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Malls and Shopping Centers in Jakarta
and surrounding areas

Top Shopping Malls in Jakarta

When planning a trip to Jakarta, consider spending a day at one of the many modern shopping malls the city has to offer. You may welcome a day off from tourist and cultural sites and enjoy spending time in air-conditioned comfort, where you can relax and shop without annoying hawkers. There are more than 170 malls in the city to choose from! Therefore there are choices galore for shoppers!

If you've spent much time visiting outlying provinces or rural areas, it will be quickly evident during a trip to the capital city that Jakarta showcases the wealth of Indonesia. Skyscrapers, impressive monuments, wide boulevards (albeit crowded) and large malls rival those of any major world capital.

In traditional Indonesian society, open common areas in villages and towns or the courtyard of the Sultan's palace have long been a place to gather and spend late afternoon and evening hours. Small vendors set up their wares, food carts gather and people stroll around meeting friends and sharing gossip. Jakarta's shopping malls are a modern urban equivalent of traditional meeting points – a place to shop, eat and gather with friends and have some fun on the weekends.

Shopping in Jakarta takes many forms from the most traditional pasar (markets) to modern world class malls with international brand shops. Most expatriates shop most comfortably in malls and grocery stores without the need to bargain as prices are more likely to be fixed. However, that is no reason to avoid the more colourful traditional markets.

High Fashion Malls

International fashion items may not be at the top of a tourist’s Jakarta shopping list, but expatriates may look at these shopping opportunities differently! If you enjoy window shopping and following fashion trends, you'll enjoy the fashion showcased at Plaza Indonesia, and Plaza Senayan, Senayan City, Grand Indonesia, Gandaria City, Pacific Place, Mall of Indonesia, and Pondok Indah 2. Shops offer the latest collections from the fashion capitals of the world – Milan, London, Paris, and New York – to titillate the fancy of well to do Indonesians and expatriates alike.

Twenty-five years ago, prior to the opening of luxury malls, well-to-do Indonesians went to Singapore, Hong Kong, Europe or the U.S. to buy such well-known international brands as Bvlgari, Prada, Cartier, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Bally, Aigner, Ferragamo, Hermes, and Chanel. Now, these brands, and many more, are available in Jakarta.

Amongst Indonesia's emerging middle and upper classes international brand-consciousness is strong. Discerning shoppers seek original goods, which these shops can guarantee. Due to Indonesia's high luxury tax, however, the price may be slightly higher than you can get them in the country of origin.

Depending on where you call home, you may find better shopping in Jakarta than you do back in your home town!

While fashion malls don't offer as many recreation opportunities as the family-oriented malls, a big attraction is 'people watching' for the see-and-be-seen crowd. The elegant marble, expansive open spaces and lofty atriums offer a sense of luxury that is further enhanced by air conditioning, no-smoking policies, good housekeeping, and security. According to some social analysts, malls have replaced traditional town centers as locations for community interaction.

Indonesian Specialties

Several Malls feature “Indonesian Fashion Avenues”, a group of Indonesia’s designer boutique stores, such as,  Iwan Tirta, Ramli, Anne Avantie, Obin, Biyan, Ghea, Sebastian, Ali Charisma, Ferry Sunarto, Herman Nuary, Kisoon Harto, Poppy Dharsono, Postour & Co, Sofie, Talisa House. Plaza Senayan, Pacific Place, Central Park, Grand Indonesia, and Plaza Indonesia feature the creations of these Indonesian designers. These Indonesian designers offer beautiful traditional dress as well as modern evening wear. Most designers cater to the Asian size range for their ready to wear lines, rarely exceeding size 12, however many designers are willing to do one-of-a kind creations where the sizing can be customized. Fashion from other Indonesian designers can be found in mall department stores and boutiques.

Tenants in the mall do not only stock apparel.  A huge range of products can be found  both common and the more exotic. Take a dip into the world of traditional medicine at Toko Ampuh, a shop in Plaza Indonesia's basement selling traditional Indonesian medicines and remedies from across Indonesia. You'll be greeted by the pungent smell of balsem, a healing rub, as you enter the store. Nearby shops sell Ginseng from Korea and delicious Oolong tea from Taiwan. Stop in for a taste test and discover the medicinal properties of these popular drinks.

If you're traveling through Indonesia during Indonesian holiday periods visit the malls to see the beautiful decorations and special entertainment for Christmas, Chinese New Year, Lebaran, School holidays (June-July), Independence Day (August 17th) and the mall's anniversary.

