Best Restaurants in Jakarta: Chef Yuda Bustara's Top Picks

Yuda Bustara is one of Indonesia's most recognisable culinary exports. A graduate of Taylor's College School of Hospitality & Tourism in Malaysia, he sharpened his knives across Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and the kitchens of Melbourne's Crown Casino before coming home to Jakarta, only to realise he didn't want to be tied to a single restaurant. What followed was a different kind of career: cooking columns in Clara and Martha Stewart Indonesia, a Kompas TV show called Urban Cook that Asian Food Network picked up and broadcast across Southeast Asia, hosting Iron Chef Indonesia, brand collaborations with Nestlé, Buavita, Alfamart and Indomaret, and a stint as Abang Jakarta. Two years ago, he won Netflix's The Maverick Academy and earned a residency under Alvin Leung at Bo Innovation in Hong Kong. Today he splits his time between Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Jakarta, working as a private chef, food consultant and a "culinary diplomat" for Indonesia.

It's that outside-in lens that makes his Jakarta picks worth listening to. When he comes back to Jakarta, he goes to the places that reflect where the city is heading: rooted in Indonesian ingredients, generous in hospitality, and confident enough to slow down.

Here, in his own words, are five places that remind him why he still loves the city, plus one neighbourhood worth getting lost in.

Space Available, Kemang

"Jakarta can feel overwhelming at times, which is exactly why I love Space Available. It's part café, part design destination, part sustainability experiment. The architecture is thoughtful, the atmosphere is calming, and it's one of the few places in the city where I can genuinely slow down, enjoy a coffee, and reconnect with myself."

For a chef who moves cities a lot, the appeal of Space Available is obvious. The Bali-born sustainability brand opened its Jakarta outpost (officially the Self Care Community Centre) in collaboration with 3000 Cultural Collective, repurposing around 11 tonnes of plastic waste into the furniture, wall panels and the Kemang-fruit-shaped facade. Inside the Jl. Kemang Raya address, a single building holds a design store, meditation studio, recycling workshop, rework lab, gallery, reading room, listening bar and restaurant. Every Sunday it hosts the Kemang Recycling Club, and every 66 days the team reset the space under what they call "Rituals 66": a new menu, a refreshed book selection, sometimes an entire interior rotation. It is the rare Jakarta venue designed for nothing more urgent than a long coffee.

Suara Restaurant, Senopati

"Suara is one of the most exciting new openings in Senopati. The restaurant celebrates Indonesian ingredients through a modern lens while putting sustainability at the centre of the conversation. It's thoughtful without being preachy, refined without being intimidating, and proof that great food can also have a positive impact."

Suara has Yuda's fingerprints all over its philosophy, even if it isn't his restaurant. A modern Indonesian project from Locavore Group (the team behind Ubud's celebrated Locavore) and 20 WOL, the Gunawarman address treats the archipelago's pantry with the kind of rigour usually reserved for European fine dining. Hand-ground spices, regional ingredients sourced with intent, and a minimalist room that gets out of the food's way. The menu shifts between casual evening service and a more considered weekend lunch programme, but the throughline is consistent: Indonesian heritage as the future of Indonesian cooking, not its past.

Soichiro, SCBD

"I have a soft spot for restaurants that obsess over quality, and Soichiro is one of them. They're among the pioneers bringing irori-style cooking to Jakarta, creating a dining experience that's both theatrical and deeply satisfying. Their biggest advantage, however, is their wagyu programme: raising and sourcing beef specifically for their own restaurants. If you're a meat lover, this place belongs on your list."

Tucked inside 18 Parc Place in SCBD, Soichiro Irori Style Japanese Steakhouse claims a first for Indonesia, and arguably for Asia: a fine-dining steakhouse built entirely around the irori, the traditional Japanese sunken hearth. Executive chef Soichiro Hieda grills over open flame at counter-side islands (some of the VIP rooms have their own), turning every service into something closer to a performance. The kitchen has its own dry-aging programme using whiskey, sake and koji, and in late 2025 the restaurant debuted Soichiro Wagyu, a proprietary halal-certified beef brand served exclusively at the SCBD address. It is, as Yuda puts it, theatrical and satisfying in equal measure.

Mata Karanjang, Wijaya

"Chef Jovan Koraag-Kambey has created something special with Mata Karanjang. Minahasan cuisine is famous for its bold flavours and fiery spice levels, which can sometimes be intimidating for first-timers. Here, the dishes stay true to their roots while being approachable enough for visitors and newcomers. Think of it as one of the best introductions to Manado and Minahasan food you can find in Jakarta."

Chef Jovan Koraag-Kambey was born and raised in Manado, trained in Singapore, and spent most of his career cooking anything but Indonesian food. Mata Karanjang, his Jl. Wijaya VI restaurant in Melawai, is the homecoming. More than 60% of the ingredients are flown in directly from North Sulawesi, and the menu reads like a tasting tour of Minahasan classics with the volume turned to a more inviting level: aromatic Ayam Woku, Ayam Tuturuga braised in yellow curry with lemongrass and kemiri, smoked Cakalang Fufu Saos, grilled Rahang Tuna Bakar, and a dessert programme that doesn't let you leave without klapertart. Casual room, daily lunch and dinner service, and the kind of food that converts first-timers into regulars.

Modernhaus, Senopati

"I couldn't leave this one out. Modernhaus is one of my favourite places to end the evening. I love the open-bar concept, where there are no real boundaries between guests and bartenders. It feels less like ordering a drink and more like joining a conversation. Great cocktails, great energy, and the kind of place where one drink often turns into three."

Modernhaus, by Mirwansyah "Bule" and The Union Group (the team behind The Cocktail Club), sits above the French restaurant Bouchon and rewrites the rules of a Jakarta cocktail bar. The central bar extends into a communal island table with no physical separation between bartender and guest; capacity is kept deliberately low, the music sits at a conversational volume, and there is no DJ. The cocktail menu is structured around the anatomy of a plant (Roots, Fruits, Leaves and Flowers), drawing on Indonesian biodiversity with an ingredients-first, zero-waste philosophy. The industry has noticed: Modernhaus was named Best Bar in Indonesia and Best New Opening on the extended Asia's 50 Best Bars list.

Bonus: Blok M

"If someone asked me where to spend an afternoon in Jakarta, I'd send them straight to Blok M. The area has transformed into a playground for local creatives, with new cafés, retro hangouts, bakeries, bars and snack spots popping up everywhere. The best way to experience it? Put your phone away, walk around, get lost, and see where your appetite takes you."

Blok M is Jakarta's most interesting neighbourhood right now, and it isn't close. Anchored by M Bloc Space (relaunched in late 2025 with new venues including the Lighthouse music space and the multi-performance bar Koma), the area has become a magnet for cafés, bakeries, izakayas and cocktail bars. Jalan Melawai, nicknamed Little Tokyo, holds the highest density of Japanese counter bars in the city; Pantja, A/a Bar and Lucy in The Sky are the names locals drop when asked where to drink. Governor Pramono Anung has publicly framed the district as Jakarta's answer to a 24-hour creative capital. Yuda's advice still stands: leave the map at home.