Who makes the best coffee in Jakarta? When you’re travelling coffee becomes a basic human necessity. You need a kick to get you up and off on the good foot.
On our recent visits to Jakarta my mission as Captain Coffee was to locate some of the best roasteries, brewers and purveyors of the dark brown elixir. Not as easy as you think considering that the island is called Java, Coffee is called Kopi and most people want to serve you a milky iced beverage.
Modern, chilled coffee bar in the center of Jakarta, Thamrin. Guys in leather aprons have been proudly brewing coffee since 2013. They work with local Indonesian farmers to produce and roast a piquant coffee that is exquisite and distinctive. They serve all your favorite coffee combinations as well as cold brews, pastries and sandwiches.
The interior of red and black matching their branding is comfy and welcoming. Of course there is free wi-fi Tanamera Coffee now have eight outlets throughout Indonesia. Quite possibly the best coffee in Jakarta.
Best coffee in Jakarta. At Tanamera Coffee relax in the knowledge your coffee will be good.
#2 Kopi Es Tak Kie
Before you get yourself too involved with Jakarta’s famous Chinatown or nearby “Ghost City”, get yourself down to Kopi Es Tak Kie.
Being Jakarta’s oldest coffee house they’ve perfected their brewing skills over the last 90 years (yes since 1929) and offer a no frills brew at a really good price. There are tables and chairs and there is coffee… but that’s about it. As their name suggests they make Ice Coffee, but you can ask for hot brews, with or without milk, just don’t start asking for a de-caff soy latte OK?!
#3 Coffeebeerian
Coffee AND Craft Beer?.. yes it’s possible at Coffeebeerian. It’s a simple place with a few back rooms and a few comfy sofas. All kinds of hot/cold filter brews, specialty beans and a guy who just loves to make coffee. Not fancy, nor Instagrammable but great. It’s also a nice area (Senopati) to walk around with large houses and gardens.
#4 Toko Kopi TUKU – Pasar Santa
Ok, you don’t even get a table at this place, find a place to sit down on a nearby wall. At Toko Kopi TUKU you order your coffee through a sliding glass window, you can jump the queue of Go-Jek drivers. Mostly serving Ice Coffee with a plastic sealed lid and a straw it’s hard to beat on a hot day in Jakarta. Go check out the local market, upstairs are loads of cool independent shops selling toys, records, graffiti supplies and more.
Toko Kopi Kuku is not romantic by far.. but it’s damn fine coffee!
#5 Cafe Batavia
Yes it’s expensive, yes you have to get past the crowds of students wanting interviews and selfies.. but as soon as you cross the threshold of Cafe Batavia you are transported back to the Colonial Jakarta of days gone by. Sip on your coffee and look out over the square with people riding colorful rent-a-bikes and enjoy the history.
What do you think of my best coffee in Jakarta hot spots? Let me know in the comment section below. All of my best coffee in Jakarta hot spots listed above and more are available on our Indonesia Map
Many people dismiss Jakarta as a tourist destination which is such a shame as it has so much to offer the traveler, even if you’re just passing through, read our post “Why you should visit Jakarta” and our other Jakarta posts for more on this great city.
Grand interior of cafe Batavia
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Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, a huge city with a million things to see and do. It can be quite difficult and daunting for first timers in Jakarta. It can feel difficult to know how to get from a to b and what to do. So we thought we should write a little post about things to do in Jakarta, as we have been there 5 times now, and fall more and more in love with it each time.
Jakarta do not have many tourists visiting, which we think is ashamed, it has got something of a bad reputation, but we say it’s definitely worth a visit. Read more about why you should visit Jakarta.
Located north of central Jakarta, or a 20 minute taxi ride from Grand Indonesia, is Glodok, Jakarta’s very own China Town. Like most of Jakarta, it’s a bit run down, but inside the covered walkways and round the winding streets you find a wealth of busy market stalls, food hawkers and mini malls dedicated to electronics and/or medical equipment. Strolling through China towns historical busy streets is definitely on the top of things to do in Jakarta.
There are two main Chinese temples in Glodok, which are well worth to visit. It’s permitted to enter and take pictures if you like. Remember to wash your hands at the entrance, but the friendly monks will guide you where to go. You don’t have to pay or tip anyone. Inside there is a small garden which has a big tree offering some cool shade from the busy sweaty street outside.
In China town you can also find one of the oldest coffee roasters Kopi Es Tak Kie. It’s not fancy, but serves a wicked cup of iced coffee. You can read more in our Best Coffee in Jakarta post. Bringing us nicely onto our next topic.
