Try the local cuisine – Indonesian Food
Eating out is an integral part of life in Indonesia, for expats and Indonesians alike. While middle and upper class residents of Jakarta may spend their leisure time trying out the many international restaurants … the working class also have their favorite dining experiences. As all over the world, dining out in Indonesia is a great way to get together with family, friends or business colleagues for a fun time!
Indonesian Restaurants
Restaurants featuring Indonesian cuisine can be found all over Jakarta and other urban centers. Many regional dishes are popular far from home – including spicy hot Padang food, delicious chicken from Kalasan in Central Java, grilled fish from Ujung Pandang and delicious Chinese seafood dishes. A good place in Jakarta to get a quick introduction to Indonesian cuisine would be at a mall food court. Jakarta’s newer malls have taken the food court concept upmarket considerably — modern food halls such as those found in Grand Indonesia, Pacific Place and Pondok Indah Mall offer air-conditioned, well-designed dining spaces where you can sample a wide range of Indonesian and regional Asian cuisine in comfortable surroundings. These are an excellent first stop for newly arrived expats who want to explore local food in a familiar, accessible setting. Here, you can actually see the various dishes being prepared and sample different specialties until you discover your favorites.
Popular and widely used foodie apps include GoFood (delivery, within the Gojek app), GrabFood (delivery), ShopeeFood (delivery), Chope (restaurant reservations and reviews), Pergikuliner (reviews and recommendations), and Traveloka Eats (restaurant recommendations and food orders).
Restaurant Delivery Services
Several enterprising firms have addressed the difficulties Jakartans find in dealing with traffic jams to get a meal from their favorite restaurant.
Download the app of the delivery service that you want to use — such as Gojek or Grab — then login and select the food delivery service, then the restaurant and menu items and place your order. Phone apps facilitate the ordering process and are much easier than calling your order in. ShopeeFood, operated through the Shopee app that most Jakarta residents already use for online shopping, has grown rapidly and is now one of the most competitive delivery platforms in terms of promotions and discounts — worth having on your phone alongside Gojek and Grab.
Using a delivery service is an easy way to try out a lot of restaurants without the eternal hassle of Jakarta’s infamous traffic jams!
One practical note for newly arrived expats: Jakarta’s restaurant delivery scene now includes a large number of cloud kitchens — virtual restaurant brands that exist only for delivery, with no physical dining room. These are perfectly legitimate and many produce excellent food, but don’t be surprised if the address on your delivery receipt turns out to be a shared commercial kitchen rather than a restaurant you can walk into.
Digital Payments
Cash is still accepted almost everywhere in Jakarta, but the city has moved very rapidly toward cashless payment and newly arrived expats will want to get set up quickly. The national QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard) system means that a single QR code at a restaurant or warung can accept payment from any Indonesian e-wallet or mobile banking app — so once you have one app set up, you can pay almost anywhere.
The most widely used e-wallets are GoPay (linked to the Gojek app), OVO, and Dana. All major banks also offer tap-to-pay via debit and credit cards. Many mid-range and upmarket restaurants now strongly prefer digital payment, and a small number in trendy areas of South Jakarta have moved to cashless-only operations. It is worth carrying some cash as backup, particularly for warung, street food and smaller neighbourhood restaurants, but for everyday dining in malls and established restaurants, your phone is all you need.
International Cuisine
Part of the experience of living in any large metropolitan city around the world is the variety of international cuisine available to the residents of the city. In this respect, Jakarta is no exception as there are diverse international culinary delights for all to experience. If you come from a small town in your home country, this may be your first chance to try out exotic cuisine which you had never had access to before!
A partial list of cuisines available in Jakarta would include: American, Asian, Brazilian, British, Chinese, Deli, Dutch, European, French, Greek, Indian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lebanese, Mediterranean, Mexican, Nouvelle, Pizza, Seafood, Spanish, Steak Houses, Swiss, Thai, Turkish, Vegetarian, Vietnamese, Tex-Mex, western fast food and broad-menued international restaurants. Within most of these cuisines there are a good selection of restaurants, from cheap to expensive.
Better restaurants are concentrated in five-star hotels and in the Golden Triangle area where business people are regular customers, as well as in residential areas such as Kemang, Menteng and Kebayoran Baru. In recent years, Senopati and the surrounding streets in South Jakarta have emerged as one of the city’s most dynamic dining corridors, with a concentration of independent restaurants, wine bars and café-restaurants popular with both expats and younger upper-middle-class Indonesians. SCBD (Sudirman Central Business District) similarly has a strong concentration of upmarket international dining options within easy reach of the main business hotels.
