sauce, Indonesian bebek goreng is a true treat of a meal.

Where: Bebek Goreng H. Slamet is a legendary restaurant in Jakarta for deep fried duck, it’s greasy but delicious. There are a number of locations around Jakarta; Prices: 28,000 IDR ($2.11) per set per set.

pecel lele in Indonesia
Pecel Lele – deep fried catfish with sambal

9. Pecel Lele (fried catfish)

Deep fried catfish, known as pecel lele, is a very famous and common Indonesian street food, often served at street side restaurants and local food tents known as warungs. In Jakarta, mostly at night, if you drive around the streets you’ll see countless food stalls showcasing catfish on their banner menus.

The catfish are prepared pretty simple, just salted and sometimes rubbed with some coriander and turmeric, and then deep fried until extra crispy all the way through. The catfish I ate in Indonesia were pretty small, about the size of a sausage, so when they were deep fried they almost turned chip-like, fried solidly.

Once again, the secret of the flavor when eating pecel lele lies within the sambal that it’s always served with. You take a piece of crispy catfish, mix it with your rice, add on some sambal, and that’s a recipe for a delicious bite.

Where: Permata Mubarok 1 is a little far from central Jakarta, but a nice street food tend. Address: Komplek Permata Buana, Jalan Puri Kembangan, Puri Indah, Jakarta; Open hours: 5 pm – 10 pm daily; Prices: 125,000 IDR ($9.41) for 4 people.

ikan goreng
Ikan goreng – deep fried crispy fish

10. Ikan Goreng (deep fried fish)

Along with ikan bakar (Indonesian grilled fish), ikan goreng or deep fried fish, is another common way to prepare different types of fish and seafood. There are probably hundreds of different types of fish that can be used to make ikan goreng, but one fried fish delicacy of Sundanese cuisine is fried freshwater gourami. The fish are sometimes cut in a way that exposes more of the skin to the oil, and then deep fried so the skin and outer layers of the fish are completely crispy.

If you love fish, fried fish in Indonesia, eaten along with rice and sambal, makes an absolutely delicious meal, or accompaniment to a full seafood meal.

Where: I had an amazing seafood meal at Seafood 212 Wiro Sableng. Address: Jalan Boulevard Raya Blok QA III No. 2, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta; Open hours: 11 am – 11 pm daily.

best soto betawi in Jakarta
Soto Betawi – beef soup originating in Jakarta

11. Soto Betawi (Jakarta soup)

Jakarta is the biggest city in Indonesia, and people who live in Jakarta come from the furthest regions and islands of the country. The food directly reflects this, and walking down the street you’ll find a restaurant serving Padang food, Manado food, snacks from Eastern Java, and the list goes on and on.

But if there’s one dish that’s one of the most famous dishes, known for being homegrown right in Jakarta, it’s soto Betawi, literally meaning, Jakarta soup. Soto in Indonesia is a type of soup, and every region of Indonesia has their own version, and Betawi are the people of Batavia, the Dutch colonial name for Jakarta.

Soto Betawi is usually prepared with beef, which is boiled with aromatic herbs like lemongrass and Indonesian bay leaves, and flavored with candlenut, galangal, garlic, and shallots, and finally often a combination of both fresh cow milk and coconut milk are added to make the soup creamy. The soup is usually served in a bowl, topped with some crispy fried shallots, and eaten with a plate of rice, and some Indonesian pickles (known as acar). Eating Soto Betawi when I was in Jakarta was one of the culinary highlights for me. It’s truly an incredible dish that you can’t miss.

Where: One of the best places in Jakarta to eat soto Betawi is Soto Betawi Haji Husein. Address: Jalan Padang Panjang No. 6C, Kel. Pasar Manggis, Jakarta; Open hours: 7 am – 2 pm from Saturday – Thursday (closed on Friday); Prices: 110,000 IDR ($8.34) for 4 bowls of soto and rice. Watch the video here.

best Indonesian food
Sop Kaki Kambing – goat leg soup

12. Sop Kaki Kambing (goat leg soup)

With a similar flavor profile to Soto Betawi, but a bit more of an adventurous dish, sop kaki kambing is an Indonesian dish for meat lovers, and particularly for goat lovers. Walking into a warung that serves sop kaki kambing, it reminded me a lot of walking into a restaurant in Kenya or Tanzania that serves nyama choma. There were a couple fresh skinned goats hanging from a rafter of the tent, and little by little, the meat was sliced up, cooked, and then displayed at the front of the restaurant.

When you eat sop kaki kambing, you first have a chance to choose whatever parts of the goat you want to eat, which are already pre-cooked. I was hanging out with Ken from Cowokrakus, and we chose some goat feet, eye sockets, and goat brain. All the different goat ingredients were added to a bowl, then covered a lightly creamy and buttery soup.

Where: Sudi Mampir Restaurant; Address: Jalan Biak Jakarta; Open hours: Around 5 pm – Midnight daily; Prices: We paid 208,000 IDR ($15.52) for two bowls of lots of organs soup and sate.

Indonesian dishes
Sop Buntut – oxtail soup

13. Sop Buntut (oxtail soup)

Another popular Indonesian soup is sop buntut, which is oxtail soup. I’ve been a huge lover of oxtail dishes ever since growing up and visiting relatives in Hawaii, when I’d enjoy Chinese style oxtail stew and soup. The meat around the tail has to be some of the most tender and flavorful.

As opposed to the other two soups mentioned above that were of the creamy variety, sop buntut is often a clear soup, the oxtail simmered in broth with carrots and potatoes, and with a salty and lightly peppery broth with a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon to remove any gamey taste. Just like other Indonesian soups, you eat sop buntut accompanied by a plate of rice and condiment it with fresh chopped chilies and kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce).

Where: Sop Buntut Cut Meutia is a nice little local restaurant just down the road from Cut Meutia Mosque in Jakarta; Address: Jalan Menteng Kecil No. 4/5, Menteng, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 4 pm daily; Prices: 40,000 IDR for a bowl.

bakso in Indonesia
Bakso, Indonesian meatballs, are usually eaten with noodles

14. Bakso (Indonesian meatballs)

One of the most widely available street food dishes (and in restaurants as well) and loved by nearly everyone, including President Barack Obama who grew up for some time in Jakarta, is bakso (or also known as baso), Indonesian meatballs.

There are two main versions of bakso available, one is the Chinese style and the other is the more local Indonesian style – both are delicious. The recipe for bakso typically includes minced meat mixed with some tapioca starch – and it is the tapioca starch which gives the meatballs their serious bouncy and addictive texture.

You can typically choose your choice of noodles, from thin white rice noodles, and yellow egg noodles (I’m a fan of egg noodles), and the bakso are then either served with the noodles and soup, or dry with soup on the side. This is a non spicy Indonesian dish, but there are always chilies and seasonings for you to add to your own bowl.

Where: Bakso Akiaw 99 is a popular Chinese style bakso restaurant in Jakarta. Address: Jalan Mangga Besar Raya No. 2B, Kec. Tamansari, Jakarta; Open hours: About 4 pm – 11 pm daily; Prices: I paid 93,000 IDR ($7.07) for a few bowls of meatballs and noodles. Watch the video here.

Betawi Indonesian food
Sayur asem – a sour soup

15. Sayur Asem (sour soup)

Sayur asem is a sour tamarind soup that reminded me a lot of Filipino sinigang or a number of southern Thai sour soups, because it was very sour from tamarind. Known as a Sundanese and Betawi dish in Western Java, sayur asem is a sour tamarind soup, sometimes prepared with meat stock or fish stock, that can include a mixture of different vegetables like corn, chayote, and water morning glory.

Living and eating in Thailand, I’m a huge lover of sour soups, and when I had my first spoonful of sayur asem, I immediately knew it was my kind of the dish. It’s one of those sour soups that makes you almost squint when you sip it because it’s so sour.

Where: Warung Mak Dower serves fantastic Betawi dishes in Jakarta. Address: Jl. Pemuda No. 72, Rawamangun, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 9 pm daily; Prices: 140,800 IDR for a full spread of dishes.

coto Makassar
Coto Makassar – beef organs soup from Makassar

16. Coto Makassar (Makassar soup)

Another version of soto, which is many types of soup, but in Makassar they call it coto (pronounced choto), is a dark beef soup or stew originally from the foodie city Makassar in southern Sulawesi.

For coto Makassar, beef as well as all the organs of the cow, are the dominant ingredients. The bowl of coto Makassar that I had in Jakarta was very beefy tasting, and included intestines, tripe, lungs (I think), and a few cubes of meat, all within a murky dark roasted peanut based soup. It had a nutty and sour taste to it. What I enjoyed about my bowl of coto Makassar was that it came completely unsalted, and so I added in my own salt, plus a squeeze of lime, and some incredible sambal. Additionally, it’s common to eat coto Makassar along with ketupat rice cakes.

Where: In Jakarta, I had a bowl at Coto Makassar Senen; Address: Jalan Kramat Raya, Senen, Jakarta; Open hours: 1 pm – 8 pm daily; Prices: 25,000 IDR ($1.89 USD) per bowl of coto. Watch the video here.

sop konro
Sop Konro – incredibly tender beef ribs

17. Sop Konro (beef ribs soup)

I ate a lot of unbelievably delicious food when I was in Jakarta, and there are so many amazing restaurants, but eating sop konro for the first time was one of those dishes that just blew me away – the combination of fall apart tender cooked meat along with fresh herbs and sambal, it was breathtaking.

Again, famously known in Indonesia as a Makassar dish from southern Sulawesi, sop konro are beef ribs which are simmered in a variety of fragrant spices includes coriander, galangal, lemongrass, cinnamon, nutmeg, and bay leaves. When you eat sop konro, the meat will literally just slide off the rib bones.

Where: Sop Konro Karebosi is a restaurant located in the Kelapa Gading are of Jakarta, that serves outstanding sop konro. They also serve konro bakar, grilled beef ribs, which were equally as stunning. Address: Jalan Boulevard Raya TA 2 No.38, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 10 pm daily. Watch the video here.

Jakarta street food
Nasi goreng – one of the most common Indonesian street foods

18. Nasi Goreng (fried rice)

If you read any Indonesian food guide or guidebook, likely one of the most famous foods they will mention is Indonesian fried rice, known better as nasi goreng. Although just wok fried rice with a host of salty seasonings, this simple hot and fresh cooked single plate meal is a popular street food throughout Indonesia.

For myself, while nasi goreng simply can’t compete with curries and more flavorful rich dishes, I do find Indonesian nasi goreng quite enjoyable from time to time, and it makes an easy cheap meal. When you find an Indonesian street food cart that sells nasi goreng, they can usually make it with whatever ingredients you see in their cabinet – vegetables, chicken, egg, and stink beans (my personal recommendation).

The rice is stir fried, often in a little margarine and oil, seasoned with crushed chili sambal and garlic and the ingredients, then mixed with kecap manis which gives the fried rice its unique Indonesian touch. You’ll seriously find nasi goreng street food cards just about everywhere you look in Jakarta and across Indonesia. My favorite version to order nasi goreng with with stink beans and a fried egg – for me it’s the ultimate fried rice.

Where: Any street food stall where you see “nasi goreng” written, and you will see it all over Indonesia. In Jakarta you can try the legendary goat fried rice at Nasi Goreng Kambing Kebon Sirih.

nasi uduk in Indonesia
Nasi Uduk – coconut rice, this one is Betawi style

19. Nasi Uduk (coconut rice)

When I took my first bite of nasi uduk, a fragrantly type of cooked rice, I could immediately taste the rich coconut milk and a wonderful cardamom flavor.

Nasi uduk is similar to nasi lemak, rice that’s cooked with a variety of aromatics like lemongrass, pandan leaves and dry spices like coriander seed, bay leaves, sometimes cardamom, and finally the all important coconut milk. The result is a rich and savory, plus hearty and flavorful, rice. There are a variety of different recipes for nasi uduk, also depending on the region of Indonesia you’re in. You can eat nasi uduk accompanied by a variety of different curries and Indonesian foods, but it’s also very common in Jakarta to eat along with simple fried chicken and sambal chili sauce.

Where: Nasi Uduk Zainal Fanani (also known as Nasi Uduk Kebon Kacang) serves Betawi style nasi uduk. Address: Jalan Kebon Kacang 8 No. 5, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 12 am midnight daily; Prices: 75,000 IDR ($5.74) for 2; Watch the video here.

nasi liwet
This was a Sundanese nasi liwet meal

20. Nasi Liwet (Javanese rice)

Similar to nasi uduk, nasi liwet is a traditional Javanese style of cooking rice that includes coconut milk and chicken broth, with the fragrance of bay leaves and lemongrass. It’s common to eat nasi liwet along with a variety of side dishes and extra coconut cream.

When I was in Indonesia, Ken and Gracia from Cowokrakus invited me to experience an authentic local Sundanese nasi liwet feast at their home in Bogor, about an hour from Jakarta. The rice was extremely fragrant, and along with the coconut milk, it was also mixed with little fried fish to give it another added dimension of taste and texture. We ate off a communal banana leaf, piled with side dishes like grilled chicken, and a variety of curries, and fresh herbs and vegetables to garnish. It was one of the most memorable Indonesian meals I’ve ever had.

Where: I had this dish home cooked, but do you know of any good restaurants? I would love to hear from you in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

nasi campur
Nasi campur – mixed rice with Chinese style meat

21. Nasi Campur (mixed rice)

Nasi campur literally just means mixed rice, and in Malaysia is typically refers to local Malay style rice and curry. But in Jakarta when you mention nasi campur it often refers to rice with a variety of Chinese meats like char siu, pork belly, roast chicken, or egg, all served with sweet tangy sauce – very similar to Thai khao moo daeng.

I had a couple plates of nasi campur in Jakarta, and each time they were both good, a good dish to eat if you enjoy rice and pork with a sweet and savory sauce.

WhereNasi Campur Yung Yung 99 is one of the well known restaurants in Jakarta. Address: Ketapang Business Centre Blok A22, Jalan KH. Zainul Arifin, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 8 pm daily; Prices: 30,000 IDR per plate.

Indonesian dishes
Bubur ayam – rice congee in Indonesia

22. Bubur Ayam (chicken congee)

Every country around southeast Asia has their own version of rice porridge (congee) a result of the massive Chinese influence across the continent. In Indonesia bubur ayam, chicken rice porridge, is one of the very common street food dishes.

The rice is cooked so it’s thick and hearty, yet easy to go down, and while it can be prepared with any assortment of toppings, chicken is one of the most popular. At Bubur Ayam, one of the most famous spots in Jakarta for rice porridge, a bowl comes topped with shredded chicken, and you often eat it along with skewers of fried chicken heart and other organs.

Where: Bubur ayam is a very common Jakarta street food, but I tried it at Bubur Ayam Barito. Address: Jalan Gandaria Tengah 3, Kramat Pela, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta; Open hours: 4 pm – 12 am midnight daily; Prices: 42,000 IDR ($3.13) for 2 bowls, 2 skewers of organs.

babi guling
Babi guling in Bali – photo from my trip back in 2009!

23. Nasi Bali /  Babi Guling (roast pork)

Nearly every region of Indonesia has their own unique mix of rice eaten with a variety of different side dishes. The island of Bali, with its mostly Hindu population, has a unique variety of food, especially because (unlike other parts of Indonesia apart from Chinese and Christian populations), pork is popular.

Balinese cuisine makes use of lots of flavorful spices and herbs like ginger, garlic, shallots, and an abundance of chilies. One of the most famous dishes in Bali is babi guling, roasted crispy pig. If you’re in Bali, there’s a well researched post about the best babi guling in Bali on Travelfish.

Where: Undoubtedly, the best place to eat Balinese food is in Bali, but if you’re in Jakarta, I had a great Balinese plate at Little Ubud restaurant. Address: Ruko Cordoba, Blok G No. 2, Bukit Golf Mediterania, Jl. Marina Indah Raya, Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 11 pm daily; Prices: About 35,000 IDR per plate.

Indonesian meals
Nasi Padang is one of my favorite Indonesian meals!

24. Nasi Padang (Padang rice curry)

Probably one of the most famous meals to be associated with Indonesia is Nasi Padang, a mix of rice and side dishes, originally from the Padang in western Sumatra. I’ve included Nasi Padang on this food list because it’s such an important meal, however, I’ve also included a few of the common dishes within Nasi Padang below in this list as well.

On my first trip to Sumatra back in 2009, I had a meal of Nasi Padang that hit every note of my tongue, and I will never forget how sensationally flavorful it was. To this day, Nasi Padang remains one of my favorite meals in the entire world. Padang food is known for being flavored with fresh curry pastes that include ingredients like galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, shallots, and lots of herbs, combined with rich curries and coconut milk.

There are two main ways Nasi Padang is served. If you go to a small food stall, you’re typically dished a plate of rice and can choose from the variety of different dishes available which are places on top of your individual plate (it’s called pesan in Indonesian). But if you go to a more established indoor Nasi Padang restaurant they will serve you about 20 different dishes on your table, and you pick and choose the dishes you want, only paying for the dishes you eat (this is called hidang).

Where: There are countless Padang food restaurants in Jakarta, but one of my favorites was Rumah Makan Surya. Rumah Makan Surya Masakan Padang; Address: Jalan Bendungan Hilir Raya No.15, Bendungan Hilir, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 8 pm daily; Prices: I paid 165,000 IDR ($12.52) for a bunch of dishes; Watch the video here.

Indonesian woku
Woku – an amazing Manado dish

25. Woku (Manado soup curry)

Technically, woku is an Indonesian Sualwesi blend of different spices and herbs like chilies, lemon basil, shallots, garlic, and tomatoes, that’s usually prepared with fish or chicken, and can be the consistency of anywhere from soup to more dry. When I had my first bowl of woku, it was a bit of a life-changer, one of those dishes that’s so dramatically flavorful, there’s nothing you can do but close your eyes and enjoy it.

Woku is both spicy and heavy on the herbs with a distinct taste of lemon basil, giving the entire dish a refreshing, yet hot and spicy, sensation. After spending 3 weeks in Jakarta and eating Manado food a number of times, I can safely say woku is one of my favorites Indonesian foods.

Where: Any Mandado food restaurant will have woku. In Jakarta, I enjoyed the version at Ikan Tude Manado; Address: Jalan Blora No. 28-29, Menteng, Jakarta; Open hours: 8 am – 11 pm daily; Prices: 325,000 IDR ($24.57) for 4. Watch the video here.

Manado food
Rica-rica is an amazing Manado dish

26. Rica-rica (Manado dish)

Just like woku, rica-rica is a popular blend of chilies and herbs that originates from Northern Sulawesi. But while the different versions of woku that I had were more turmeric heavy and usually cooked a bit soupy or watery, the versions or rica-rica I experience were more dry, like a sauce, teeming with red chilies, shallots, and tomatoes.

Rica-rica definitely has a bit of sweet and sour tasting components to it, but while being spicy, and full of chunky tomatoes at the same time. You’ll find recipes for rica-rica using different types of meat, but the most popular is ayam rica-rica, with chicken.

Where: I had a good Manado meal at Brama Kusu; Address: Jalan Panglima Polim Raya South Jakarta; Open hours: About 11 am – 8 pm daily; Prices: 167,000 IDR for my wife and I for a full meal.

Indonesian fish head curry
Gulai Kepala Ikan – I can’t get enough fish head curry

27. Gulai Kepala Ikan (fish head curry)

When I published my Singapore food guide, I received a few comments from Indonesians saying, “you have to come to Indonesia to try our fish head curry.” And so there was no way I was going to miss out on Indonesian fish head curry.

Fish head curry is a pretty general term, and whole fish are eaten around Indonesia, so I guess I would classify a dish as a fish head curry when the head is the dominant piece of the fish included in the dish. You’ll find fish head curry as some Nasi Padang and Sumatra restaurants, and the best fish head curry I had was at Medan Baru Restaurant in Jakarta. The fish head was covered in one of the most creamy coconut curries I’ve ever experienced in my life – it was unbelievable.

Where: Rumah Makan Medan Baru; Address: Jalan Krekot Bunder No. 65, Pasar Baru, Sawah Besar, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 9 pm daily; Prices: Ou total bill was 406,000 IDR ($30.69) for many dishes and a huge fish head. Watch the video here.

gulai otak
Gulai Otak – brain curry is a popular Padang dish

28. Gulai Otak (brain curry)

Usually available at restaurants that serve Nasi Padang, gulai otak is curry where the main ingredient is brain. You’ll find goat and lamb brains, but one of the most popular Padang versions is cow brains, which are cooked in a spice riddled creamy curry sauce.

Cow brains are intensely rich and creamy, and to me it’s pretty unbelievably delicious, but at the same time, it’s one of those foods that you just don’t want to overdose on, or run the risk of overdoing it. For me, that means about 1 – 2 chunks. When you bite into a Padang cow brain curry, the creaminess will completely overwhelm your mouth, it’s similar to panna cotta in texture, completely silky smooth.

Where: They will typically have gulai otak at any Nasi Padang restaurant. I had a good version at Nasi Padang Sari Bundo; Address: Jalan Ir Juanda No. 27, Jakarta; Open hours: 8 am – 10 pm daily; Prices: 207,000 IDR for 2 of us and we ate about 8 dishes.

best Indonesian dishes
Beef rendang, one of the greatest Indonesian dishes

29. Beef Rendang (rendang)

When CNN took a survey to come up with the world’s best foods, Indonesian rendang is the dish that took the number 1 spot. Although some things on the list (potato chips?) are questionable, I’m quite alright with rendang being the winner. Rendang is truly an outstandingly delicious Indonesian food.

Often made with beef, rendang is a dish that originates in the western part of Sumatra from the Minangkabau people, and is commonly served at Nasi Padang restaurants. Rendang is popular across Indonesia and also in Malaysia and Singapore.

There are two main variations of rendang, one that’s quite dry (this is supposedly the original authentic version), with all the spices coated onto the meat, and another that has a more of a curry gravy sauce to it. Both are fantastic, depending on your preference; I don’t think I can pick a favorite.

In order to make rendang, spices like cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and dry chilies, garlic, and shallots are cooked with the meat. Where the recipes differs from other curries is that one of the key ingredients is desiccated coconut, which gives the rendang curry a grainy texture of the dry coconut, mixed with all the incredible spice flavors.

Where: Again, this is a dish available at Nasi Padang restaurants throughout Indonesia. Rumah Makan Surya Masakan Padang; Address: Jalan Bendungan Hilir Raya No.15, Bendungan Hilir, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 8 pm daily; Prices: I paid 165,000 IDR ($12.52) for a bunch of dishes.

djenkol beans
Jengkol Pedas – jengkol beans cooked with chili

30. Jengkol Pedas (jengkol chili, djenkol)

Although jengkol beans, which grow in a pod, are commonly eaten throughout Southeast Asia, and a delicacy in Indonesia (and I have to admit that I really love them) they are potentially poisonous due to their jengkolic acid.

Jengkol beans are eaten in a variety of ways, and when I’m at home in Thailand, I typically eat them raw like a garnishing nut or vegetable. But when I was in Jakarta, I enjoyed jengkol beans a few times, once while eating an amazing home-cooked Sundanese meal, and another time at a Betawi restaurant, a dish called jengkol pedas. When jengkol beans are cooked, they are starchy, kind of like potatoes, but with a gummy texture.

Where: Warung Mak Dower serves Betawi food in Jakarta, and I was especially impressed with the jengkol pedas. Address: Jl. Pemuda No. 72, Rawamangun, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 9 pm daily; Prices: 140,800 IDR for a full spread of dishes.

petai
Petai – one of my favorite foods in the world

31. Petai (stink beans)

Along with djenkol, there was no way I could leave petai, or stink beans, off this list of best Indonesian foods. Petai are little green colored beans that grow in a tree within twisted pods.

While petai itself is often cooked in a curry or stir fried with ikan bilis and lots of chilies, it’s also eaten raw and dipped into sambal, or the entire stink beans pod is either grilled or deep fried and eaten like candy (at least for me, they are like vitamin candies to me). Most of all though, I just included petai on this list because it’s one of my personal favorite things to eat in the world and they are extremely common and popular in Indonesian cuisine.

Where: Anywhere you see the beautiful green twisted pods, they will be available. You can order them in curry, grilled, fried, or raw.

gule solo
Gule Solo, an organ stew on the streets of Jakarta

32. Nasi Gule Solo (organ stew)

Walking around a neighborhood one morning in Jakarta I saw a friendly man selling Nasi Gule Solo from his street food cart, and so I had to stop and immediately have a bowl. The gule he was serving was sort of a cross between a soup and a curry, and his version was made with goat organs.

Balancing my plate of gule and a plate of rice and crackers on a couple of plastic stools, I enjoyed some chewy goat with a mild yet soothing curry. With the friendliness of the Indonesian uncle selling the gule, it was a wonderful food experience. Nasi Gule Solo is originally from Solo, also known as Surakarta. It’s a mild curry, and goes great with rice. You’ll find carts all over especially South Jakarta that serve Gule Solo.

Where: I noticed lots of Nasi Gule Solo street food carts in the Gandaria area of South Jakarta, and that’s where I tried it, just a short walk from Gandaria City Mall.

rawon
Rawon, an incredible Indonesian beef stew

33. Rawon (beef stew)

Another one of the traditional Indonesian dishes, originally from eastern Java, is rawon, a black colored beef stew. When I had my first taste of rawon, I immediately fell in love, and I knew I wanted to learn more about this exquisite and interesting dish.

Along with pieces of beef, one of the most important ingredients in cooking rawon is keluak (or kluwak), a nut that I had only previously eaten in a Peranakan dish. Keluak has a taste that reminds of dark chocolate, but more nutty, even with a hint of a rye taste. Beef rawon is served soup with rice, and complemented with baby bean sprouts, a squeeze of lime, and sambal.