Jin De Yuan Temple in Glodok, Jakarta
2. Watch the World go by at Coffee Shops
Coffee and Indonesia, I can only say: expect some of the best coffee you have ever had. There’s so much variety, Ache coffee is slightly sour, Java coffee is round and mellow and Kopi Luwak (“Civet poo coffee”) actually surprised me more than anything. Whilst in Jakarta (and if you’re a coffee lover) you are spoiled for choice on where to get your daily fix. Yes, most the malls have the regular Starbucks and/or <insert generic coffee bar names here> but there is much more to find once you get off the main drag. Read more in our Best Coffee in Jakarta post.
Kopi Es Tak Kie in Glodok, Jakarta
3. Indulge in Street Food
Warung Warteg in Glodok, Jakarta
The next thing on our list is street food. Jakarta is famous for its street food and hunting down the best street food is our absolute favourite thing to do in Jakarta. There are millions of street stalls which all serves different types of Indonesian food, but they have one thing in common: it’s all delicious! All of our best meals in Indonesia has been at street stalls
Don’t be afraid to try the street food, in general it’s safe. Just use your common sense. Read more about how to avoid get food poisoning in this blog post and for more tips on where to go in Jakarta check our this blog post. LINK!
4. Enjoy Jakarta’s Skyline at one of the Many Sky Bars
Jakarta is one of the cities in Asia with most skyscrapers. These are mainly in the centre of the city and gives a very modern look to the skyline. This also means there are numerous of sky bars, lounges and restaurants which are great to hang out at to see the skyline in full. It’s quite humbling to be among the skyscrapers and the views are amazing.
One of the more famous sky bars is Skye, located on the 56th floor of the BCA building in Thamrin with a great view over the whole city, but there are so many others, and more are built every year. The biggest downside of these sky bars are that the prices goes up as soon as the word “sky” is in there and some are quite pretentious with dress codes etc, like Skye. But at most places you can grab a bear, something non alcoholic or something small to eat to enjoy the views without having to pay a fortune.
View of Jakarta’s skyline from the Four Seasons
Jakarta skyline, view over Thamrin
5. Meet the Colonial History in Old town
If there is one touristy area in Jakarta that would be Old town, or Kota tua, the area around Fatahillah square. This area still has many of the houses the dutch built. Fatahillah square is the main area, with many museums and Cafe Batavia, which restaurant in colonial style. It’s actually a quite nice place to sit down for a coffee and look out at the square.
The houses around the square are in pretty good shape, however, as soon as you start walking away from the square and towards the harbour most of the old houses are in ruins. Except for the the old Dutch draw bridge, which the government keep in good condition. It’s a weird contrast to the poor family houses around the bridge and the ruins along the way. But that is Jakarta, a city of contrasts.
Taman Fatahillah, Jakarta
Grand interior of Cafe Batavia
6. The Malls
Love it or hate it, but you will not be able to escape the malls completely. Jakarta is supposed to have most malls per capita in the world. There are the local malls, like ITC, which is more like a huge market and then you have the western malls, such as Grand Indonesia, with air con and Starbucks.
In the western malls you will find everything, cinemas, restaurants, food court, arcade and of course lots of shops. I’ve always seen the malls as a bit of a safe haven when I can’t deal with the noisy streets or the heat anymore and just want something western, we all have those days and the western malls are perfect for that.
ITC Mangga Dua, local mall in JakartaSam and Doraemon at Grand Indonesia Mall in Jakarta
7. Explore all of Indonesia at Taman Mini
Taman Mini, or small park, is an amusement park in the South East of Jakarta. It’s pretty far from the city centre, but a nice thing to in Jakarta as it entails information about all of the Indonesian regions. Each region has a part of the park with traditional houses built in life size form that region. All houses are like mini museums where you can see traditional clothing and learn more about that region.
As Indonesia has many regions, you can imagine that this park is quite big. So make sure to rent a motorbike or car or something to get around the park. You will need a full day to see the park.
Suci and I at Taman Mini, Jakarta
Maluku part of Taman Mini, Jakarta
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We discussed slum tourism as a couple quite a few times when we found out about the Hidden Jakarta Tour. Wether it would be ethical or not to go on this tour. Their TripAdvisor reviews seemed positive. Not only would we get to see the another completely different side of Jakarta, we would actually be contributing to a community in a sustainable and responsible way. It’s a touchy subject as most people would consider it a day looking at poor people in a very depressing human zoo. Ultimately it depends on the tour itself, which way you look at it and how it affects you as another human being.
