Yogyakarta Culinary

Yogyakarta is heaven of inexpensive foods, and some tasty and filling dishes can be as low as 25 US cents. However, since there are hundreds, if not thousands hawker stalls offering inexpensive foods, some of them are not delicious. For a start, head to well known food stalls such as:

• Angkringan Tugu, hawker stall located close to the Tugu Station serving small rice packs (known as sego kucing) and various other foods, 6PM-4AM. The most popular beverages is kopi joss, Javanese espresso dipped with burning coal. Very inexpensive. Rp 1,000-6,000.

• Gudeg Tugu, Jalan Diponegoro, close to Kranggan marketplace, 7PM-1AM. Popular Gudeg stall. A complete dish consists of: warm rice, shredded chicken, brown hard-boiled egg, gudeg, areh sauce, and the hot & spicy sambal goreng krecek. Rp 7,000-10,000.

• Rumah Makan Es Ceria. Address JL Gandekan Lor No. 42. (close to sraswijyan, just go west from hotels and turn left). Great, cheap eats -all in a huge smorgasboard, you choose what you like and then the cashier estimates a price. Tasty and dirt cheap. Also ice deserts and fruit shakes.

• Soto Pak Soleh. Tegalrejo, near Diponegoro Museum. This well-known restaurant is Pak Soleh's family business and is now ran by his son. They only serve Yogyakarta-style beef soup as their main menu, which has a spicy taste from the added ginger. Rp 5,000.

• Spesial Sambal. A local chain for those who like spicy, hot food. Their speciality, as the name suggests, is their various kind of sambal (sambal is a kind of hot relish). Rp 5,000-12,000.

• Waroeng Steak. A local restaurant chain. Their speciality is batter-fried beef steak served with thick gravy. Rp 6,000-15,000.

• Waroeng Jepara, Jalan Wolter Monginsidi 49, Jogjakarta. Fame for their traditional Jepara flavours (only warung in Jogjakarta that serves Jepara food), this modern-furnished warung is run by friendly locals. Speciality includes "pecil pari" (spicy stingray), "bothok tahu" (tofu in papaya leaf) and "sayur lodeh" (jackfruit soup) . Rp 5,000-Rp 30,000.

• Xtra Hot. A local tent-scheme restaurant specializing in delicious grilled food, with a good variety of sambals (chili) to choose from, yet with affordable prices. Located in Jalan Kaliurang (Next to BCA Bank). Main courses from Rp 4,500 (U$0.5) onwards.
• Soto Sawah Pak Slamet. A local chicken soup store located at 5 km west side from Yogya, Open morning - afternoon. Rp 5,000
• Soto Pak Marto A local delicacy of beef based soup served with rice (mixed in or separate), go to the one located near Keraton. Offals are include in unless specifically asked for beef only. Fried offals, ordered on the side to be eaten with kecap manis is very delicious.
• Pempek Ulu Bundar Located strategically near to Mirota crossroad, serves delicious pempek and kakap meat ball soup with very low prices. Most expensive menu is just Rp 5,000.