Where: Nasi Gandul Bu Endang; Address: Jalan Pesanggrahan No. 14, Puri Indah, Jakarta; Open hours: 8:30 am – 10 pm daily; Prices: 148,000 IDR for 4 people, and we ate a few different dishes.

Indonesian gudeg
Gudeg – stewed jackfruit originally from Yogyakarta

34. Gudeg (stewed jackfruit)

Considered to be the one of the national dishes of Yogyakarta (Jogja), gudeg is young jackfruit that’s braised with palm sugar, coconut milk, bay leaves, lemongrass, and galangal, until it’s extremely tender, and blended together.

Gudeg Jogja as it’s sometimes called, is served with rice as a main dish, but accompanied with a few other common side dishes that include chicken, and curried cow skin. While I couldn’t eat gudeg very often because it’s a sweet dish, I did really enjoy the amazing texture of the young jackfruit after being cooked for so long.

Where: Nasi Gandul Bu Endang; Address: Jalan Pesanggrahan No. 14, Puri Indah, Jakarta; Open hours: 8:30 am – 10 pm daily; Prices: 148,000 IDR for 4 people, gudeg was alright, but my favorite was the rawon.

Plecing Kangkung
Plecing Kangkung is a delicious water spinach salad from Lombok

35. Plecing Kangkung (water spinach salad)

Originating from the island of Lombok (also where ayam Taliwang comes from), plecing kangkung is a vegetable based salad made with water morning glory, which is topped in a spicy chili and shrimp paste sambal.

When I ate plecing kangkung, I immediately loved it because the water morning glory was still fresh and crisp, while the sambal on top was spicy, with a nice balance of shrimpy saltiness from the shrimp paste. It goes really well with rice and grilled chicken.

Where: In Jakarta I had it at Ayam Taliwang Rinjani. Address: Jalan Pesanggrahan Raya No. 50, Puri Indah, Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 10 pm daily; Prices: I ate 3 chickens for 165,000 IDR ($12.39) plus this salad.

Daun pepaya
Daun pepaya – boiled papaya leaves

36. Daun Pepaya (papaya leaves)

Daun pepaya, or papaya leaves, are commonly eaten in a number of different ways throughout Indonesia. Papaya trees and their leaves are easy and fast to grow, and the leaves are full of nutrition. They have a little bit of a bitter taste to them.

If you eat Indonesian food at a Padang restaurant, you might see papaya leaves which are either blanched or steamed and served with a simple chili sambal sauce. But one of the versions I loved the most was at a Manado, Sulawesi restaurant, where they sautéed papaya leaves with papaya flowers. They tasted bitter and floral, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Where: Ikan Tude Manado; Address: Jalan Blora No. 28-29, Menteng, Jakarta; Open hours: 8 am – 11 pm daily; Prices: 325,000 IDR ($24.57) for 4.

Gulai Daun Singkong
Gulai Daun Singkong – curry cassava leaves

37. Gulai Daun Singkong (curry cassava leaves)

I grew up for a number of years in Congo with my parents, and one of the dishes we ate nearly everyday was cassava leaves, sometimes cooked with peanuts, and I used to love them.

So I was very glad that a common type of leaf vegetable you’ll find in Indonesian cuisine are cassava leaves. Cassava leaves are actually toxic if you eat them raw, but they are delicious when cooked, and have a slight leathery texture to them.

Where: The best curry cassava leaves I had in Jakarta was at Rumah Makan Medan Baru; Address: Jalan Krekot Bunder No. 65, Pasar Baru, Sawah Besar, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 9 pm daily; Prices: Ou total bill was 406,000 IDR ($30.69) for many dishes.

Bakpao and Kopi
Bakpao and Kopi – baozi and traditional style coffee

38. Bakpao and Kopi (baozi and coffee)

Indonesia is such a dominant producer of coffee, and when you’re in Indonesia you’re in for some delicious coffee. And there’s almost nothing I can think of that goes better with coffee than a freshly steamed bakpao, or the Indonesian variation of a Chinese baozi.

Along with an abundance of higher end artisan modern coffee shops throughout Jakarta, there are also some excellent traditional shops (kopitiams). One of the places I tried, located in Kelapa Gading, looked pretty ordinary from the outside, but I was impressed with the smooth black chocolatey tasting coffee they served. For modern style coffee shops in Jakarta, check out the extensive Eats and Treats blog.

Where: Kedai Kopi & Bakpao Kwang Koan; Address: Kelapa Gading, Jakarta (more info here); Open hours: 6 am – 1 pm on Saturday and Sunday, 6 am – 3 pm on Monday – Friday.

gado-gado
Gado-gado is one of the most common Indonesian street food dishes

39. Gado-gado (peanut sauce salad)

Gado gado, which is a vegetables and compressed rice salad, made with peanut sauce (or cashew nut sauce) dressing, is one of the most common Indonesian street foods available. Although technically a salad or mix, gado gado, especially when it contains compressed rice cakes, is actually quite filling and can be eaten as a main dish, or a snack.

When you step up to a street food cart that serves gado gado, the vendor will first mix up the peanut sauce on a flat slightly rounded stone mortar. Once the sauce is ready, a mixture of steamed vegetables like bean sprouts, water morning glory, and long beans, along with tofu, soybean cakes, and sometimes lontong (compressed rice cakes). The nut sauce makes the salad rich hearty, while the vegetables contribute a mix of different textures.

Gado gado is served at all different types of Indonesian restaurants, but according to this article on the Wall Street Journal, it’s traditionally served as a street food, specifically from mobile kaki lima street food carts. Around Jakarta, anytime you see gado gado written on the side of a food cart, you can grab a stool and order, sit and enjoy. Also, gado gado is one of the few vegetarian dishes commonly available.

Where: Gado-gado is one of the most famous and common Jakarta street food dishes and you’ll find it everywhere. There’s a guy called Andy, who sets up outside of City Walk Sudirman mall, and he a delicious version. Watch the video here.

Indonesian food
Mie goreng, fried noodles, are common throughout Indonesia

40. Mie Goreng (fried noodles)

Mie goreng (also spelled mee goreng or mi goreng) are Indonesian stir fried noodles, usually prepared with yellow noodles. Although Chinese influenced, mie goreng in Indonesia have a definite Indonesian taste, usually including a good dollop of sambal chili sauce in the mixture.

The yellow noodles are stir fried in a hot wok with plenty of oil, garlic, egg, and a combination of extra ingredients that can include cabbage, tomatoes, kailan, onions, and any choice of meat. Mie goreng is commonly available as an Indonesian street food dish, and is also popularly made with Indomie instant noodles.

Where: Many of the same street food stalls that sell nasi goreng (fried rice) can also make mie goreng. For a sit down street food version, I enjoyed it at Sin Moy Kong Chinese Food; Address: Jl. Mangga Besar Raya No.124 A Sawah Besar Kota, Jakarta; Open hours: 4 pm – 12 am midnight, closed on Sunday; Prices: 189,000 IDR ($14.31). Watch the video here.

best ketoprak in Jakarta
Ketoprak in Jakarta with a fried egg

41. Ketoprak (peanut sauce salad)

Another common Indonesian dish based on peanut sauce is ketoprak, a Jakarta originating dish that includes pieces of tofu, and rice vermicelli noodles, all flavored with sweet salty peanut sauce.

When I was in Jakarta, one day I went to one of the most well known spots in the city for ketoprak, a small little shop in the neighborhood, that stays busy from the moment they open – and they often have a long line around mealtimes. After making a batch of their special peanut sauce, they fried some tofu, chopped it on a plate with some bean sprouts, doused it in the peanut sauce, and finished it with a fried egg.

Where: Ketoprak is available all over Jakarta, but for a famous version go to Ketoprak Ciragil; Address: Jalan Ciragil II Blok Q No. 24, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta; Open hours: 9 am – 6 pm daily; Prices: 20,000 IDR ($1.49) per plate.

Indonesian tempeh
Tempe (or tempeh) – fermented soybean

42. Tempeh (fermented soybean)

Tempeh (which is also spelled tempe) is a preserved soybean cake, that’s kind of similar to tofu, but it uses whole soybeans and it’s fermented in a loaf sized shape. Tempe is very nutritious, packed full of protein and fiber.

One of the most common ways tempe is cooked is deep fried or pan fried. It can be eaten as a snack, or as a part of a greater meal, and dipped into sambal chili sauce for extra flavor. To me, tempeh often has a slight sour taste, and a starchy texture. And also because of its protein content and vitamins it makes a great meat substitution, so it’s a favorite Indonesian vegetarian food.

Where: You’ll find tempeh from street food carts to restaurants, especially restaurant that specialize in deep fried items.

Gorengan
Gorengan – all sorts of deep fried fritters

43. Gorengan (deep fried snacks)

Gorengan refers to street food stalls that serve all kinds of deep fried fritters, some of which are battered, and other not. You’ll find pisang goreng (deep fried bananas), fried stuffed tofu, bakwan (veggie batter fritters), fried cassava, fried breadfruit, and the list goes on.

When you’re in Indonesia, eating from a gorengan cart is not the healthiest choice as the oil is often not so clean and there is question as to what’s included in the batter occasionally so it remains so crispy despite the humidity, but as an occasional snack, the offerings at a gorengan cart can be very tasty. I especially like fried breadfruit, which is just slices of breadfruit (no batter), lightly salted, and deep fried.

Where: Look for street food carts that say Gorengan, and you’ll also see a mountain of golden fried fritters.

Pempek Palembang
Pempek – types of fishcake originally from Palembang

44. Pempek (fishcakes)

One of the prized Indonesian foods originating from Palembang (in the south of Sumatra), pempek is a unique type of fishcake, that’s very popular as a snack in Jakarta as well.

The recipe for the fishcakes or fish balls not only includes pureed fish, but also tapioca starch to give it a chewy bouncy texture. The pempek are then usually deep fried (although you can get them grilled as well), and served with noodles and a sauce that’s sweet, salty, and sour. I have never been a huge meatball / fishball fan, but I have to admit that pempek was pretty good. I loved the bouncy texture and the flavorful sauce they are eaten with.

Where: I had pempek at a restaurant called Pempek Palembang & Otak – Otak 161 and they have multiple locations around Jakarta; Address: Jalan Boulevard Raya Blok FW I No. 26, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta; Open hours: 11 am – 8 pm daily.

siomay
Siomay dumpings in Glodok, Chinatown, Jakarta

45. Siomay (dumplings)

Soimai is a popular Indonesian food snack that has roots in China, but has been transformed as an Indonesian dish. Typical vendors that sell siomay have a steamer full of different ingredients including siomay, tofu, and a variety of fishcakes and stuffed items. Siomay can either be made with fish or sometimes shrimp or pork.

The siomay are dished onto a plate, and the Indonesian flavor touch is that they are served with a sweet and savory peanut sauce and some sambal to bump up the heat.

Where: In Glodok, Jakarta’s Chinatown, you’ll find many bicycle vendors that sell hot plates of siomay. But also throughout Jakarta it’s a popular street food.

Asinan Betawi
Asinan can refer to a number of pickled vegetable salads

46. Asinan (pickled vegetable salad)

Asinan is a snack that includes pickled fruits or vegetables, but in a number of different forms and styles depending on which region of Indonesia you’re in.

When I was hanging out with Hey Theresia, a local Indonesian food blogger, we stopped for a plate of Asinan Betawi, a Jakarta version of asinan. The vendor chopped up a bunch of pickled and blanched vegetables, then added on a couple of fried noodle crackers, and then doused the snack in a sweet and salty fruity tasting sauce. It was a very interesting mix, including lots of sour and salty flavors.

Where: Right outside the entrance of Ragusa Es Italia ice cream shop; Address: Kav 3-5, Komplek Pertokoan Duta Merlin, Jalan Gajah Mada, Jakarta, Indonesia (not far from the National Monument in Jakarta).

derak telor
Kerak Telor is a rice egg snack with coconut

47. Kerak Telor (rice egg snack)

Kerak telor is an old style Betawi Indonesian food, that includes both sticky rice and egg, fried in a pancake or omelette shape and topped with fried shredded coconut and fried shallots. I personally think it’s one of the most interesting and fun snacks to watch being prepared.

In order to make kerak telor, the vendor takes a handful of soaked sticky rice and places it on the bottom of a charcoal heated wok. An egg goes in, and then at just the right time, the entire wok is flipped over (and somehow the rice cake miraculously doesn’t fall out) and roasted over the fire. For me, this was one snack that was more fun to watch being made than to eat.

Where: You’ll often find kerak telor at public areas like around the National Monument in Jakarta and Fatahillah Square in mid to late afternoon.

Martabak Manis
Martabak Manis – a favorite Indonesian dessert

48. Martabak Manis (sweet martabak)

Possibly one of the craziest desserts I’ve ever seen made in my life, martabak manis is a sweet waffle like cake, that’s smothered in butter (or margarine), sugar, cheese, chocolate, or a variety of other fillings of choice, and eaten like a cross between a pancake and a birthday cake. It’s insane.

I’m not really a sweets kind of guy, but martabak manis is definitely one of the most famous Indonesian desserts, and just because it’s so crazy, it’s something that should not be missed when you’re Jakarta.

Where: Martabak 65A is one of the original and most popular places in Jakarta; Address: Jalan Pecenongan Raya No.65A, Jakarta; Open hours: 5:30 pm – 12 am midnight daily; Prices: 90,000 IDR ($6.71) for an entire giant martabak.

durian in Indonesia
I mostly just had to include durian because I love it so much… and so do so many Indonesians!

49. Durian (King of Fruits)

Similar to stink beans, I just couldn’t leave durian off this food guide because I think it’s just one of the ultimate natural things in the entire world… and it’s definitely considered the King of Fruits in Indonesia. Jakarta is not nicknamed “the Big Durian,” for no reason.

You’ll find an abundance of fresh durian around Jakarta, many of which come from Medan or Palembang, or other islands as well. Along with eating a fresh durian, there are also many different durian treats, like durian cake, durian ice cream, and the very popular and refreshing es campur durian, durian flavored mixed shave ice. Also, be sure to check out my friend Lindsay’s amazing Jakarta durian guide.

Where: I had a few Medan and Palembang durians along Mangga Besar road in the evening.

best Indonesian food
Sambal, an variety of Indonesian chili sauce – the foundation of Indonesian cuisine!

50. Sambal (chili sauce)

Although I have already mentioned sambal dozens of times in this food blog, I think due to its importance in Indonesian cuisine (and my personal love and obsession for it), it’s one of the most important components of many Indonesian meals – either in the cooking or served as a side sauce.

There are about as many different recipes or types of sambal as there are islands in Indonesia, but a classic sambal might include chilies, garlic, shallots, and other local ingredients, all puréed using a mortar and pestle. Some sambals are spicy and salty, others are more sweet, and some sambals are based upon local herbs and spices only available in that specific region.

You’ll find sambal on the table of just about every restaurant in Indonesia you eat at, and if they don’t have any available, if you ask for some, they will make a simple sambal as soon as you ask. To me, sambal is something I look forward to consuming with every Indonesian meal. And it’s not only because I’m a chili lover, but also because I think the diversity and variations of different sambals is a reflection of just how diverse Indonesia and its food are.

Where: You’ll be served sambal with just about any Indonesian food you eat in Indonesia… that’s part of the reason why I love Indonesia so much.

Jakarta street food
This is Andy, he sells gado-gado outside Citywalk Sudiram Mall!

Conclusion

What I love so much about Indonesian food are the fresh and vibrant ingredients that go into the cooking – the chilies, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, lemon basil – and the list goes on. The combinations of these ingredients is what makes Indonesian cuisine so spectacular.

This guide to 50 of the best Indonesian foods is only a small sample of the multitude of dishes available for you to try in Indonesia, and I hope at least it’s made your mouth water a little bit!

RELATED: You might be interested in my Jakarta Travel Guide for Food Lovers – Get information on where I stayed, things I did, and safety information.

Now, I would love to hear from you!

What is your favorite Indonesian food? Leave a comment below now!

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    مرکز معتبر معاملات سیمکارت همراه اول

  • کیف زنانه

    12 months ago

    کیف زنانه و قیمت کیف زنانه در فروشگاه رامین

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  • دیجی کالا کاندوم

    1 year ago

    This guide to 50 of the best Indonesian foods is only a small sample of the multitude of dishes available for you to try in Indonesia

  • خرید اقساطی خط 0912

    1 year ago

    Would love to constantly get updated great blog

  • سیم کارت کد ۱

    1 year ago

    Thank you for this information

  • Anna

    1 year ago

    Maybe next month I will visit Indonesia. Definitely, I will try these foods.

  • خرید لیوان یکبار مصرف کاغذی

    1 year ago

    Thanks for your good content

  • Que faire en Europe ?

    1 year ago

    indonesia has some great stuff to propose, cant wait to go there

  • Zeytin Fidanı

    1 year ago

    Güzel tarifler için teşekkürler
    Zeytin yağı kullanmak önemli

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    1 year ago

    Love this post thanks

  • خرید کیف زنانه

    1 year ago

    Love this post thanks

  • لیوان کاغذی یکبار مصرف

    1 year ago

    It was useful, thank you

  • لیوان کاغذی تک جداره

    1 year ago

    It was useful, thank you

  • سیم کارت کد ۱

    1 year ago

    It was an interesting article

  • Smoking Grill Combo

    1 year ago

    Great recipe of Grilled chicken <3

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    1 year ago

    Thanks for your good content

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    thank you and do not be bored

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    1 year ago

    The content was good

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    2 years ago

    Tech giants Grab and Gojek both operate networks of cloud kitchens that are integrated with their food delivery services, while other startups

  • borann.com

    2 years ago

    Other nations now lay claim to sate, but Indonesians consider it a national dish conceived by street vendors and popularized by Arab traders.

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    2 years ago

    TWINkle Foods and Drinks. 53 likes. Food & Beverage Company.

  • themarketsresearch.com

    2 years ago

    The Indonesian food industry also demonstrated a respectable growth of 7.91% in 2018, contributing 6.25% overall to the country’s total GDP.

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    2 years ago

    تلفن اینترنتی ویپ در آس تل با مرکز تلفن ابری خیالتان راحت

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    2 years ago

    خرید گل و سفارش آنلاین گل در گل فروشی شرمیلا تجربه کنید

  • stucco

    2 years ago

    I really wanted to visit Indonesia just to taste all kinds of their foods!

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    3 years ago

    برای تولید محتوای حرفه ای می توانید به سایت ویرا محتوا مراجعه کنید

  • hosein

    3 years ago

    I love Indonesian food but sadly I don’t get to enjoy as much as I’d like. I’ll work on that now that restaurants are starting to open up again

  • The Landscaping Guy

    3 years ago

    I love Indonesian food but sadly I don’t get to enjoy as much as I’d like. I’ll work on that now that restaurants are starting to open up again

  • nadia

    3 years ago

    if you want to visit indonisia you can check the best price for flight and hotel on this website comparateur de vol

  • vishal

    3 years ago

    Nice food blog. Thanks a lot for sharing such a nice info.

  • vishal kaushik

    3 years ago

    Cool blog. Keep sharing!!

  • Michael Cuneo

    3 years ago

    thats why i love indonesia! many more traditional and historical food from all province. and you pour them to the one article. mind, this article was have indonesian version? if haven’t , you can visit https://translationtext.com/ to translate this article into indonesia laguage version! have a nice day and we waiting for translate service request… Goodbye!:)

  • Jeanne Aquarelle

    3 years ago

    Nasi goreng is a classic, but it remains my favorite dish. I even painted it in watercolor 🙂

  • John

    3 years ago

    Nice article about Indonesian Food.
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  • Republik Of Jengkol

    3 years ago

    I Love Jengkol beans, which grow in a pod, are commonly eaten throughout Southeast Asia, and a delicacy in Indonesia (and I have to admit that I really love them) they are potentially poisonous due to their jengkolic acid.

  • Asik Liga

    3 years ago

    Rujak Cingur from Surabaya. It’s so wonderful tasty. Thank you!! and Saksang From Batak Karo, It’s So Very Nice

  • Anita

    3 years ago

    In Indonesia there are so many delicious foods. Maybe after this you should taste the sweet martabak snack that is very loved by Indonesians. And Bika Ambon is a cake from Batak

  • eko yulianto

    3 years ago

    would you mind share it in pdf! and hopefully please try to taste of Rujak Cingur from Surabaya. It’s so wonderful tasty. Thank you!!

  • Corinne

    3 years ago

    Hi, I am going to Bali hopefully in a couple of months, but I am on a low/no salt diet. If I eat too salty, I can end up in the hospital. Most food is seasoned or with soy, do you know what foods and dishes are low in salt?

    • Rinjani Saraswati

      3 years ago

      Hi Corrine,
      I’ve read your comment and, very sorry to know that you have sort of salt diet. It’s nice to let you know about Balinese Traditional Foods. I’m Balinese but I’ve been living in the overseas country since I was young. So, as far I remember that most Balinese restaurants/small cafes are not serving ala cart menus. They are all prepared minimum 6 hours in advance, and Balinese Foods are rich in chillis. Unless you would purchase the food from where you stay (hotel), and you can order with no salt, or seperate salt. Otherwise, they will still put some salt into your food even you have told them not to, as their eating habits. So, you should tell them very clear in advance in written: TANPA GARAM – GARAM TERPISAH (no salt – seperate salt).
      Or, for your safety, you can go to one of affordable but very clean Japanese Cafes or Supermarkets it called: PEPITO: Jl. Kediri OR near Sunset Road (you can find the precise address and telphone numbers on google). They sell plenty kinds of different Japanese Foods, very nice Bakery and Fruits. At 9pm, they used to sell all the kinds 50% discount. Hehehehe..
      I hope this information is helful. Happy, enjoy and safe journey.
      Cheers.

  • VapeSpring

    3 years ago

    All in one article. Nicely Shared Content.
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  • Budiono

    3 years ago

    Great article, but there are a few articles you should visit: Kanalmu

  • Jeanne Aquarelle

    3 years ago

    Nasi goreng is a classic, but it remains my favorite dish. I even painted it with watercolor 🙂

  • Aneeb Akbar

    3 years ago

    WOW nicely cover. Dear i am waiting for that day, when you will cover top Pakistani food?

    • خانم گل

      3 years ago

      and Peanut salad. Now I am feeling that I have to make a tour in Indonesia for foods

  • Dewi

    3 years ago

    Rujak Bulung is da best! It’s Balinese cuisine made of seaweed, chili, and pindang sauce.

  • Subrato

    4 years ago

    Wow!!! Every food is looking so delicious. Among these I love to eat Ikan Bakar (grilled fish) and Peanut salad. Now I am feeling that I have to make a tour in Indonesia for foods.

  • Laura Batch

    4 years ago

    any kinds of indonesian food taste so good. i have visited indonesia twice and have tried foods like sate, pempek and siomay. But i dont really like the sambals, they are all spicy

    • Ade

      4 years ago

      Sambal is like our version of hot sauce, there is a stereotype thing in Indonesia where people from java like food more sweeter so some of them make sambal more sweeter like my aunt
      So maybe you should try some sambal from java

    • طراحی سایت در قزوین

      3 years ago

      Wow cool post, thanks for sharing! Facebook, for the past week or so, has been littered with this comment. It seems to appear out of the blue.

  • Andari

    5 years ago

    wow you’re researching a lot about Indonesian food! it’s amazing
    p.s. I’m Indonesian and yes, i can’t live without sambal!

  • Lucy

    5 years ago

    I watch this episode on youtube, awesome. Love to see eat Indonesian food. Esp when you have street food around glodok 🙂

  • Al Faraby

    5 years ago

    why did you miss the “sego pecel”

  • Willy Wonka

    5 years ago

    Beef Rendang is one of the very few foods in Indonesia that I would call good; in fact, I liked it. That being said, to call it the best in the word is obscene. I know CNN’s reputation in politics, but it now seems that they’re doing the same thing in gastronomy. Indonesian cuisine doesn’t belong in the top 50 cuisines of the world, although they do have a position in the top 500.

  • Branden

    5 years ago

    This is the perfect blog for anyone who wishes to find
    out about this topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to
    argue with you (not that I really will need to…HaHa).
    You definitely put a fresh spin on a topic
    that’s been discussed for a long time. Excellent stuff,
    just wonderful!

  • phikr1

    6 years ago

    you already mentioned empek-empek but i think you still missed a lot of delicious stuffs from south sumetra (and region around it) like
    1. pindang, to describe it in english its a clear sour soup (but not like sayur asam) although there is also a creamier varian. it has yellowish/orengish color. The sour taste come from the herbs used in it and also from pineaple. My favourite pindang is pindang ikan patin and pindang tetelan (cow bones).
    2. Sambel nanas and sambel manga. the name say it all. (im not sure where sambel manga came from tho)
    3. kemplang in english it would be crispy rice cake i guess. it goes with dark-sambal-with-a-slight-sour-taste.
    4. tempoyak. if you love durian and you GOTTA try tempoyak. Tempoyak itself isnt exaclt a dish, its more like a sauce, a paste(?). it goes well with a varian of dish or can be just serve as a sambal too. there is also a version of pepes with tempoyak, Pepes Tempoyak. You also can cook a various type of meat (beef, mutton, chicken, you name it), fish and seafood. You can also just fill the whole cow/goat intestine with tempoyak and various ingredients. Tempoyak is trully a wonder.

  • deni

    6 years ago

    did you visit the bakmie road in kelapa gading?

  • Jerry andong

    6 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    You must go to Malang- east Java, Indonesia.. you should try:
    1. Rawon Rampal, favourite of Jokowi and SBY and many famous people
    2. Sate kambing sederhana Jl. Pattimura
    3. Pecel Bu tinuk Suhat n Pecel Kawi
    4. Mie Satan
    5. and hundred culinary place in malang

  • Serhat

    6 years ago

    I was about to have a breakfast. I have been checking the e-mails and surfing through the net with empty stomach. Now after i see these vivid pictures, I became hungry as a wolf. Great job my friend!