In the end we decided to go on the tour as it wasn’t a look-at-these-poor-people-tour as many tours like these turn into. The people who run this tour are mainly doing it to raise money for these communities (all money goes directly to their different projects) and to show this part of Jakarta to Indonesian people. To make a change. This is where the importance is for us, why they run the tour. They want to make a change, this is something the government doesn’t want you to see, thereof the name Hidden Jakarta tour. But by having this tour, they raise awareness of the issue which is the first step for change. Also, many of the people working for the tour are living in these areas themselves, which we really liked. It’s also a way to give back to these communities.
The Hidden Jakarta Tour not only gives you an insight into the disparity of the city, we had a real opportunity to connect with people who were as interested in us as we were in them. “Why do you come to Jakarta?“, is a very popular question whenever we are in Jakarta. Our answer is mostly “The food and the people”. This tour made this even more true for us.
Fatahillah Square
We started our day by heading off in a BlueBird taxi to Fatahillah Square. It’s a on most tourists’ to do list in Jakarta, and a main sightseeing spot. It’s also a popular place for students to grab an interview with the tourists. They ask you your name, where you’re from and why you came to Indonesia, that’s usually in front of a camera. Then they want a selfie with you, then the next person ask the same thing. You could do this all day.
Fatahillah Square Jakarta
We grabbed a coffee at the famous Cafe Batavia. The food was OK, but as always in Indonesia you can get better for cheaper, essentially you’re paying for the location and the interior of the cafe. It’s well worth the visit for the location. Coffee was excellent, they have different coffee from all around Indonesia and hits a spot in my Top 5 Best Coffee in Jakarta blog post.
Drinking Coffee at Cafe Batavia Jakarta
Our guide meets us at a local cafe, Kantin Mega Rasa, just around the corner. We grabbed lunch and an ice tea, while discussing what’s in store for the day. It’s also a great time to ask anything you’d like to know and about taking photos, as that was something we viewed as a potential awkward/embarrassing, or not at all normal social behaviour. The best thing was to take it by ear, our guide would check, or as it turned out people would ask us to take their photo. Well it is Indonesia, and they do love their selfies.
The three of us jumped in a microlet (small buss for local transportation) and headed off. We jumped out at Jembatan Kota Intan, an original Bascule bridge, and after dodging the traffic we ducked into a side alley and headed off into the dark and towards the train lines.
Dark Places
Dark alleyway leading down underneath the railway tracks
Ducking into a side alley is not something you’d normally choose to do on your own, or in our case, wouldn’t even know it led somewhere. Our guide smiled and greeted a few people as we walked through the long corridor peeking into peoples homes on each side. You see people cooking food on stoves next to a central gutter, another person washing their clothes or feeding a baby, going about their normal lives in the damp, fetid air. We stopped at a door and our guide bids us welcome into a persons home. It’s about 4m x 4m square, no windows, the railway is only a meter above you.
This was our first meeting. She explained to our guide how she lives in this space, her husband earns about $2 a day as a parking attendant nearby. This place is ‘rented’ from a Chinese criminal gang who collect about $30 a month from them. As you can see in the pic they have electricity and a fridge, their possessions are hung around or neatly packed against the wall. The fan blasts 40°c hot air around the room, it’s hot as hell, but we all smile for an awkward turtle moment. Yes the first meeting was a bit awkward for us, as we wasn’t sure how to act. But it got better throughout the tour and we relaxed a bit more.
Small living space under the railway
Back in the dark corridor, we climb one of the ladders and walked along the thin plywood floor/ceiling and past a few doors to sunlight and a gasp of ‘fresh’ air. Before we head back down and onwards to the bridge, greeting mostly women who were chatting or cleaning/cooking and children who are running around playing and being shy when we say hello.
Stinky River – Hidden Jakarta Tour
Boat Trip
Livia in a bicycle tuk-tuk
This time we jumped into an bicycle tuk-tuk (illegal in Jakarta, but no one cared in this area) and disappear off towards the docks. This is a very working class, low income area. Our guide had us pulled across the water way by a family working this “ferry”/boat/raft. It was covered from the sun by some tarp with a piece of rope to pull it left or right. One of the family members guided us into a thin wooden boat. His son took us out to the old lighthouse and back with his grandson sitting up front all proud of his new passengers whilst he played on a broken mobile phone. We passed dozens of ships in different states of repair and after about 30 minutes we were out in open water, the old green lighthouse in view and massive container ships dotting the horizon. We headed back feeling slightly smaller in our 4 meter long wooden boat.
