Semarang
It's easy to see why this two-storey restaurant is permanently packed: the food is exceptionally good! Earning the unreserved recommendation of the local…
Must-see restaurants in Central Java
Borobudur
For a magical hilltop setting enhanced by traditional music, this vintage restaurant, 4km west of Borobudur, is hard to match. Eat in the formal dining…
Yogyakarta
This lively French-owned kitchen is a delight in every sense and comes highly recommended by expats. Everything is homemade, including crusty baguettes…
Solo
Sharing space with a heritage hotel is this attractive restaurant offering home-style Solonese specialities. While the menu makes good reading, giving the…
Central Java
This stylish beachfront restaurant is the indisputable top choice in Jepara. Dining is in the garden, around a pool or on tables so close to the sea that…
Central Java
This is the very best place to try the famed chicken soup of Kudus. Cooks stir up cauldrons of the brew over a log-fired oven and diners pack round simple…
Borobudur
A true 'Garden of Java', this idyllic cafe is well hidden away in a stunning location among landscaped rice paddies, natural springs and dreamy mountain…
Semarang
A wonderful, anachronistic bakery and store that hasn't changed in half a century. The delicious wingko (coconut cakes served warm) are the signature…
Yogyakarta
Yogya's fanciest place to dine is this renovated restaurant that offers a grand first impression with its palatial-like entrance, opulent baroque…
Semarang
Occupying a sensitively restored building (Semarang’s former courthouse), this character-filled restaurant with its yellow roof tiles sports art deco…
Semarang
Housed in a converted old general store (circa 1895) and once patronised by Dutch colonists, Spiegel has become a pivotal point of the old quarter. The…
Solo
This stylish Indonesian and fusion restaurant is part of the Danar Hadi complex, next to the batik museum and showroom. Mains include meat and pasta…
Yogyakarta
This Dutch-owned cafe is a cool little hang-out, with awesome coffee, cold beers (happy 'hour' is from noon to 7pm) and an interesting menu of vegetarian…
Central Java
This attractive teahouse is set in an authentic joglo (traditional Javanese house), with over a dozen wood tables shaded by parasols edging tea terraces…
Karimunjawa Islands
Occupying a lovely spot among reconstructed wooden joglo fronting the marina, this atmospheric restaurant, with its palm-tree garden and mowed lawns, is a…
Borobudur
About 5km west from Borobudur Temple is this enchanting cafe set inside a restored 200-year-old Javanese house with rustic-chic furniture in keeping with…
Yogyakarta
Offering a surprise haven from the traffic, this secret garden of a restaurant is part of a project centre for street youth. It focuses on meat-free…
Yogyakarta
Traditional Javanese dishes including eyem penggeng (chicken simmered in spiced coconut cream) are served in this tasteful interior space with wood…
Solo
Most notable for the setting in a restored Dutch colonial compound (with some puzzling modern touches such as a ceiling of umbrellas), this enormous…
Yogyakarta
Located in the Kota Gede area, this is considered by locals to be one of Yogya’s best restaurants, with a lavish setting in a 150-year-old colonial…
Solo
A classic backpackers' hangout, the Baru is also a good spot to try local Solonese specialities such as nasi liwet (coconut-milk rice with chicken and egg…
Yogyakarta
Foodies seeking out Yogya's most prized dish, gudeg – a slow-cooked, caramelised jackfruit curry – won't want to miss out on this much-celebrated…
Solo
Solo street dining at its best, this evening-only stall, run by an ibu (mother; older woman) clothed in traditional batik, specialises in nasi liwet:…
Central Java
Occupying a Dutch colonial building, this restaurant comes into its own at lunchtime, when busloads of tourists pile in for the buffet-style lunch on…
Solo
A landmark on Jl Slamet Riyadi, this open-air food court with dozens of brightly lit stalls is known for its local specialties. Some, such as nasi gudeg …
Semarang
Almost opposite the Gereja Blenduk church, this sunken storefront is packed with locals from opening till closing time. Why? Because it serves the best…
Yogyakarta
This restaurant is touched by royalty as it's located just outside the kraton, within the residence of Prince Gusti Jaryo Haju Joyouksumo, a son of the…
Semarang
There's often an hour's wait for a bench at this riverside warung next to Tay Kak Sie temple. It's not the location that attracts the crowd but the…
Solo
This delightful restaurant is inside a former batik factory, currently occupied by the Roemahkoe heritage hotel. It's particularly evocative at night,…
Yogyakarta
This stone-and-glass cafe is a delightful venue for Italian ice cream. Flavours on rotation include ginger, kemangi (lemon basil), dragon fruit, 'hot and…
Central Java
Live music every Saturday (7.30-10pm) has helped to establish this stylish basement bar and restaurant as a popular gathering point for locals and…
Yogyakarta
Via Via is always full with travellers enjoying a menu of global cuisine including Indian and Middle Eastern dishes, homemade pastas, burgers and…
Borobudur
This tranquil cafe and art gallery, with outdoor decking overlooking rice paddies, is a great spot for Javanese coffee and a cold beer. Or roll up at…
Karimunjawa Islands
A local favourite for dinner is the night market on the alun-alun in the centre of Karimunjawa town. Over a dozen stalls offer tasty ikan bakar (grilled…
Karimunjawa Islands
A very popular restaurant in the middle of town, Eat & Meet brings out delicious thin-crust pizzas from an on-site oven. Interesting local dishes include…
Yogyakarta
A popular drinking spot in an old colonial building, Oxen also has a menu of pub food enjoyed in its beer garden with live music or in the front bar. It…
Solo
This huge canteen-like restaurant, with swirling colonial-style fans and photos of ye olde Surakarta, doesn't look much from the outside, but it attracts…
Yogyakarta
Just like the movie, the sequel is better than the original, and Superman II has now stolen the show. At this open-air restaurant offering tasty Western…
Yogyakarta
This brightly lit, local-style restaurant specialises in turmeric-rubbed, fried chicken. Dishes are impossibly cheap and improbably good. Little wonder…
Yogyakarta
One of the most popular hang-outs in Sosrowijayan is this double-storey warung that does tasty Indonesian and international food that's a cut above the…