Hotel Dining
Hotels offer a good selection of international and national fare. Major five-star hotels have several world-class restaurants each, with an international cuisine coffee shop and specialized national/international cuisine restaurants and theme bars. Lunch or dinner buffets are a great way to indulge your taste buds!
Wine and drinks tend to be expensive as alcohol is heavily taxed upon importation into Indonesia. Your drinks may cost you more than the food bill! It is worth noting that the availability of alcohol in Jakarta, while not restricted in licensed establishments, is subject to ongoing regulatory attention. Five-star hotels, established expat-friendly restaurants and reputable bottle shops remain reliable sources. If you are entertaining guests who do not drink alcohol, you will find that Indonesian non-alcoholic options — fresh juices, jamu-inspired drinks, and artisanal cold beverages — have improved enormously in recent years and are no longer an afterthought on most good menus.
Hotels often feature an expert chef brought in by their hotel chain or a foreign embassy for special food promotions which showcase national cuisine. These food festivals are a perfect opportunity to be introduced to the delicious cuisines of the world – without having to travel.
Prices in hotel restaurants tend to be higher than other restaurants. One reason is because the hotel chains are pressed to have comparative prices with other hotels in their chains and may find it hard to justify the low US dollar equivalent of their lavish food buffets and delicious meals to their regional management. If there are many imported food items in the buffet this will also justify the higher price.
Plus-plus
In most hotels and many established restaurants there will be a tax and service charge added to your bill. This is commonly referred to as “plus-plus”. As of January 2025, Indonesia’s VAT (PPN) rate increased to 12%, and with the standard 10% service charge, the combined addition is now 22% rather than the 21% that applied for many years previously. When looking at prices on a menu, always check whether they are quoted inclusive or exclusive of tax and service — the difference on a table of four at a good hotel restaurant can be significant.
Tips
If the restaurant doesn’t automatically charge the tax and service, an appropriate tip may be in order. This is usually not calculated on a percentage basis, but a reasonable amount for a table of two at a mid-range restaurant would typically be in the range of Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000, and proportionally more for a larger table or a more upmarket venue. As with anywhere, the quality of service and your own generosity are the best guides. The amount depends on the type of restaurant, the number of diners, your generosity, and the total amount of the bill.
There may be more than one waiter attending your table and the person who brings you the bill may not be the one that waited on you. The person that clears the table may be different again. So, instead of leaving money on the table or including extra with the payment … you may choose to hand the money directly to the waiter/waitress to be sure it gets to him/her. If you are paying by e-wallet or card, which is increasingly common, tipping in cash separately remains the most reliable way to ensure the tip reaches your server directly. More info on tipping
Corkage Fees
Many better restaurants in Jakarta allow their patrons to bring a bottle of wine from home and will only charge a corkage fee. With the high costs of quality wine in Jakarta, this service is welcome! Corkage fees vary considerably by restaurant and have generally risen — expect a range of approximately Rp 150,000 to Rp 750,000 per bottle at most establishments, with some premium venues charging more. Be sure you agree on a price BEFORE the wine steward opens the bottle. The restaurant management may be amenable to reducing the corkage fee, if you are good at bargaining! Members of the Wine and Spirits Circle get free corkage in many restaurants.
Loyalty Cards / Frequent Diner Cards
Many restaurants or hotel chains have their own loyalty card (looks like a credit card) to encourage frequent business by regular customers. If there is a particular restaurant that you like and frequently dine at, ask if they have a loyalty or discount card. These cards are sometimes free, but sometimes a fee is required to obtain the card. If you do eat at the restaurant often enough, the savings will surpass this amount very quickly. Some expat business associations, including BritCham and AmCham Indonesia, maintain dining and lifestyle discount arrangements with various Jakarta restaurants and hotels. It is worth checking the current member benefits when you receive your membership materials, as these arrangements do change periodically.
It is also common for credit card companies to have a cooperative agreement “kerja sama” with restaurants so that the restaurant will give a discount ranging from 10-50% off when using their specific credit card. If you contact your credit card company, they will be able to provide you with the list of establishments where cardholders can expect discounts.
Many restaurants also now offer promotions and discounts through their delivery app listings — it is worth checking GoFood, GrabFood or ShopeeFood even if you plan to dine in, as occasional dine-in promo codes are distributed through these platforms.
Hotel Loyalty Programs
In addition to restaurant loyalty cards, many of the five-star hotels in Jakarta have loyalty card programs as well. For a sum of money you will receive a loyalty card which is used for identity purposes only (not to charge) and/or a book of coupons. The card/vouchers entitle the member to a free night’s stay, free meals, two-for-the-price-of-one meals and varying discounts on meals, depending on the number in the party, as well as other services. There is a time limit in which you can use the benefits, usually a one-year period.
