A Glodok food trip, one alley at a time.

The place

Why Glodok.

Glodok, in West Jakarta, has been known since the colonial era as the largest Chinatown in Batavia — the old name for Jakarta. Today it is a centre of Chinese-Indonesian and Betawi (old Jakarta) food and culture, with a rebuilt Chinatown gate, temples, a church built in Chinese temple style, and a market called Petak Sembilan.

Many dishes here are Chinese-Indonesian classics: bakmi (egg noodles), nasi campur (rice with mixed roast meats), kopi es (iced coffee), and Betawi dishes like soto Betawi, a rich beef soup.

Eight stops

Eight Glodok stops and what to order.

Years and addresses are as given by the sources below. Stalls here rarely have big signs; ask for them by name.

The route

A walking route.

1. Start at the gateThe Glodok Chinatown gate, rebuilt and opened in 2022, is the usual starting point. Pantjoran Tea House stands nearby — have a cup of the free tea outside.
2. Into Gang GloriaA lane about four metres wide, packed with stalls. Iced coffee at Kopi Es Tak Kie first, then curry at Kari Lam and noodles or soto as you walk.
3. Jalan PancoranBack on the main road: laksa at Laksa Lao Hoe, and rujak Shanghai for something cold, sweet and sour.
4. Petak EnamA revitalised former car park in the Chandra building with 30-plus food tenants. Fried cempedak is the sweet one to share.
5. Petak SembilanFinish in the market for snacks, then visit Vihara Dharma Bhakti and the Santa Maria de Fatima church on Jalan Kemenangan III.

Oleh-oleh

What to bring home from Glodok.

Oleh-oleh is the Indonesian word for the food gifts you carry home after a trip.

• Traditional cakes and snacks from Pasar Petak Sembilan.
• Festive sweets around Imlek (Lunar New Year), when Glodok is at its busiest.

Timing and getting there

How to do Glodok well.

• Get there by train or bus. Take the KRL commuter line to Jakarta Kota station, or TransJakarta Corridor 1 to the Glodok stop. Since 2022 the Glodok bus stop has been a temporary one in front of Harco Glodok, because of MRT construction.
• Or tell your driver “Petak Sembilan”. It is the name everyone knows.
• Go in the morning. Lanes are cooler and stalls are fresh. Weekends and Imlek are the busiest.
• Ask about halal. Many Gang Gloria dishes contain pork, and one stall serves pie oh (soft-shell turtle). Vegetarian food is available on Gang Kalimati.
• Carry small cash. Stalls here are small and simple.

Sharing math

How to eat Glodok with friends.

• Coffee: one each. Kopi es is the ritual.
• Curry and noodles: one bowl per two. You still have the market ahead.
• Rujak and cempedak: one plate for the group. They are snacks made for passing round.
• One person pays, everyone settles later — the split bill calculator handles it.

Copy this

Your Glodok checklist.

Screenshot it and tick as you go. Also doing Manila’s Chinatown? Compare notes with our Binondo food trip.

• ☐ Free tea outside Pantjoran — cups: ___
• ☐ Kopi es at Tak Kie — sweet enough? ___
• ☐ Kari Lam curry, out of 5: ___
• ☐ Bakso or bakmi — which won? ___
• ☐ Rujak Shanghai — brave with the jellyfish? ___
• ☐ Fried cempedak verdict: ___
• ☐ Oleh-oleh in the bag: ___

Keep the trip

Every alley, on one map.

Glodok’s best stalls have no signboard, which makes them easy to love and impossible to find again. Snap each one in PlateDiary: every dish is cut out on your phone into a save, each stop becomes a moment, and the map pins the route lane by lane.

Give each stall a stamp in Stamps, your stamp book of places you’ve eaten, and add your friends as companions. PlateDiary is also available in Bahasa Indonesia.