It took me almost an hour only to pick which one to include in the list, because, really? Jakarta has lots of amazing restaurants and cafes, you should’ve made it at least our top 10 instead of only 5!I’m going to put the top 5 places that I’m currently in love with.Oh, and I think it’s also important to note that I’m not exactly into malls, so these are the places that you can visit without having to step your feet inside of one.My to go place whenever my girls and I don’t know where else to go, but we really have to go somewhere (not gonna spend the Saturday night alone at home, psh). Their Kawa, Butabara, Negishiotan, and Gyutandon are. Come here if you can handle their dim lights and heavy smell of smokes. Oh, and make sure to reserve a table first if you’re coming on the weekends, ’cause they’re always packed with people!PS. If you happen to know about that singer who told everyone on her snapchat, that she’s just confronted a waitress who she overheard was badmouthing her, I heard this is the place where it happened.

That’s what the rumor said. Nevertheless, this is still a very good place to eat!Bebek Goreng Pondok SuryoTheir duck is, hands down, better than that franchise down the road. I mean, yes that one is also very good, but this one, I can’t even begin on how tasty their kaldu is (the brown thingy on top of the rice, if you look at the picture above). It’s not that expensive either, considering this one’s located in Senopati area.Akasya ExpressOkay people, listen. Come here for lunch and order Lidah Cabai Ijo + Sambal Mbe. If you’re in it for dinner, then either order their Teppanyaki (beef/seafood/chicken), or Gyutandon. Their system is like warteg; you get to pick your main/side dishes. They also have rice bowl menu though, so rest assured, you don’t always have to spend five minutes in front of their food display cabinet, thinking about which one to eat. Everything they serve is amazing! Good to visit with your family!Walking DrumsWhat I love the most about this place is the ambience that they have to offer.

The place is semi-outdoor, located not too close to other hip areas (Senopati, Kemang, etc), but not too far either. I love their Salted Egg Chicken Wings and Banoffee Pie. ninja sushi menu nycIf you only want to hang out/work with your laptop, you should definitely come here!sushi making kit williams sonomaCaribou CoffeeHonestly, I’m not here for their coffee. genki sushi menu pricesDon’t get me wrong, their coffee is fine especially since I only drink Iced Vanilla Latte, but truth to be spoken, I’m here for their pastries! can you buy sushi at publix with ebtTrust me, my mom is an avid pastry-muncher, and she shares my opinion about this. jiro dreams of sushi on apple tv

Try their Almond Croissant!Also worth mentioning: Simetri Coffee Roasters, Koultoura, Kanawa Coffee & Munch, Jamuan Samudra, Layar Seafood, Bakso Solo Samrat, Sate Padang Ajo Ramon, Beau, will add if I remember more.cooking sushi rice at high altitudeI don’t hang out at Jakarta too often anymore since I live in Tangerang. jiro dreams of sushi japanese wordAlso since most of my friends, including myself is very middle class, we rarely hang out at expensive restaurants or cafe. We mostly eat at food court & then hang out at Starbucks.Anyway, my favorite restaurants are:Sushi TeiThis was my all time favorite restaurant. However, I rarely visit it anymore.Pro: Reasonably priced sushi. Free all you can drink ocha (not very good ocha though). Good for hanging out with friends or meeting with anyone since no one has ever disliked Sushi Tei.

If they dont eat sushi, there are other items on the menu they will like.Cons: Food quality can wildly differ from time to time and from one branch to the next. Sometimes I’m very happy with the quality, sometimes I’m very disappointed.Alternative: My favorite sushi restaurant is actually Ippeke Komachi at MKG. The sushi tastes way better with better price. The soba/udon/tempura are not as good as Sushi Tei though. But it’s only available at MKG which is way too far for me.Marche on PSPro: good food, good ambience.Con: Only at PS.Din Tai FungPro: Excellent Siao Long bao. Con: menu range is limited.Marutama RamenPro: Yummy ramen, great ambience. My favorite ramen restaurants. The ramen is very bouncy and the broth is out of this world. The price is VERY reasonable for its quality, especially if they offer package menus. Their matcha creme brulee is also very tasty.Con: Only available at Plasa Indonesia now, I believe? The branch at Tangerang has been closed down.Crystal JadeI only go there for the dim sum.

I believe their dim sum is the best in Jakarta & the price is reasonable considering it’s a high end restaurant.Bunga RampaiA colonial restaurant in Menteng, they serve an extensive menu of Indonesian & Colonial dishes. Everytime I went there it feels like I got the chance to peek a look back to the past. It’s a semi fine-dining place, expect everyone in a really formal suit.1/15 CoffeeA really nice coffeeshop in Gandaria. Perhaps one of the best coffeeshop in town, all of their baritas are trained really well to serve really nice cup of joes. Their interiors are really simple, almost urban, a really nice place to meet up and work there. Many designer & architects love to go there to work.CrematologyOne of my favourite coffeeshop, they are located in Puri. The interiors are based on scandinavian designs, very cozy and chill place. Their coffee are really nice, all the staffs are really nice, even the wifi password says “crematologylovesyou”.Social HouseOne of ISMAYA dining restaurants.

A very chill & cozy place. It’s really nice to meet with people here, hence the name “Social House”. It’s in Central Jakarta. It’s nice for weekdays only though, they’re really packed in weekends.Lewis & CarrollA tea shop in Senayan. They have tons of option for teas. A really nice place to have tea time and relax with your colleagues. They will serve your tea in very colourful tea pots. However beware coffee-lovers, they coffee options are limited to only cold brews.Bak Kut Teh 100 - This pork soup joint has been around since 1999 and has always maintained their food quality. Portion size however is not as generous as it was back then. Great place if you like your herbal broth clear with a taste of ginseng Teochew style. Pretty awesome tea too. /id/jakart...Kim Tek - Generous servings of properly cooked goat meat satay and soup. Food so good it more than makes up for the rather uncomfortable place the restaurant is located in; some semi-permanent bamboo partitions in lieu of brick walls to protect you from the great Jakarta elements.

Been around since the 70s. Can’t recall if it’s good for your cholesterol level. /id/jakart...Benedict - Who said eggs on toasts are strictly breakfast food?! /id/jakart...Waha Kitchen - I highly recommend their Roast Duck Laksa (yep, roast duck, in a Laksa) and Chai Latte. Great place to hang out for a bit and it’s open 24 hours. Roof-top bar available if you fancy a view to the polluted sky at night. //id/jakart...*Toscana - Generous Italian fares and it reminds me of Melbourne’s Lygon Street. Love their rib eye Risotto and assortments of chocolate desserts. Cozy sexy ambiance at night. Visit during the day for less crowds. Toscana Jakarta Restaurant*) I know the question only asked for 5. Don’t complain it’s free.I assume favorite means repeated visits with minimal dissatisfaction in each visit. Thus, this is my list:1. Monolog, PSMy top pick for brunch! Located near the parking area of Plaza Senayan yet the ambiance is somehow warm. The food is always delicious and the pricing is on-point.

I never, ever refuse to meet people here thanks to the foods and surroundings.2. Sushi Tei, PIThis japanese resto chain never fails me. Serving the most worthy sushi with many choices of other non-sushi Japanese food. The existence of this restaurant succesfully catapulted sushi to be in my Top 5 comfort food. I personally prefer the Plaza Indonesia site as its lighting is dimmedly calming with private spaces and the service is stellarly attentive.3. Union, GIBest cakes in Jakarta! The price may turn you off in the first sight but you really have to try their red velvet and venture other flavours to understand why they were so hype in their inception year and still flourish until now. I actually like the one in Grand Indonesia better as their store in Plaza Senayan is so dark and filled with smoke, you're like thrown to Moulin Rouge set. The one in GI has glass wall, making it bright and uplifting.4. Starbucks, Skyline BuildingMy first love in terms of hanging out place. Been there since 2007 and witnessing its change, I am quite sad for the fact that I rarely visit this site now as they become too popular and it's always crowded there.