Food in Indonesia, as well as Indonesian cuisine, can be very hit and miss, but not in Makassar where it appears at least to be hit upon hit. And this is particularly true with the street food Makassar scene, which is frankly epic.
That it has a banging airport, a beautiful beach and lots to do is but the icing on a very fruity cake. Not much of a bar scene mind, but hey, you really can’t have everything, can you.
Table of Contents
What the Makassar?
Makassar to me previously has always been a transit point that I have at best stopped for a few hours, or even a night at their fabulous airport. On my TikTok video many people said I should come check out the food in the area, I jumped at the chance when a research trip popped up.
This would see me check out Chinatown in Jakarta, before flying to Makassar to then journey by land to see a bunch of bulls get slaughtered. Long story, which I will cover more later. As for the city itself, Makassar is the capital of South Sulawesi and by far its biggest city, with around 1.5 million people in the municipality. It sits on the southwest coast of Sulawesi, facing the Makassar Strait, and is one of eastern Indonesia’s major economic, transport and commercial centres. It is also the main gateway to South Sulawesi and the jumping off point for places like Tana Toraja, you know where that slay bulls with blood flying everywhere(TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@thestreetfoodguys/video/7671703906162019607)
General Makassar Cuisine
Makassar cuisine is very much its own thing and, while obviously part of the wider Indonesian food genre, it feels considerably different from the food you tend to associate with Java. Where Javanese food can often lean towards sweeter flavours, Makassar food is generally much heavier, meatier and more aggressively spiced, with beef, offal, seafood, coconut and chilli featuring heavily. Coto Makassar, pallubasa and konro are the big hitters, while grilled fish and various noodle dishes show just how much seafood and Chinese influence has made its way into the local food scene. There are also some seriously good sweet things, particularly pisang epe and pisang ijo.
Click to read my take on Indonesian cuisine.
Street Food Makassar
Makassar is a big booming, busy Indonesian city that lacks the bullshit of Jakarta, while retaining the joys and insanity that big city life brings. And this truly manifests when it comes to street food in Makassar, which quite frankly is everywhere.
And I mean everywhere, with the waterfront and side streets leaving almost no space that does not have a vendor. Now many of these seem to just be doing corn, bananas, or fruit juices, but it reminded me a lot of the street food Siem Reap scene, but on acid.
Yet while street food is quite literally everywhere, what sets the place apart is the abundance of really really good night markets. Alas I could not fully sample them all in just two days, but honestly it was that good, I will be back.
Best street food spots in Makassar
I saw so many small little street food markets in car parks and the like, or around my hotel and on the water that it would be impossible to list them all, but there are a few main gems that are worth the journey itself.
Cidu Traditional Market
This was basically the place that I blew most of the space my stomach could take. Located in northern Makassar this is no “traditional” market as the name suggests, but a huge long road of up to 200 vendors selling all kinds of international and Indonesianised foreign takes on most everything, such as Korean food and hamburgers. It was also where I got to try a Durian Smoothie with cheese. This will get its own article, as will Cidu Traditional Market itself. This is THE place to sample the street food Makassar scene. Oh, but be wary of not getting run over by the motorbikes that come roaring through here.
Address: Jl. Tinumbu, Tabaringan, Kec. Ujung Tanah, Kota Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan 90213, Indonesia.
Senggol Night Market
This is not a tourist market with polished stalls, but more a traditional Makassar market that mixes up local street eats with, you know, actual market stuff. Still a fabulous place to not just come and eat, but more importantly soak up the local culture.
Address: Jl. Opu Daeng Risadju, Mattoangin, Kec. Mamajang, Kota Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan 90123, Indonesia.
Pantai Losari
This is less street food Makassar and more outdoor simple restaurants serving Indonesian food by the sea. This place gave me Bali, or Siem Reap vibes with the only thing missing being the ability to buy a few beers. Famous for the pressed banana dish that is famous in these parts, as well as its views of the mosques by the sea. Quite literally next to the fabulous Loser Beach Hotel, where I stayed. This place will also get its own article.
Address: Pantai Losari, Jl. Penghibur, Bulo Gading, Kec. Ujung Pandang, Kota Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia.
Top 9 Street Food Makassar Dishes
Honestly even after one night I could probably list 30+ things to try when you hit up Makassar, but I will restrict this list to a mere 9! In order of course.