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  • Eveline

    6 years ago

    Hello Mark,
    Adding more Indonesian food here :
    Bakmi, Bubur Ayam, Kue Kue Basah/ Jajanan Pasar, Seblak (very spicy food with bunch option of toppings) and also the most Indonesian favorite; INDOMIE!

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  • Michael Demmons

    6 years ago

    We have two Indonesian restaurants here in Atlanta, Georgia. We frequent the about 2-3 times per month. For my money, Indonesian food is the best stuff on the planet. I’ve not tries all the dishes here, but I’ve eaten a lot of them, having been to Indonesia 5 times. Great post, Mark. Love your videos!

  • har

    6 years ago

    You will love these foods:
    1. Sanjay (sweet and spicy cassava cracker from Padang)
    2. Mpek-mpek (fried dumpling with vinegar sauce from Jambi and Palembang)
    3. Tempoyak (Fish with fermented durian paste from Jambi)
    4. Pindang Patin: Light curry of patin catfish, similiar to lele but more greasy and softer texture)
    5. daun Ubi Tumbuk (cassava leaves mortared and cooked in curry)
    6. Sate bekicot (similiar to escargot, but fried and skewered from Central Java)
    7. Nasi Uduk (similiar to malaysian nasi lemak, but more spice added).
    8. Oncom (fermented leftover of Tofu production, usually battered or stir fried)
    9. Gulai Usus (similiar to sausage, but the filler is egg, not meat, cooked in curry).
    10. Papeda (thick sagoe porridge, enjoyed with ikan kuah kuning, or yellow soup fish from Papua and Maluku)
    11. Dendeng Batokok (crisp deep fried hammered beef jerky accompanied with generous chilly slices)

  • har

    6 years ago

    When you go to small padang stall (ampera), and the ordering single dish, then it’s called “ramas”, not “pesan”. Pesan means ordering. “Hidang” means ordering complete menu on the table.

  • alice

    6 years ago

    my favorite indonesian food is sambal. is that even a food? lol but i love my sambal with fried chicken and rice. i cant give up eating it. it’s really good!

  • Budi

    7 years ago

    Bookmarked. When i visit Jakarta again, i will definitely use this page as a checklist!

  • Iswariadi

    7 years ago

    Hi Mark.
    such a wonderful blog,,i’d like to fe onmend everyone who might read this.

    oseng tempe
    sayur bening
    sambal tomat
    which this dishes was simplicity yet satisfying food of Indonesian i never get bore

  • Dhika Bas

    7 years ago

    Nice reviews Mark!! You’re always be my favorite culinary guide wherever im going to.. Ayam bakar taliwang is one of the best food I’ve ever taste, that’s so delicious, mouthwatering, and insanely spicy, but I’d like to eat a ton of Ayam Bakar Taliwang.. haha
    You make me hungry dude.. thanks for reviewing one of my favorite food and thanks too for visiting and tasting a lot of foods in my beloved country.. Im really happy to read your blog and watching your youtube channels..

  • Iantony

    7 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    Just want you to know that I love your blog posts and your videos. Really good articles on Indonesian foods. If you were to visit Indonesia again someday, you might want to visit the Island of Sulawesi. The Manadonese, Torajan, and Makassar cuisines are awesome & mostly spicy!
    Keep up the good work, man! Love what you do!

  • Chris

    7 years ago

    Hi Mark, Nice article for Indonesian Food.
    I have few question regarding this, according to number 30. Jengkol Pedas (jengkol chili, djenkol), where you can get it on Bangkok? Im hopeless to find this jengkol and cannot find in any market near my place (khlong toei). Can you please tell me what is the thailand name of Jengkol and where to find this food?
    Note : Im Indonesian and living in Thai, Bkk

    Many Thanks

    • Poipet

      7 years ago

      di bangkok mana ada jengkol
      kalau bencong sih banyak

  • Carlo W

    7 years ago

    Nice article, Mark. :thumbsup: Please come to Indonesia again and explore another cities’ cuisines. Yogyakarta, maybe? 🙂

  • Amira

    7 years ago

    good review, i’m p shocked that ayam betutu isn’t here tho

  • Dimas Ardi

    7 years ago

    Hi Mark. Love your work man. I’m watching your channel now, at 3 in the morning… And i regret it… coz now i’m hungry and there’s nothing to eat :))

  • Aswin

    7 years ago

    Nice list!

    greetings – Aswin & Liza (Indonesians living in Belgium) 🙂

  • Aswin

    7 years ago

    Nice list!

    greetings – Aswin & Liza (Indonesians leaving in Belgium) 🙂

  • beto

    7 years ago

    oh no mark.. you killing me softly… aarrgghhhh…

    • Mark Wiens

      7 years ago

      Hey Beto, thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed this food guide!

  • dalle

    7 years ago

    hi mark.
    You Have not visited culinary in Cirebon city, might be a visit you at another time.
    Typical culinary Cirebon many varieties and it is definitely delicious.
    1. Empal Gentong.
    2. Rice Lengko.
    3. Rice Jamblang.
    4. Know Gejrot.
    and many more unique culinary Cirebon city is certainly tasty and delicious.

    • Indra

      7 years ago

      Know ?? Omg. I’m dying in laugh.

    • Azka Ahsanur Reza

      7 years ago

      Hi Mark! It’s me again. Already read your writing above. And i’m glad you love the foods.
      So, if you wanna go back here… let me know?
      Haha maybe that’s not possible. But thanks for loving our food.

      Greetings from Jakarta, Indonesia.

    • Arya

      7 years ago

      are u using google translate mate ?

    • afifah

      7 years ago

      KOK KNOW GEJROT AHAHAH gejrot tofu aduh

  • Adrian

    7 years ago

    Hey Mark!

    I’ve been watching your vids on youtube and came accross this blog. I totally agree with the list. this pretty much sums up Indonesian dishes and might be useful for a baby step to everyone who keen to try Indonesian foods.

  • andieta

    7 years ago

    WOW! i reaaaaaaaaally am loooooves this post! but psst, dont you think even you already write about 50 dishes, there’s still so many super yummy dishes out there! and, yess, i also eager to travel just because i really want to try the special and unique food from every places (i mean, what could be a better reason to travel :P) well. in the end. i loves your blog!
    i also blogged about indonesian food in https://andietafoodjourney.wordpress.com/2016/09/30/indonesian-food-fun-fact-1-takir-pandan/ 😀

  • Fitri Arfiani

    7 years ago

    Hi Mark, first of all I would like to say that I am impressed by your experience to try all these Indonesian food. When I look at to your blog, I miss all these food, snacks, and beverages. One thing that I love about Indonesia is I can eat good food with affordable price (cheap to Western countries’ standard) almost everywhere. Indonesian cuisine is unique, exotic, and interesting. For example, avocado in Indonesia becomes dessert (Es Campur or Es Teler), however in Australia (the country I live in currently) avocado is served as appetisers and main dish. When I mentioned to one of my friends about it, they did not believe me and thought that I was joking. For me, two words represent Indonesian food: delicious and spicy. Even though some of the food are served plain, people sometimes will still ask for Sambal or Cabe Rawit (young chilies). For most Indonesian people, the more spicy, the better. Oh, Indonesian people like to drink Es Teh (ice tea) with almost every food they eat. Oh how I miss my country food! Well presented, Mark! I love it and hopefully you can share some more interesting story about Indonesian food.

  • Ahmad Thariq

    7 years ago

    Man, you should went to Bandung one day, there are various delicious dishes there!.

    • Yonahes Prabowo

      7 years ago

      The Bakhmi Rica in Bandung is sooo Gooooddd????????????. I am an Indonesian and love my country’s food! You need to try Manadonese Food though, I find it one of the best (other than nasi padang, etc)

  • Eni Wibowo

    8 years ago

    Mark, i love you..
    I think i must be so bussy with my daily routine and do not have time to explore the food of my own country hehehe…
    Your list is amazing and i will try ayam bakar taliwang for sure because… in fact… it is around my office. Where were i this time?
    Fyi, one of the the food court at my office serving ayam gepuk, fried chicken with schallot sambal. The special thing about this food is you can order how much chilli to put on your sambal. If you say 5, so the will make sambal with just 5 piece of chilli. My friend tried with 40 piece of chilli.
    Try it with fried cabbage, it taste really good and challenging.
    Thanks for coming to Indonesia ????

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Eni, great to hear from you, hope you can keep on exploring the food in Indonesia. Ayam Taliway is still one of the best things I ate in Indonesia. Sounds great about the sambal!

    • UWOUWO

      5 years ago

      YOU MEAN AYAM TALIWANG, YOU GOT NO JAMS……

  • Leo K.

    8 years ago

    my first impression for you: totally friendly guy. look forward for your next trip to Indonesia, especially our 5 main islands: Sumatera, Jawa, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Papua. pretty sure you’ll be converting to Indonesian citizen after those 5 islands (jk).
    on behalf my fellow Indonesians, thank you so much for helping us promoting our country, may god bless you.

    note for moslem tourist: Indonesia is a really moslem-friendly country with our over 80% moslem populations, so you can come and experience our halal food for life, everywhere, like literally.

  • Kadri

    8 years ago

    Hy mark

    thank you so for coming to indonesia and i hope you enjoy your trip here
    just like one of your comment i’ve read. when you come to indonesia try visit surabaya.
    just like mention on the comment berfore mine, try “rujak cingur” if you familiar with cow brain now you should try cow’s lips with some of black sauce still a little bit same with gado – gado
    and if you already familiar with lontong don’t forget to try “Lontong Balap” (Race Rice Cake) and “Lontong Kupang” (Shell Soup).
    or if you like satay we have “sate kelapa” it still a satay but the meat is cover with dried coconut.

    indonesia still have a lot of surprising and delicious food you can enjoy
    thank you and best regard mark

  • dicky

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, thanks for the review.. i hope you can try sate maranggi from purwakarta west java.. not far from jakarta.. its amazing taste of satay..

  • Veni Jayanti

    8 years ago

    I am Indonesian, and I live in NY now, Man… your youtube channel and website is killing me, like literally. I got my mouth watery and I just want to eat all of the food you listed here. My favourite definitely is Nasi Padang, Ayam Taliwang, Pempek, Bakso, and Bubur Barito.. Oh God, it is insane how you made me so homesick now!!!

  • Mike

    8 years ago

    A little correction about the coffee stall.. it was Kawangkoan not Kwang koan.. hehehe

  • Andhika FortySix

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark. i love your guide and review so much
    if you enjoy the ‘Padang Food’ i think you should go to Padang or West Sumatra. You”ll find that better. that was more spicy and have a great taste

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you Andhika, I’m really hoping to visit in the future.

  • Firman

    8 years ago

    if you like Nasi Padang so much you have to try Nasi Padang PAGI SORE at Fatmawati south jakarta one of the best Padang resto in jakarta, Ayam Bakar nya made with coconut milk

  • DonY

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    since I saw your video on youtube about Indonesian food , I feel something is missing , because you have not come to Surabaya . I hope that if you come to Indonesia again, please visit Surabaya.
    you should try :
    1. Rawon ( Black Beef Soup ) – Rawon Setan Jalan Tunjungan. open 24/7 ( I’ve think ;p ).
    2. Nasi Bali ( Beef,Tofu,Tempe,Egg with Chilli Sauce ) – Nasi Bali Jalan Pengampon. open 22PM – 2AM.
    3. Nasi Cumi ( Squid with Black Ink Sause ) – Jalan Waspada open 24/7 ( I suggest trying at night between the10- 12PM ).
    4. Nasi/Mie Goreng Jawa ( Javanese Fried Rice/noodle ) – Nasi Goreng Jawa Pasar Genteng Jalan Pasar Genteng open 6PM – 12PM daily.
    5. Nasi Goreng Jancuk ( Insanely Hot Fried Rice ) – Hotel Plaza Surabaya open 10AM – 10PM daily.
    6. Lontong Kikil ( from beef parts soup with rice cake ) – Jalan Gembong ( My fav place ) open 6PM – 12PM daily.
    7. Soto Madura ( Madura Beef Soup ) – Soto Gubeng Pojok Jalan Gubeng open 7AM – 9PM daily.
    8. Nasi Pecel Madiun ( i don’t know how to explain in English, but basicly under peanut sauce ;P ) – you can find it everywhre in Surabaya ;P
    9. Tahu Telor / Tahu Tek-Tek ( Fried Egg, Tofu and Lontong serve with “Petis” and Peanuts Sause ) – Tahu Telor Pak Jayen Jalan Dharmahusada open 6PM – 12PM daily.
    10. Tahu Campur Lamongan ( Tofu and Beef Soup ) – Tahu Campur Kalasan H. Abdul Mahfud Jalan Kalasan no 22 open 11AM – 11PM daily.
    11. Nasi Bebek Madura ( Rice with Deep Fried Duck and Sambal ) – Bebek Papin Jalan kalianyar open 6PM – 10PM daily, Bebek Pahlawan Jalan Pahlawan open 6PM – 12PM daily, Bebek HT Jalan Karang Empat open 9AM – 2PM, 5PM – 10PM daily.
    12. Rujak Cingur ( Beef Mouth Salad with “Petis” and peanuts Sause ) – Rujak Cingur Ahmad Jais Jalan Ahmad Jais open 11AM – 5PM daily.
    13. Soto Ayam Lamongan ( Chicken Soup ) – Soto Ayam Cak Har jalan Ir H Soekarno ( MERR ) open 7AM – 11PM daily.
    14. Sate Klopo ( Beef Satay with Coconut Powder and Peanuts Sause) – Sate Klopo Ondomohen Jalan Ondomohen open 6PM – 12PM daily.
    15. Nasi Campur ( Mixed Rice with Beef, Tofu, Egg etc ;P) – Nasi Campur pojok Tambak Bayan jalan Pasar Besar Wetan No 7 open 5AM – 5PM daily.
    16. Lontong Balap ( Bean Sprout Soup With rice cake ) – Lontong Balap Cak Gendut Jalan Prof Dr Moestopo open 8AM – 9PM daily.

    There are many more foods typical of Surabaya that I don’t have mentioned here because to much ;P.
    I hope that the recommendations I provide very useful for you. Buon Appetito ;P

    • DonY

      8 years ago

      update ;P
      Rawon Setan is in jalan Embong Malang not in Jalan Tunjungan ;P thx

  • Arya Singa Sucipta

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark Wiens,
    As a place where hundreds of great ancient civilization lies, there are many tribes and inhabited in Nusantara. For each tribe, they have their own version of spices and the proportion they used uniquely. For me, you should explore from one district to another within Nusantara so that you will have a better understanding of diversity in Nusantara culinary. After RTW, let’s go for RTN (round the nusantara).

  • Helena

    8 years ago

    Ow, I love Indonesian food! The best kepala ikan soup you can eat at Mak Beng in Sanur, Bali. Very crowded place, but very nice. Their very hot sambal is epic. Keep on going your great blog Mark!

  • Graeme

    8 years ago

    This is a fabulous guide to the best dishes of Indonesia. The photos are mouthwateringly superb. The descriptions are informative and helpful. Thanks so much Mark!

  • Nyoman

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    Love your blog and street food videos. If you visit Bali, come to babi guling (suckling pig) Ibu Oka @Ubud. It is so damn good. Try it, can’t wait to see your hilarious expression on youtube when you bite the super crispy pork skin.

    Keep it up, traveler

  • Reza

    8 years ago

    If you ever come to Indonesia again, I would tell you some indonesian dishes that you have not tried yet (a food lover here )

  • Obeth Moses

    8 years ago

    Maybe it’s a little bit late for a comment but i’d really enjoy reading your blog and watching your video on youtube,,the face of satisfaction after you ate the food, for sure you can’t be lied about it…LOL
    as indonesian i’m glad that you’ve reviewed our signature dish and i hope in the end of this year, our food can make top 10 best food in 2016 or maybe top 3…

    thanks for visiting Indonesia and please don’t get bored…
    next time you come to Indonesia maybe you can make Food Trip across Java and end up in Bali or Lombok visiting Cities that some people have already told you before on the comment below…

  • Obeth Moses

    8 years ago

    Maybe it’s a little bit late for a comment but i’d really enjoy reading your blog and watching your video on youtube,,the face of satisfaction after you ate the food, for sure you can’t be lied about it…LOL
    as indonesian i’m glad that you’ve reviewed our signature dish and i hope in the end of this year, our food can make top 10 best food in 2016 or maybe top 3…

    thanks for visiting Indonesia and please don’t get bored…
    next time you come to Indonesia maybe you can make Food Trip across Java and end up in Bali or Lombok visiting Cities that some people already told you before on the comment below…

  • Mia

    8 years ago

    Thanks for this great guide, Mark. I’ve been to Bali a few times but haven’t always understood what all the dishes were at Warungs and have tended to stick with gado gado and Nash goreng. I’m about the head back for a month and will definitely be using your excellent list to find some great local food.

  • Revi

    8 years ago

    Hey Mark! love your guide very much, thank you for appriciating indonesian food who is somehow unpopular in culinary world. And for Nasi liwet in Jakarta, i recomend you next time try some at ikan bakar cianjur, they have a few restaurant but the most popular is at jalan batu tulis, pecenongan. they a re sundanese styled restaurant so surely you’ll have some pepes there too to acompany the nasi liwet.

  • maryono

    8 years ago

    Hai Mark… You Must Try… “Empal gentong, Empal Asem, Nasi lengko, Nasi Jamblang” from Cirebon Indonesia

  • Eddea

    8 years ago

    Thx mark u blog and yutube awesome – before watch u chanel , i watch bizarefood Andrew Zimmern in indonesa but he poorly one get stomachache from spice ^-^ . i glad u are fine and can accept it – i hope u can visit more cities and island in indonesoa

  • Vita

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, thank you so much for making my job easier… I’m Indonesian and my boyfriend is Canadian who loves to eat especially ones with fresh spices and he is coming to visit me soon… You pretty much mentioned all the food he must definately try… I bet he gonna love it just like u do..

    Oh btw you should try Empal Gentong Bu Dharma from Cirebon… It’s aaaamaaaazzzingg!!! Lol

    Have a nice day!

  • Wisyral

    8 years ago

    hello Mark Wiens
    I’m really proud of you for introduce our food into the entire world. It’s really nice that Indonesian food was knowledge on there, not even in your country but a hole world should know and try our food. lets trip to our country and we will pleasure to meet you’ll here.

    I want to tell the most incredible food it’s not only from Jakarta it self, but you should try to Padang City, Medan City, Palembang City that has own originally recipe that fresh from natural and it was that origanlly food from that town.

    for the exemple, I came from Medan North of Sumatera and lives here, that was famous food just like Risol, Tahu Isi, Sop Sipirok (oh man this is my favorite food a hole my life), Soto Medan (this is the originally food from Medan North of Sumatera that no one city in Indonesia can copy that taste, you should try this, its recomended man !! :), Burung Goreng Siantar, Mie Aceh (this is recipe from Aceh originally recipe, but in Medan you find easly to find it…its spicy noodle), Nasi Padang Sidempuan, and many more that you can find it in Medan North of Sumatera….

    maybe next time you can turn back tou our country espescially in Medan North of Sumatera…

    thank a lot Mark…peace

  • Justicia Satria Negara

    8 years ago

    Hello Mark, have you ever tried garang asem? it’s my favorite food in Indonesia, you have to try it!!

  • Rian Yona Irawan

    8 years ago

    hi mark
    i think nasi liwet at ur list is nasi liwet in sundanese style
    there is also nasi liwet in solo/jawa style
    nasi liwet in solo/jawa style have a similar taste with nasi uduk/nasi lemak

  • Bernard Timothy

    8 years ago

    Thank you for making such a great guide of Indonesian Food
    as an Indonesian, i am proud when reading your guide
    Indonesia has so many various food, but i got to say this 50 food are well known.
    if i may suggest, these are some great food that not listed (not in order):
    – Bandeng Presto, a seasoned, high pressure steamed-fried fish
    – Kuo Tie, minced pork dumpling (you may missed this one, it’s also located at Glodok, Jakarta)
    – Nasi Bebek Madura, hot seasoned deep fried duck from East Java
    – Kerang Dara Saus Padang, cooked oyster with sauce from Padang, West Sumatra
    – Wingko Babat, baked cake made from coconut, famous in Semarang, Central Java
    – Surabi Solo, sweet coconut pancake from Solo, Central Java
    – Karedok, Sundanese salad
    – Sambal Roa, Hot Sambal combined with minced tuna from Manado, North Sulawesi
    – Bakut Sayur Asin, Pork stew with marinated vegetable
    – Sate Babi Manis, pork skewer (satay) with sweet and chili flavour
    – Sekba, Tasty pork dish, an unique Indonesia-Chinese food
    – Steamed Chicken Feet, usually served with rice porridge at Semarang
    – Tahu Bakso, Fried tofu with meatball dough inside, it’s from Semarang
    – Mie Siantar/Medan/Sumatra, Noodle with Pork from Medan
    – Chasiu Garing, almost same as (red) pork at Nasi campur, but this one is more crispy and tasty
    – Urutan, traditional pork sausage from Bali
    – Batagor Bandung, tofu combined with meatball from Bandung
    – Indomie Abang Adek, Instant Noodle (Indomie) served with super extra hot chili, located at West Jakarta, it’s very famous
    – Martabak Telor, mix of minced meat, egg, green onion, fried inside thin dough layer. Eaten with special sauce made of Vinegar.

    Come again to Indonesia, there are so many food that you have not try, Mark.
    I Love your culinary vlog, especially at Indonesia.
    I hope i can accompany you sometime when you come again here.
    Oh, i also love pork and spicy food. 😀

  • Bianca

    8 years ago

    I’m wondering if you ever got any sickness from trying Indonesian food? Either from the hygiene (especially street food) or the spiciness. I’ve heard some foreigners getting diarrhea from eating some Indonesian food.

  • Jennifer Newton

    8 years ago

    After having lived in Jakarta and travelled in Indonesia for 10 years. I would say there is something for everyone there. I love the smoked fish from Sulawesi coated with chilis. It is impossible to pick anyone thing, but simple fried tempe with Saur asem and ikan asin (teri) usually always satisfies.

  • aryo florent

    8 years ago

    I agree with you Mark, manado food taste amazing. I really like manado foods because i’m a spicy food lover too, although I’m not from or domicile in north sulawesi region, I was there for a long trip. The authentic foods here where I live, taste so sweet(and I hate those). from your experience of foods in Jakarta, I think you can guess where is it, luckily there are many other option of foods than the authentic foods here.
    Manado foods has extraordinary spiciness and powerfull flavour because the amount of spices that sometimes takes more than a half of the whole dish ingredients. You can’t eat those without sweating, just feels like free sauna, even rica-rica should be super spicy because “rica” it self means “chili”, so if rica-rica tastes a bit sweet, thats not the authentic one, maybe thats an adaptive version because most indonesian people can’t handle the real spiciness level. once I eat spicy foods there, other region’s spicy food spiciness tastes just so so. Most(almost all) people in north sulawesi can’t eat without clili, a local proverb says “if our eye(s) touch by chili, we don’t cry but eating without chili can make us cry”.
    Here is some other manado foods that I’ve tasted and recomend for you to try next time you visit Indonesia:

    sambal roa: sambal mixed with mashed roa fish(an endemic flying fish of north sulawesi and north maluku) usually eat with rice, manado yellow rice, or tinutuan(manado rice porridge). packed sambal roa also available on online store despite of the difference level of spiciness

    dabu-dabu: a spicy condiment made of sliced tomato, chili pepper, shallot and lemon juice

    Rintek wuuk(RW): a dog meat dish with lemon basil, galangal, ginger, spring onion, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, shallot, garlic, and chilli padi (almost all Manadonese dish uses chilli padi(an endemic chili from manado, smaller and spicier than cabai rawit). halal version of RW in Indonesia uses chiken, duck, or beef

    Babi rica: rica-rica style dish that use pork(in north sulawesi, rica-rica refers to babi rica)

    Paniki: fruit bat cooked with coconut milk and spices. many people in other region think its disgusting to eat, but in fact, they are much more hygienic compared to chicken, and moreover their main diet is ripe fruits

    tinorangsak: steamed pork(conventionally) with spices covered with pangi leaves(keluwak leaves), in classic method, roasted inside bamboo

    brenebon soup: red kidney bean soup, mixed with pig’s trotters, sometimes mixed with beef or chicken

    sayur paku: stir fried or sauted eatable pakis(fern) shoot or pakis young leaves, generally mixed with papaya flower and green tomato just like manadonese stir fried water morning glory

    pisang goreng: deep fried banana/plantain covered in wheat flour batter. it same like other pisang goreng in indonesia, the difference is it’s eaten with spicy sambal

    there still more of it but I can’t remember it all
    It was a great and dangerous food experience, because its addictive to me. hopefully someday you could experience it too.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Aryo, this is amazing, thank you for taking the time to share all about Manado food, and some of the other dishes that I need to try. I would truly love to visit Manado in the future. Thanks!

  • adam utama

    8 years ago

    Hey Mark,

    I truly love your videos and as well the work you put up on this blog, watching your adventure with your wife to Indonesia made me miss my country so much and as well sparked a lot of interest on cuisines from other countries, keep up your passion and what an amazing work*Thumbs up*

    P.s. Cant wait to see more of your videos 😀

    Have an amazing day/food

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Adam, thank you very much for your support and encouraging words. We had an amazing time in Indonesia!

