Popular café in old VOC gentlemen saloon & art gallery
- Jl. Pintu Besar Utara No.14
- Mon-Thu 8am-12pm; Fri 8am-1am; Sat 7am-1am, Sun 7am-12am
- +62 21 6915531
- Website
Deep leather sofas, ceiling fans and vintage photographs recreate a unique ambience of long-gone times
A rare remnant of the past
Café Batavia is a must-visit if you are in Jakarta! Step inside and relive the golden days of 19th century Jakarta, when this was the majestic residence of the VOC’s governor. It was one of the Australian Graham James who saw the potential of this crumbling building in the 1980’s when the Kota was more associated with prostitution and gambling. A big renovation brought back the building’s former grandeur and elegance and it quickly became one of Jakarta’s most popular cafés.
Enjoy a leisurely lunch
While not exactly a shoe-string lunch spot, café Batavia serves all the Indonesian classics. Best sellers include all-time favourites like gado-gado (vegetable salad with peanut sauce) (Rp. 65.000) and soto betawi (beef and coconut milk sauce) (Rp. 80.000). There is also a variety of western cuisine available including several Dutch inspired dishes like bitterballen (deep fried meat balls) (Rp. 65.000) and poffertjes (mini pancakes) (Rp. 55.000).
Our pick
Take the impressive carpeted staircase to the first floor lounge, have a seat at the elegant teak wooden bar and order a Bir Pletok (Rp. 58.000) (refreshing cold drink infused with ginger, cinnamon, lemongrass and herb spices) or a warm Temulawak (made with ginger, cloves, cinnamon and brown sugar) (Rp. 58.000).