Off to the lighthouse in the wooden boat
When we arrived back our guide led us out into the wasteland next to the docks. The ground was rubble, bricks, concrete, bits of cable. Dotted across the debris were makeshift tents, built from whatever could be found, tarpaulin, wood, sheet metal, whatever worked. Floors were on stilts, beds were either on the floor or raised where the whole family would sleep together. By family, I mean in this case a woman with six children, her husband works on a cargo boat sailing between Indonesia and the UAE. She see him once every three or so months when he brings her a few hundred dollars after his expenses.
These houses are illegal, in the sense that they’re not allowed to build anything on these grounds. Ever so often the government sends bulldozers to take it all down. And these families have to rescue what they can and start over, once the bulldozers left.
Dockland/Wasteland at the port of Jakarta
We sat down with a family and had a really nice chat with them. We were asked a ton of questions, If we were married, where we live, where we come from, How much we earn? How much we pay for rent?. You quickly realize these are huge almost inconceivable sums of money for these people.
Reflections
Walking through the back streets near the docks in Jakarta
The Indonesian government doesn’t want to admit to this problem. Many Indonesians have never seen these areas. That’s also a reason why we found it important to go. To go here and show that these people matters. That’s an issue in this area, the guide told us that many of the people living here doesn’t think they matter as not even their own countrymen comes here. He continued to explain how happy it made the people here to have foreigners come, just for a small chat. We got so many smiles from people we were passing saying hello, Livia in Indonesian, which made them smile even more.
It hit me hard, it was difficult to hold back the tears once we left the dockland. Us with so much, so “wealthy”, even though we have to work to live and are about one or two paychecks away from being on the street ourselves. But you can’t imagine having to survive like that and still be able to smile. It’s a rough hand to be dealt in life, it makes you tough. You look at the first photo in this post, now look at the last. Its was a sobering experience for everyone.
Family of 8 living on the dock
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I used to live in Jakarta a couple of years ago. I lived there for 6 months, doing an internship with UNDP. This was my first time to Indonesia and my second time to Asia. But before I’ve only been to tourist places in Thailand, so it doesn’t really count. This meant that I learned a lot about that country and culture, and about myself.
I’ve also kept on visiting since I moved back to Europe, and kept learning lessons about this amazing city. Make sure to read the blog about why you should visit Jakarta.
These are some of the lessons I learned about Jakarta while living there:
None of this is based on facts, just my experiences in an every day life in Jakarta as an expat.
Don’t be on time if when meeting an Indonesian person (except maybe in very official circumstances, with emphasis on maybe). As a Swede, I am always on time, usually even early, this seems to be in most Swedes’ DNAs. In Indonesia, this meant a lot of waiting. Waiting for people showing up for meetings, and waiting for friends. Don’t get me wrong, I get it. I also came late sometimes due to traffic jams.
Plan time for traffic jams. I never really had an issue with traffic jams as I could walk to work. But whenever I had to be somewhere on time, and had to go by car, I always planned in some extra time. Hoever, it usually meant that I sat around waiting. But Jakarta traffic can be awful, and I was just lucky. It’s better to expect traffic jams.
Bring a sweater or light jacket to hotels and malls. It is often very cold in the bigger, more expensive hotels and western malls, with the AC on full blow. Cold in comparison to outside will say. I learned this the hard way, sitting in an ice cold conference room in a hotel for 10 hours hardly being able to feel my fingers after a while. Trust me, bring something to wear!
“Choose” your air. If you can, choose to walk on smaller, less trafficked roads instead of the bigger roads. There is a difference in air quality. On the busiest roads I had so much issues breathing, but there was a clear difference walking on the smaller not so busy roads!
You will be stared at: people in Jakarta will look at you, say hi. Many will want to take a selfie with you. But this is all done with a smile and the warmth only Indonesians can bring.
The western fashion has not arrived in Indonesia: as good you think you’re looking leaving the apartment in your western fashioned outfit, people will look at you as if you looked like a clown. Yes in malls you will see western fashion, and some Indonesians wearing it, but in general, this is not the case.
Talking about clothes, Don’t wear anything to revealing: even if some Indonesian people show a lot of skin, as a westerner you will attract even more attention than you already are. And also, more negative attention. Plus in most areas it is highly inappropriate.