  • rano bambang

    8 years ago

    You should also try Indonesian cuisine that originated from Kalimantan . … vegetable acids such as spicy , vegetable tempoyak , sambal belacan , dried bamboo shoots sauce , sambal petai , it is all home-cooked meals that are not sold in the restaurant … if you are interested visit Kalimantan ( west , central , east, south , north ) where the food was coming …. interested ??? send email only. I wait for you in Kalimantan …. thanks … peace and love from Kalimantan Indonesia

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Rano, thank you very much and appreciate your invitation. I’m hoping to visit Kalimantan in the future.

  • bimz

    8 years ago

    mark when you are in indonesia
    you should try kopi luwak “luwak coffe”
    it`s expensive but it tastes really good and amazing

  • Afriady Lisandy

    8 years ago

    As one of Indonesian and a foodie, this list is legit!
    Thanks Mark….! There are many more to explore in Indonesia.

  • Diajeng

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark! I really enjoy your videos ! all of the food always makes me hungry especially when im fasting???? your reaction is verryyy funny and you have a very good taste! Have you tried the famous fried chicken in jakarta called “ayam goreng berkah” ? Have a nice day and im always waiting for your upcoming videos!Cheers x

  • Mas Picis

    8 years ago

    Love your writings

  • Irwan Hartanto

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, I am an instant fan of you. Soonest I saw one of your Video Blog in Youtube (saw it in my friends Facebook wall) I was instantly hooked up (not just because you are in Jakarta currently).

    I think you cover Indonesian food in Jakarta with flying colors and I love it, thank you for your deep appreciation and love for our foods.

    Until when will you be in Jakarta??? I know at the moment is our Islam Holy Month of Ramadhan. But if you can stick around until our Celebration of Ramadhan; Aidil Fitr Mubarak (I think it will be on July 6th or 7th 2016).

    You will realize that we; Indonesian Muslim, will have a feast to celebrate that once a year special Religius occasion and perhaps we will serve foods that might be only prepare and serve only once a year for that special celebration (ofcourse after you fast for a Month straight, celebrating with fantastic food is one of the best way to end our holy month).

    But perhaps the only way you can peek and taste that feast is by getting invitation from any Muslim family who will celebrate it among millions of muslim families throughout Indonesia.

    If you are interested please do let me know, I might be able to arrange you and your wife to visit my families Aid ul Fitr feast celebration (my family side and my wife side, both of them have their own unique and different food to cook, since me and my wife have different ethnic background, and both are amazing…hahahahaha).

    Hope I can hear from you.

    Thank you.

    Irwan Hartanto.

  • Monyet

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    What a wonderfull post/ review. As a half Indonesian, I find it great to see other people enjoying the delicious food of Indonesia!

    I do have to say though, you should have visited Jogyakarta! The food is not only way cheaper there, but the local dishes made alongside the road are so fresh and mouth watering!

    Are you going back to Indonesia in the futere?

  • Dintan Putri

    8 years ago

    You should come to Solo at Central Java.. My hometown.. Where the heaven of delicious food are served there.. 🙂 (because its not on your list)

    • bimz

      8 years ago

      im from solo but i cant speak javanese but i understand whenever they speak javanese to me

    • bimz

      8 years ago

      im from solo(born in solo too) but i cant speak javanese but i understand whenever they speak javanese to me
      my grandma house near sahid hotel at jln imam bonjol raya keprabon but i live in tangerang since 6 years old. sometimes i visit my grandma (next visit in july)
      almost javanese dishes are sweet but they are delicious and cheap like rawon, nasi liwet, selad solo, tengkleng (my mom`s favorit dish), sate lilit/buntel, tahu kupat(this is one of my favorit dish), tempe/tofu bacem and etc.
      i hope when the next visit i can eat all of them(javanese foods)

  • Charles

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark , since u mention that u like manadonese food (especially Woku), then why wouldn’t u come to Manado instead? I know the same could be mentioned about Padang , however there are three main reasons why:

    First, Manado North Sulawesi is one of the major exporter of seafood meats to international market caught directly from South Pacific (especially tuna) that’s why although the recipe might probably be the same with manadonese food in Jakarta but the ‘seafood meat component’ is fresher and having good quality compare to the ‘meat’ in Jakarta. And since as u witness it yourself the manadonese seafood is among the best in indonesia then eating it with ‘good quality’ of seafood meat would just bring you to another level of manadonese food tasting.

    Second, u seem to prefer more of spicy, sour salty food and not sweet (except for dessert of course), then Manado is the place. Manadonese food is predominantly sour and not sweet at all as Javanese food , and it’s spicier/hotter than Padang … and in homemade cooking it even hotter than the hotness of Taliwang Chicken Chili Sauce.

    Third, It’s a christian majority region meaning it has variety of pork dishes such as Pork Woku, Pork Rica, Pork Skewer and Manadonese Roasting Pork , and more… and it even has some extreme dishes ( u may or may not try it if u wish) such as boar, dog meat, phyton, bat, etc ( the boar might be not too extreme).

    Some manadonese restaurant serve the Pork dishes in Jakarta, I think it’s quite a miss since u like Woku, and FYI Pork Meat being cooked in Woku ingredient is among of the best pork cuisine in indonesia , especially when it is being cooked through one of its variant : Babi Woku Bambu/Buluh = Woku Pork Bamboo ( Pork being presto-like cooked within a bamboo branch with Woku ingredient). Then two other pork dishes I recommend are: Sate Ragey (Spicy Pork Skew) and Kuah Asam Babi (Sour Soup Pork)

    About seafood, It’s like seafood heaven there, i think u should try all types of cooking from grilled, fried, steam and braised etc with various seafood meats. Some manadonese seafood I recommend are : Kuah Asam Goropa ( Sour Grouper Soup) ==>the best in Indonesia when making fish or seafood in soup , Cakalang Fufu Woku Santan ( Smoked Tuna Woku Coconut Milk ), Kepiting Woku Santan (Crab Woku Coconut Milk ).

    For dessert I recommend Klapertaart a Manadonese Coconut Custard Tart Cake , it’s a cake with Indo-European flavor, but in Jakarta the cake usually had no rum as ingredient in it because alcohol forbidden for muslim however it makes the cake not so authentic anymore, but in manado you would have the authentic flavor because usually rum is o’k since Manado is christian majority

    Again since u like Woku: fyi there are many variations of Woku , it can be stew , grilled, steamed within banana leaf (Pepes) or smoked-steamed within bamboo branch, applied toward meat from seafood to poutry then pork and event extreme type of meat.

    Hope u have time to come to Manado …btw though I’m manadonese but I live in Jakarta 🙂

  • Giovanni

    8 years ago

    I really love the way you explain the food and to see you eat is always make me hungry.
    I’m waiting to see many other videos from you, very nice Mark Wiens !

  • Natalia Eka Jiwanggi

    8 years ago

    Thank you for visiting Jakarta! I recommend you to try Gudeg in my hometown, Yogyakarta. Its originally from Jogja and Solo, so you shud try here. I’ll accompany you if you come back here again. hehehe. And you can try the best Nasi Liwet in Solo also. Gudeg and Nasi Liwet are both sweet & spicy. I bet you will love it!

  • Chinta

    8 years ago

    Hi mark…if killing people is legal.I would like to kill you..i hate u ????????????????????????(anyway i’m just kidding ????).
    I’m craving for all of the list that u write in here and so in love with your big idea with street food.
    I live in usa right now, half way round the world from indonesia.So I hope someday u’ll be back soon to Indonesia, i miss indonesian food so bad

  • Rahmat

    8 years ago

    BANDUNG!!! BANDUNG!!!! BANDUNG!!! do the trip to Bandung. Cant wait for your next trip. Bandung is such a comfort city!(even i stay in jakarta as long as i can remember)

    Try “peyeum”, its a sweet fragrance fermented cassava. it is simply a humble snacks. You can find it allover in the main road.

    cheers!!

  • Marc

    8 years ago

    This is a very good article, so many dishes! I am not a big fan of the fish but the beefrib soup looks amazingly delicious to me! I surely have to go and try a lot of them!

  • Ifa

    8 years ago

    Hi mr, i think you should try “Kupang Lontong” from east java.

  • Johny Susanto

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, loved your Youtube videos on Indonesian food! I think it’s very helpful to introduce Indonesian cuisine to the world too 🙂
    Wow, I think u basically ate most of the best Indonesian food in Jakarta that I’ve known.
    Especially the Konro and Fish Head Curry of Medan Baru which I personally think are just unique and mind-blowingly excellent.
    You might wanna try Balinese food too btw, they’re super good with distinct flavour and probably the only native Indonesian food with pork.

  • Nicky

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark. I love watching your videos. I’m amazed how you can eat so much sambal..I even can’t eat that much :p if you go to bali (ubud) you should try Babi guling (suckling pig) ibu oka, bebek Bengil & grilled pork ribs Naughty Nuri’s. If you go to solo you should try tengkleng & their version of Nasi liwet. oh…since you like Nasi Uduk, I think you might like to try as well Nasi kuning (rice made with turmeric & coconut milk).
    And these are the ingridients to make Nasi Uduk if you want to try to cook it : rice, coconut milk, lemon grass, galangal, ginger, & bay leaves. 🙂

  • Krystal

    8 years ago

    Oh wow I stumbled upon your videos on youtube and it somehow got me here haha.. I’m an Indonesian and I’ve tried some of those dishes and whoa you described them very interestingly and your expressions tell it all. I don’t know how to react to your videos but I assure you I started to drool as I watch your reviews on those food and dishes since I am fasting (it’s Ramadhan or the fasting month in Indonesia atm). Keep up the good work, definitely looking forward to your next videos. And you should come to Surabaya, I live in Surabaya, try the street foods for they best describe the true identity of the local cuisines. We have a wide range of street style bebek goreng options here. We have plenty. You have to try each and every one of them. I’ve been to Bangkok and Phuket, but I didn’t have a good impression on the food there back then and I found it hard to find a delicious halal food there, I would like to hear a recommendation from you if I were to visit again. Thankyou.

  • Dian Wahyu

    8 years ago

    Hai Mark!

    I laugh so loud when i read your review about Gulai Otak : the creaminess will completely overwhelm your mouth, it’s similar to panna cotta in texture
    My family said i’m crazy when everytime i’m comparing Gulai Otak and Pannacotta lol lol lol.

    Talking about the recommendation of Nasi Liwet, i think nothing can’t beat the one in Solo (Central Region of Java). So far i can’t find the good place for Nasi Liwet in Jakarta.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dian, haha, awesome to hear that, it has to be one of the creamiest things ever. I can’t wait to try Nasi Liwent Solo in the future.

  • Cory

    8 years ago

    Hey Mark!
    I’m really glad that you’re enjoying Indonesia’s cuisine! I hope you can enjoy your stay here in Indonesia as much as you enjoy the food. Please take care and continue what you’re doing! I really enjoy watching your videos, it makes me drool XD.
    Regards.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Cory, thank you very much. My wife and I really enjoyed our stay in Jakarta. Thank you for your support.

  • Egi

    8 years ago

    Hello mark, My name is Egi from Indonesia. I really like your videos and it makes me hungry everytime I watch it . I think you should try Sate Kardjan in Bandung which was established since 1925. It is Goat Satay called “Sate Buntel” which served with hot plate. Sate buntel is different with the other goat satay, the minced goat meat are covered with the fatty juicy meat on the outside. And the size is actually huge, you can eat one satay with one plate of rice. I really recommend this food since i never found the best satay like Sate Kardjan in Bandung. For your considerastion check this link: http://m.foody.id/bandung/sate-kardjan-jl-pasirkaliki/review

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Egi, great to hear from you, thank you for the suggestion. That looks incredible. I will keep it on my list for next time I visit Indonesia!

  • Allie

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    First of all, props to you for making this guide, it’s very well-written and I agree with you in most of the list. But hey, we all have our differences, right?

    However, I realized that nobody have mentioned Banjarese food from South Kalimantan (Borneo), which I think among the most underrated ethnic food in Indonesia (probably, being half-Banjarese myself I might be biased). Some of the Banjarese dishes I recommend:
    1. Soto Banjar (the best I’ve tasted of far is made by my family)
    2. Ketupat kandangan
    3. Ayam masak Habang (Chicken cooked in Habang style)
    4. Banjarese Nasi kuning with haruan (a fish species endemic to rivers in Kalimantan)
    5. Freshwater prawn

    And an extra suggestion if you’re going to Solo in the future: try gudeg ceker margoyudan (they open at midnight).

    Cheers and I wish you all the best!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Allie, really appreciate your reading and for your recommendations. Banjarese food sounds incredible, I would love to try it in the future!

  • Rifqa

    8 years ago

    Hi, Mr Wiens. I’ve just found out your Youtube Channel and website. And it was so fascinating to know that foreigners are loving our food. If you come to Indonesia, I recommend you to try Nasi Padang in Senen district, but it’s called Nasi Kapau.

    By the way, Padang is not a province, but it’s a city. Hopefully it helps you 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Rifqa, thank you very much for watching, and for the food recommendations. Appreciate the correction as well. Thanks!

  • Reen

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, my husband is a fan of you. He stumbled upon your youtube when we’re looking for Bangkok travel guide. We’re so excited to see you in our hometown Jakarta.. Hope you enjoy your trip and here’s some recommendations from me:
    1. Soto Betawi H. Darwasa (also known as Soto Madurasa, or Soto Roxy). For me they serve the best soto betawi. They open pretty early and for best experience I suggest you to come before lunch time, or else it’ll be very crowded. I don’t really remember the exact address, but it’s not too far from Sudi Mampir stall you’ve visited.
    2. Bebek Tepi Sawah serves a much less greasy fried duck, but since it’s an upscale restaurant, it’s pretty pricey. The menu called Tepi Sawah Crispy Duck, it is basically half a duck, served with rice, curried long beans (you can ask to exchange it with plecing kangkung), and 3 kinds of sambal; Sambal Goreng (my favorite), Sambal Terasi, and Sambal Matah. Their restaurants can be found at Pondok Indah Mall (South Jakarta), Baywalk Mall (North Jakarta), and Alam Sutra (Tangerang, a little outside Jakarta).
    3. I also recommend Nasi Liwet at Ikan Bakar Cianjur. It’s not too pricey but delicious. The other Sundanese food there are also delicious. The outlet I often visit is at Batu Tulis, near Pecenongan. Once again, I can’t give you the exact address because I go simply by memorising the way to there xD

    Anyway this post of you really makes me appreciate my local dish more. I do like the fact that you like sambal. Food does taste more delicious when you add sambal lol

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Reen, thank you and your husband for watching our videos and for your food suggestions – they sound delicious. I will definitely keep them on my list for next time I visit Jakarta. Hope you and your husband have a great trip to Bangkok!

  • Michy

    8 years ago

    Wow, you had a lot of Indonesian foods! I just have to say though, you would get a lot more different flavors if you travel away from Jakarta a bit!
    You can find Nasi Liwet at Ikan Bakar Cianjur at Bandung, just about 2 hours travel from Jakarta, and there you can have Ikan Gurame Pesmol, which is amazing in flavor. But, if it’s a bit too far from you, maybe you can go here:
    Jalan Batu Tulis Raya No. 39, Gambir, Kebon Kelapa, Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta
    It’s open 12-10 pm

    Oh, and for Manado food, you completely missed out Paniki! Paniki is a dish that consists of bat cooked as a stew in lots of different spices that is so spicy you just can’t help but go back for more!

    If you have extra time, you should also try to go to other cities in Indonesia. Jakarta might be our capital city, but trust me when I say that when you travel away from one city to another, you will find a lot more different flavors in Indonesia! That’s all for me, enjoy! <3

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Michy, thank you very much, appreciate you reading and for your support. I would have loved to travel to some places outside of Jakarta, but I was working on some projects so wasn’t able to this trip. But thank you for your recommendations!

  • Dwiki

    8 years ago

    Mark your awesome I love your blog and vlog in youtube, I think i will start to subscribe your channel and read your blog. And Thanks for your visiting And Explore food in Indonesia. By The way Good Reaction after your eat food wkwkwk

  • Alika

    8 years ago

    Mark, I shouldn’t be watching your videos or reading your blog when I’m studying abroad in Germany–it makes me miss home so much! You’ve successfully made me crave for ayam bakar taliwang, sate, and nasi padang; next time I go home I’ll make sure to not miss these.

    You definitely need to try more Balinese food (homemade is best–I’m lucky to have some Balinese friends cook them for me). Try ayam/bebek betutu (smoked whole chicken/duck stuffed with spices and herbs), lawar (mixed vegetable with chopped meat, spices, and coconut), ayam bumbu bali (chicken doused in chili sauce), urap paku/pakis (fern mixed with other veggies and spiced shredded coconut), sate lilit (minced meat satay mixed with grated coconut and spices), jukut ares (veggie curry made from young banana bark) and since you like sambal try sambal matah (a bit similar in style with dabu-dabu from Manado but with more shallots) and sambal bongkot (made with the honje flower).

    Another sambal I love is sambal roa from Manado which is made with smoked roa fish–the Manadonese eat their fried bananas with sambal roa! Try also Gohu Ikan from Ternate, which is the Indonesian version of sashimi, eaten with… chillies, peanuts, shallots, and lime of course, what else? It’s Indonesian, after all 😉 And I also second those suggesting you to try Mie Aceh since I noticed you enjoy curries!

    Oh dear, I’m drooling now. I should hurry up with my studies and get back home ASAP!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Alika, awesome to hear from you, and thank you for all your food suggestions. That’s making me hungry! I’m hoping to travel to some more islands and places in Indonesia to experience the food. Are you able to come back to Indonesia occasionally for a visit?

  • Jason

    8 years ago

    For Rendang I would like to recommend you to go to Garuda Restaurant at Hayam Wuruk Jakarta. It serves you the best Rendang of all

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Jason, thank you for the recommendation. I was going to try to eat at Garuda, but just ran out of time. Next time for sure.

  • Duga Girsang

    8 years ago

    Ayam Betutu / Bebek Betutu (Chicken/Duck Betutu) is the signature dish from Bali should also be in the list.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you Duga, I’d love to try it in the future.

  • Tania

    8 years ago

    Satay: try satay jaya agung sabang. Chick and goar satays are very good and no fat. U can try soup also.

    Padang: many padang restaurant such as padang sederhana, garuda, siang malam

    Nasi liwet: ikan bakar cianjur pecenongan

    Sop buntut br heni : boulevard kelapa gading

  • Stefanny

    8 years ago

    It’s pretty awesome captured by you, you make me really hungry and miss my hometown a lot, but if i may add some list to your ‘food list’, you can try salty pancake (Martabak asin/telur) in roxy street, Jakarta. The name of the food stall is Martabak Har. It’s a salty pancake with egg and beef inside with some kind of curry sauce, it’s so delicious. There is also some dished which is similar to siomay, it’s called batagor from Bandung, with peanut sauce, the taste is also amazing :), you should try es doger and ketoprak (it’s traditional food of Betawi) also when you visit Jakarta again 🙂

  • Bella Zadithya

    8 years ago

    Great food choice. Thank you for sharing with us! I see you enjoy Sundanese version of Nasi Liwet, but maybe you want to taste Surakarta/Solo’s style of Nasi Liwet. 🙂
    http://www.menuresepmasakan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/nasi-liwet-solo-615×410.jpg

  • Radhi

    8 years ago

    Mark if you’re still in Indonesia, you should try Makaroni Ngehe (a very spicy fried macaroni) You like spicy food right? Hahaha btw nice guide

  • Melva Elysabeth Octora

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, I am Indonesian, Glad that you made this awesome list, really makes me hungry!! hahaha :D, all is my favorite. Thanks for your time to create 50 of the best Indonesian foods. Any plan to visit my country? Try Tahu Isi Sumedang, Mie Pansit, Mie rebus, kerang rebus all is from Medan’s Street (North Sumatera). Let’s rock Indonesian food together!! hahaha 😀

  • Putri

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark! You have a good taste. I could not agree more with your list. good job! Hahaha. I really appreciate your effort to write this list 😀

    I think you need to go other city such as Surabaya, because Surabaya has a lot of authentic and delicious food. I recommend you to eat Rujak Cingur (Peanut sauce salad with cow nose), Tahu Campur, and many more.

    Anyway, I’m from Surabaya! Nice to know you, Mark. Keep exploring 😀

  • Primadhityo

    8 years ago

    Hello sir, i really love to see your youtube channel. Especially your natural happy face when you enjoy the many kinds of indonesian food. It really makes me proud as an indonesian because now i realize that we have plenty kind of dishes with amazing taste.

    Anyway sir, you have to come to my city , Malang. In Malang you’ll meet various kind of food street with very cheap price and ridiculously tasty. I think you’ll really love the legendary Bakso Bakar Malang (Malang’s Grilled Meatball), various street food in malang like Cilok, Sempol, and etc.

    Just for your information, if you’re still at Jakarta, there are a kind of food bazaar during ramadhan month near Benhil Market at 4pm-6pm . You can find many kind of indonesian food.

    Overall, I really enjoy your video, thanks for your incredible work sir.
    p.s. i think you have to routinely check your cholesterol and glucose in your blood 😛
    Keep Healthy Sir!

    Regards
    Primadhityo, (Soon to Be) M.D.

  • joey

    8 years ago

    helloo mark,,, it’s me again,,, joey the indonesia food yearner
    i just remind you if you travelled to surabaya someday please dont forget to stop by and eat in Surabaya Plaza Hotel, there are a famous NASI GORENG JANCOK (Jancok means “F..k!” or “Motherf…r”,,,, the popular typical cursing word originally comes from surabaya but now get nationalized,,, as long surabaya peoples loves to swearing as a sign of intimacy relationship, it’s like peoples of the bronx or ghetto, USA which is the F-words are more like affirmation word than for swear uses (like the word in surabaya language: “Jancok, enak’e rek” means “That’s so F,,,kin’ delicious),,, but dont worry, those swear doesn’t mean anything bad, just to show you how much they’re really close and care to you,,, yes they are surabaya peoples really has bad mouth but really big heart, very energetic and warm peoples and loyal to friends),,, a kind of really really really spicy hot fried rice served in large bowl, The true meaning of Nasi Goreng Jancuk is peoples always swearing “Jancok!” because the burn pain of it’s spiciness but still eating it without stopped because it’s yumminess,,, there’s have an eating challenge also, if you could finished your very big portion of Nasi Goreng Jancok just under half an hour, you’ll get free of charge and some cash,,,, i knew you’re love spicy food, but you’re still not yet convinced us that you could handle the very spicy food eating contest,,, so don’t forget Surabaya Plaza Hotel (4 star hotel in surabaya)

  • Buyuang

    8 years ago

    thats great of 50 best indonesian cuisine that u wrote, but unfortunately still not all region u tried, especially one of the most delicous food , mie aceh ( aceh noodles), an aceh yellow noodles cook in red spicy spices with or without water. And for me it is one of most delicious food in the world. The authentic of aceh resto is seulawah, very close from rumah makan surya, a padang resto that u visited in bendungan hilir, jakarta. In seulawah resto, besides serve aceh noodles, they also setve other acehnese disheds, such as :
    *sambal ganja ( marijuana sambal, though it is not from marijuana, it means the sambal is very delicious and addictive)
    *gule ikan yu ( shark fish curry)
    * ayam tangkap ( chicken in aceh style with fried spring onions)
    Pliek-U ( vegetables curry in fermentation wrotten coconut)

    Besides aceh, u also kalimantan food, for example from south kalimantan :
    *soto banjar (chicken soto banjar style)
    * ketupat kandangan ( the smoked fish curry with ricecake)
    Also from west kalimantan such as crab noodles
    The last is papua food, such as : papeda ( a “glue jelly ” made from sagoo, usually eaten with yellow fish soup)

    And the last i will tell further information about manado food, in real north sulawesi, especially tomohon city they eat anything, such as dog, bat, snake, rat, even lizard, maybe u wanna try this real extreme food more than just cow’s brain or goat’s torpedo,eye,organs

    Thank u mark!

  • Bama

    8 years ago

    Mark, I’m really really impressed by the multitude of Indonesian dishes you tried. Hats off to you! The next time you go to Indonesia I suggest papeda and gohu ikan (both from the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku), pa’piong (chicken, shredded coconut, and spices cooked in bamboo segment) from Toraja in Sulawesi, and Mie Aceh (like mie goreng but richer in taste — from the westernmost province of Aceh) to name some — the list is too just too long!

  • Rudy

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    It would be nice to have this guides in PDF from; I was try to print this page but I think there is something wrong with the formatting.
    Rudy

  • Rika

    8 years ago

    Really miss my home country by reading your blog and watching you Youtube channel, I’m Indonesian but now leaving in Sydney.

    Have you ever try Bakmie / Bakmi in Jakarta? it is seasoned yellow egg noodle topped with greens, minced chicken or pork (I prefer pork), sprouts, served with clear soup, you can order bakso or dumpling along with the clear soup. The popular bakmi was Bakmie Aloi and Bakmi Sin Lun.

  • Akbar

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, great list and great videos from your youtube channel.

    I know at least two versions of Nasi Liwet.
    1. Nasi Liwet Solo, which is very popular in Solo/Surakarta area and can be found easily there. However, I am not sure where to find it in Jakarta. A restaurant called ‘Adem Ayem’ might serve it since this restaurant is a specialist in Javanese cuisine (especially foods from Jogja/Yogyakarta and Solo/Surakarta area).
    2. Nasi liwet (sundanese style). I find this very good in a restaurant chain ‘Ikan Bakar Cianjur’. You can find one in Pecenongan area (near Martabak 65A).

  • Derk Reckel

    8 years ago

    Thanks for the great guide!
    As 2 years ago I decided to change from wintering in Thai-Isaan to wintering in Indonesia (currently Bali), I can make some comments to some dishes.