Food Glorious Food …

One of the major attractions at Jakarta malls is the numerous cafés, restaurants and food courts. With the increasing ease of online shopping many mall owners are now putting an emphasis on their food and beverage tenants to keep their malls active. Numerous malls are now highlighting the abundance of food outlets and the variety of choice. From trendy restaurants offering cuisine from around the world to cafés where coffee is king to fast food fixes from home … you're sure to find something to please your taste buds.

You can try Indonesian food in almost every mall. If you looking for a fast food or light snack, many mall food courts feature Indonesian fare. If you would like to enjoy a more relaxed setting, restaurants such as Bumbu Desa, Sari Ratu, Kafe Betawi, Sate Senayan, Seribu Rasa, and Warung Podjok have outlets in a number of malls. These restaurants offer a variety of dishes from various areas of Indonesia. You can eat your way through the archipelago, even if you can't travel through more than a few islands.

Jakarta malls and shopping centers offer a plethora coffee shops for enjoying a cup of coffee, a snack or small meal and some serious people watching ... from Starbucks to Coffee Bean, Excellso, J.Co, Kopi Luwak, Tea Addict, and Bengawan Solo. All serve numerous flavored coffees, teas, refreshing cold drink and light snacks. Business people frequently scheduled afternoon meeting over a cup of coffee and the young trendy be-and-be-seen crowds often hang out in the coffee shops scattered throughout major malls.

Most malls have at least one major anchor supermarket for convenience of shoppers which offer a variety of imported European, American and Australian food and beverages.

Family Malls

If you're not into high fashion or trendy hangouts, you could spend an enjoyable day at Bintaro Entertainment Center, Taman Anggrek, Central Park, Pacific Place, Mall of Indonesia, Ion Mall, and Pondok Indah Mall - some of the most popular family-oriented malls. The focus is on recreation and family fun in addition to a wide range of shops and services or one-stop shopping to meet the needs of the family.

Taman Anggrek is a prominent landmark on the toll road into Jakarta from the airport due to the 8 distinctive blue-topped apartment towers crowning the 7-floor shopping mall as well as hosting the world's largest LED display recorded by Guinness World Record on the exterior of the mall. This impressive screen can be seen from city centre and displays beautiful moving graphics soon after sunset. The interior is a marvel of space, light and marble – and serious noise levels on the weekend. The indoor ice skating rink and movie theatres are a very popular attraction. Visitors will find a place to get their hair cut, buy medicine or toiletries at the drug store, get money exchanged at a bank or withdraw funds from an ATM, eat a meal, enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee and of course – shop!

Central Park, located next to Mal Taman Angrek is also a large mall that serves West Jakarta residents. The anchor tenants of Sogo, Ace Hardware and Hypermart in the basement make it a great “one stop shop” experience. Other speciality stores such as Zara, Tumi, H & M, Max and the ever present Starbucks are all there.  One of the biggest attractions of the Central Park mall is the open area park located on the side of the mall that is often a venue for promotions and celebrations. Some stand-alone restaurants in the park area are open after hours make this area popular with night owls. The firework display on New Year’s is one of the best in the city, however due to the very large number of people that come out for the event, parking can be difficult, if not impossible.

Dapur Anggrek food court at Taman Anggrek offers hundreds of traditional regional specialties - pempek from Palembang, South Sumatra (fish balls), 27 kinds of sate at Aneka Sate Djitoe, and fried rice and noodle dishes galore. The truly adventurous can even try goat testicles (torpedo) at Sop Kaki Kambing.

Pondok Indah Mall is a popular family mall in suburban South Jakarta. With the addition of Pondok Indah Mall II and III it has seriously expanded its shopping area and added many new attractions to the mall. The adjacent Water Park, golf course in the near vicinity, and Climbing Wall next door make it a popular weekend destination. The mall offers a good variety of shops and services, supermarkets, food courts and theaters.

Pacific Place host one of the most popular kids’s attraction, Kidzania. Kidzania is a unique edutaiment center for children between 4 to 16 years old and their parents. It is a kid-sized replica of a real city, with streets, buildings, retail and different vehicles going around the City. The children play adult roles and they learn how to be a doctor, a pilot, a construction worker, a private detective, an archeologist, an F1 driver and over 100 other professions and occupations. There is a replica of the most representative buildings in a city such as Hospital, Supermarket, Beauty Salon, Theatre, Industrial sites, and many more. Kidzania is open from 9.00am until 2.00pm for the first session. The second session begins at 3.00pm until 8.00pm. Next door to Kidzania is CVG Blitz Cultureplex Cinema. CVG Blitz Cultureplex is one of the two major theatres in Jakarta which screen most major Hollywood releases as well as popular film from other neighboring Asian countries. Their state of the art theatre also screens 3D movies giving their visitors a great movies experience

If you're traveling with your children, almost all malls have some sort of activities to amuse them. Kids Fun, a small amusement park for younger children, short train ride around the mall, numerous climbing frames, video arcades are just a few activities that will keep your children occupied. For older children seeking thrills, check out  the Atmosphere Slide at FX mall which spans six floors. Don’t  worry about them being bored.

