Having been to a great Chinatown in KL, as well as a fabulous Koreatown in Manila of all places, I had high hopes for Glodok Chinatown in Jakarta.
In the end though, it turns out it is, at worst, a bit lame, and at best, a wee bit disappointing when it comes to street food.
Table of Contents
What the Glodok Chinatown Market?
Glodok is Jakarta’s Chinatown and has been around in one form or another since the 17th century, with the area becoming a designated Chinese settlement under the Dutch after the 1740 Chinese massacre. Today it is a huge mix of Chinese Indonesian shops, traditional markets, Chinese medicine, electronics, temples, restaurants and food joints, with the main Chinatown action centred around Petak Sembilan, Gang Gloria and Jalan Pancoran.
It is also basically electronics central, so alongside the old Chinese shops and food joints you can buy phones, computer bits, cables and pretty much every other electronic piece of shit you could possibly need.
Street Food Glodok Chinatown Market
The street food here is as you would expect, mostly of the Indonesian-Chinese variety, as well as regular Indonesian fare. It is though far from filled with street food vendors everywhere. Yes, there are a few, but it is mostly sanitised, concocted “street food markets”. I’ll get into these later…..
5 Street Food Glodok Dishes You Have to Try
Nasi Campur
Chinese Indonesian nasi campur is basically rice with a selection of meats and other toppings, and around Glodok you will often find it loaded with roast pork, char siu, chicken, egg and whatever else the particular place is serving. It is one of those dishes where the more shit you can get piled onto the plate, the better.
Bakmi
Bakmi is Chinese Indonesian noodles and one of the obvious things to eat around Glodok. Usually served with chicken, pork, vegetables and a mixture of sauces and seasoning, it is simple, cheap and exactly the sort of food I want to eat in Chinatown.
Sek Ba
Sek ba is braised pork and various bits of pork offal cooked in a dark, sweet and savoury sauce. It is not exactly the prettiest food in the world, but this is Glodok and if you are going to eat Chinese Indonesian food, you might as well go properly down the rabbit hole.
Kuotie
Kuotie are basically Chinese dumplings that have been fried, giving them that lovely crispy bottom while the inside stays soft and juicy. Chuck some chilli and garlic on them and you are onto a winner.
Rujak Shanghai
Rujak Shanghai is one of the more unusual things you can find around Glodok, with seafood and vegetables mixed together with a sweet, spicy and sour sauce. It is very much one of those old school Chinatown dishes that you are unlikely to stumble across elsewhere unless you know where to look.
So, yeah, decent shit, but another reason why I do not rate Jakarta the best street food city in South-East Asia!
And the food courts…..
There’s basically two food courts/outside areas just off of the main street that are OK, but just that OK, which I will give my two cents on.
Petak Enam – the more well known of the two. It has “modern” and, dare I say, are a bit more pretentious and not exactly street food. Think weird Taiwanese tea and stuff like that. Has either live singers, or karaoke complemented by elderly Chinese people dancing. What a time to be alive! This place will duly get its own article.
Pancoran Chinatown Point — the newer shopping/food complex opposite it, with restaurants and a dedicated food court that is actually a bit smaller, but nice and lively. Again fake street food more than top street eats.
Restaurants in the Wider Glodok Chinatown Area
Chinatown market is, well, it’s Chinatown market, it is the touristy part of town, but there is much more to Glodok itself, both street food and simple restaurant wise.
There’s also other “China Town stuff” and cheap hotels, which I will get to later. Food wise though, I like the following food joints when eating when visiting Chinatown.
Bakmi Kota 21
Bakmi Kota 21 is a simple Chinese Indonesian noodle joint in the wider Glodok area, and one I would definitely recommend highly. They serve bakmi, which is noodles grilled in a banana leaf. Follows the smells and the crowds.
Address: Jl. Hayam Wuruk No.125K, Mangga Besar, Taman Sari, Jakarta Barat.
Masakan Chinese Food
This was formerly Porki Station, so if you have seen old references to Porki Station when looking for pork then you will be deeply shocked. Now it does a local take on dim sum, but you know what it works.
Address: Glodok Chinatown, Jakarta Barat.
Shao Kao
Shao Kao is basically Chinese style grilled skewers, with a selection of meat and other bits thrown onto sticks and cooked over the grill. It is more restaurant than street food, but still fits nicely into a Chinatown food crawl.
Address: Jl. Gajah Mada No.182, Glodok, Taman Sari, Jakarta Barat.
Kopi Es Tak Kie
Kopi Es Tak Kie is one of the old school Glodok institutions, having been around since 1927. It is primarily famous for its coffee, but also serves a selection of Chinese Indonesian food and is exactly the kind of old school place that gives Glodok a bit of character.
Address: Gang Gloria, Jl. Pintu Besar Selatan III No.4–6, Glodok, Jakarta Barat.
Kari Lam
Kari Lam is another old school joint around Gang Gloria, famous for its Chinese Indonesian curry. It has been around for decades and is another place where you get the feeling that you are eating in the actual Chinatown rather than some newly created food court pretending to be one.
Address: Gang Gloria, Glodok, Jakarta Barat.
Sleeping in Glodok Chinatown
There’s actually a whole bunch of sleeping options here, from the really shit to the very mediocre and past its prime. And it is in the latter that you get the best value. On this front I recently did the Jayakarta Hotel Jakarta which at $23 was insanely good.
Tamansari Agung Residence
Around $8 / IDR 132,000 per night
One of the cheapest options in the area and basically the sort of place you stay when price is more important than self respect.
Urban Casa Kota Residence
Around $14 / IDR 239,000 per night
A cheap residence option about 700 metres from Glodok, and a decent choice if you want to stay in the area without paying much money.
Favehotel LTC Glodok
Around $14 / IDR 230,000 per night
A slightly more conventional budget hotel and only around half a kilometre from Glodok. Another one that I have used when staying. Weird layout, but decent digs.
De Green Residence
Around $18 / IDR 298,000 per night
A guesthouse style option in Glodok with prices currently around IDR 298,000. Cheap, reasonably central and close to all the food action.
The Jayakarta Hotel Jakarta
Around $23 / IDR 394,000 per night
This is the one I recently did and at $23 was insanely good. It is old, slightly battered and very much past its prime, but for $23 you get a proper hotel room in a bloody good location, and frankly that is all I really need.
Conclusion
Jakarta is bloody big, but it is also at times one of the more Islamic parts of Indonesia, which pretty much makes Glodok Chinatown Market one of the more popping parts of town. Even if booze is slightly less available these days.
And with its cheap accommodation, street food and Sino Indonesian cuisine, pretty much the best place to kick back if you need to sleep in Jakarta.
Click to see my Indonesian Tours.