Most of the major international hotel chains operating in Jakarta — Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards, Hilton Honors, ALL (Accor Live Limitless) and others — now run global loyalty programmes through their apps rather than issuing physical local cards. Joining these global programmes is generally free and dining benefits at Jakarta properties are often included. Worth signing up before your first hotel restaurant visit.
Invitations
In general, within the Indonesian culture, the person who invites others to dine out pays the bill. It would be more common for an Indonesian friend or business colleague to invite you to a restaurant for a meal than to their home. There are several reasons for this – inability of their staff to cook international cuisine, lack of space in the home for entertaining, unwillingness to show their ‘private sanctum’ to others, and a preference to dine out to show their good financial standing. Don’t be offended if you are not invited to your Indonesian colleagues’ homes to meet their families, it is just not customary. On the other hand, there are many westernized Indonesians who wouldn’t hesitate to extend an invitation to a colleague or visiting expat to dine in their home; accept the invitation as an honor rarely given.
BSS
More common amongst young people is the practice of ‘going Dutch’ or everyone paying their own way – known in Indonesia by the acronym BSS – bayar sendiri-sendiri (everyone pays for their own). If you expect everyone to pay for their own meal, make that VERY CLEAR when you invite colleagues to eat together with you. If not, you may find that when it comes time to pay the bill – you, the ‘wealthy’ expat, are expected to pay. You may have thought that you ‘suggested’ or ‘arranged’ to eat together with the staff … and they thought you were inviting them out at your expense!
Indonesians also have a custom of traktir (treating others) where someone invites their friends out for a meal at their own expense – most commonly done when it is YOUR OWN birthday!
Catering
Good restaurants offer catering services for your business and personal entertaining at home. Many catering enquiries in Jakarta now begin through WhatsApp rather than a phone call — most established restaurants have a dedicated WhatsApp number for events and catering enquiries, which you will usually find on their Instagram page or Google Maps listing. Call or message your favorite restaurant to see if they can cater your next home event.
Halal Dining
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, and the halal status of food is taken seriously. The majority of Indonesian restaurants, warung and street food vendors serve halal food as a matter of course. Establishments that are formally halal-certified will display a certificate issued by MUI (Majelis Ulama Indonesia), Indonesia’s Islamic council.
For expats entertaining Muslim colleagues or hosting Indonesian guests, it is worth being aware of which restaurants are halal-certified and which are not. Upmarket international restaurants in five-star hotels, and those serving alcohol, are generally not halal-certified even if their food contains no pork or alcohol — the certification process requires the entire supply chain and kitchen to meet MUI standards. When in doubt, asking your Indonesian colleagues or host for a recommendation is always the most reliable approach.
Night Clubs
Night clubs, cafes and bars in the major metropolitan centers, like Jakarta, see their share of good times with lively fun-seeking crowds letting loose on the weekend and partying till 2:00 a.m. If you like night life … there are plenty of clubs in which you can eat, drink, dance and hang out. Some clubs offer pub food in a limited seating area up till 10:00 p.m., after which time only light snacks are available. Jakarta’s nightlife scene has evolved considerably in recent years, with a strong shift toward rooftop bars, speakeasy-style cocktail bars and restaurant-bar hybrids that are as much about dining as drinking. Areas like SCBD, Senopati and Kemang remain the main concentrations of expat-friendly evening venues.
Club Dining
Private clubs also offer excellent dining experiences, at competitive prices. They boast world-class chefs, more privacy than public restaurants, and a staff makes it a point to know your preferences.
Gerobak
At the other end of the scale from those world class restaurants, are the gerobak/kakilima carts that roam the city selling local fare. Their approach is heralded by a specific sound for each food item, be it the ting-ting of a spoon on a bowl, the tock-tock of a stick on a block of wood or the whistle of a steam kettle. Food from a gerobak is often a preference with Indonesians and provides a great mid-morning or afternoon snack or even a meal.
In general, it is only suggested to eat from these food carts if the food cart is serving dishes that are thoroughly cooked on the spot, to help prevent food-borne illnesses. It would be advised to provide your own dishes and silverware as the food vendor’s dishes are washed in a single bucket of water over and over again throughout the day.
To avoid most stomach ailments due to lack of good hygiene in road-side food preparation: 1) eat only fruit that has been peeled, 2) drink only commercially bottled water or drinks, and 3) only eat food that has been thoroughly cooked – no raw vegetable salads off the streets are advised!
