Jakarta Nights Food Tour with 15+ Tastings

Highlights

• Savour the flavours of 14+ tastings from Indonesian cuisine
• Discover the historic streets of Glodok, Kota Tua and Menteng with a food guide
• Travel by a local train and a tuk tuk ride between Kota Tua and Menteng
• Visit beloved street vendors and local eateries
• Explore the culinary food scene in a small group limited to 8 guests

Description

Jakarta doesn't ease into the evening. As the tropical heat softens, pavements turn into kitchens, charcoal glows beneath skewers and woks roar into life. Tonight we're diving straight into the organised chaos. Over four hours and 15+ tastings, we'll cross the city from Glodok and colonial Kota Tua to Menteng and Central Jakarta, travelling by foot, commuter train and tuk tuk. This isn't dinner in one neighbourhood. It's an edible journey across one of Asia's great street-food cities. Begin beneath the gates of Glodok, Jakarta's historic Chinatown. Chinese communities have traded here for centuries, leaving an enormous mark on the city's cooking. Kick off with West Javanese snacks of cassava stuffed with intensely savoury oncom and crisp tapioca fritters, followed by telor gulung, ribbons of egg twirled around bamboo skewers. Then settle into steaming bakso - springy beef meatballs bobbing in clear, garlicky broth ready for a dangerous spoonful of piquant sambal. Next, stalk history through Kota Tua, once the heart of Dutch colonial Batavia. Among its old façades we'll hunt down kerak telor, Jakarta's smoky signature snack of duck egg and glutinous rice cooked over charcoal. Keep moving for crisp ayam penyet crushed beneath fiery green chillies, gloriously funky petai beans with fried aubergine and chewy cilok bandung smothered in peanut sauce. Sweet iced tea provides temporary fire control. Then we travel like Jakartans do. Jump aboard the commuter railway and rumble south before switching to a tuk tuk for the ride through Menteng. Jakarta changes around us, and so does supper. Follow the charcoal smoke to sizzling sate. Beef and chicken skewers blister above glowing coals before disappearing beneath rich, silky peanut sauce. Alongside comes soto madura, an aromatic beef soup from the island of Madura that's been restoring hungry Indonesians for generations. Still standing? A wok gets the final say with smoky nasi goreng, tossed furiously over fierce heat until the rice picks up those caramelised edges that make fried rice worth arguing about. We won't ruin all 15+ tastings, but dessert is worth sticking around for. Watch steam escape freshly made kue putu, pandan rice cakes hiding molten palm sugar, before biting into glossy klepon that burst with sweet syrup. From Chinatown and colonial Batavia to commuter trains, tuk tuks and the smoking grills of Menteng, this is a seriously fun crash course in Jakarta's local cuisine.

Includes

15+ tastings included, more than any other Jakarta food tour Moveable feast with 7-8 stops around Glodok, Kota Tua and Menteng Max 8 exclusive guests, smallest group size in Jakarta (private / larger groups by request) Bottled water and local drinks Duration is around 3.5 to 4 hours, depending on the pace of the group

Excludes

Pick up and drop off from hotel excluded. Easy-to-find meeting point for all guests Alcoholic drinks excluded

Important Information

• The tour reflects the local cuisine, and the limitations of street food vendors means we unfortunately cannot cater for every dietary restriction. ✔ Suitable for lactose intolerance, no pork and no seafood diets. ⚠ Possible for gluten intolerance and mild nut allergies though some tastings will be unsuitable. ✖️ Unsuitable for pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan diets. We recommend comfortable shoes as this is an easy-paced walking tour. We operate come rain or shine, so please carry rain gear/umbrella if rain looks likely. There's lot of tastings to try, come hungry!

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund