01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Jakarta.
Glodok Stories
Jakarta
Eat Jakarta at lunchtime — nasi uduk, soto Betawi and kerak telor with kecap manis.
Jakarta Nights
Jakarta
Explore Jakarta at the crossroads — nasi uduk, soto Betawi, kerak telor and kecap manis.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Nasi uduk coconut rice, soto Betawi in beef broth, kerak telor rice omelette, kecap manis on everything. Jakarta cooks the crossroads of the archipelago.
04 The pantry
- Kecap manis, thick sweet soy sauce brushed onto everything
- Terasi, toasted shrimp paste at the base of sambal
- Rendang paste, coconut, chilli and spice for the West Sumatran classic
- Petai, stink beans stir-fried with prawn and shrimp paste
- Salam leaves, Indonesian bay for perfuming rendang and curries
05 In the kitchen
- Simmering rendang for hours until the coconut milk darkens to a dry crust
- Grilling sate ayam skewers over open charcoal at street corners
- Cooking nasi uduk rice in coconut milk and lemongrass
- Frying kerak telor egg-rice omelette on a small charcoal pan
- Pounding sambal in a stone mortar for every meal
06 Eat this first
- Nasi uduk, coconut rice served with fried chicken, tempeh and sambal
- Soto Betawi, Jakarta beef soup rich with coconut milk
- Kerak telor, rice-and-egg omelette griddled with dried shrimp topping
- Gado gado, blanched vegetables tossed in peanut sauce
- Es cendol, iced coconut-milk drink with pandan jelly and palm sugar
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Jakarta.
Weather
Tropical — hot and humid year-round (26–33°C), rainy season November to March (occasional flooding), and drier April to October.
Currency
The Indonesian rupiah (IDR); cash for street food and warungs; cards in restaurants, malls, and hotels. ATMs are everywhere.
Language
Indonesian is universal; English coverage is decent in business and upper-end restaurants, thin elsewhere.
Etiquette
Modest dress in mosques and traditional neighbourhoods — Jakarta is Muslim-majority. Use your right hand to eat and pass things.
Getting around
The new MRT is fast, clean, and bilingual but limited to a single corridor. TransJakarta buses cover more; Gojek and Grab dominate for point-to-point trips. Traffic is legendary — build in a big buffer.
Prayer
Muslim-majority — five calls to prayer daily, and Friday afternoon quiets the offices. Small but historic Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist communities present too.