I grew up in East Jakarta. Rawamangun is an area that I am really familiar with. I’d like to share with you one of my favourite things to do around Rawamangun 🙂
If you’re in Jakarta also read:
15 Things to do in Jakarta as a Tourist.
Jakarta Walking Tour: Enjoy the City at its Best
Though I am based in Yogyakarta now, whenever I get a chance to go to Jakarta I always like to stroll around Rawamangun, especially Balai Pustaka street. It is here that you can find a lot of food stalls, restaurants, mini markets, book stores and much more besides.
If you happen to explore around Kelapa Gading or Pulo Gadung when you are in Jakarta then you should make a stop in Rawamangun to satisfy your taste buds. Some of them are only open in the evening. Here are some of my favourite food stalls/restaurants around Rawamangun:
1. Martabak Favourite
There are two types of Martabak, savory – we call it Martabak Telur – and sweet – we call it Martabak Manis. Martabak is basically like a pancake. I love both of them (have a try and you will know what I mean), but never really eat it too much since the Martabak Telur is very oily and the Martabak Manis is full of butter/ margarine.
There are two Martabak Favourite stalls on Balai Pustaka, however I am only going to tell you where one of them is – Balai Pustaka street, in front of Dunkin Donuts – because if you order from here you can actually get both types of Martabak. It is just a single cart with 2-3 people working from it. One martabak, which feeds three – five people, costs you around Rp. 50,000 ($5).
2. Bebek Kaleyo
If you didn’t know, Bebek is Indonesian word for duck. In Bebek Kaleyo, there are three main ways of serving duck. Grilled duck (bebek bakar), fried duck (bebek goreng) and fried duck with green sauce topping (bebek cabe ijo). Personally I love the grilled duck.
I am a big fan of Bebek Kaleyo and I think they do the best duck in Jakarta. They originally started as a small warung (food stall) but have since mushroomed into a large chain. The Bebek Kaleyo in Rawamangun is located on Pemuda Raya street No. 290 (not far away from Pizza Hut). The duck here is sweet and tender. Don’t forget to order the Mango sauce (sambel mangga) and Es campur to complete your order.
3. HAP Milkbar
HAP Milkbar is located in Puloasem, Rawamangun. This place is still quite new, but definitely worth visiting. The name says it all, so if you are a big fan of milk, you should definitely give a try! You can try the fresh milk that comes in various flavors, or try their signature smoothies.
4. Kedai Locale
This restaurant is located at the end of the intersection of Balai Pustaka street. They serve tasty coffee and other cold drinks that are worth a try. I wouldn’t really recommend their food though. I like the way the restaurant is decorated, as well as the fact that you can get free wifi here.
Of course, this is only a small list of the places to eat in Rawamangun. There are still so many other places to visit around this part of Jakarta. If you still have spare room in your stomach, don’t forget to try Sate Padang Ajo Manih and Bakso Gepeng on Balai Pustaka street, Nasi Uduk OK on Paus street, Nasi Goreng Dapur Bang Thoyib and Sate Blora Cirebon on Balai Pustaka Baru street, Ayam Panggang Rawamangun on Cipinang Baru Utara street and Mie Ratu Kalimantan in Kampung Ambon. So there are all my favourite restaurants (I feel a bit hungry now!). Have you ever been to Rawamangun? Share with me your favourite places to eat/drink!
Still need to book your hotel for Jakarta? Save yourself some time! Here’s a list of the best hotels near Jakarta Airport for every budget.
Hail to the power of Rawamangun… #wink
I am also a proud Rawamangunians, was born and raised there.
Never try the last two, not very fans of “snack” food.
You forget to include Bakso Kocok Bandung and Mie Tasik (simpang tiga, near Rawamangun bus station), that place probably one of the oldest food stall in Rawamangun. Many memories had been created there…hehehe.
Or the infamous Nasi Uduk Mat Lengket at Jatinegara Kaum, those chicken and sambal are to die for.
If you like Chinese Halal food, there’s one beside the Berkah store at Tawes street, it called “Mutiara Oriental Food”. Great taste, fresh ingredients and reasonable price, though the dine in area kinda small but it doesn’t matter.
Gosh, I miss Rawamangun.
I love Bakso Kocok too. 🙂 Thanks for the reminder.
I shall try Nasi Uduk Mat Lengket and Mutiara Oriental Food next time.
Bebek kaleyo selalu di hati 😉 tp aku suka banget mie babat tasik yang deket lampu merah terminal.
Kamu kok sama sih kaya aku kak.. Bebek Kaleyo selalu di hati 🙂
Sebelah mana itu ya kak? Mie Babat Tasik? Baru kali ini denger euy..
Wah klo daerah ramawangun ada satu tempat yg jarang orang tau. Yaitu Studio http://masak.tv di daerah kayu putih selatan. Tempat itu memproduksi banyak banget video tutorial masak. Klo dateng pas jadwal shooting dijamin bisa ngerasain aneka masakan dari ujung keujung nusantara plus ketemu temen2 yang doyan makan dan masak dari segala penjuru.
Hey Roby,
Thanks for the info! Interesting! Kapan-kapan main ahhh.. Saya bagian yang doyan makan aja 🙂
rawamangun …… kangen banged ma nih tempat … 6 tahun terakhir tinggal di makassar dan sayangnya tahun ini ga bisa pulang juga … klo mau nyoba makanan yg kaki lima tapi rasanya ga nahan enaknya banyak kok …… mie ayam kumis depan balai rakyat .. trz mie ayam yg depannya stm pembangunan .. soto madura depannya pasar pagi yg masuk kearah jalan pinang… nasi uduk pocong di deketnya stasiun klender n klo emang penyuka masakan bebek di deket pasar klender tuh juaranya ….. banyak banged pilihan .. daaaaamn im really miss my rawamangun……….
Hi Dave,
Iya Rawamangun memang bikin kangen. Sekarang sudah banyak perubahan loh. 🙂
Akkhhhh.. Saya juga suka nasi bebek di deket pasar klender, walaupun minim daging. Pedesnya bisa bikin nangis.