9. Jalangkote
Jalangkote is basically the Makassar answer to a fried pastry, usually stuffed with vegetables, noodles or other savoury fillings and served with a spicy dipping sauce. Cheap, easy to eat and exactly the kind of thing you should be grabbing from a street vendor while wandering around.
8. Mie Titi
Mie Titi is a Makassar speciality consisting of crispy fried noodles covered with a thick savoury gravy, usually with chicken, seafood, mushrooms and other bits thrown into the mix. It looks like something between noodles and a Chinese style gravy dish, which makes sense given the Chinese influence on Makassar cuisine.
7. Coto Makassar
Coto Makassar is one of the city’s absolute classics and basically a rich beef soup containing meat and various bits of offal, cooked with spices and ground nuts. It is normally served with ketupat or burasa and is the sort of dish where you should probably not ask too many questions about which bit of the cow you are eating.
6. Konro Bakar
Konro Bakar is beef ribs marinated and grilled with a sweet, spicy and savoury sauce, usually served with a spicy peanut sauce. This is another one of those dishes that demonstrates why Makassar food is so much more than the standard Indonesian fare you find elsewhere.
5. Pallubasa
Pallubasa is another seriously heavy Makassar beef and offal dish, somewhat similar to Coto Makassar but with a richer coconut based broth. Traditionally it can also come with a raw egg yolk and toasted coconut, because apparently regular soup was deemed far too healthy.
4. Ikan Bakar and BBQ Squid
Ikan Bakar means grilled fish and Makassar is a brilliant place to eat it, with the city being a major fish market and seafood centre. Look out for grilled milkfish, prawns and especially BBQ squid, often cooked over charcoal and covered in a sweet, spicy or smoky sauce. This is proper local BBQ rather than the sanitised restaurant version.
3. Pisang Epe
Pisang Epe is probably the most famous street food snack in Makassar. A banana is pressed flat, grilled over charcoal and then covered with palm sugar sauce, with chocolate, cheese and even durian sometimes getting involved. You will find vendors all over the Pantai Losari area and it is basically compulsory eating when visiting Makassar.
2. Fresh Juice and Durian, Cream and Cheese Smoothie
Fresh juice is absolutely everywhere in Makassar, with the tropical fruit selection meaning you can get everything from mango and avocado to passion fruit and other things I had never previously considered putting through a blender. Then there was the durian, cream and cheese smoothie, which was frankly fucking mental and also rather brilliant. This deserves its own article because it is difficult to adequately explain what the hell is going on in a glass.
1. Sop Konro
Sop Konro is the soup version of the famous Makassar beef rib dish, with ribs cooked in a dark, heavily spiced broth. It is rich, meaty and about as far away from a light Indonesian lunch as you can possibly get. If you like beef, this is one of the dishes you absolutely need to try in Makassar.
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thestreetfoodguys/video/7681329476608871683
The Restaurant and nightlife scene in Makassar
While street food rules the waves in Makassar there are also proper restaurants to fit all needs and budgets. After all there are rich people that live here. Fast food is also well represented with McDonalds, KFC and of course A&W all having a presence.
Makassar is pretty Muslim as you will hear when the call to prayer comes on the loudspeaker. There are though bars in hotels, a few places to buy liquor, as well as some nightclubs. I did not visit them, but will list for good measure.
Nightlife options in Makassar include
Liquid Club at Claro Hotel, one of the city’s better known proper nightclubs.
VENN Club & Bar in Tanjung Bunga.
Zona Cafe in central Makassar, which combines bar, live music and nightclub vibes.
Ibiza Club Makassar on Jalan Nusantara.
Platinum Veteran, a bar and nightlife option in central Makassar.
HW Helen’s Live Bar Makassar in Tanjung Bunga, for live music and drinks.
The contradiction of Indonesian Street Food
I haver previously seriously shit talked Indonesian street food and cuisine in general, ranking it 9/11 in ASEAN. The reason for this is that it really does have some crap food cities, like Kupang, Ambon and even much of Jakarta. The thing is though I think I might have been wrong, because when it is good, it is really good, as places like Gili T and now Makassar have showed me.
Therefore Indonesian street food will rise on my 2027 list!
So, street food Makassar?
I have traditionally used Makassar solely as a transit point when heading to West Papua, West Timor, or even Maluku without giving it much thought. I though was wrong, this place is banging, particularly if you are looking to go and explore Sulawesi, or you’re heading for some bull slaughter.
Definitely worth a few days, if only for the street food Makassar scene.
Click to see my tours to Indonesia with Young Pioneer Tours