Food & Drink
Bali Street Food Guide: Markets, Night Stalls and What to Eat
Where to find the best street food in Bali — Gianyar Night Market, Kreneng, Sanur — with dishes, prices and food safety tips, as of 2026.
Indonesian Cuisine
Food in Indonesia: A Complete Guide to Indonesian Cuisine
Indonesian cuisine is one of the world's most complex and varied — shaped by 300+ ethnic groups, centuries of spice trade, and the influence of Chinese, Dutch, Indian, and Arab cooking. The flavour profile is typically bold: coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, kecap manis (sweet soy), chilli, and fermented shrimp paste (terasi) form the backbone of most dishes.
Eating in Indonesia is built around the warung — small family-run food stalls that form the backbone of the food economy. A full meal at a warung costs IDR 15,000–30,000 (approximately USD 1–2). Street food is safe to eat broadly, though some stalls operate more hygienically than others. Bali has developed a sophisticated restaurant scene that spans the full price spectrum. Yogyakarta and Solo are the best cities for traditional Javanese food.
Food by City
Each city guide includes a dedicated food page covering must-eat dishes, local specialities, and where to eat them.
Dishes to Try in Indonesia
Eight dishes that represent the depth and regional variety of Indonesian cuisine — from Java's warungs to Sumatra's Padang restaurants.
Nasi Goreng
Fried rice cooked with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), shallots, garlic, chilli, and your choice of meat or seafood — topped with a fried egg. Eaten at any hour, from street stalls (warungs) to five-star hotels. The national dish by default. No two versions are identical — each cook has their own spice balance.
Satay (Sate)
Skewered and grilled meat — chicken, lamb, goat, or beef — served with a peanut sauce, sweet soy, and sliced shallots. Sate Madura (from Madura island) is one of the most famous variants: thin skewers of chicken or goat grilled over coconut shell charcoal with a rich, dark peanut sauce.
Rendang
Slow-cooked beef braised in coconut milk and a paste of lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, and chilli until the liquid evaporates and the meat caramelises. Originally from West Sumatra's Minangkabau culture — now found across Indonesia. The longer it cooks, the better. Voted one of the world's best dishes in multiple global surveys.
Gado-Gado
Cooked vegetables — blanched bean sprouts, cabbage, long beans, potatoes, tofu, tempeh — dressed in a warm peanut sauce and topped with prawn crackers (krupuk) and a hard-boiled egg. A filling vegetarian-friendly dish common across Java. The peanut sauce quality varies enormously — look for versions made fresh rather than from a packet.
Soto
A clear or cloudy broth-based soup with regional variations across the archipelago. Soto Ayam (chicken) is the most common; Soto Betawi (Jakarta) uses coconut milk and beef; Coto Makassar (South Sulawesi) uses peanuts and offal. Served with rice, vermicelli, or ketupat rice cakes depending on the region.
Nasi Padang
A Padang-style meal from West Sumatra — multiple small dishes (rendang, curry, sambal, fried chicken, jackfruit) arranged around a bowl of rice, served simultaneously. You pay only for what you eat. Found across Indonesia in Padang restaurants (Rumah Makan Padang). The spice levels are among the highest in Indonesian cuisine.
Bakso
Springy meatballs — typically beef — served in a clear broth with noodles, tofu, and vegetables. A street food staple. Bakso carts push through residential neighbourhoods making a distinctive sound with a spoon on the cart's bowl. Found everywhere from roadside stalls to dedicated bakso restaurants. Add sambal to taste.
Tempeh & Tofu
Tempeh (fermented soybean cake, originating in Java) is a distinctive Indonesian ingredient found nowhere else in such variety. Fried, grilled, or marinated — it has a nutty, earthy flavour very different from tofu. Tempeh goreng (fried tempeh with chilli) is one of the best Indonesian snacks. Central Java produces the best versions.
Best Cities for Food
Yogyakarta
The centre of Javanese cuisine — gudeg (young jackfruit stew), tongseng, and sate klatak (goat satay grilled on iron rods). The Malioboro night market and Beringharjo market area have the highest concentration of traditional Javanese food in one place. Gudeg Yu Djum (from approximately IDR 25,000) is widely considered the benchmark.
Food guide to Yogyakarta →Bali (Seminyak & Canggu)
The most cosmopolitan food scene in Indonesia. Seminyak and Canggu have world-class restaurants alongside exceptional warungs. Babi guling (roast suckling pig — Balinese-style, in Ubud and Gianyar) is worth a dedicated trip. The price range spans IDR 15,000 warung meals to USD 80+ tasting menus. Ubud adds a health-food and vegan dimension few Indonesian cities match.
Food guide to Ubud →Padang
West Sumatra's capital is the birthplace of Padang food — rendang, padek (fermented fish sauce), dendeng balado (dried beef with red chilli), and gulai (rich coconut milk curries). Eating nasi Padang here at the source is a different experience from Jakarta's Padang restaurants. The city also produces some of Indonesia's best coffee from the Minangkabau highlands.
Food guide to Padang →Food Guides
In-depth guides to the cuisine, restaurants, and street food scene.
Food & Drink
Balinese Food Guide: What to Eat and Where to Find It
A guide to distinctly Balinese dishes — babi guling, bebek betutu, lawar, sate lilit — with prices and where to eat them, as of 2026.
Food & Drink
Indonesian Food Guide: Essential Dishes, Where to Eat & What They Cost
From nasi goreng to rendang and babi guling, our guide covers Indonesia's essential dishes, where to find them and realistic prices across the country.
Food & Drink
Javanese Food Guide: What to Eat Across Java
A guide to Javanese cuisine — gudeg, rawon, bakso, gado-gado — with named restaurants in Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Jakarta, as of 2026.
Food & Drink
Padang Food Guide: Minangkabau Cuisine Explained
A guide to Padang food — rendang, gulai, sambal hijau — the rumah makan system, where to eat in Indonesia, and what to order, as of 2026.
Food & Drink
Warung Guide: How to Eat at Indonesia's Family Food Stalls
What a warung is, how to order, what to pay, and how warungs differ by island — a practical guide to eating at Indonesia's local food stalls, as of 2026.
Explore the food scene city by city