Mid-range

• FoodFezt Jalan Kaliurang km 5.5, +62 274 554554. Many kinds of local Indonesian foods: Nasi kebuli, nasi merah, soto betawi, sate buntel, mushroom satay, and also dessert like pancakes, ice creams etc. It has a garden with lots of bamboo tree and other plants. The waiters use wireless gadgets to serve their customers in order to maintain a 'paperless' order system.
• Ayam Goreng Suharti, Jalan Laksda Adisucipto 208, Yogyakarta, +62 274 515522. A very popular mbok berek fried chicken restaurant, the recipe still remains a secret.
• Bakmi Kadin, Jalan Bintaran Kulon 3, Yogyakarta. Javanese style soft-fried noodles. Don't miss the popular wedang bajigur, a local beverages made from warm coconut milk with subtle ginger flavor and garnished with diced coconut and kolang-kaling. Local kroncong street quartet often performs in the area. Rp 18,000-20,000.
• Dixie Easy Dining or simply Dixie, Jalan Gejayan 40b (south Selokan Mataram), +62 274 560745. Offers various kind western and asian dishes served with distinct modern-asian style. Nice modern-ethnical interior. Rp 8,000-50,000.
• Empek-Empek Kamto, Jalan Beskalan 3 Yogyakarta (opp to Ramai Shopping Mall's south entrance), +62 274 514294. Originated from Palembang, deep-fried fish cake and served with sour soy sauce. There are many variety of empek-empek: kapal selam (means submarine) comes with boiled eggs inside, adaaan/bulat has a garlic taste, while lenggang is an empek-empek omelet.
• Gudeg Sagan, An eating place in Jalan Sagan (In front of Toko Sagan Baru) offering rice, seasoned porridge, gudeg, areh sauce, sambal goreng krecek, complete with chicken and brown hard-boiled egg.
• Gudeg Wijilan Yu Djum, Jalan Wijilan 31, Kraton and Jalan Kaliurang km 4.5, Karangasem CT III/22, Yogyakarta 55281, +62 274 515968. A more lavish variety of Gudeg, served with thicker sauce, and more expensive as well.
• Kedai Tiga Nyonya, Jalan Jendral Sudirman 16, Yogyakarta, +62 274 589315. 10AM-10PM. Peranakan food restaurant, a fusion of Indonesian, Chinese, and Dutch cuisine. Their specialty is grilled fish, sour ribs soup, and candlenut chicken. Rp 20,000-50,000
• Pecel Solo, Jalan Palagan Tentara Pelajar 52, Sleman (adj Hyatt Regency), Phone: +62 274 866588. Offers a large selection of Solo style foods like Pecel Solo (vegetables with peanut sauce), Sego Liwet (steamed rice with sweet curry sauce), Nasi Kebuli (pungent rice with roasted lamb), and Bebek Goreng (fried duck Solo style). Rp 10,000-30,000.
• Quali Resto, Plaza Ambarrukmo, 3rd floor, near the foodcourt. Serves various kind of chinese dishes, but their specialty is kwetiaw (wide noodles). Rp 15,000.
• Sate Karang, Lapangan Karang, Kotagede, Yogyakarta. 5PM-10.30PM. Grilled beef satay served with lontongs (rice cake), peanut sauce and thin curry soup. Rp 15.000.
• Sapi Bali, Jalan Umbul Permai, Mudal, Sariharjo, Ngaglik, Sleman, Yogyakarta, +62 274 7858938. Serves Balinese style ribs, although a little too hot and spicy for some foreigner. If you do not prefer hot and spicy dish, opt for Soy Sauce Ribs instead. Rp 25,000.
• Sendang K Pitoe, a famous shrimp and sea food restaurant located on the outskirts of the city specifically Jamur, Minggir, Sleman, Yogyakarta, +62 274 747 1114. Very delicious fried shrimp served fresh from the ponds in the still relatively untouched village. Don't get mistaken by the nearby Mang Engking, also a shrimp restaurant with an ill-earned reputation of dirty food.
• Via Via, Jalan Prawirotaman, An excellent traveller's cafe, there are clocks on the wall showing the time in other Via Via cafes around the world and a mix of travellers and Indonesian locals. Offers a range of western dishes (good french onion soup) and specialty Indonesian dishes at a good price. Caters very well to vegetarians (tofu and tempe). Cane chairs and lots of space and games. Rp 20,000-40,000.
• Kesuma Restaurant, Mantrijeron 99 Sartono J. III, Prawirotaman Area, +62 274 8245027. A cozy and pleasant place where you can find an excellent local home cooking. The menu is exclusively native of Yogya or Solo. There is a small garden where guests can settle in a Gasebo and the main room is in a Limassan, traditional Javanese wooden house. 10AM-11PM. Rp 20,000-50,000

 
Splurge
 
Yogya is filled with many 'high-end' restaurants serving many kind of dishes, from western to asian to asian-fusion cuisines.

• Gabah Resto, Jalan Dewi Sartika 11A Sagan, +62 274 515626. Western dishes. Modern classy decoration. Rp75,000-Rp150,000.

• Royal Garden Restaurant Jl Pekapalan 7, Alun-Alun Utara, Yogyakarta, +62 274 386767, +62 274 373343. Chinese-Indonesian dishes with kraton style atmosphere. Rp 40,000-80,000.

• Gajah Wong, Jalan Gejayan, +62 274 588294, Serves many kind of dishes including French, Italian, Indian, Chinese as well as Indonesian. Divided into 3 zones: Country, Javanese and Colonial, each is lavishly decorated and themed with live music. In the Javanese zone, you can hear the Javanese gamelan music performed throughout the night, while the Colonial zone has a live jazz band.
• Androwino Bistro Jalan Laksda Adisucipto Km 8.7, Yogyakarta, +62 274 488588. The all day dining restaurant offering Continental and Asian cuisine in a relaxed modern Javanese setting. The restaurant is located at the top floor of Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort & Spa where at the entrance of the restaurant guests will be welcomed with a big painting of Grandfather from the hotel’s Owner named Sampean Dalem Ingkang Sinuhun Kandjeng Susuhunan Pakoe Boewono X, 1896 – 1939(King of Solo)and guests will see the beautiful landscaping of Tamansari water castle swimming pool and breathtaking mount Merapi.