Best Time to Shop

The best time to shop at Jakarta malls is during the week, soon after the mall opens at 10:00am. Most daytime shoppers are housewives, who begin bringing their children as schools let out mid-day. By late afternoon the malls are bustling with the after-school teen crowd and young professionals who begin showing up for their coffee shop meetings after office hours.

Hanging out at malls is part of the affluent Indonesian teens' lifestyle. They have "acronym names" for their favorite malls -- "tay ahh" (TA) for Taman Anggrek and "pay ess" (PS) for Plaza Senayan, "citos" (pronounced cheetos) for Cilandak Town Square, "Sensee" for Senayan City, and "Pim" for Pondok Indah Mall (all reflecting the Indonesian pronunciation of the letters in the acronym).

Weekends see a literal flood of families into malls; visitors average 20,000 at Plaza Indonesia, 40,000 at Plaza Senayan, 100,000 at Taman Anggrek and 40,000 at Pondok Indah Mall.

Getting there

If you’re a visitor to Jakarta, take a taxi from your hotel to the mall and you can return by taxi from the mall's taxi stand. During late afternoon rush hour it may take some time to get a taxi, depending on the day and weather conditions. Rain will always make getting a taxi difficult. Alternately, you can order a taxi on the Blue Bird app.

Enjoy a great shopping adventure … at one of Jakarta's premier malls.

Locations of Jakarta's Top Malls

Bintaro Entertainment Center
Jl. Rasuna Said Kav B7/A5-08
CBD Bintaro Jaya, Tangerang Selatan

Must Dos:

• Bricks 4 Kidz is a favorite of the inquisitive and creative child
• Breaktime Billiard & Cafe
• Eat a meal in a wide variety of restaurants
• Take your kids to the Kid's Gym
• Enjoy the Pilates Studio and Yoga classes
• Pamper yourself at the Luxury reflexology and body massage family healthcare center
• Enjoy fun times with your family while shopping!

Senayan City
Jl. Asia Afrika Lot 19
Senayan, Jakarta 10270

Must Sees:

• Home to many high end designer shops
• Studio XXI offering a Premiere lounge and movie theatre
• Extensive food court and restaurant selection throughout the mall
• Extensive collection of opulent jewelry stores
• Crystal Lagoon offering late night dining until 12:00am

Plaza Indonesia
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta 10350

Must Sees:

• House of Obin – 3rd floor
• Butik Iwan Tirta – 3rd floor
• Batik Keris showroom - 1st floor
• Finna traditional snacks - basement
• Toko Ampuh - Indonesian traditional medicines - basement
• Indonesian food - Sari Ratu - basement

Plaza Senayan
Gelora Bung Karno
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
Senayan, Central Jakarta 10270

Must sees:

• Biyan and Sebastian's - Indonesian designers -1st floor
• Indonesian food - Spice Garden or Sari Ratu - basement
• Marrygold Clock in the atrium. Every hour on the hour the Seiko clock opens up and visitors are serenaded by a 6-figure orchestra.
• Studio 21 Theater – 5th floor

 

Pondok Indah Mall
Jl. Metro Pondok Indah Kav. IIIB
Pondok Indah, South Jakarta 12310

Must sees:

• Biyan Boutique - Indonesian designer - ground floor
• Pondok Indah Water Park - south side of mall
• Pondok Indah Climbing Wall - outside exit near Times Bookshop
• Indonesian food - Bakmi Gajah Mada and Dermaga food court - 3rd floor
• Restaurant Row – 3rd floor

Pacific Place
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52 - 53
Sudirman Central Business District
Jakarta 12190

Must sees:

• Kidzania – 6th floor
• Blits Megaplex – 6th floor
• Pacific Bay Food Court – 5th floor
• Kem Chicks – basement

Grand Indonesia
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Jakarta, Indonesia

Must sees:

• Crossroads of the World food court – floor 3 A
• Dancing Fountain – floor 3 A
• Kinokuniya bookstore - range of foreign language books
• Alun Alun Indonesia - store showcasing Indonesian products and handicrafts
• Allure Batik

Popular Malls/Destinations in Indonesia quickly acquire an acronym which is commonly used to refer to the mall:

Plangi = Plaza Semanggi (a shopping mall in Semanggi, South Jakarta)
Pasfes = Pasar Festival (a mall next to Apartemen Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta)
PIM = Pondok Indah Mall
Sency = Senayan City
PS = Plaza Senayan

Last updated November 16, 2021