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What to eat in Indonesia? Top 100 Indonesian Foods

Last update: Fri Jan 31 2025
Top 100 Indonesian Foods
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01

Dumplings

INDONESIA
4.7
Siomay
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Siomay is an Indonesian dish consisting of steamed cone-shaped fish dumplings, eggs, potatoes, cabbage, tofu, and bitter melon. After they have been steamed, all ingredients are assembled on a plate, cut into bite-sized pieces, and generously drizzled with a spicy peanut sauce.


The final touch to the dish is a splash of sweet soy and chili sauce, along with a drizzle of lime juice. Siomay is derived from Chinese shumai, and it is believed to have originated among Chinese immigrants who came to Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period. 

MOST ICONIC Siomay

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02

Meat Soup

JAKARTA, Indonesia
4.6
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Soto Betawi is a hearty beef soup consisting of chunks of meat and offal that are slowly simmered in a coconut milk broth, which is usually enriched with various spices such as lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, kefir lime leaves, and coriander. When served, the soup is accompanied by different condiments that typically include tomatoes, scallions, sweet soy sauce, and emping crackers.


Because of its name, it is believed that the dish originated in Jakarta among the Betawi people, and today it is one of the most popular dishes in the city, usually sold at various street stalls, restaurants, or hawker-style establishments. Soto Betawi is traditionally enjoyed with steamed rice and pickled acar on the side.

MOST ICONIC Soto Betawi

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03
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Sate kambing is a traditional dish and a type of satay prepared with mutton as the main ingredient. The meat is cut into chunks or cubes and it's marinated in a combination of ingredients such as kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), galangal, ground shallots, pineapple juice, and (often) chili peppers.


After it's been marinated, the meat is placed on skewers that are larger and thicker than the ones used for chicken satay as the texture and thickness of mutton is tougher than chicken. The skewers for sate kambing are usually made from bamboo. The meat is grilled, then served with kecap manis sauce, peanut sauce, or chili sauce, consisting of shallots, bird eye chili peppers, and kecap manis. 

MOST ICONIC Sate kambing

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04

Street Food

PALEMBANG, Indonesia
4.5
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Pempek is a traditional fish cake made with ground fish meat and tapioca. The actual origin of this dish is the city of Palembang, situated in the South Sumatra province. The origin story of pempek says that an old Palembang citizen was tired of the traditional fried or grilled fish, so he thought of an innovative way to ground the meat, mix it with tapioca flour, and deep-fry it to get a crunchy and delicious snack.


He then used to cycle through the city and sell the fish cakes to Palembang citizens. Over time, pempek was recognized as a praise-worthy snack, and today it is considered to be a traditional Indonesian delicacy. These round or rectangular cakes are usually steamed, and right before serving they are fried in vegetable oil and cut into bite-sized pieces. 

MOST ICONIC Pempek

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05

Meat Soup

SURABAYA, Indonesia
4.5
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Rawon is a unique Indonesian dish with origins in East Java. This flavorful soup is usually made with slow-braised beef and other traditional Indonesian ingredients such as lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger, and chili. However, the key element is buah kluwek, the Indonesian black nut.


This unusual Indonesian spice is highly toxic when raw, and always needs to be fermented before consumption. It is ground with other ingredients and spices, giving the dish its earthy and sour taste and the unique dark black color. The origin of the dish is believed to be the city of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. 

MOST ICONIC Rawon

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06

Snack

BANDUNG, Indonesia
4.5
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One of the most famous snacks in Indonesia is batagor, a fried fish dumpling served in a traditional spicy sauce. It has roots in the Chinese culinary tradition, which has left a trace on many Indonesian dishes. Although this famous snack is reminiscent of the more famous Chinese dumpling, its distinguishable characteristic is that it is fried, not steamed.


The most common fish used to make the dish is wahoo, but tuna, mackerel, and prawns can also be used. Potatoes, tofu, or cabbage are also occasionally added to the dish. Batagor is the perfect snack because of the way it is served. When fried, the dumplings are cut into small bite-sized pieces and covered in peanut, soy, and chili sauce with a splash of lime juice. 

MOST ICONIC Batagor

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07
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In its basic form, Indonesian-style fried chicken consists of chicken cuts, preferably bone-in pieces such as thighs and drumsticks, which are marinated in spices, then shortly braised before being fried until golden and crispy. The marinade is typically based on traditional spices such as lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, and tamarind, but since the dish is enjoyed throughout the country, it comes in numerous regional variations that may include other spices and marinades, or various additions such as grated coconut or rice flour crumbs.


All varieties of ayam goreng can be enjoyed as individual dishes, usually accompanied by rice and fresh vegetables or salads, but ayam goreng is also a common side dish at Indonesian banquet-style meals.

MOST ICONIC Ayam goreng

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08
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Perkedel are Indonesian fried delicacies consisting of either mashed potatoes, ground meat, ground corn, or minced fish (perkedel ikan). The name of these savory patties is derived from the Dutch word frikadel, showing the Dutch culinary influence on Indonesian territory.


Prior to frying, the main ingredient is usually combined with finely chopped scallions and pepper, then dipped in beaten eggs. Perkedel is traditionally served as an appetizer or a side dish with soto ayam soup, although it can also be consumed as a main dish, when it is usually accompanied by nasi kuning (yellow rice).

