Indonesian Delights: Jakarta's best street food treats

Indonesian Delights: Jakarta’s best street food treats

Natasha Gan

06 May 2015

updated the 1 August 2017 à 18:07

1/10
Martabak Manis (Sweet Martabak)
Also known as the Indonesian Pancake, Martabak Manis has got to be Jakarta's most popular treat. It's made of dough, which is spread with margarine and filled with condiments like chocolate sprinkles, cheese and peanuts. It's best served warm when all the condiments are still oozing with goodness, and best eaten as a late night treat!
Photo: Veresia Frany
2/10
Martabak Telur (Egg Martabak)
Though as filling as its cousin the Martabak Manis, Martabak Telur is a savoury snack. It's made with egg, filled with onions, garlic, spring onions and ground meat before being deep fried. When in Jakarta, make sure to have a bite of the hearty Martabak Telur.

Photo: Marissa Halim
3/10
Kue Cubit
Kue Cubit, which literally means Pinch Cake, is as cute as its name. Usually 4 cm in diameter, the circular snack is made out of mainly milk, flour and sugar. They are poured onto heated metal basins with round holes. Once cooked, the vendors would pick them out with a hook and pour some chocolate sprinkles on them.
Photo: Marissa Halim
4/10
Bakmi Ayam (Chicken Noodle)
Indonesians love their carbs — whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Aside from rice, the country's staple food, Bakmi Ayam is one of the few dishes that would be acceptable for either of the three meals in the day. They're usually served with diced meat, a side of soup and gorengan (fritter).
Photo: Meilissa Tania
5/10
Kue Ape
Kue Ape (read A-peh), is a funny-looking light bite by Jakarta's street vendors. A Pandan filling lies at its epicentre, surrounded by dainty crisp. At times school children request for their favourite snack to be sprinkled with chocolate or grated cheese, but they're good by themselves too.
Photo: Meilissa Tania
6/10
Roti Panggang (Toast)
You might think it's easy to make your own toast at home, but the ones served by the street vendors are unparalleled. Just imagine biting into melted cheese and chocolate, mixed with condensed milk, sandwiched between two golden, perfectly toasted breads. Yum.

Photo: Candy Anthrasal
7/10
Kue Leker (Leker Crepe)
Leker is a semi-circular crepe with mashed banana filling served warm. Although originally from Surabaya, the tasty Kue Leker has starated to grow on Jakartans and their love for easy bites. Much like the other street foods of the capital, Kue Leker can be enjoyed with chocolate sprinkles and grated cheese or by itself.
Photo: Nadine Gan
8/10
Bakso (Meatballs)
Meanwhile, on the meatier side of food, Bakso captures the hearts of many. It has a flavourful broth and is usually served with noodles soaked in the soup, morsels of spring onion, challots and sometimes, crackers. If you can handle some spice, add some chilli sauce to your Bakso and taste how Jakartans take theirs.
Photo: Marissa Halim
9/10
Jagung Bakar (Grilled Corn)

Grilled corns are especially popular on the outskirts of Jakarta or places with chillier weather. But if you're lucky, you'll find some around the capital. The vendors will brush your Jagung Bakar with regular or spicy butter, or salt solution depending on your preference.
Photo: Marissa Halim
10/10
Sate Padang
Last but not least, Sate Padang is one of the most celebrated dishes in Jakarta. The dish is local to Padang, West Sumatera, but the capital has adopted it seeing how the spicy Sate Padang satisfies the tastebuds of its residents. The skeweres are doused in a special sauce and then served with rice cakes. Together, they make one irrepleaceable dish.
Photo: Elen Nugroho

On top of its numerous fine dining spots, the Indonesian capital also boasts streetside treats that are just as delicious, if not more.

The good thing about Jakarta‘s world-famous traffic jam is it gives you a reason to pull over and enjoy the streetside treats as you wait for the cars to clear out.

In certain areas, the capital’s pavements are lined with a myriad of street vendors. Some of the joints might look murky and some others operate in carts that are on the verge of falling apart, but don’t let their appearances fool you. They sell a diverse selection of delicacies, from the locals’ famed guilty pleasure, Martabak Manis (Sweet Martabak) to the more filling dishes like Bakso (meatballs) and the mouthwatering Sate Padang.

These delicious dishes aren’t very difficult to make, given they only have a handful of primary ingredients on average. But no matter which recipe you pull out of the Internet, the dishes won’t taste the same as the originals on the streets. Once you have a bite of the treats compiled in our gallery, you’ll be coming back for more.

Given how palatable these culinary delights are, if you’re planning to go to Jakarta, make sure you have our list of 10 handy so you know how to eat as the locals do. Bon appetit!

Natasha Gan

This post was written with the collaboration & support of the Ministry of Tourism Indonesia. Air Asia offers the best connectivity to Indonesia, check out their 15 destinations here!

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