    3. Ayam Bakar Taliwang – while I didn’t try this special version I dah Ayam Bakar Balinese style which also is made from the sporty free running chicken and this gives really a lot to chew. Fortunately it was brought to me by my landlords so I could let it simmer a little longer for some tenderness it wouldn’t get on the grill but it was still really firm flesh.

    5. Pepes – these are quite popular and not only served in Sundanese restaurants. I especially like the Pepes Ikan which may be completely different from restaurant to restaurant.

    8. Bebek Goreng – a question: did you also got it served without the breast? The happened to mde twice and I’m really missing this part which in Europe is considered the best.

    10. Ikan Goreng – as written the Gurami is the most popular. If you again come to Indonesia and order it, also try the large dorsal and anal fins with some sambal. Other than with Tilapia these are quite soft when raw and are a great crispy snack of which I’m sure you’ll love it!
    I always enjoy the way they pre-fillet it so the fillets are wound out and it looks like a flying fish 🙂

    18. Nasi Goreng – well, like for many westerners this is a favourite, for me at least if done well.
    Nasi Goreng Kebon Sirih which you also mentioned is so famous for it, it made a whole page in a Germany weekly magazine.

    22. Bubur Ajam – other than in Thailand where Khao Tom Gai is a breakfast only dish, the Bubur Ajam is either Breakfast or more popular for dinner, smaller warungs serving it from morning to early evening, but also specialised restaurants serving nearly only Bubur with a lot of things to combine.

    24. Nasi Padang – in the Pesan version this is one of the best ways to eat with friends as there is so much variety on the table to choose from but still remaining quite on the economy side for a feast.

    27. Gulay Kepala Ikan – also you should try the Soto Kepala Ikan, and for the ones not liking the head you can order it also without head 😉

    33. Rawon – this is also one of my favourites. The best I had in a “must visit restaurant” if in Yogyakarta: the restaurant in The Phenix Hotel. When I stayed at this hotel I never had dinner outside and tried a lot from the menu repeating the two best dishes at the last night and Rawon was one of them.

    40. Mie Goreng – a lot of smaller restaurants and warung use the thinner instant noodles which don’t make a good Mie Goreng, always look for the thicker noodles to be used.

    42. Tempeh – one of my friends introduced me into a new way to eat fried Tempeh: apart of the sambal order some limes and first give lime juise over the Tempeh, this makes them more delicious for me (as it’s not one of my favourites).

    One thing I was missing in your report was Atjar, the raw pickles served as side dish with a lot of soups. I always make them at home to snack them in front of the TV.

  • Syed Mahmood

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark
    Do you have a migrationology app? That would be cool (and convenient)
    Syed

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Syed, no I don’t have an app yet, but it’s something I’ve thought about. Thanks!

  • Aca

    8 years ago

    Hello Mark. I just subscribed your channel these days and I always smile whenever you eat your food. Your happy smile while eating makes me feel like I eat what you ate. Haha your expression is so on the point. And also, thank you for this guide, I will visit them soon especially the chicken satay haha If you are still in Indonesia, I hope you buy ‘Sambal Bu Rudy’, it is originally from Surabaya (East Java) But I guess many places sell it already. That sambal is so great and garlicy, and so spicy (for me) You will miss sambal so, buy that x)

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Aca, thank you very much, really appreciate you watching. Next time I visit Indonesia, I would love to try this type of sambal, sounds amazing.

  • Paul

    8 years ago

    Wow, what an effort. I will love to try some of this when i make my first trip to Indonesia.
    Thanks for a very long informative post 🙂

  • Tio

    8 years ago

    i can see you tried all the major famous Indonesian foods, you planned well to get them all

  • reto

    8 years ago

    nice

  • hrs

    8 years ago

    try these cirebonese:
    =================
    – nasi jamblang
    – nasi lengko
    – sate kalong
    – docang
    – empal gentong
    – serabi
    – kembang tahu
    – tape ketan

  • angel13

    8 years ago

    i love that all except jengkol and petai and some food with pig meat because my religion 🙂
    BTW,are you have bought some batik to your wife or just for you or for your friends??
    Well,If you want try Kue Cubit you can go to restaurant “Bitten by You” in the Jalan Achmad Adnawijaya No. 45A North Bogor(open 13.00-21.00)
    You can have Kue Cubit Original,Bubble gum,Oreo,Red velvet and others
    Thank you for go to Indonesia

    -Don’t forget to buy Batik XD

  • angel13

    8 years ago

    i love that all except jengkol and petai and some food with pig meat because my religion 🙂
    BTW,are you have bought some batik to your wife or just for you or for your friends??
    Well,If you want try Kue Cubit you can go to restaurant “Bitten by You” in the Jalan Achmad Adnawijaya No. 45A North Bogor(open 13.00-21.00)
    You can have Kue Cubit Original,Bubble gum,Oreo,Red velvet and others OR Pinch Me!(This Restaurant is near with my house)in the Jalan Bintaro Utama 5 no 55 Sektor V,Bintaro Jaya
    In this Restaurant you can order kue cubit with 2 toppings like Kit kat Greentea,Nutella,Ovalmaltine,marshmallow,silverqueen or Toblerone(Chocolate) and others that just 1000-10000 or more ><
    Thank you for go to Indonesia

    -Don't forget buy Batik 😀

  • angel13

    8 years ago

    i love that all except jengkol and petai and some food with pig meat because my religion 🙂
    i love how you write too!!
    BTW,are you have bought some batik to your wife or just for you or for your friends??
    Well,If you want try Kue Cubit you can go to restaurant “Bitten by You” in the Jalan Achmad Adnawijaya No. 45A North Bogor(open 13.00-21.00)
    That Restaurant have Kue Cubit Original,Bubble gum,Oreo,Red velvet and others OR Pinch Me!(This Restaurant is near with my house)in the Jalan Bintaro Utama 5 no 55 Sektor V,Bintaro Jaya
    In this Restaurant you can order kue cubit with 2 toppings like Kit kat Greentea,Nutella,Ovalmaltine,marshmallow,silverqueen or Toblerone(Chocolate) and others that just 1000-10000 or more ><
    Thank you for go to Indonesia

    -Don't forget buy Batik 😀

  • Carrol

    8 years ago

    Yummm……Mouth watering food! Amazing post. I like fish. Thanks for sharing this great post.

  • Tasya

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    Thank you for visited my country!
    Your video make me homesick ???? I’m living in Singapore.

    Just for your information, you can easily find Sundanese food in Bandung (i.e. Alas Daun, Boemi Joglo, Ampera, etc.).

    I saw you really like spicy food, you can try to find ‘Seblak’ in Bandung as well, the famous one in the street food juat cross Bandung Electronic Centre. Also if you have another chance to visit Indonesia, try to find Sambal Tempoyak, it’s from South Sumatra, the sambal is mixed chili, tomatoes and fermented durian ????????????

    Cheers!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Tasya, thank you very much for watching, and for the recommendations. I had a small sample of tempoyak before, but not very much, so I would love to try more. Thanks!

  • Charles

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    Suddenly i am hungry.
    You more Indonesian than common Indonesian, because i see you like pete and durian, LOL.
    I recommend Bothok Tawon, “bothok” = herbal packet, tawon = “bee”, it actually is like “pepes” with bee’s nest.
    If you lucky, you can find at East Java region because it hard to find it, sound like mythology creature haha…
    And i see you like so much spicy food and sambal, may you can try Jangan Blendi it like jack fruit curry with raw chilies as main ingredient.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Charles, thank you very much. Wow, that sounds like a very interesting dish, I would love to try it in the future.

  • MonkeyOnShrooms

    8 years ago

    looks delicious!
    if you love spicy food, try ‘nasi bebek madura’ if you visit Indonesia again next time.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you very much, I will try it next time I’m in Indonesia.

  • Tina

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark
    I’m not a food blogger but I do Love Food, Love Travelling. Eating is my favourite pastime. What was just random looking for a good food site on youtube lead me to your fabulous and mouth watering vids. The very first vid I watched was when you attended a local wedding in Langkawi. Since then I watch your vids religiously. Its amazing how every bite you take is a new adventure. You have this amazing skill of making me and I think everyone who watches your vids like we are there eating with you, its very heartbreaking because reality is that we are not..hahhaha. Keep those vids coming and thanks for all the information that you share. Bangkok..Jakarta…here I come! ???? Tina

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Tina, thank you very much for your kind words and for watching my videos. I like how you mentioned that every bite is an adventure – that’s exactly how I feel too about eating and traveling – and it’s such a learning experience. Thank you again!

  • Adrian

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    I really love read your blog and watch your video.
    Having seen you eating a lot of food from my country (I’m Indonesian who lived abroad) making me missed my home so much..
    I truly recommend you to visit Surabaya next time. It’s the 2nd biggest city in Indonesia after Jakarta. Unlike Jakarta which you can find a lot of food accross Indonesia, Surabaya has its own unique delicacies, especially if you love spicy food. There are a hundreds of spicy delicacies, so please try it next time 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Adrian, very nice to hear from you, thank you for reading and watching the videos. Next time I go to Indonesia, I’m really hoping to visit Surabaya.

  • Nada

    8 years ago

    Mark..thank for explore Indonesian food, but you still have to explore more of Indonesian food, you should try Rujak Juhi, Gethuk, Nasi Bakar (grill rice), Tekwan (shrimp soup from Palembang, south Sumatra), Pindang Ikan Patin, Sambal with pinnaple, tempoyak (durian that already fermentation),Aceh Noodle, Soto Ayam, Mie Soto Bogor, and lot more..Indonesia has treasure in food

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Nada, it was amazing to visit Indonesia for the food. I would love to come back again for lots more!

  • Syaf

    8 years ago

    Seems like I should also try the Sweet Martabak !

  • Syaf

    8 years ago

    Thanks for this, Mark. I am planning a trip to Jakarta as well… Seeing the photos of the satay here just shows I REALLY have to try the satay there and compare it to Malaysian satay. 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Syaf, awesome to hear you’ll be going to Jakarta soon. The satay is amazing, my favorite was the satay Padang, and also the sate kambing at Sudi Mampir Restaurant (the goat soup restaurant).

  • Fauzi

    8 years ago

    Nice guid Mark!
    Since you really love sambal in general did you go to a restaurant that specialized in different kind of sambal in Indonesia?
    For example there is a restaurant called Warung Spesial Sambal, it’s a franchise Sundanese Restaurant that serves various types of sambal, the food itself is not that impressive, standard Sundanese Restaurant, but the number of delicious sambal you can order in that restaurant is the main attraction, if you haven’t go there you might want to next time.
    I’m not a food hunter myself, but this guide and all of your previous works are really impressive, I’ll always follow your journey Mark

    mmm…~!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Fauzi, thank you very much. I didn’t go to an all sambal restaurant, but I would love to, thanks for the recommendation. An all sambal restaurant sounds wonderful.

  • UZ

    8 years ago

    I watch your video almost everyday – before I go to bed!
    This list is very representative and you visited some of my favourite restaurants (esp for soto betawi, sate padang, and fried duck!)
    My husband is American and he eats sambal just as crazy as you (he also loves petai and tempe!)
    Keep posting!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi UZ, great to hear from you, thank you very much. Awesome that we all share the love for similar tastes of sambal and petai!

  • Addie

    8 years ago

    I read that you didn’t have “telur asin” or boiled salted duck egg along with your rawon! Such a shame because it’s basically quintessential when you’re eating rawon. And please tell me you at least had kerupuk udang or prawn crackers along with it

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Addie, thank you very much, oh yah that sounds good, that is unfortunately. Next time I eat rawon I will try to have it.

  • BioFan

    8 years ago

    I’m Indonesian but I lived outside of Indonesia for more than half of my life. You were in Jakarta for just 2 weeks but you have tried more food than I have.
    I may try some of the food based on your video the next time I visit Jakarta.
    I have a weak stomach, I can never try so many street food here in Indonesia (surprisingly not the case in Bangkok). What’s your secret? 🙂
    But anyway, such an awesome guide! And I agree that sambal is what makes Indonesian food special.

    Anyway awesome awesome job, love your blog and youtube. Looking forward to more guide from you!

    • Putra Tanujaya

      8 years ago

      Hi mark, i have seen your videos on your youtube channel and its very exciting. As i know that you are a food traveller, maybe if one day you want to visit indonesia again, especially surabaya i would like to give you some reference about place to eat (visit my link below) and i believe you will have another greatfull indonesian cullinary experience.
      *Note : Maybe i haven’t translate culinary review to englih subtitle yet, but if need some information please feel free to send me an email.

      https://putratanujaya.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/kuliner-surabaya-surabaya-culinary-review/

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Putra, it’s very nice to hear from you, thank you for watching my videos, and for sharing your blog. I’m really hoping to visit Surabaya next time I’m in Indonesia. Thanks!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey, great to hear from you, thank you very much for watching our videos. I’m not fully sure, but I try to choose street food stalls that are busy and always prepare fresh food – so I think that’s part of it. Glad you love sambal too!

  • Arfat

    8 years ago

    Hi, Mark. I love your reaction when you eat something delicious. I enjoy your video so much. Thank you for bring up Indonesian Food to the worldwide. I hope you enjoy your day in Indonesia and come again someday. And I recommend you to try babi guling (pork), it’s whole pork grilled khas Bali. Have fun, Mark 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Arfat, thank you very much. I’m hoping to come back to Indonesia again!

  • ferdy

    8 years ago

    thank you so much, I want you challenge you taste Indonesia food is extrem food.

  • Nurul septiani

    8 years ago

    Hello from jakarta… Im feeling great and honour read your post…. You should try pindang ikan… Its kind like fish soup from south sumatera… Sour, and full herb… My favourite…

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Nurul, good to hear from you, thank you very much, and appreciate the recommendation as well.

  • Anit Nainggolan

    8 years ago

    Mark, you are by far the best food blogger I’ve ever read and follow! Your facial expression and your samba chili intake are the best part of it! You are one awesome dude! And thanks for exposing a real Indonesian food for the soul internationally! Xoxo

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Anit, thank you very much, really appreciate your support. It was so much fun to learn and discover more about Indonesian food.

  • Woro Bawono

    8 years ago

    NOOOOOOO!!!
    You made me jealous now!!! I am so missing Indonesian street food, cannot wait until the end of June to come back home (and wait until the street vendors come back from “Mudik Lebaran”)

    Anyway, I always wanted to taste Bubur Ayam Barito but didn’t know where it is. Now you put it here, I will definitely visit it!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Woro, great to hear from you, thank you for reading. Glad you’ll be going home to Indonesia soon. Enjoy the bubur ayam!

  • Rani

    8 years ago

    I think if you really want to taste a really good Nasi padang you should visit Bukittinggi in West Sumatera. They have what they call Nasi Kapau. They serve various curry, like cow stomach, cow intestine, cow heart, cow foot ???????? but they cook it in a way that they taste incredibly good!!! Besides those *Bizarre dishes* They do also serve beef Rendang, cooked cassava leaves, fried eel, fish curry, fried chicken, sambal and so on. So plenty of choices. You could take the plane from Thailand to Kuala Lumpur and then fly for 50 minutes to Padang ????

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Rani, thank you very much for the recommendation, that sounds delicious.

  • Wirawan Ciptonugroho

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark after watching your video, i fell that you really crushed me into pieces..I am at the moment studying in Germany. It’s been 1,5 years since my last return to Indonesia and i really miss what you just devoured…

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Wirawan, thank you very much for reading this, oh sorry to do that to you!! Hope you can get some good Indonesian food soon.

  • linda

    8 years ago

    Wow!!! Amazing review… But somekind like nasi goreng(fried rice) mie(noodle), bihun(vermicelli), kwetiau(flat rice noodle) they all have different taste between javanese, aceh, medan, bagan(few cities in indonesia).

    Those you reviewed maybe only 1/5 dishes from our cities.
    Every cities/provinces has their own top dishes.

    Wish u can taste them all. Cause they are all delicious!!! Mostly you can find them in jakarta.

    Many kinds of soups, soto(also kind of soup), grills(fish, chicken, sate) and also rice set. Because mostly our main dish always has rice.

    Enjoy…. Ohh you making me me hungry.. 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Linda, thank you very much, I’m really hoping to visit Indonesia again in the future to try lots more food.

  • Devin

    8 years ago

    Soto Mie, Tauge Goreng, Mie Ayam, Batagor, Mie Aceh. Durian and daun pepaya should not be listed. Unless, pancake durian and oseng daun pepaya. Opor ayam, semur dan sambel goreng are important too! Ketupat sayur?

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thanks for all your great recommendations Devin.

  • Santri

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark !
    One of my siblings forwarded your Surya Restaurant (Padang) video as I love Padang food. I couldn’t watch it after you ate rendang. I am Indonesian but I live far away from my home town, Bandung.

    You stayed in Veranda Hotel in Gandaria. Actually, that area is also the center of street food too. There is one authentic Padang food at Mayestik Market near Gandaria … Sepakat restaurant. Their rendang, brain curry and shank gulai (sengkel in Indonesian)… OMG !

    Perhaps, you can follow “kuliner Bandung” in instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kulinerbandung/?hl=en) just to see what Bandung Street Food can offer you on your next trip.

    Love your blog, excellent comments and videos. Keep it up your food blog and exploring more Indonesian cuisines.

    Cheers !

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Santri, very nice to hear from you, and glad you love Nasi Padang so much! I wish I would have had time to visit Bandung on this trip, but ran out of time, so would love to visit on my next trip. Hope you can visit home again soon for some delicious food!

  • Bo

    8 years ago

    Thank you Mark! Your Indonesian selection is brilliant… so inspiring!! I’ve had the great pleasure of experiencing Balinese cuisine over the years. So fine! Like yourself, I live here in BKK and so far haven’t sourced an Indonesian or Malaysian grocer, for candlenuts and ikan bilis, ketap manis etc. Do you have any leads? While I’m at it: what about a Sri Lankan grocery, for Maldive fish? Practically everything is available here… Blissful! Again, thanks for your enthusiasm and million dollar smile!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Bo, thank you very much. I haven’t really looked for Indonesian ingredients in Bangkok yet, buy you can get ikan bilis normally at local markets like Khlong Toey or any fresh local market. Have you ever been to the Indonesian embassy in Bangkok for lunch?

  • Dini

    8 years ago

    Mark,

    You’re the best! Your videos are super authentic and you’re one of the very few food bloggers who are willing to try the real street food! And I LOVE how you eat more chilies than me, haha!

    Looks like you’ve visited lots of my fave restaurants in Jakarta!

    Anyhow, if you ever visit Jakarta again, there’s a “hidden” place to best trying out the street food. It’s in front of a catholic school and church just behind the bundaran HI. All of the street food there are top notch quality and quite clean! From bakso, to siomay, until more delicious stuff like cimol!

    And no, I don’t even go to school there. It’s near my former office, and I sometimes “run” there in lunch hour just to get that buffet of street food in one place, yummy!

    Plus, like some people already mentioned, you haven’t tried martabak telor!! It’s one of my fave Indonesian street food that I miss the most!

    • Richard

      8 years ago

      Hi Mark,

      Once again, may I thank you for this beautiful presentation on Indonesian food. Though I travelled there for a few times, I must admit that there are more places of interest than I realised. I will definitely make it a point to taste some of the dishes that you have carefully crafted.
      Happy travelling.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Richard, you’re welcome, glad this list of food and restaurants will be helpful.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dini, thank you very much, really appreciate your support. Thank you for the street food area recommendation. Next time I’m in Jakarta, I will go straight there!

  • Gede

    8 years ago

    As I’m writing this I’m finishing up a plate of rendang and gado gado. Love watching your food videos.

  • Devi

    8 years ago

    I love the way you describe and compare the flavors you find on each food. For example, you are right on the chocolate nutty flavor of kluwak. The pancake/birthday cake of a martabak. LOL. Thanks!

  • Joe Gringgo

    8 years ago

    Dear Mark Wiens,
    God bless you Mark for making this good guide of Indonesian culture. I hope you keep the good work and someday in the near future you`ll be like Anthony Bourdain sitting with Barack Obama in casual foodstall, which location are in Indonesia and person to sit with…God knows who, but it just famous.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Joe, really appreciate your kind words and support, thank you. Haha, that would be awesome, and that was so cool Obama and Bourdain.

  • joey

    8 years ago

    hi mark, just found your vids n blogs that so interesting,,, i’m indo but staying in Austria-switzerland for many years and i really really missed indonesia food (but some european food remaind me with indonesia as well such Wiener Schnitzel & Ghoulash). I just recomend for you if you next visit to indonesia then maybe you have time to go in Surabaya, there’s lot of typical unique dishes from there that you would never find it in anywhere else, such:
    1. Kupang : a soup of tiny little clam like rice form in petis (cured shrimp paste) served with rice cake, clam sate, sea cucumber crackers and of course petis sambal, and always complemented with young coconut meat and water drink, you can googling the picture of kupang dish
    2. Lontong Balap : a dish of bean sprout in petis sauce (petis is very popular sauce in east java province), pouring with herbs and clam broth, served with rice cake, tofu, tempe & fava beans fritters shreds, and complemented with clam sate
    3. Iga Bakar Penyet (squashed Roasted Beef Ribs) : Typical Surabaya dishes, Roasted Beed Ribs squashed in mortar and coated with very spicy belacan sambal and topping in with fried wholes garlic (with it’s skin), the most popular is “Nasi Udang Bu Rudi Restaurant”
    4. Nasi Udang : Another typical surabaya dishes, Rice with fried coated flour tiny shrimp served with shreded fried beef, prawn crackers and of course very spicy belacan sambal
    5. Rawon (you already knew it)
    6. Semanggi : a plate of rice with Clover leaves veg and pouring it with peanut sauce and served with cow skin crackers
    7. Soto Madura : a kind of soto, in madurese style
    8. Sate Ponorogo : a kind of chicken Sate originally from Ponorogo (a city in east java) that have really creamy peanut sauce and less fat that ordinary sate
    9. Kikil : a spicy soup from cow legs tendon from madura
    10. Rujak Cingur : a salad that consist of vegetables, tofu, tempe, young mango, Jicama and Cow Nose served with crackers and pouring it with peanut-petis-unripe young banana sauce
    11. Ikan Pe Penyet (squashed fried Stingray fish) : a typical surabaya dish, a fried stingray squashed in mortar with very spicy sambal
    12. Sate Kelinci (Rabbit Sate) : a typical malang dish, sate fron rabbit meat with peanut sauce and of course a lot of lovely spicy sambal
    and many more,,,, and how about eastern indonesia cuisine?,,, papuanese, or ambonese?,,, they’re all known for papeda (sagoo congee) for main carb in replacing rice an lot of dishes based on sea food

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Joey, great to hear from you, thank you very much for reading this guide and for all your food recommendation. Wow, I will definitely have to visit Surabaya on my next trip to Indonesia, some of these dishes you’ve mentioned sound incredible. Thank you!

  • Anthony

    8 years ago

    To Mark, like to watch you sharing Indonesian food haha. Anyway, the “sate” at Jalan Kyai Maja 21, is indeed best sate in south Jakarta (at least me and my couple of my friends opinion), at lunch time it is very crowd, you can see they hold the sate peanut sauce in “tempat krupuk”.
    Me and my family like to go to Ikan Bakar Cianjur, they have several couple of branch but i think the one at Jalan Cipete is the best, you should try “ikan nila pesmol” there.
    And then second place Rempah Wangi, it’s location is on Jalan RS Fatmawati, no branch.
    Will add more later when some place comes up in mind. 🙂 Thanks !

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Anthony, good to hear from you, thank you very much. And thanks for the recommendations, I was almost going to eat at Ikan Bakar Cianjur, but I ran out of time, so haven’t been there yet.

  • Wen

    8 years ago

    Wawww.. there are still moreee..
    For nasi campur, u can try nasi campur asan 333 in sunter.. bebek kaleyo is near there too.. i also like pontianak food.. which is chinese food.. like bakmi pontianak(bakmi kepiting).. kwecap.. char kwetiaw.. so many more.. i’m so hungry right now.. :’D

  • Sungkono

    8 years ago

    Wow, you have tried many food than Indonesian (me) hahaha. but you missed pecel semanggi, its so hard to find recently even in the original place of semanggi (Surabaya, East Java). its like pecel but have different sauce, semanggi’s sauce made from yam. i hope you can try semanggi cause its hard to find. The Old legend story tell that the first Presiden of Indonesia (from East Java) love Semanggi so he name the some part area of Jakarta with that name (Semanggi Area, Jakarta). Thank You.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Sungkono, thank you very much, and thanks for the food recommendation and story. I’d love to try it in the future.

  • BagasKaban

    8 years ago

    Perfect guide Mark, next time visit Medan North Sumatra i really recommend it

  • Ade Mahgribza

    8 years ago

    Hey mark thanks before,because you i know where to eat when im in jakarta
    Thank you so much..

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Ade, you’re welcome, glad this food guide is helpful.

  • David

    8 years ago

    Dear, dear Mark Wiens, I was about to wonder when the pescatrian and vegetarian dishes would appear when I looked at the Experience number and saw I was only looking at number 26! You have 50 marvellous food experiences in Indonesia and you have totally changed my attitude to that country, my near neighbour. Thanks so much for another great country-based introduction to food – this is oneI’ll treasure.
    Thanks again,
    David
    PS I recently spent 5 weeks in Bangkok learning Thai speaking reading and writing and thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Thewet, close enough to town for daily commute to language school, but enough of a community to feel like I was somewhere. Great experience all around, I loved it.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey David, great to hear from you, thank you very much for reading through this guide, glad it’s helpful. That’s great that you enjoyed your time in Bangkok, do you plan to spend more time living in Thailand in the future?

  • Priscilla

    8 years ago

    I am a Bandunger living in LA, California.. ???????? me and my husband love to watch your videos on youtube which are making us drooling to see your expression while eating Indonesian food ????
    I wish you will travel to Bandung very soon, Mark… and post videos of all delicious food I love

    By the way, my husband asked me if you somehow have videos from the Phillippines?