Read the labels on any skin products before you buy them: as many skin products include whitening ingredients. This is also true for deodorants. Unless you want whiter armpits, make sure to read the labels.
Even if you walked passed the same Ojek guy 5 times a day, he will still ask you if you want a ride.
It is hot! And very humid, you will sweat!
Tell the taxi driver where you’re going before getting in! Some drivers doesn’t want to drive to certain areas, or if they know it’s a lot of traffic they might not wanna go there. But if you’re already in the taxi they can’t say no (this is only applicable in Bluebird taxies as far as I know, and not all drivers care about this). But to be polite, ask before getting in.
More Indonesia!
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There are so many guides on Bali out there. So this guide will not include any of the usual tourist attractions, instead this is our guide to Bali off the beaten path.
The first time I went to Bali, I hated it. I’ve been living in Jakarta for four months at the time and met up with my dad and his wife in Sanur on Bali. And really didn’t like it. Everything was so expensive, I saw sides of Indonesia I hadn’t seen before, such as prostitution, and people just wanted to sell you stuff. I missed the genuine people of Jakarta (and other areas of Indonesia) and even though Jakarta is so big, I found Bali almost more hectic. At the end of my week there I ventured out to less visited areas, and the second time I went I skipped the tourist spots completely, and finally saw the charm of Bali.
If you do not want over priced resorts and food, fight with all the other tourists on Bali and want to see a more genuine side of Bali, keep away from Kuta and the other areas in the South, plus Ubud centrum. However, if what you’re looking for is partying, other tourists and backpackers to swap stories with then the southern parts and Ubud centre is what you’re looking for.
When I travel I want to see a place for what it is, how locals live, and not the tourist side of places. I have far from visited all areas of Bali, but I will list a few places worth visiting, that’s off most tourists lists.
Yes, this is a tourist attraction. However, when we were there, it was completely empty. From what I understand, most tourists go to the rice fields close to Ubud, instead of venturing out to Jatiluwih. Even if it would be many tourists it’s such a big area so you’d probably end up by your own sooner or later. And it is beautiful! Definitely worth a visit.
Man working in his field at Jatiluwih rice paddiesBeautiful Jatiluwih
Ubud off the Beaten Path
To beat the crowds in Ubud, do not stay in the city of Ubud or the close to it. Venture a bit outside. Ubud is beautiful so I would not miss this area. If you have money to spend, there are some truly amazing resorts just outside the city. But if you’re on a budget, try to venture a little outside.
We stayed in a beautiful small place last year, Hati Padi Cottages. It was just outside a small village in the middle of a rice field. We were the only guests there at the time, but even if it’s fully booked it would probably still be very peaceful, as they only have a few rooms.
Our cottage at Hati Padi cottagesBeautiful sunsets over the rice fieldsThe most serene morning coffee
I have never been to a more serene place (this is not a sponsored post, just fyi). It’s run by two young french guys and a local woman. They were all super helpful and friendly, and we had some really yummy food there.
Lunch at Hati Padi Cottages
Beautiful Views in Sideman
When I went to Sideman I didn’t plan to. The driver we had for the day told us about Sideman road and how beautiful it was. And he was right. There are a few hotels and resorts there now, and I think more is being built. So make sure to head up there before it gets too touristy.
Harvest time in Sideman
We just went out of the car and watched the surroundings, locals harvesting their fields, quietness, clean air, very peaceful. We only went through it and had lunch, but my net visit to Bali, I will definitely stay in Sideman.
Children making their way home from school through the rice fields in Sideman
The Sleepy Town of Klungkung
When I told the driver I wanted to go to Klungkung he looked and me and asked why. He had never got a request form a Westerner to go there before. The reason I wanted to go, is because I have a friend from there, she wasn’t there at the time, but I wanted to see her hometown.
The hindu temple in Klungkung
It’s a really cute, sleepy little town. With a beautiful Hindu temple next to a big local market. I didn’t see any other tourists. If you want to see a normal Balinese town, without any tourists, this is the place for you. And it’s not very far from the touristy places in the South either. Plus it’s close to Sideman road.
The Hindu temple in Klungkung
Northern and Eastern Bali
I haven’t been here myself, so I can’t tell you anything about these areas. But my Indonesian friends tells me to go to Northern and Eastern Bali to beat the crowds and see a more genuine side of Bali. This is also something I will do on my next visit to Bali.
More Indonesia!
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