Despite its popularity with tourists, Wamena has a reputation for being a bit spartan when it comes to entertainment. Is there a street food Wamena scene though? What are the restaurants like, and is there anything resembling a nightlife?
Well, yes. Wamena is no Vegas, but you will not go hungry here, at least if you are prepared to step out of your hotel and be a bit adventurous.
What the Wamena?
Wamena is the main town in the Baliem Valley region of Papua, the Indonesian part of New Guinea. It is located high in the central highlands, surrounded by some of the most dramatic and beautiful mountain scenery in the world. The town serves as a hub for visitors wanting to explore the remote Dani tribe villages that dot the valley.
While the infrastructure is limited and the vibe is far from polished, Wamena offers a fascinating mix of traditional Papuan culture and modern Indonesian influence. The population is a melting pot of indigenous tribes, Indonesians, and migrants from other parts of the archipelago, making it a culturally diverse but complex place.
Wamena is well known for its markets, where you can find traditional crafts and local produce. The surrounding area is popular for trekking and cultural tours, but the town itself remains relatively quiet, especially after dark. Entertainment options are scarce and nightlife is almost non-existent, but the town’s charm lies in its raw authenticity and being way off of the grid.
Restaurants of Wamena
OK, so while we will not go massively into the politics of West Papua with my opinions being fairly obvious, food and restaurants here, much like most of the region, are dominated by Indonesian businesses and this is a bad thing. Indonesian food is extremely limited and indeed overrated.
This will mean that, like it or not, you are going to be adding a shit tonne of fried rice nasi goreng or fried noodles mi goreng or classic Java dishes like bad fried chicken.
There are though a few restaurants and cafes that are at least on the higher end of the scale and have some variety which I shall point out below. They are though all Indonesian fare with there not being anything vaguely Papuan away from the markets or villages when it comes to restaurants.
Top 5 Restaurants in Wamena
To be honest, picking five restaurants in itself was not exactly easy, but all of these Wamena establishments have been tested and indeed verified by The Street Food Guy. So in no real particular order the best five restaurants in Wamena:
- Rumor Makan Fakhira Jalan Trikora No 45 Wamena Central Baliem Valley Papua Indonesia
Probably the most famous restaurant in the city for some reason. Decent Indonesian fare and pretty good milkshakes. - Cafe Pilamo Jalan Yos Sudarso Wamena Baliem Valley Papua Indonesia
Alas, I did not get to go there this time, but I remember it well for the great desserts. These are like the Indonesian version of Filipino Halo Halo known as Es Teler. Also have strawberry milkshake with shredded cheese. - Baliem Pilamo Hotel Restaurant Jalan Trikora Wamena Baliem Valley Papua Indonesia
Without doubt the biggest menu within the city, but alas do not always have everything. One standout dish here though is banana fritters with cheese BUT with hot sauce, trust me you will thank me later. - Triple A Cafe and Resto Jalan Trikora No 12 Wamena Baliem Valley Papua Indonesia
A decent cafe which has slightly more than just simple Indonesian fare which means they also have French fries and chicken nuggets. - Schop Mychi Resto Jalan Yos Sudarso No 20 Wamena Baliem Valley Papua Indonesia
This is a really clean restaurant with a big mostly Indonesian menu. Really good milkshakes and wait for it. They also take cards, which is a fairly big deal in these parts.
Street Food Wamena
OK, so the street food Wamena scene is not exactly amazing but it is also not all that bad as well. It is ruled by Indonesians who while not being that great at it at least have street food culture. Overall this means that the scene is dominated by driven street food carts that get parked in choice places, coffee trucks, and street food tents. Sadly there is not much of a Papuan street food scene aside from what you can get at the markets.
For me this means the following three places are the best for getting your street food Wamena groove on.
Wio Silimo
The unmistakable center of government and life in the city is where the park and the absolutely HUGE Christian cross is located. After 5 pm all manor of carts arrive here selling stuff like cilok daging, a tapioca ball with tiny traces of meat served with really hot sauce, sosis goreng, fried sausage and various other bits of meat on sticks. This place will not rock your world but it will do a job.
Jalan Trikora Street
Located on the same street as the Baliem Pilamo Hotel everything comes alive here at around 6 pm but then closes by around 9 pm I shit you not. On one side of the street there is a plethora of restaurants most of which are quite simply serving fried chicken and rice. They also only serve water and do not sell drinks. There are then three tents to the right of the hotel that stay open until 12 and as well as serving grilled chicken also do grilled fish. OK so the menu is not diverse but what they do they do well.
The Markets of Wamena
OK so while I reported failure at Jibamo Market, I did manage to get street eats at some of the others and said eats were Papuan. If you look hard enough you will find ladies selling mumu style chicken and taro wrapped in the delicious sayur lilin. This mountain green is a game changer and really adds flavor to things.
Eating Mumu with the Dani Tribe
This kind of connects to my last point about the markets of Wamena but essentially if you want to try real West Papuan food in Wamena then it will largely mean that you have to go and eat with the Dani tribe.
When you do this you will traditionally eat Mumu which is where food is heated underground with stones and will include sweet potato, taro, and some kind of meat, pork if you are lucky and chicken if less so. These are all cooked with sayur lilin which acts as the flavoring in lieu of salt or indeed Maggi. These meals are truly the business.
Alas you cannot just do this and it has to be arranged, something that is usually a given when you are on a West Papua Tour.
Can you drink in Wamena and the Wamena Nightlife
OK so food is taken care of so what about the party? Where is the nightlife and can you drink in Wamena? Sadly the answer to all these questions is pretty much none nowhere no no no. For all intents Wamena is a dry city. Officially this is because of worries about Papuans and their relationship with booze but my sad suspicion is that much like West Timor it is perhaps Javanese Muslim rejecting as much as anything else.
You can though bring your own with me carrying 4 bottles of Soju with me. There was also talk of getting some Paiawara although when I was quoted 40 dollars for a small bottle I decided against the option.
Where to sleep in Wamena
The hotel to stay in is the Baliem Pilamo which is actually a pretty decent hotel central and at least where there is some food, drink, and small shop action. Breakfast here is decent and it can rightly call itself the best hotel in Wamena for regular people although there really is not much competition.
The hotel also has a shop in the basement, offers laundry and massage as well as hotel rooms that let you watch Indonesian military planes coming in and out as they deal with the issues of West Papua. Truly what a time to be alive.
And that is the overall skinny on the Street Food Wamena scene from The Street Food Guy.