Read before ordering off the street – How Safe is it to Eat Street Food in Jakarta?
Warung
One step up from the roaming food carts is the semi-permanent warung, or food stalls, found along the side of major roads. Due to the low overhead, if any, warung offer cheaper fare than restaurants. Some warung sprout up in the late afternoon and evening on roadsides, in parking lots, on sidewalks or any open space (including outside your front fence) to provide meals to passers-by. Each warung offers a particular menu, often featuring regional specialties. Indonesians are very knowledgeable about where their favorite warung are and will travel across the city to dine at these establishments, for the food obviously, not for the ambience. Some of the best food in Jakarta is available in warung – for those adventurous enough to seek it out!
Traditional/common warung consist of a simple tent structure tied to poles and/or the nearby fence, which can be quickly set up with wooden tables and benches. A spanduk (cloth with ads or the menu printed on it) serves as the wall between the dining area and the street or nearby warung. Most upscale warung display a bit more flair and attention to the design and surroundings of the warung using bright colored umbrellas, potted plants and more.
While dining in warung, don’t be surprised to be solicited by peddlers who are selling their wares, wanting to shine your shoes or someone wanting to provide musical entertainment … for a small contribution. Bring small change to be prepared.
One modern development worth knowing: a number of Jakarta’s most popular warung now have a presence on GoFood or GrabFood, meaning you can order your favourite neighbourhood dishes for delivery without venturing out. Do not let this put you off visiting in person — part of the pleasure of a warung is the atmosphere and the people — but it is a useful option on a wet evening when Jakarta’s rain makes getting anywhere an adventure in itself.
Whatever your pleasure – Jakarta offers its residents enough restaurants to keep you busy trying new places for weeks on end, with no shortage of new adventures. Of course, you will soon develop your own favorite restaurants – that you go back to again and again.
Jakarta has it all – formal dining venues with haute cuisine to simple, down-to-earth roadside stalls with great food. Whatever your pleasure is – be adventurous and savor the many dining experiences available. The natural hospitable spirit of the Indonesian people overcomes any lack in service – just come on in, sit down and enjoy the food and the fun. The choice is up to you!
Frequently Asked Questions — Dining Out in Jakarta
Do restaurants in Jakarta add tax and service charge to the bill?
Yes. Most hotels and established restaurants add a combined tax and service charge to the menu price — commonly referred to as “plus-plus”. As of January 2025, Indonesia’s VAT rate is 12%, and with a standard 10% service charge, you should budget an additional 22% on top of the listed menu price. Always check whether prices shown are inclusive or exclusive of these charges.
What food delivery apps work in Jakarta?
The three most widely used food delivery apps in Jakarta are GoFood (within the Gojek app), GrabFood (within the Grab app), and ShopeeFood (within the Shopee app). All three offer wide restaurant coverage across Jakarta and frequently run promotional discounts. Traveloka Eats is also used for restaurant recommendations and ordering.
How much should I tip at a restaurant in Jakarta?
Tipping is not obligatory in Jakarta, particularly at restaurants that already apply a service charge. Where no service charge applies, a cash tip handed directly to your server is appreciated — a reasonable amount for a table of two at a mid-range restaurant would be in the range of Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000, adjusted upward for larger groups or more upmarket venues.
Can I pay by card or e-wallet at Jakarta restaurants?
Yes, at most mid-range and upmarket restaurants. QRIS (a universal QR payment standard) is now widely accepted and allows you to pay from any Indonesian e-wallet including GoPay, OVO and Dana. International credit and debit cards with tap-to-pay are accepted at the majority of restaurant-level establishments. Smaller warung and street food vendors typically prefer cash.
Is it safe to eat street food in Jakarta?
With some sensible precautions, yes. Stick to food that is freshly cooked in front of you, eat only fruit that has been peeled, and drink only commercially bottled water or drinks. See our full guide: How Safe is it to Eat Street Food in Jakarta?
What does BSS mean in Indonesia?
BSS stands for bayar sendiri-sendiri, meaning everyone pays for their own meal — the Indonesian equivalent of going Dutch. If you are organising a group meal and intend for costs to be split, make this clear upfront, as Indonesian dining culture traditionally expects the person who extends the invitation to pay for the table.
Are there halal restaurants in Jakarta?
The vast majority of Indonesian restaurants, warung and street food vendors serve halal food as standard. Formally halal-certified restaurants display a certificate from MUI (Majelis Ulama Indonesia). Five-star hotel restaurants and venues serving alcohol are generally not halal-certified even if their menus contain no pork or alcohol.