    All of your videos are great!!

  • Irfan Rinaldi

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    I sumbled upon you Youtube channel last year looking for a food guide for my Japan trip. And last week I stumbled upon your Indonesian Food videos on my Facebook newsfeed. It amazes me how many Indonesian food you’ve tried over your visit in Jakarta. As a local Jakartan, even I haven’t tried most of the food you’ve blogged/vlogged. Respect! (even more so with your appetite for sambal/spicy food).

    Watching you eat those delicious Indonesian food made me realize that I’ve taken my culinary heritage for granted. Lately I enjoyed more foreign culinary whenever I eat out with my wife (even though there’s nothing wrong with that). But you reminded me how flavorful Indonesian food really are. So thank you for that.

    I’m now sitting down in a kaki lima (hawker) Tongseng (a bowl of spicy goat soup) seller. I don’t know whether you had Tongseng in your last visit to Jakarta. But if you love spicy food. I really recommend trying Tongseng on your next visit to Jakarta (Indonesia).

    Sampai jumpa on your next video/blog post.

    Cheers,
    Irfan

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Irfan, thank you very much for your support and for sharing. I think it can be like that for all of us sometimes. Because I’m based in Bangkok and my wife is Thai, I sometimes forget how much I enjoy Bangkok, but it’s always good to remind ourselves how much we can do and see right where we live. I never had a chance to try tongseng, but that sounds incredible, I will take you up on your offer next trip to Jakarta. Thanks!

  • Kevin Lukito

    8 years ago

    First of all Mark, biggest thank you for sparing some of your time to go to Indonesia. It’s a bliss to know that foreigners could come to our country, and appreciate some of its culture. Keep doing what you doing Mark, I truly enjoy your piece of work and passion!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you very much Kevin, both my wife and I had an incredible time in Jakarta.

  • Bagus

    8 years ago

    Wow!! It’s a long list. Even myself as Indonesian have not eaten all the foods on the list yet. You must be lucky to enjoy all of them.

  • Leo

    8 years ago

    Hai Mark, if you come to Indonesia again you sould come to Medan, we have so many the best batakness food ever here. we have “Naniura” (its gold fish cook with lime and batak peppers), Napinadar (drill chicken with special peppers). Medan is the best culinary city.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Leo, next time I visit Indonesian I’m really hoping to spend some time in Medan, that sounds delicious.

  • Dominique C

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark! I stumbled upon your YouTube channel a long time ago when I was looking for some thai recipes. This is the first time that I visited your website and I’m definitely subscribing. Informative, clean and appetising! Thank you for this guide 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dominique, good to hear from you, thank you very much!

  • Jason

    8 years ago

    Hey Mark! After reading your post, I feel like going back home to Indonesia and eat everything (every picture is mouthwatering). You should also check Soto Madura Juanda near Pecenongan area, they serve some incredible Madura and Surabaya soto and rujak cingur(beef’s mouth salad with shrimp paste)!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Jason, thank you very much for the recommendation!

  • Roossy Tirta

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, I am an Indonesian living in the USA. I really appreciate the list of Indonesian food that you gathered here. I’ve lived most of my life in Java island and I only try food from Java and some from Sumatra as my mother is from. Living overseas made me realize that Indonesia is very diverse in cuisine so thank you for showcasing the food of Indonesia…Terimakasih…

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Roossy, thank you for the comment. Taking this trip to Indonesia was such an eye opener for me and Indonesian food, and that’s part of the reason I stayed in Jakarta mostly, because it’s such a melting post of people from all over Indonesia. Hope you can get some good Indonesian food in the US!

  • Zita Rasid

    8 years ago

    What a fabulous list…..I’m an Indo (Dutch, Indonesian and Turk) and lived in Bandoeng for the first six years of my life. My mom taught me so many dishes and I am very fond of soups…so sayour lodeh and sayour kerrie and who doesn’t love soto ayam. Ofcourse served with krupuk emping and sambal peteh, if you want some heat. I love cooking Indo food, esp. for friends who have never tasted something so good and exotic. Thank you for the wonderful list, how I miss my parents who instilled in their children the love and appreciation of our cuisine…..

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Zita, good to hear from you, glad you enjoyed Indonesian food so much. Thanks for sharing!

  • Cella

    8 years ago

    Hi, Mark! Cannot believe that you actually visited Permata Mubarok to eat pecel lele. Only 2mins away from my home. Agree that its really far from Central Jakarta especially if you have to deal with Jakarta’s crazy traffic jam. Wish I could meet you haha!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Cella, haha, oh awesome to hear you live right around there. Next time we will meet up there to eat!

  • godote

    8 years ago

    Since nobody mentioned it, you have to try Mie Belitong originated from Belitong Island. Very delicious ????

  • Annie

    8 years ago

    One of the most complete and thorough indonesian food list i’ve ever read from a foreigner.
    I want to comment on this particular thing first, yep martabak is crazy, and yep it’s my favorite dessert that i avoid seeing them made, the amount of butter, sugar, cheese, etc are enough to make a person’s cholesterol level spiked up.
    I just want to add things if you ever visit indonesia again:
    – Martabak telor: deep friend martabak with egg and veggies as main ingredients
    – Kue Jajanan Pasar – Indonesia also have tons of different cake assortments, the variety is astonishing; putu, risol, lapis legit (made using around 40 egg per one cake, and made by laying each layers one by one), lapis surabaya, pastel, etc. we even have this traditional market that only specifically sell these cake assortments, that only open from the very early morning, around 4am, called Pasar Subuh Blok M
    – ketupat sayur meals (ketupat with several side dishes) traditional festive food during Eid Fitri
    Just some ideas, and probably we still have a lot more foods to covered.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Annie, thank you very much for the kind words, haha that martabak manis is insane! Thank you for the food recommendations, sounds delicious.

  • Danniel Setiawan

    8 years ago

    Hello mark I ‘ve watched your video and you always eat chili quite a lot , how did u handle it? what do you think of spicy food around the world? is there spicier than Indonesian food?

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Danniel, thank you very much, yah I just love chili so much, and every kind of spicy food. I especially enjoyed ayam bakar Taliwang, wow that was good. Hmm, spicier, it depends, maybe certain dishes, there are some in Thailand that can be pretty intense.

  • catur

    8 years ago

    Mark ,From the way you enjoy every scoop of food, indicating that food was really tasty.
    openness and assessment of flavors, ingredients, and the results were enjoyed

  • Nicholas

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark! It’s crazy to think that you’re not a Jakarta native, but you explore and eat more than a native like me. I don’t even know half of the places in this list! Anyway it’s really an informative and great guide to Jakarta food travel experience, and hope you can do more places and discover more hidden gems we have. Cheers

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Nicholas, I had an amazing time in Jakarta, so much good food and still so much to try. Thanks for reading, glad this guide is helpful.

  • catur

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, I first saw the video while working in remote places papua`
    every video uploaded makes me miss my home cooking,
    honestly I see what you do is sincere and you feel what you eat and tell it to everyone.
    I’m sure when you visit Indonesia again, let us know and we will show to a variety of Indonesian food diversity ranging from west to east.
    Mark, where I can buy a T-shirt that you wear when making a video?

  • Ridho

    8 years ago

    well, actually Indonesia have many types of Soto. since you only mention about soto betawi here, I’d like to recommend you soto mie bogor, soto ayam semarang, soto kudus, soto lamongan, soto sokaraja, soto banjar. I’d love to recommend you some foods from my hometown like lunpia, tahu petis (tofu stuffed with black cream called petis that is made from prawn, garlic, and other spices) , tahu rebung (tofu stuffed with bamboo shoot), tahu gimbal, and kue leker.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Ridho, great to hear from you, thank you for your kind food recommendations. I’d love to try them in the future!

  • Eduard

    8 years ago

    Sangat sedap!
    Simply delicious…

  • Susan Yeoh

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, thank you for for not only presenting those lovely photos of the food , you have thoughtfully
    given us the addresses of those restaurants. I think that was a very good idea. If i were to visit Jakarta,
    I would visit all the resaturants that you recommended. Like you, I love food…….

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Susan, you’re welcome, glad this is helpful!

  • Dewi Joris

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    Thank you so much for your great review on Indonesian Food. I am so thrilled reading your blog about Indonesian Culinary. I love food and culinary, baking and cooking is my hobby. It would be great if you could spend more time in Indonesia, traveling to different cities and islands…then you can learn for about the food diversity.
    Good job, Mark!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dewi, thank you very much for your kind words, and glad you’re hobby is cooking and enjoying food as well. I’m hoping to spend more time in Indonesia in the future.

  • Rahmi Khairani

    8 years ago

    I love your writing Mark. Especially your writing about Padang’s Food.
    I am Padang girl. Please visit Padang (West Sumatra) to taste real taste of Padang’s food.
    There are a lot of foods you should try in Padang.
    I would love take you to the most wanted restaurant/food stall in Padang. I can also take you to see how those delicious foods cooked. The foods are amazing.

    However I have to admit that it’s a smart choice to visit Jakarta so you can taste lots of food whole over Indonesia. Stay healthy ^_^

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Rahmi, great to hear from you, thank you very much. Padang is high up on my list of places to visit, I would love to travel there for the food.

  • Adriyani Dsouza

    8 years ago

    Its really mouth-watering foods and i just loved it all… so much, thanks for supporting n promoting Indonesian culinary.. Staying outside my home country, its just missing to hev all of this tempting foods… the #50 is a must we hev to survive, LOL then it shud be the #1 in your list 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Adriyani, thank you very much, I understand how you can miss all the food back home in Indonesia. Yah, sambal is #1, but I included the best as the last!

  • Dwi Cheung

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, thanks for such a long list of what Jakarta has to offer for food lovers. I appreciate every video you made, so I also refer them to my family and friends, and they all have become your fans too 🙂 Keep making them and stay healthy, ok.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dwi, thank you very much, and thank you for sharing as well.

  • Anggara

    8 years ago

    Very interesting article! I am Indonesian and apparently I haven’t tried yet some of the dishes you wrote. It’s very informative. FYI, I have a recommended place to eat Nasi Liwet, you can google ‘Nasi Liwet Khas Keprabon Solo’, it’s located in Kalimalang, East Jakarta. And you should try Siomay at MM Juice as well!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Anggara, nice to hear from you. Thank you very much, and appreciate the Nasi Liwet recommendation. Next time I’m in Jakarta will have to check it out.

  • Glenn Adhi

    8 years ago

    That’s really a comprehensive and mouth watering guide to Indonesian Food indeed. Two thumbs up Mark!
    Just a little side notes:
    1. You have to try Bakmi Ayam/Babi/Sapi (Chicken/Pork/Beef Noodle) while you’re in Jakarta. If I’m not mistaken, you stay at a service apartment near Mangga Besar area. Mangga Besar is well known for its Bakmi eating spots. Almost every part if Indonesia have their own signature noodle dish and you can find most of them around Mangga Besar and Kelapa Gading area. Those original bakmi dishes are way more delicious than the ever internationally popular Indomie instant noodles ????.
    2. If you’re searching for an authentic Nasi Liwet experience (besides the home cooked version), you can check out Nasi Liwet Ayam Kampung khas Keprabon Solo at Wisma Gading Permai food stalls in Kelapa Gading Area. They open from 7pm to 10pm. (Near Kwang Koan ????)

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Glenn, thank you very much, and I appreciate your food recommendations as well. I need to come back for more!

  • Irma Maulida

    8 years ago

    OH MY GOD! How long did you take your time to try all these foods? 😀
    Great and very informative article. Thanks for promoting our food by the way!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Irma, I was in Jakarta for almost 3 weeks, but we kept pretty busy!

  • Yori

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    Really love your post. Hope Indonesian people will more appreciate Indonesian food in the future. Because nowadays people start to take this authentic food for granted, and the willingness to learn how to cook those food slightly diminish.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Yori, thank you very much. I hope so too!

  • Anne

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark! I’m an Indonesian and very glad that u enjoy Jakarta and Indonesian foods
    I also enjoy your guide cause it also contains most of my favorite foods too..
    Keep posting and travelling, hope you will visit Indonesia again 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Anne, great to hear from you, thank you very much. I would love to visit Indonesia again!

  • Garrian

    8 years ago

    great post mark ! thank you for visiting indonesia .Did you record all of the food you ate here ? if so ,im looking forward to see your reaction to pempek ,martabak ,and more …

  • Jeff

    8 years ago

    Thank you Mark,
    Great images accompanied by mouth watering descriptions.
    I’m sure all the other Indo foodies out there are thrilled that Indonesian food is starting to get some respect. And, I am also sure that those same foodies feel that one, or some of their favorites were missing from your list.
    Personally, I would say ‘opor ayam’ needs to be mentioned as it is a wonderful way to introduce the
    youngest generation to Indonesian food.
    And now a question for you… Mark, can you recommend an Indonesian restaurant in Bangkok?

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Jeff, thank you very much, appreciate your support and recommendation. I haven’t had a chance to try opor ayam yet, but I’d love to. There are very limited Indonesian food options in Bangkok. I haven’t made it yet, but I hear the best is at the Indonesian embassy in Pratunam, for lunch. Are you living in Bangkok?

  • Lynns

    8 years ago

    Finally…. I’m waiting for your review about Indonesian food and I feel so happy to read it. And yes, we have a lot of spices and herbs to use when we cook. If you can visit East Java, there will be more delicious food to try.
    Surprisingly you could eat street food without getting food poisoning 😀
    Thank you very much Mark…. God bless

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you very much Lynns, I’d love to visit East Java in the future.

  • fandy

    8 years ago

    just want to add some list the name of the food, some of you may have heard :
    – tauge goreng
    – soto mie bogor
    – mie kocok bandung
    – karedok
    – nasi bakar
    – nasi jaha
    – patin asam padeh
    – kupat tahu
    – selendang mayang
    – kue rangi
    – sayur lodeh
    – ayam lodho
    – lontong sayur
    – lontong balap
    – opor ayam
    – kue putu
    and many more, I will write again if I have remembered another

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Fandy, awesome thank you for the recommendations!

  • Faul

    8 years ago

    At east java you can try sego pecel, sate ayam ponorogo, ayam lodho, lontong balap, tahu campur …and more..

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Faul, thank you very much, sounds great.

  • Faul

    8 years ago

    Waw…amazing mark… thanks for review

  • Brunei Foodies

    8 years ago

    Have you tried Chicken Skin Sate yet Mark? In Brunei, the cow liver and tendons/veins Sate are pretty popular too beside the usual Chicken, Beef and Lamb Sate. Excellent list by the way!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Yes I did have a chance to try chicken skin sate, I have to admit it is pretty good!

  • Dhani

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    I really like your post about Indonesian cuisine since I also miss them. In my opinion, the amount you paid for one person may be a bit overprice especially in restaurant padang. Never spent that much.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dhani, thank you very much!

    • Rendi rendi

      8 years ago

      Yepp, it’s because mark taste much different padang food it’s normal price for me. I recommend u mark to try many sambal, there’s 30 or more kind of sambal. Try it dude, u will regret if u don’t taste it 😀

  • Lisa hasibuan

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    You have to try martabak telur (egg) from Medan and kaliyo udang (shrimp). Those are my favorite foods. Thanks.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Lisa, thank you very much. I tried one savory martabak telor in Jakarta, and loved it! I just had to eliminate some things on this list, couldn’t include everything, so that’s why it’s not on the list. But I’m a big fan of it.

  • Lisa hasibuan

    8 years ago

    Hi mark,
    Thanks for your Indonesian food guide, I am from Indonesia but I live in Midwest US. Next month for Ramadhan I wanna visit our family in Java and Sumatera. Anyway you may know martabak telur from Medan and also kaliyo udang from Padang are awesome foods. Those are my favorite foods.
    You should try it!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Lisa, hope you have a great upcoming trip back home!

  • Ratih, MD

    8 years ago

    Good day.. i’m ratih. And i live in sulawesi, indonesia. I recomend u to travel to sulawesi and enjoy the culinary here.. i think should try kapurung, sinole, palubutung and many other foods..

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Ratih, nice to hear from you. Sulawesi is very high on my list, I would love to visit!

  • Hardiman Christian

    8 years ago

    You should try “Bakmie Bangka” One of the best and delicious noddles from Sumatra Island and my home country !!!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Hardiman, thank you for the recommendation.

  • Hardiman Christian

    8 years ago

    im indonesian and im happy see you eat indonesian food you should try Bakmie Bangka its was food from my home country and its very delicious

  • fssusanti

    8 years ago

    Hai Mark.. i’ ve seen you trying some of our food in your videos. I love seeing you widely opening your eyes and leaning to your right everytime you found out that the food was delicious..
    Here in your list I see you included martabak manis. Haven’t you tried martabak telor? If you haven’t then come back again someday and try it.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Fssusanti, thank you very much for watching. Yes, I did try martabak telur, I love it!

  • Michael C.

    8 years ago

    Hey Mark! I am so glad to know that you and Ying visited Indonesia. In this post, you mentioned that you had the Pepes while you were in Bogor. Which part of Bogor was that exactly? And instead of Jakarta, you should have visited Bogor for the culinary adventure. Please feel free to contact me when you are in Bogor. I will show ypu around for foods! Cheers!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Michael, good to hear from you, thank you very much. In Bogor I had it at a restaurant called Ampera, but I would have loved to try some home-cooked versions. Thank you very much, next time I visit Indonesia I would love to spend more time in Bogor.

  • Chandra

    8 years ago

    As an Indonesian, I approve this. Aaaand now I’m hungry……

  • ferdian

    8 years ago

    Hi mark, wow u ate a lot indonesian food, lol,
    i must admit that im amazed with your knowledge of where to eat in jakarta..
    im from jakarta myself and i really want to take u to my eating spot..
    so if u in jakarta area next time, don’t hesitate to contact me

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Ferdian, thank you very much. And I appreciate your invitation, I hope to visit Jakarta again in the future.

  • Bob

    8 years ago

    It was great watching your videos with all the good foods all arround the world. Keep it up Mark!

  • Reva

    8 years ago

    you really need to check Sambara (Sundanese Restaurant)!

  • sulvi

    8 years ago

    hii… thankyou for having enjoyed with indonesian foods

    do you want the originally taste of nasi liwet? you can go to Solo. where you can find it all on the street.

    by the way, east java has unique foods, especially “petis”…

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Sulvi, thank you for reading this Indonesian food guide. I would love to visit Solo in the future to try the original nasi liwet, looks amazing.

  • Desy

    8 years ago

    I really love your review! But there is one thing I’d like to know: How can you recognize the herbs being used in the food just by taste them? I mean, all herbs are mixed but still you can spot them one by one! Are you a chef as well?

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Desy, thank you very much. I like to cook, but I’m not really a chef. I think maybe it’s because I always like to taste ingredients on their own – so I like to sample herbs and things so I taste their natural flavor – which has probably helped to determine the taste of certain ingredients when they are mixed. But I’m sometimes wrong ha!

  • Royo

    8 years ago

    hi mark.
    1st of all, thank a lot bro, for doing this, and try so many Indonesian Foods, and you help bring the information to the world, that’s rock!! 😀

    anyway, if u happen still want to try food, u can try angkringan and sego kucing.
    that’s unique place that you have to try.

    or you can eat crazy mie abang adek in Jakarta if u brave enough to face 100 chillies in ur plate.

    and feel free to come to Bekasi, West Java – i have small warung (not a restaurant/only small home-restaurant) that sell nasi padang, with chicken rendang, gulai ayam and sambal hijau as our customer favorite.

    and once again. love u’r work dude.

    Cheers
    -Royo-

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Royo, 100 chilies on your plate sounds amazing, thanks for the recommendation. I’m not in Jakarta anymore, but will remember for next trip. Great to hear about your warung, I would love to visit if I’m in Bekasi. Thank you!

  • Ferry

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    I was very excited when I found out on your Youtube channel that you visited Indonesia, Jakarta in particular. Even though I am not a native Jakartan and have been living abroad for about one and a half decade now, I still feel a strong connection with Indonesia, especially with the Indonesian food culture. Great food you had down there!

    I traveled to Taipei last month, mostly because after I watched your vlogs about the city. Thank you so much for uploading your travel video’s. They have been very useful and helpful to me, but mostly very inspiring. I tried a lot of the food you covered on your video in Taipei. Great recommendation and references on places and things to do there.

    I hope you enjoyed every bit of your stay in Jakarta. Always a thumbs up from me for people who like jengkol, petai and durian. Hopefully, I can visit Thailand too in near future. Thank you once again….

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Ferry, very nice to meet you, thank you for watching my videos and reading the blog. Awesome to hear you visited Taipei recently, sounds like you had a very fun trip. Hope you can visit Thailand soon!

  • Wilson

    8 years ago

    I’m so glad to see your blog. very helpful for people who getting ready to visit indonesia

  • Sheeraz

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, Greetings from Maldives.
    I am a food lover and follow your videos. It is always good to see other country’s food presented by both of you. Hope one day you would come to Maldives for your next food exploration. 🙂

    Thanks and Kind regards

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Sheeraz, thank you very much. I would love to visit Maldives!

  • Larasati

    8 years ago

    For fried chicken, you should try:
    1. Ayam Berkah (Panglima Polim)
    2. Ayam Mat Lengket (Jatinegara Baru)
    3. Ayam Suharti, because of the “kremes” (Senopati, Rawamangun, many branches you may find in Jakarta).

    And for Bubur ayam, you should try Bubur Ayam Senopati (near Ade Rai fitness centre).

    And you really have to try Bakso Sony, but unfortunately it is not located in Jakarta, but in Bandar Lampung (close to Bumiwaras hospital).

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Larasati, great to hear from you, thank you for the food recommendations.

  • Nicky Diamond

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark. What a list! My favorite is bebek goreng H. Slamet too.
    If you love bebek goreng H. Slamet in Jakarta, then I guarantee that you will love the origin of this bebek goreng, Solo. If you visit Solo, you have to taste it. It totally different with those bebek goreng at Jakarta.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Nicky, that bebek goreng was incredibly good. Sounds like there’s so much good food in Solo, that’s going to have to be on my list next time I visit Indonesia. Thank you.

  • Ari Vanuaranu

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    My utmost gratitude for this food review! It’s refreshing to see a foreigner foodie who knows to enjoy Indonesian food. Somehow there is this strange belief among tourists who have been to our country that Indonesian cuisine is uninteresting and only consists of nasi goreng (fried rice) or mie goreng (fried noodle). I just have to roll my eyes whenever I read what all these so-called experts wrote on their food blogs on how everything in Indonesia is either fried or slathered in peanut sauce. Do they really think that spend all our lives eating only nasi goreng and saté? It’s really their loss that they never ventured outside of their backpacker’s haunt to actually eat local. But you, Mark, you actually went on to have these regional dishes that show how diverse Indonesian cuisine is and for that I am really thankful to you. I am from Borneo and none of the dishes in your list are not the ones I grew up with, but still, I can proudly say that your list represent our country’s cuisine well! Thank again, and I hope someday you’d consider doing meetups with your fans here!

    Cheers,
    Ari

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Ari, thank you very much for your kind and supportive comment. I know exactly what you’re talking about – many who visit Indonesia don’t venture past nasi goreng, but Indonesia has so many incredible foods to offer (this list is only scratching the surface). I’ve been to the Malaysian side of Borneo, but not yet to the Indonesian side – I would love to in the future. Thank you again!

    • Ari Vanuaranu

      8 years ago

      First of all, sorry for the typo-laden comment, I got too excited ???? I love Malaysian Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak) and Brunei too. I have to admit that their side is more advanced and more tourist-friendly. But with more than 73% of the island belongs to Indonesia, our side has so much more to offer. That being said, I am glad to know that you’ve enjoyed Indonesian food. If you ever plan to come back again, whether it’s Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua or wherever, please let me know so that I could bombard you with suggestions on what to eat. And of course if you ever find yourself in my corner of Borneo, please let me be your (and Ying’s) personal guide! ☺

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Ari, very cool, thank you very much!

  • Fadilla

    8 years ago

    If you’re a food lover then you’re definitely have to visit surabaya soon.. Because there’s so many tasty food with the cheap price as well.. Cause surabaya people has a high standard of the food taste, that should be very delicious and flavourful and also with a big portion as well lol ????

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Fadilla, thank you very much, I’m hoping to make it to Surabaya in the future.

  • Adi Safardian

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark
    I really enjoy reading your food guide of Indonesian food. you explain them very well. and the photos are also awesome. the important point is, i hope many young Indonesian people see your video in youtube and read your blog, so they can appreciate more about traditional Indonesian cuisine and not too get influence by fast food factory.
    again, i would like to thank to you. and come again to Indonesia someday. i hope for your best in the future.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Adi, thank you very much, I appreciate your support. I’d love to visit Indonesian again.

  • Adi Safardian

    8 years ago

    Helo Mark.

    I really enjoy reading your food guide of Indonesian food. you explain them very well. and the photos are also awesome. the important point is, i hope many young Indonesian people see your video in youtube and read your blog, so they can appreciate more about traditional Indonesian cuisine and not too get influence by fast food factory.
    again, i would like to thank to you. and come again to Indonesia someday. i hope for your best in the future.

  • Billy

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    Good to see your video in Indonesia.
    just some suggestion if you love seafood you could actually go to “Batam” its really close to singapore, only takes minutes by ferry. its heaven of food 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Billy, awesome, thank you very much for the recommendation.

    • Dian

      8 years ago

      I stayed in Batam for 13 months and I thought the food was OK. But then again, I’m from Bandung, where they have so many delicious food, so maybe that’s why. I like the traditional otak-otak made by people in smaller islands in Kepulauan Riau (not the otak-otak they sell in Batam). One of my favorite. Sooooo good!!! Batam is just meh for me. Personal opinion, of course ????

  • Ardchie

    8 years ago

    you must try mochi from small city named sukabumi…it’s really delicious.

  • Noel

    8 years ago

    There are some similarities of food between indo and the Phil. I almost like everything especially those with curry, not much on deep fried dishes, but as a whole of your story I would say it was indeed very informative and exciting.
    Thank you once again.
    Till then…

  • Michael

    8 years ago

    Hy just passing by to let you know in USA petai were called sator

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Michael, thank you very much. It might come from the Thai word for stink beans, which is: sataw

  • Michael

    8 years ago

    Hy just passing by to let ya know in USA petai were called sator

  • Judith Marianne Taufan

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    I’m newly subscribed to your channel and it was your enjoyment of Gulai Otak and your ability to eat bird eye chillies that did it 😀 The Padang Restaurant and the Sop Konro place that you reviewed hold a special place in my heart as they were my late father’s favourites. I live abroad but each time I’m back in Jakarta he would take me to those places without fail. Kudos for giving a shout out to Kerak Telor, it’s a fast disappearing traditional snack. Another addition to the list that I might suggest is Martabak Telor, the savory cousin to Martabak Manis. The skin is made with oily dough and pan fried so it’s nice and crispy while the filling is made with beaten eggs folded into minced meat and chopped scallions. If you’re lucky enough to find a vendor that uses duck eggs instead of chicken, I guarantee you an unforgettable experience. As for Sundanese restaurants in Jakarta two reliable names are Laguna Restaurant Jln. Batu Tulis Raya 45 Gambir, DKI Jakarta and Restaurant Ikan Bakar Cianjur which has various outlets in Jakarta. Looking forward to see you writing and eating more, God Bless.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Judith, very nice to hear from you, and I’m glad the videos and this post brought back good food memories. Thank you for the suggestion as well. I did have a chance to try martabak telor, not sure if it was with a duck egg, but it was awesome. Thank you for the recommendations for Sundanese restaurants in Jakarta.

  • Irfan

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, I am an Indonesian so I’m glad that you put your time to write all these list! Good list!
    Now I want to hear your opinion, which nasi padang is the best, in indonesia or in malaysia?

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Irfan, thank you very much for reading. Indonesia definitely, but I’ve had some very good nasi padang in Malaysia as well, often made by Indonesians!

  • Risyad

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark! Love your channel and blog. I hope Ying enjoyed the food as much as you did. Take care buddy

  • kanz

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark!
    That’s pretty impressive list of the most famous Indonesian foods!
    If you don’t really like sweet martabak, you can try its cousin, egg martabak, it’s savory dish that I’m sure you’d enjoy. I’d pick egg martabak over the sweet one any day because I prefer savory dishes.
    You can also try rujak (vegetables rujak and fruits rujak). It’s popular Indonesian food usually sold in food stalls or warungs. Oh and Batagor (Battered Fried Tofu) is also delicious and popular street snack, you definitely need to try them.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Kanz, thank you very much, appreciate your reading. I agree with you and the egg martabak, I was able to try it once, and enjoyed it as well, much more than the sweet one. Thanks for the other recommendations as well.

  • Evi Komarajaya

    8 years ago

    hello mark..
    thank you for sharing your experience eating Indonesian food, me and my husband looking forward for your new video. hehehe
    i can say you like sambal that much, me and my husband we had warung ayam penyet and we have our ultimate spicy sambal call Sambal pedas bunuh dire or Hot samba till you die LOL.. JK

    love your blog and your chanel Mark, xoxo

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Evi, great to hear from you, thank you very much, and glad you and your husband love sambal as well. Where is your warung? Oh that sounds amazing!

  • Gina

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark & Ying,
    I’m indonesian n i’m proud of you. This is awesome… I think you must try “Asam Padeh Ikan” from west sumatra, it’s so hot and extraordinary delicious.
    Two thumbs up for you..
    Success n God bless you… 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Gina, thank you very much, and thanks for the recommendation. I just looked it up, that looks like an amazing dish.

  • ainatit

    8 years ago

    Do you ever taste gado-gado / rujak cingur / rujak manis / martabak / kimlo (soup) / red soup / empal / batagor / orem-orem / urap-urap / terancam (almost you can eat them at java) ? so many foods in indonesia that you ever taste before (so many regions in indonesia). I think more than 50 foods/dishes waiting your reviews (:-)), but thank you for your nice list.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Ainatit, thank you very much for your recommendations. This list is just the surface of all the different Indonesian foods that are available!

  • kesia miranda

    8 years ago

    hi mark, so i love sate a lot, i have eaten a lot of sate including the one that you ate in front of RSPP (i went to a high school near there) , the sate there is good, but if you want to try the best goat sate, you should try sate klathak in bantul, Jogjakarta, it is mind blowing, they use an iron sticks to put the meat in.. but then again, there’s a lot of food from your post that are amazing in Yogyakarta, such as gudeg , and pecel…. definitely worth the food trip!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Kesia, great to hear from you, and awesome that you love sate. Thank you for the recommendation, I would love to try that out!

  • Sam

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    I haven’t been scrolling down through the comments below so I don’t know if somebody has suggested the places that I’m going to mention.

    The best Gule Kambing that I have tasted in Jakarta is the one from Sate Kambing Djono in Pejompongan. They also serve the best Es Kelapa Muda. Just ask for the syrup to be served on the side.

    Nasi Liwet, unfortunately I haven’t tried anything good in Jakarta, but in Solo there was one “Mbok Wongso Lemu” and she used to have an outlet in The Darmawangsa Hotel.

    For very good Siomay, the one behind Wisma Bidakara is worth the mention. You can’t miss Siomay Burik’s queues especially during lunchtime.

    For Gudeg Yogya, go to Pangadegan. If you’re driving in front of Carrefour Pancoran, take the slip road, drive to the small road next to the railway. About 700 meters you’ll find a small stall with small “Gudeg” sign.

    OK. I won’t hijack your comment section. As I travel to earn living, I also enjoy the small perks that come with it. And food is the biggest part of it!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Sam, awesome to hear from you, thank you very much for your food recommendations. Next time I’m in Jakarta I’m going to head straight for the gule kambing you’ve mentioned, that sounds amazing. Safe travels, and thank you again!

  • Amartha Uge

    8 years ago

    Hi mark.
    I am a big fans of you !
    I was in Thailand 2 weeks ago, and I tried the food you recommend at your blog. thank you !

    I am Indonesian and I want to say thank you very much to visit our country and enjoyed our food.
    Next time when you go back to Indonesia, you should visit Bandung or Tasikmalaya. There a lot of Sundanese food. You will find an original spicy snack called seblak or try the breakfast with rice menu “tutug oncom” with “sambel hejo”.

    I hope I can meet you & your wife if you come to Indonesia again. Have a Good day!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Amartha, great to hear from you, glad you had a nice trip to Bangkok recently. Thank your for the recommendations. Hope you have a great day as well!

  • chipmunk tm

    8 years ago

    hahaha you like to eat but you are not fat

  • Melvin

    8 years ago

    Hey Mark, came across your videos in my Youtube recommendation a week ago and since then I have been watching your reviews of Indonesian food every night before bed. I HATE YOU!!!! You always make me hungry right before bed!!!!
    Just kidding… love you videos, keep up the fantastic work!
    By the way, you forgot one very famous and delicious Indonesian dish… one that the rich and the poor love… one that has always been a scapegoat for midnight cravings (I am guilty as charged)….
    THE SUPER AWESOME INDOMIE INSTANT NOODLES!!!!!! Mie Goreng, Soto Mie, Kari Ayam, etc… go get a pack at your nearest warung, minimarket or super market…

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Melvin, thank you very much, haha, I appreciate you watching the videos. Oh yah, I did have Indonmie, but just didn’t manage to include it on this list – buy maybe I should. Thanks for your support!

  • Iwakura

    8 years ago

    Nice review bro, if you sometime wanna visit other city while in Indonesia, you should add medan to your destination list. Medan foods is one of the best.

    Best durian is waiting for you 🙂

  • christian

    8 years ago

    always watch your you tube channel and always love it
    specially when you come to indonesia 😀
    i live in indonesia, surabaya
    if you back again here let me know. i have a food list you must try 🙂

  • Mumin shadik

    8 years ago

    Hi mark.. Im indonesian, but actually im jealous of you, hhh.. Im not eating all that food yet.. But im wondering, why all the prices is too expensive?? Like pecel lele i bought it only 12.000 Idr.. Ayam taliwang only 40.000 idr..

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Mumin, thank you very much. Most of the time I listed the prices for the entire meal that I ate, which also included things like drinks and extras.

  • via megawati

    8 years ago

    That’s great…Mark…, good list…, and make me hungry xoxoxoxoxo

  • Mul

    8 years ago

    Mark, a very great list!! To be able to cover all Indonesian food, it’d be an amazing feat; so many variations! For example, Soto Betawi is Jakarta, Soto Bandung consists of beef and daikon from Bandung area, Soto Kudus, Soto Madura, Soto Banjar, Coto Makassar; I was just looking at this list from Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soto_(food)#By_regions and I don’t think that’s complete.
    Really enjoyed your video, hope to be able to meet you during one of your travel.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Mul, great to hear from you, thank you very much. Yes, that would be a pretty incredible task – a lifelong task I think!

  • Chitra Gintings

    8 years ago

    You should try Babi Panggang Karo (BPK) then… another unique roasted pork from Karo, North Sumatera , Indonesia. There they have more exciting unique food along with more North Sumateran traditional food that you just have to try. You should try more Batakese food.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Chitra, thank you very much for the recommendation, sounds delicious!

  • Rabin

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, thank you for promoting Indonesian Food.. Especially with your enjoyed-expression every time you take a bite.. Welldone!!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Rabin, I highly enjoyed eating in Indonesia, thank you!

  • Emir Caesario

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, what a wonderful review you got there. And yes you have covered most of the best local cuisines especially in Jakarta.
    By the way, if you come again to Indonesia you can ask me to take you and your wife around to eat more of the best cuisines Jakarta can offer. And yes, I know a very special place to eat Ikan Bakar.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Emir, thank you very much for your support, and appreciate the invitation. That ikan bakar sounds delicious!

  • sigit firmansyah

    8 years ago

    Hmm, i think you should try to eat eastern java food. Some foods cooked with “petis” a special spice/herb based on the northern coast of Java which is so endemic, sweet and savory taste!
    Examples : Tahu telor/tek, Tahu Campur, Lontong Kupang, Lontong Balap, Rujak Cingur.
    You can find them on : Post Office Parking lot, after afternoon 6:PM (in front of Fatmawati Hospital, South Jakarta)

    Or you can find another famous eastern java food like “pecel madiun”, “soto ayam ambengan” and “bakso malang”

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Sigit, thank you very much for the food recommendations, sounds good.

  • Shery

    8 years ago

    awsum man just waiting for myself to get settled then IN SHA ALLAH i m gonna go on world tour and who knows maybe dine with u as well 😉

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Shery, thank you very much for your support. That would be awesome!

  • Jennie

    8 years ago

    Haiiii mark, the more I read about this migrationology.com , the more I like what you doing for every food in entire world.
    Hope you come to Indonesia again , especially during this fasting month and idul fitri . there’s a lot of delicious food .

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Jennie, thank you very much for your support. I’d love to come to Indonesia again!

  • Theresia

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    for Nasi Liwet, you can try Ikan Bakar Cianjur Restaurant http://ibcgroup.co.id/

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Theresia, thank you for the recommendation!

  • Vito

    8 years ago

    Wow! Great choiches of foods! I am Indonesian, and I totally agree that these are among the favourite dishes in Indonesia. But you missed one dish that I think you will love, Gulai Jengkol (Djenkol Curry) that can be found in some of Padang Restaurant.

    I also need to point some errors in your description of Sate Padang and Beef Rendang. Sate padang usually eat with ketupat (compressed rice cake in coconut leaves case) not with lontong (rice cake in banana leaf).

    For the beef rendang, the basic ingredients in all variety of rendang is fresh (not dry) ground chilli, garlic, shallot, ginger, galangal, lemon grass, indonesian bay leaf, kaffir lime leaf and turmeric leaf. In some region, usually in coastal area they will also add cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom. The desiccated coconut is not a key ingredients in rendang. In region where I came from in West Sumatra, we do not use it. The grainy texture is actually the result of the caramelization of the ingredients paste and the coconut milk that was ‘deep fried’ within the oil that come from the coconut milk during the very long cooking time (6-8 hours).

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Vito, thank you very much, appreciate your support. I’m a huge fan of jengkol curry as well. Thank you for the help with the descriptions, I will get that corrected and updated now. Thank you!

    • Vito

      8 years ago

      No prolem mark. What is jengkol called in Thailand? Is it available all over Thailand? I’ve been living here in Chiang Mai for the last 4 years and I never saw it in the markets here. Reading you post made me crave for Jengkel Balado now! 😉

    • Alvin

      8 years ago

      Hi Mark, i just read your blog yesterday and i’m already in love with your blog. Keep exploring, you’ll find more interesting things.
      in your next trip to Indonesia i hope you try rujak ( fruit salad with sweet-spicy sauce), lontong ( vegetable curry rice cake ), many kind of desserts. They’re awesome ! 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Alvin, thank you very much for reading!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Vito, in Thai it’s called “luk ngiang”. It’s very common in southern Thailand and certain areas in Bangkok, but I’m not so sure about northern Thailand. Hope you can find some!

  • Nurul

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, this is a fabulous list. You made me a bit homesick with your list! I have one comment about nasi liwet Jawa (no.20). So there are two types of nasi liwet: the one originally from Sunda (Western Java), which is steamed rice mixed with lemongrass, garlic, and salted dried fish, then served with sambal. I never had any Sundanese nasi liwet at the restaurant, my husband makes that for us 🙂 But I searched the internet and there are some places that serve nasi liwt Sunda: Saung Liwet Pak Asep Strawberry (this is outside Bandung, about 5-6 hours driving from Jakarta). The other version is nasi liwet Solo, from Central Java. With the Solo style, rice is cooked with coconut milk instead of water, mixed with salam (basil) leaves, lemongrass, galangal. The most well known nasi liwet in Solo is Bu Wongso Lemu (though personally the last time I was there, I thought it became overprice 🙂 Anyway, great job! I enjooy your blog, not only the Indonesian food but also food from other countries.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Nurul, great to hear from you, thank you very much. I appreciate you sharing about the different types of Nasi Liwet. I haven’t had a chance to try Nasi Liwet Solo yet, but I can’t wait to try it.

  • Mila

    8 years ago

    Wow, that’s amazing Mark. My favourite food is in there too (actually, I love all of them except no.30, but my favourite is its cousin (no.30)). I grew up eating these foods, and now I’m trying to cook some of these dishes for my family. Love all of your articles, I shared it with my friends and they loved it too. Thank you

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Mila, great to hear from you, thank you very much!

  • connie

    8 years ago

    Love all publication of international foods. Your information whether it was for foods or traveling location information just amazingly intrigued. I greatly appreciated for sharing those information to us as we called it “Eater Lover” or “Traveling Lover”, you have given an excellent way for people who has never been eating different varieties of foods as well as their ethnic cultures.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Connie, thank you very much, I’m liking the “Eater Lover!”

  • Arina

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, you can find the best nasi liwet in Solo, the origin where nasi liwet comes from.

    You can find best sate Padang and other Minang dish in Bukittinggi. Let me know if you want to travel to Bukittingi, West sumatera, I will bring you to places where you can taste best minang dish 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Arina, thank you very much, and I appreciate the offer. I would love to visit Bukittingi in the future.

  • Hasto

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark… You should go to Bandung and visit Warung Nasi Bu Eha. It is located in the centre of Pasar Cihapit (Tradisional market on Jalan Cihapit). There you will find Rendang Otak (Brain Rendang). I guarantee that you will be blown away…

  • Eddy

    8 years ago

    Thank you Mark, I love Indonesian foods too????????????????

  • Rinaldi

    8 years ago

    Reading your blog make me hungry 🙂
    You must try Lontong Sayur next time You visit Jakarta

  • Raymond Reynaldi

    8 years ago

    You should go to Bandung, Indonesia (about 2 hours from Jakarta). They have lots of great food there. Bandung is probably the go to destination for culinary and shopping. Plus nice weather.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Raymond, thank you very much. I wasn’t able to make it on this trip, but I would love to visit in the future.

  • JFK

    8 years ago

    Terima kasih. It’s Thank You in Indoenesia, Terima (= accept) Kasih (= love or to give) so literally it means means we accept the love that you give. It’s an honour to read and watch all of your writing and videos.
    Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world, with 17,000 islands, so it is understandable if someone or even an Indonesian never taste their owns cuisines from our other islands, especially in here I can only find Sulawesi’s cuisine as a representative from eastern part of Indonesia. Here’s what I can recommend to you that I don’t find on your lists some delicious foods from Sulawesi, Papua and Maluku islands = Papeda Ikan Kuah Kuning (Sagoo with Yellow fish soup), Udang selingkuh (Cheating’s shrimp, a shrimp with crab’s clamp grilled or boiled cooked), Ulat sagu (Sagoo’s worm), Es Pisang Ijo (Green banana ice shaved), Klaapertaart (Coconuts tart pudding, a Dutch inspired dessert), Gohu or Papaya Tono (Soaked chili Papaya) and many more 🙂

    I can see you love sambal so much and what’s your secret to stay healthy with all those delicious foods? And please, make a video review of your wife tasting food also.. we wanna know her opinions, looks like she enjoyed the food like you do.
    I hope you enjoyed your stay in Indonesia, and will be visiting Indonesia more often. Wish you all the best and God bless.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey JFK, thank you very much for the kind words and support, and for your food recommendation. Visiting Sulawesi is very high on my list, I can’t wait to go there are sample much more food. Thank you!

  • Lili

    8 years ago

    Hi…
    Very good article and recommendation
    I was surprised that you like stinky beans because although I’m Indonesian I don’t really like the smell.

    anyway for the restaurant which sells nasi liwet, maybe you can try Kampung Daun resto in Bandung. But I don’t know whether it will meet your standard because I believe that the best nasi liwet is the homemade one with the very traditional process to make it.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Lili, thank you very much for the recommendation. I would love to visit Bandung in the future.

  • Lily Joeliani

    8 years ago

    The version of nasi liwet that you mentioned here, is a version from West Java. I don’t know where to eat this version in Jakarta, but they are plenty in Bandung, the capital city of West Java. Recommended venues would be at Bumbu Desa restaurant or Bancakan restaurant in Bandung.
    Another version of nasi liwet, which is not less popular, if not more, is nasi liwet a la Solo (a city in Central Java) . Similarly, the rice is cooked with coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, bay leaves. Now here comes the difference: it is eaten with hand-shredded chicken that has been cooked with coconut milk, eggs (both whole and steamed “omelettes), thick coconut milk “jelly”, and a kind of green papaya or chayote gulai. The whole dish is served over triangular banana leaf “plate”, and eaten with banana leaf “spoon”. Very unique and yummy! This dish can be found all over Solo, but probably the most popular would be at Wongso Lemu, Keprabon, Solo.

    Speaking of West Java cuisine, you will also need to try nasi tutug oncom, which is usually served with gepuk (braised and deep-fried beef), sambal, raw vegetables. Oncom is a kind of tempeh made of fermented peanut, very typical West Java delicacy. So steamed rice would be mixed with crumbled oncom that has been cooked with sambal and lemon basil. Yummy!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Lily, great to hear from you, thank you very much for explaining more about Nasi Liwet. I didn’t have a chance to try Nasi Liwet Solo, but from your description and from some photos I’ve seen, it looks incredible. Thank you for all the recommendations!

  • Pascal

    8 years ago

    Wow, what a great guide! You can really tell you have put a lot of effort into it. I’m a fan of your work Mark!

  • Christobel Travel

    8 years ago

    Wow this is very impressive. I am inspired to try out different foods when I travel. Thanks to you ????

  • nui acain

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, thank you so much for Indonesian foods presentation. I like Rendang and Manado dish.
    Hope you have a good day yourself too.

  • Paul

    8 years ago

    If you go to Sidoarjo (near Surabaya), East Java, you’ll find a unique dish called “bandeng asap” (smoked milkfish). Be careful when you eat the fish, because it has a lot of small bones.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Paul, thank you for the recommendation. That sounds delicious.

  • Stephanie

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark!

    I had Nasi Liwet (#20) in Solo and from what i’ve heard, this is where this meal is from. There is a whole street there packed with tiny family restaurants serving Nasi Liwet almost 24/7. Nice place by the way, very friendly people. If you need any help going to Solo one day, I know a local guy who’s been more than awesome with us, very proud of his city and he love to take travellers around, and with him we had some delicious food we wouldn’t have found by ourselves. He’s not a tour guide, but a “friend in Solo” as he calls himself! Anyway, you might have many people offering you contacts…if you need, I can give you his email.

    Always a pleasure to follow you!
    Thanks!

    Stephanie, Québec, Canada

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Stephanie, great to hear from you, thank you very much for sharing about Solo. I would love to visit there in the future, thank you for the recommendation!

  • megan rapp

    8 years ago

    Just saw YouTube video of sate love your books and travel blogs
    You should do more of what Ying thinks of the food too.

  • Mariko

    8 years ago

    Please come to Malaysiaaa! The food here is amazing

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Mariko, I love the food in Malaysia as well!

  • ardian

    8 years ago

    my favourite is definitely bakso, and bakmi ayam
    for dessert i like martabak the most

  • Armand

    8 years ago

    Very well written, Mark. I am an Indonesian currently living in Oman and this post of yours really got me drooling…. Keep up the good work!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Armand, thank you very much, appreciate your support!

  • Dhira Nandiwardhana

    8 years ago

    i love watching you talking the “good side” of Indonesian food 😀

    there’re many Indonesian food you haven’t try yet (maybe)
    thank you so much for trying Indonesian food. Thank you ^_^

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dhira, thank you very much. Yes, so many dishes I have yet to try. I would love to try more!

  • cynthia

    8 years ago

    Hai mark.
    i am a big fans of you since a few years ago. I am happy as an Indonesian that you love our food.

    If you ever come back to Indonesia later especially Jakarta, please make sure to check out
    – Mie Kangkung at Glodok, petak sembilan.
    – Kwetiaw Sapi Siram, the one that famous was at kwetiau sapi achai or kwetiaw sapi mangga besar
    – Pindang Bandeng
    – Nasi Ulam, infront of Toa Se Bio temple at Perak Sembilan, Glodok
    – Empal Gentong
    – Martabak Telor
    – Soto Mie Lautze
    – Sekba ( a pork stew, typical chinese dish with made with a lot of pork meat and intestines and a sweet soy sauce base broth)

    or just simply visiting my house and my mom and grand ma would serving you a gull feast chinese indonesian meal.

    Thank you for always making a great tasty video. Hope to meet you one day mark. and also send my greeting to your wife as well. have a nice day.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Cynthia, thank you very much, and I appreciate these delicious food suggestions, and especially the invitation to your house. That would be amazing. I will let you know if I come back to Jakarta!

  • dito

    8 years ago

    hi Mark!, i love on how you ate those indonesian food!, if you had a plan to go to Yogyakarta (city in central Java, Indonesia), i would like to accompany & guide you to taste the food in Yogya (which is amazing), just contact me through my email!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dito, thank you very much, I will let you know if I can come to Yogya in the future.

  • Ian Arisoni

    8 years ago

    Hi, big fan of your works!

    One of the best nasi liwet i’ve ever had is in Solo (Surakarta), called Nasi Liwet Bu Wongso Lemu (Translation: Nasi Liwet by Chubby Mrs. Wongso :))))) ). You should try it if you happen to be in Solo.

    Cheers!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Ian, thank you for the recommendation, that sounds amazing!

  • Cid

    8 years ago

    Mark dearest, thanks for the opportunity! All plates and food look tastelful, amazing and …. strange!! VERY strange! Hugs, my friend!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you for reading Cid, hope you’re doing well!

  • dhany yudianto

    8 years ago

    first of all, i like your presentation for this 50 indonesian food, and thank you for visiting jakarta and making this amazing food guide to eat at jakarta. as a citizen of jakarta, you already made a wonderful choice of food. i believe that you already write a true representative all time favourite food. from breakfast to dinner and also some kind of snack. i hope you really had a great time visiting jakarta and having a wonderful food adventure.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Dyany, thank you very much for your kind words. I had an amazing time in Jakarta, I really enjoyed the food and the people.

  • eka

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, I really enjoy watched your food experiences in Indonesia. Thank you for promoting our cuisine through your channel. About nasi liwet, I think it’s more likely Sundanese style rice, as I know it when I live in Bandung Jawa Barat. Although it’s very easy to cook, usually i just put the ingredients and spices on top of rice on rice cooker and let it cook, but i must say Asep Strawberry restaurant in Garut served best nasi liwet i’ve ever had, along with their special strawberry sambal, i know, strawberry is not a common thing to add on our sambal but believe me it was beyond my expectation.
    It’s not easy for me to answer what is my favorite indonesian dish but recently i really enjoy eating Tongseng , similar to meat gule/gulai with more pungent spices served with hot soup, tongseng originally comes from Surakarta, a small town in Central Java.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      HI Eka, great to hear from you and thank you for the recommendation. Wow, strawberry sambal sound very interesting, I’d love to try that!

  • Eric Despres

    8 years ago

    thanks again for your wonderfull power of transmission
    traveling for me has always been ”peoples and foods” to discover

    and you do it by excellence

    Eric

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you very much Eric, that’s a great way to put it – I think the reason food is so important is because it’s about people.