MOST ICONIC Perkedel

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09
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Nasi goreng ayam is a traditional fried rice dish that's also popular in Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia. Although there are many versions of this nasi goreng variety, it is usually made with a combination of chicken thighs, oil, salt, white pepper, shallots, rice, turmeric, soy sauce, fish sauce, galangal or ginger, garlic, scallions, kecap manis, and hot peppers.


Most of the ingredients are fried with rice, and the dish is then topped with fried eggs, fried shallots, and sliced chili peppers. It's recommended to serve nasi goreng ayam with prawn crackers on the side.

10
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Fried bananas or plantains are a common everyday snack eaten throughout Indonesia. They come in numerous versions in which the fruit is simply fried in shallow oil, but more often sliced banana pieces are coated in batter before they are fried until golden.


Besides numerous other varieties, fried bananas also appear under different names such as godoh biu on Bali or gedhang gorèng on Java. They are traditionally sold at street stalls and carts and belong to a group of gorengan dishes—Indonesian deep-fried snacks. 
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Gorengan

MOST ICONIC Pisang goreng

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11
Rice Dish
JAVA, Indonesia
4.4
12
Rice Dish
JAKARTA, Indonesia
4.4
13
14
Snack
INDONESIA
4.4
15
Dessert
JAVA, Indonesia
4.4
16
Street Food
PURWOKERTO BARAT, Indonesia
4.4
17
Sauce
JAVA, Indonesia  and  one more country
4.4
18
Noodle Dish
INDONESIA  and  2 more regions
4.3
19
Sauce
EAST JAVA, Indonesia
4.3
20
Rice Dish
JAVA, Indonesia
4.3
21
Fried Chicken Dish
EAST JAVA, Indonesia
4.3
22
23
24
25
Cake
INDONESIA
4.3
26
Stew
JAVA, Indonesia
4.3
27
28
Stew
PADANG, Indonesia
4.3
29
Salad
JAKARTA, Indonesia
4.3
30
Pancake
JAVA, Indonesia
4.2
31
Snack
INDONESIA
4.2
32
Stew
CENTRAL JAVA, Indonesia
4.2
33
Pancake
JAKARTA, Indonesia
4.2
34
Salad
JAKARTA, Indonesia
4.1
35
Feast
WEST JAVA, Indonesia
4.1
36
Pork Dish
BALI, Indonesia
4.1
37
38
Rice Dish
EAST JAVA, Indonesia
4.1
39
Noodle Dish
ACEH, Indonesia
4.1
40
41
42
Rice Dish
SURAKARTA, Indonesia
4.1
43
44
45
Snack
INDONESIA
4.0
46
Cake
JAVA, Indonesia  and  one more country
4.0
47
Cake
INDONESIA  and  4 more regions
4.0
48
Dessert
JAVA, Indonesia
4.0
49
50
Snack
JAVA, Indonesia
4.0
51
Fish Soup
PALEMBANG, Indonesia
4.0
52
Rice Dish
WEST JAVA, Indonesia
4.0
53
Rice Dish
JAVA, Indonesia
3.9
54
Street Food
JAVA, Indonesia
3.9
55
56
57
Meat Soup
MALANG, Indonesia
3.9
58
Pastry
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia
3.9
59
Street Food
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia
3.8
60
Pork Dish
SUMATRA, Indonesia
3.8
61
Vegetable Soup
WEST JAVA, Indonesia
3.8
62
Salad
SURABAYA, Indonesia
3.8
63
Snack
INDONESIA  and  2 more regions
3.8
64
Dessert
INDONESIA
3.7
65
66
Stew
SURAKARTA, Indonesia
3.7
67
Noodle Dish
BANDUNG, Indonesia
3.7
68
69
Fish Dish
INDONESIA  and  one more region
3.7
70
Salad
WEST JAVA, Indonesia
3.6
71
Dessert
JAVA, Indonesia
3.6
72
Vegetable Dish
JAVA, Indonesia
3.6
73
74
Dessert
JAVA, Indonesia
3.5
75
Sweet Pastry
INDONESIA  and  7 more regions
3.4
76
77
Rice Dish
CENTRAL JAVA, Indonesia
3.4
78
Snack
JAVA, Indonesia
3.4
79
Street Food
WEST JAVA, Indonesia
3.4
80
81
Salad
JAVA, Indonesia
3.3
82
83
Dessert
JAVA, Indonesia
3.1
84
85
Meat Dish
BALI, Indonesia
2.9
86
87
Meat Dish
LOMBOK ISLAND, Indonesia
n/a
88
Soup
MAKASSAR, Indonesia
n/a
89
Duck Dish
BALI, Indonesia
n/a
90
Stew
SOUTH KALIMANTAN, Indonesia
n/a
91
Chicken Dish
BALI, Indonesia
n/a
92
Soup
CIREBON, Indonesia
4.4
93
Stir-fry
BALI, Indonesia
n/a
94
Rice Dish
PATI, Indonesia
4.3
95
Beef Dish
PADANG, Indonesia
n/a
96
Snack
INDONESIA
4.3
97
98
Egg Dish
WEST SUMATRA, Indonesia
4.1
99
100

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 Indonesian Foods” list until January 31, 2025, 6,864 ratings were recorded, of which 4,550 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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