  • Bud Miller

    8 years ago

    Mark .. A very lovely and ambitious project. I particularly liked the conversion to U.S. dollars … that gives all of us who are not familiar with Indonesian currency … some idea of what things cost. I noticed one error … you used “know ” instead of “known” in one of your descriptions. An easy oversight. You might want to have someone proof read the entire text for you. Thanks for your efforts and sharing it with us. Bud Miller

    To be specific about the typos … The first one is in item 8. where you refer to “Smalls country duck”… perhaps you meant “small country ducks”.

    The second is in item 24. second paragraph where you refer to “Padang food is know (should be known) for being flavored … etc.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Bud, thank you very much for reading, and for pointing out the typos. Yah, I think I stare at the computer for so long, and sometimes I just brush right over them. I’ll get them changed and updated now.

  • Stella

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark and Ying…. Love watching your vlog, especially Indonesian food. I’m super familiar with manado food and the manado food that you ate was not very legit. Next time you found yourself in Jakarta again, please try Andy Watung manado restoran. it’s authentic manado food, super spicy, you’ll love it. Looking forward for new vlog.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Stella, thank you very much, and I appreciate the Manado food recommendation. I think both Manado and Makassar food are the two cuisines that I really want to experience more of.

    • Stella

      8 years ago

      Manado food is awesome…I am from manado descend and grew up eating manado food from my grandma kitchen…..Super spicy with lots of fresh herb… Whenever you find yourself in Southern California, there’s an awesome pop up manado food gathering that’s will leave you wanting more and more. It’s sooooo good.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Stell, awesome to hear there’s a Manado food pop-up in California, that sounds great!

  • danny

    8 years ago

    good food

  • Viviana

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark!

    My name Viviana. I’m from Bandung, Indonesia, but I’m currently studying in the US as an undergraduate. I watch a lot of your videos and got really excited when you were trying food from my country. I just wish you can visit again and try more delicious food. If you ever do, I would recommend trying Ikan Balado, Ubi and Baso Goreng, Cakue/Cakwe, Cireng, Kue Ape, Kue Leker, Kue Cubit Setengah Mateng (Half-Cooked), Es Cendol, Kolak, Kupat Tahu, Martabak Telor, Nasi Kuning, Nasi Rames, Sop Buah, Bihun Kuah, Yamien Manis and Asin, Lemper Ayam and soooo many other yummy food that I miss so much now that I’m away from home. Anyway, I’m so glad you visited beautiful Indonesia and you seemed to have enjoyed yourself there. Keep traveling and blogging mouthwatering food! ^^

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Viviana, nice to hear from you. Thank you very much for all your food recommendations, they all sound delicious. Thank you!

  • Carolina

    8 years ago

    I was surprised you didn’t put avocado shake on the list 🙂
    If you love seafood, you should try eating at Bandar Jakarta. All the seafoods are fresh because it’s located near the sea. I find it more expensive than any other places but the freshness of the seafoods and the views are amazing 🙂
    and if you love sambal so much, there is a manado dish you haven’t mentioned. It’s called sambal roa. It’s made of roa (fish from north sulawesi) with sambal. It is one of my fav dish 🙂
    I like watching your videos!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Carolina, oh yah, that avocado shake was incredible. Thank you for the recommendation for Bandar Jakarta and also for the sambal, that sounds incredible.

  • Bud Miller

    8 years ago

    Mark .. A very lovely and ambitious project. I particularly liked the conversion to U.S. dollars … that gives all of us who are not familiar with Indonesian currency … some idea of what things cost. I noticed one error … you used “know ” instead of “known” in one of your descriptions. An easy oversight. You might want to have someone proof read the entire text for you. Thanks for your efforts and sharing it with us. Bud Miller

  • Desi Sachiko

    8 years ago

    I’ve never found delicious sate and bubur ayam here in Singapore! 🙁

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Desi, have you taken a trip to Indonesia?

  • Aditya

    8 years ago

    Wow! you’re officially Indonesian now.

  • Agus

    8 years ago

    Ah, you missed nasi liwet solo.

  • Steve Sparks

    8 years ago

    Mark you should try Bebek Bumbu w they sell it some Halal Manado Restos instead of the dog meat they use bebek or chicken,The spices and heardsa re cooked into the meat,There used to be a manado resto That used to sell it in Kelapa Gading,Bebek is the best if its coooked in a rica rica style,

    • Steve Sparks

      8 years ago

      Mark mean to put bebek bumbu RW

    • Steve Sparks

      8 years ago

      Mark you should try Bebek Bumbu RW they sell it some Halal Manado Restos instead of the dog meat they use bebek or chicken,The spices and hearbs are cooked into the meat,There used to be a Manado resto That sell it in a Manado resto Kelapa Gading,Bebek is the best if its coooked in a rica rica style,

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Steve, great, thank you for the recommendations.

  • Andre Puja Oktora

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, thank you for your visit and try our food right in Indonesia. As an Indonesian, I am proud with our food because they are rich in flavor and fresh. I absolutely would make your writing here for my reference for my friend who are come from other country. Great job!!!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Andre, thank you very much, we had an amazing time and fully enjoyed the food. Thank you for sharing!

  • Vikas Parmar

    8 years ago

    You take so delicious picture that its hard to resist those foods

  • Raymond Leong

    8 years ago

    Mark its amazing. Been to indon many times since my childhood days as my late dad was from indon ….surabaya…amd yet I probably know only half of the 50 dishes you mentioned. Yes I agree part of why it is so fragrant is the freshness of the ingredients etc.

    How you like petai is to me amazing because despite growing up in a peranakan heritage I still cant take that..its too pungent for me and even durians I can only take one or two bites as it is far too heaty for me.

    What I love most is probably the spiciness and the sambal that is mouth watering.
    Your guide put to shame for many of us who hardly even half of those dishes despite us growing up on this region. Although I have no real reason to fly to indon anymore I will make sure I try the dishes you have kindly and professionally brought to all of us.
    I bet the Indonesians are happy that you hav3 highlighted so well of their unique cuisine.
    For any tourists flying to indon and even those on business they will be spoilt for choice. Best of all they are inexpensive and gives the traveler a real perspective of their culture and heritage thru food.

    Well done Mark. Keep up the great work. God bless.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Raymond, thank you very much for sharing and for your kind words. Glad to hear you love sambal and all those fresh herbs and spices that go into Indonesian cooking. Thank you for your support.

  • Ronald Teguh Widodo

    8 years ago

    Dear Mark Wiens & Ying

    so many delicious Indonesian food you’ve had. But i think you double the list with few dishies that similar, like many type of fried fish.
    I implore you to taste and explore more indonesian food that unique and delicious, such as :
    1. Rujak Cingur : a selected boiled vegetables combined with tempe tahu and cingur (boiled cow nose) with petis sauce (similar with gado gado sauce but added with petis, a fermented fish/shrimp gel)
    2. Pisang Sale : preserved banana, until the texture is densed and it’s very sweet
    3. Various type of Soto : Soto madura, soto lamongan, soto Lombok , soto Kudus, etc
    that’s kind of soto with many ingredients from chicken to organs and many flavour dimension
    4. Jenang Madura : a bowl of dessert contains black sticky rice, mung beans, tapioca porridge, sagoo pearl dreched in coconut milk and palm sugar sauce
    5. Bakso Malang : similar to your meatball, but with many tipes of ingredients, from fully grined meatball, half grined, shumai, fried shumai, filled tofu, fried meatball, and many more. you can find it particularly in my hometown, Malang

    I hope someday you can taste this unique and delightful Indonesian dishes.

    warm regards

    Ronald
    Mr. Omnivora

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Ronald, very nice to hear from you, thank you for your help with these dish recommendations. I would love to try Bakso Malang style, that sounds fantastic.

    • Ronald Teguh Widodo

      8 years ago

      Just let me know if you visit Indonesia again, particularly at Malang , East Java region. I’ll take you to various place that have signature dishes in my hometown. Best wishes for you & your wife.

      regards
      Mr. Omnivora

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you very much!

  • Brandon @ TheYogaNomads

    8 years ago

    Mark Wiens strikes again! This one is making me reconsider Indonesian food. I spent 2 months in Indonesia (Bali/Lombok) and I thought the food was ok but didn’t come across diversity you showcased here!

    I’ll have to spend time in Jakarta so I can explore the various regions specialties!

  • Faikar Widjanarko

    8 years ago

    Hello Mark,
    I really enjoyed reading your food guide! As an Indonesian I take the food we have here most of the time for granted, but after reading and watching your food reviews of Indonesian dishes I’ve become more appreciative of the diversity of dishes my country has to offer. I’m glad you enjoyed a lot of the food here since I guess Indonesia does have a lot to offer for those who have a palate for spices. I hope you also enjoyed your stay in Indonesia!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Faikar, thank you very much for sharing. I do the same thing sometimes in a place that I live or where I stay for too long. Indonesia truly is an amazing and diverse country with so much complex and wonderful food. I had an amazing time!

  • Arief

    8 years ago

    Sate buntel: Minced mutton/goat wrapped with its fat and skin its a must try dish. Mostly you can find them on Solo/Surakarta

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Arief, that sounds amazing, thanks for the recommendation.

  • anastasia

    8 years ago

    I’m Indonesian and I must say that your review of Indonesian food is awesome! Great stuff. All are good. Well, except no.49 for me 😛
    Jengkol (not djenkol) is my favorite 🙂 although you would potentially flush the toilet for many times to get rid of the distinctive aroma.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Anastasia, thank you very much, glad you like this entire list of food. In Indonesian is the spelling typically “jengkol”? I will get that switched over. Thanks!

    • David Gurning

      8 years ago

      Next time if you want to eat Padang food, I reccomend “Rumah Makan Sederhana” There’s a lot of these around the country, except in Padang itself, weird isn’t it? NEVER forget to eat their satay. You’ll love it!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi David, thank you for the recommendation!

  • Endra Granasamsa

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, thank you for publishing this Indonesian food guide, amazingly you covers almost every Indonesian famous dishes. As you’ve said that thousands of Indonesian food which indeed I agreed, just by looking at the pictures you’ve posted, i’ve drooled a lot!! I am a sundanese living overseas, I appreciate you’ve put all my favourite Sundanese dishes, However at dish number 20, you’ve wrote Nasi Liwet (Javanese Rice), it’s actually Sundanese Rice. Great job!!

  • Alle

    8 years ago

    good job mark.. i really enjoyed your channel in youtube.. 🙂

  • Wemphy Hanafi

    8 years ago

    Well done Mark! You’ve summarized Indonesian food like you’re born there. Perfect!

  • Paul Schneider

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    Love your blog and even more your vlog on you tube. I can watch for hours and truly enjoy your trademark enjoyment body language, haha.

    I will read your indo dish write up in much more detail. On quick glance I didn’t see satay sotong which has to be my favourite nasi padang dish. I fell in love with it when I lived there for 6 months. They also stuff the bidy of the sotong and it soaks up all the curry satay flavours! You definitely have to try next time!!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Paul, great to hear from you, thank you very much for watching the videos and reading this guide. Thank you for the recommendation for sate sotong, that sounds incredible. I’d love to try it next trip!

  • Ferdi Ang

    8 years ago

    Amazing!! This must be the most the comprehensive Indonesian food review by non-Indonesian. Two thumbs up for able to tracked down those amazing places. I hope you enjoyed the foods and hospitality of Indonesian in your trip. Keep posting food videos from around the world

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Ferdi, thank you very much, appreciate it!

    • jocelin

      8 years ago

      well done, comprehensive list!!
      i definitely enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading your thoughts on each dish. i’m indonesian and i havent even had a couple of the things on your list. looks like you really made the most of your trip 🙂

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you very much Jocelin!

  • kokim

    8 years ago

    thanks for visit indonesia , Mark

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Kokim, no problem, I enjoy it very much!

  • Tony Santi

    8 years ago

    I’ve never had Indonesian food before. This guide makes me want to step out of my comfort zone and explore…

    Thank you,

    Tony

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Tony, great to hear that, I think you’ll enjoy Indonesian food!

  • Jeffry Kurniawan

    8 years ago

    Absolutely amazing detailed-guide Mark.
    I love all about your review, you have such a good palate, you also have a very good knowledge about the food you eaten.
    Your pronounciation was very clear, definitely one of the best i’ve ever heard (including when you pronounce name of the food).
    And most importantly is your passion about food that reflected in your expression after eating the food that amazes me.
    Thank you for visiting and trying Indonesian food.
    I wish best for you and Ying.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Jeffry, great to hear from you, thank you very much for your support, appreciate you reading and watching the videos!

  • Mary Y. Leo

    8 years ago

    I am glad this type of resource is available for this many different countries that you are providing, it makes it easier to learn about them.

  • Lana

    8 years ago

    actually I’m indonesian. i like “Soto Ayam Pak Sadi” or Chicken Soto Mr. Sadi
    “Es Podeng” which es is ice, podeng is pudding (in this term they used agar).
    you should try indonesian toast bread or “Roti Bakar” . i hope you cand find it while you in Jakarta.

    ps. I’m from surabaya, the town that you can find “rujak cingur” and “nasi pecel”

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Lana, great to hear from you, thank you for sharing your favorite Indonesian dish. I would love to visit Surabaya on my next trip to Indonesia.

    • Aruna

      8 years ago

      Hi Mark, next time visiting Indonesia, I would suggest Surabaya and Mataram as your destination. Mataram’s food is hot & spicy, but you’re going to need local guide to find the places. Surabaya’s food also taste good.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Aruna, thank you very much, I’m hoping to visit both places in the future, especially if they’re known for spicy food.

  • Arran Gilligan

    8 years ago

    Absolutely Beautiful Photography Mark i love your blog! 😀 awwyeah

  • Stanz

    8 years ago

    Thank you for coming to Indonesia, Mark and Ying! I hope you could visit Indonesia again in the near future to taste more Indonesian traditional dishes Kambing Guling (traditional spit roasted goat), Pecak Gurame (Betawi style spicy gourami fish stew), Mie Aceh (Acehnese traditional noodle with curry broth), and Ayam Betutu (Balinese traditional roasted chicken).

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Stanz, thank you very much. I hope to come back again as well, what you’ve mentioned sounds delicious!

  • ezra

    8 years ago

    Nasi liwet is one of my favorite food, but if you ask where to find the best nasi liwet,you have to go tobsolo (central java) to find it,because those evening to midnight dishes can’t be reject during visit there,but for Jakarta area,Sate khas Sennayan have good nasi liwet

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Ezra, thank you very much for sharing and for your recommendations.

    • Rizal

      8 years ago

      Hi Mark,
      Nasi liwet you went to look super delicious, I watched it on you tube, and right away checked you blog, OMG it’s not restaurant that home cook you went to…. Nasi liwet banana leaf, good looking sambal 🙂 wow,…. any one recommend where to eat?

  • Haydn Fairclough

    8 years ago

    Can’t argue with your list except that the best dish we had was Bebek Panggang with a side salad of pineapple and mango with mint. I love Sate and Nasi Campur and my girlfriend fell in love with Nasi Goreng but the duck was king. It comes in other meats but with duck it was divine. i cooked it at home a couple of times now. love your work. thank you

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Haydn, thank you very much for sharing, is that a type of grilled duck? I had pork panggang, but I would love to try the duck version. That sounds delicious!

  • Rangga

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark,

    thanks for the review, it’s very helpful.

    Just a brief correction which is “Sate Kambing (usually goat sate)”, kambing is goat so, sate kambing is goat sate. There are famous sate here: sate ayam, sate kambing, sate Padang (beef), and sate Bali (sate lilit) that you should try 🙂

    Terima kasih

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Rangga, thank you very much for the help, will change that. I had Sate Padang as well, and I absolutely loved it!

  • Sc

    8 years ago

    I agree to most of them. I like to add that the dry version of oxtail is also very good. I actually prefer it compare to the soup version

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you Sc, I would love to try the dry version of oxtail in Indonesia.

  • irfan hilmi

    8 years ago

    Hi!!

    I stumbled upon your website when i was walking around the facebook. I’m really impressed with your detailed description on indonesian foods, really describe its deliciousness as i feel hungry while i was scrolling down your website!

    Next time you’re back to try indonesian food, make sure you also try its cake (called kue basah) or snack (called kue kering), also their drinks. Indonesia has a lot of ice depending on where it’s originated. (Maybe you already know this~)

    Aside jakarta, bandung is also a good place for cullinary as it’s well-known to be creative with their foods.

    Hopefully, you keep healthy and blessed all the time so you can always go anywhere on your quest for delicacies~

    Cheers!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Irfan, nice to hear from you, thank you very much for reading this Indonesian food guide and for your recommendation. I had one juice called Es kelapa kopyor, which was amazing. I would love to visit Bandung on my next trip to Indonesia. Thank you!

  • Melody utomo putri

    8 years ago

    Oh you should try bebek presto and bandeng presto from restaurant ayam presto ny.nita… So good!

  • Melody utomo putri

    8 years ago

    Hi…. If you love seafood … You should try restaurant sedap malam in jakarta… Dont forget to order sambal cobek! Kerang kepa saus tauco… Udang goreng bawang putih and kepiting lada hitam (crab).. Yummm

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Meloday, awesome, thank you for the recommendation, sounds amazing!

  • agung pamungkas

    8 years ago

    hi mark, actually pecel lele is not only fried catfish. lele means catfish, and pecel means mix vegetable with peanut sauce, but the sauce is different with sauce in satay, pecel originally from madiun, east java, indonesia. hope u try nasi pecel, we usually ate it in every morning.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Agung, thank you very much for reading and for the extra information about pecel. I would love to try nasi pecel on my next trip to Indonesia.

  • wahyu

    8 years ago

    in my opinion you are more Indonesian than an average Indonesian food blogger. that because you can explore and expose a real cuisine of Indonesia. some blogger just review cafe with western or other country they just want a fancy food.

    next time you can try eat a snack from Indonesia, they ussualy call it “jajanan pasar” all of that is awesome

    • Kris Adrianto

      8 years ago

      Well, this exactly what comes in to my mind right now… You are more Indonesian than other average Indonesian food blogger, Mark..

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Wahyu, thank you for your kind comment and for the snack recommendation. I would love to try that next time I’m in Indonesia.

  • Kris Adrianto

    8 years ago

    Thank you Mark for visiting Jakarta and promoting Indonesian food to the world!
    I think this list is just a starter for food guide in Indonesia, since every region in Indonesia has many different food and all of them are really delicious!
    I really appreciate that you put “Rawon” into this list, this black soup from East Java is very delicious and tasty.. Well, you should visit Surabaya (capital city of East Java) next time and try Rujak Cingur, it’s similar with Gado-Gado but Rujak Cingur has cow’s mouth (In Javanese, Cingur means mouth).
    I really agree with you that Sambal is a reflection how diverse Indonesia and its food are. And it’s nice to see you enjoy the Sambal on every video you uploaded.
    Please come again to Indonesia, and next time you should visit other cities as well, including Surabaya, Bandung, Jogja, Medan, Denpasar, etc
    Thanks Mark!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Kris, thank you very much, we had an amazing time eating in Jakarta. Definitely agree, there’s so much and such a diversity of different Indonesian foods – this list is just a beginning. I would love to visit Surabaya on my next trip to Indonesia.

    • Holi

      8 years ago

      You should visit Makassar, South Sulawesi! 🙂 There are more than just Coto Makassar and Sop Konro. There are a lot of other dishes you should try, such as Songkolo Bagadang, Kapurung, Barobbo, Palubasa, Palumara, Pisang Ijo, Pisang Epe, Gogos, and many more.

    • Margareta

      8 years ago

      Hi Mark, if you go to Surabaya later you should try Soto Ambengan in Jl Ambengan Surabaya, it’s an East Javanese style soto and here in Surabaya there 2 most popular soto restaurants, Soto Ambengan in the central part of the city and Soto Cak Har in the eastern part. My personal favourite is Soto Ambengan, they have better koya powder (which on the table and you can take as much as you can) to go with it. Surabaya also had Wok restaurant that serves nasi goreng, mie goreng and Chinese dishes, my friends who used to travels said he never find Wok in other cities. Wok sells nasi goreng and mie goreng in restaurant standard (they are in high class malls such as Tunjungan Plaza) with big portion (you can order one portion for 3, if you order one for two you’ll be very full) but cheap price (about IDR30,000 depending on the variation that you order). Also there are 2 noodles restaurants in Pasar Atum (some sort of old China town mall) is unforgettable for me, very greasy but delicious. I don’t think nasi campur in your review is the one I know though. I’m a Surabayan and nasi campur for me is a bit of between nasi liwet and nasi padang or some kind. It’s rice with a variety of deep fries (ayam goreng of any kind, shrimp, etc) or curries (curried shrimp, etc), coconut powder (the essential part of it) or you can add flavoured squid, dried rendang, Balinese egg, ayam kuning (some kind of chicken flavoured in yellow herbs) etc. Also try rujak manis/rujak buah they are good for dessert. Also some food stalls that sells bebek goreng here have coconut powder (which I really really loved). Surabaya also has Sup Kikil and Lontong Balap for it’s local dish, my mother really liked Lontong Balap, but I’m not really into it, I liked Kikil (cow’s leg) though, especially if it’s curried in the Nasi Padang restaurants here. And also Rangin, Brem (the hard fermented tape bar), Jenang, Lapis Legit, Kue Lapis, Putu, Lupis, Klepon for sweet snacks. Klepon is very recommended, I know that you said you’re not into sweets, but Klepon is very huge in Waru (about an hour south of central Surabaya), you can find people selling it along the street in a very long line of road. It’s like a sticky ball with melted Javanese sugar inside that blows in your mouth and you eat it with raw grated coconut. Putu is about the same it’s just Putu has a long shaped and cooked differently.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Margareta, wow, this is extremely useful, thank you for all your kind recommendations. I have to start planning a trip to Surabaya!

    • eriana

      8 years ago

      Dont Forget ^ very traditional food – NasiPecel (PeanutSauce) – NasiTumpang (Mysterious ^^) -Nasi Kuning – NasiGurih (2 version Salam/Santan) – OPOR (Grilled / Soup) – YoungBamboe – Madumongso – Seasame Ball – IcePandan (VeryRecm) – PanacotaPandan (nt traditional) – White coffe – Kreco(sate/soup) – NasiBamboe – RotiGARUT – NogoSari – Rawon (Black/Gold) – LeLeBumbuRujak – Kupang – KopiLuwak – AyamKremes/Kruispy – Nasi jagung(Recm) – Bandeng Presto

    • sherly

      8 years ago

      don’t forget Mi Ujung Pandang. But it’s a non halal food.

  • Azmi

    8 years ago

    buy some “keripik singkong maicih lv 10” at indomaret,you can taste hell

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thanks for the recommendation Azmi

    • Jason

      8 years ago

      And Indomie Goreng

  • Fried Dutchee

    8 years ago

    Indonesian food is defnitely one of my favorite cuisines. Phenomenol looking food photos here Mark and great guide. I am absolutely salavating here 🙂 I love sambal and petai beans like mad too.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you very much, awesome to hear you love petai and sambal too, two of the greatest things to eat!

  • Risa Farah Fawziah

    8 years ago

    Hi, Mark!

    Warm greeting from Indonesia 🙂 I’m so excited reading your 50 best Indonesian dishes from your visit to Jakarta. Although I know most of the food you review (except the ones with pork in it, i’m moslem), but i don’t where to find the recommended places in Jakarta. Definitely gonna try all of them! Thank you 🙂 I’ll be looking forward for your other food reviews throughout the globe

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Risa, great to hear form you, thank you very. Glad this guide is helpful!

  • Rick

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, I am an Indonesian so I’m glad that you put your time to write all these list! Good list!
    Now I want to hear your opinion, for you is Indonesian food more delicious than Malaysia/Singaporean food, especially for the same dishes? For example, Ikan bakar, Mie goreng etc?
    I want honest answer hehe.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Rick, thank you very much, appreciate you reading this guide. That’s a pretty tough question, but for me personally it all just depends on the dish. I can say that the sate (satay) I had in Indonesia is the best. For ikan bakar, I love it in both Indonesia and Malaysia. I love food from the entire region of this world!

    • Hendra Tanuwijaya

      8 years ago

      I Think you love padang taste better than every meal u ever taste in jakarta. is that right? just my opinion. because you have so much history with nasi padang. LOL. correct me if i’m wrong. but for all food in the world, i think you love kobe beef and musang king durian.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Hendra, you are right about that, for me it’s hard to get better than rice and spicy curry dishes, like Nasi Padang. But Manado food was also particular amazing. Haha, you’re good!

    • Yoga

      8 years ago

      watched your food vlog at 2.47 am and yes it make me realllyy hungryyyy. great video, keep it up. and yap you get new subscriber here 🙂

  • Akshay

    8 years ago

    Absolutely perfect guide for Indonesian food..very informative..

  • Ebi

    8 years ago

    Thanks so much for your hard trying to get people aware of how food are in other countries.
    Specially Poor people! who unable, who couldnt effort travel expendeture
    I hope, one day you will come to Iran – south of Iran
    Here you would find extraordinary food!!!
    Let me know when you’ve decided to come..
    Thankyou…

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Ebi, thank you very much for your support. I would love to visit Iran in the future, the food looks amazing!

    • خانم گل

      3 years ago

      oor people! who unable, who couldnt effort travel expendeture
      I hope, one day you will come to Iran – south of Iran
      Here you would find extraordinary food!!!

    • نهالستان

      7 months ago

      Buy seedlings from the nursery

    • Stephanie

      8 years ago

      Thank you for coming to indonesia and tell the world how diverse our food are. There are so many traditional food from indonesia, however it makes us dont have the very signature dish of indonesia. The dish that makes people think “oh thats must be indo’s food”. like the world must know kimchee from korea or sushi from japan. The one dish that carries indonesia’s food identity. 🙁 i hope your blog will let the world know our country