Vegetarianism as a lifestyle choice is relatively rare in Jakarta and not many restaurants cater to the meat-abstaining. However, there is a growing number of restaurants in the Indonesian capital where vegheads can rest assured that they will find plenty of options. If you think vegetarian food has to be bland and boring, think again!
Burgreens
Burgreens specializes in vegetarian and vegan burgers, with mushroom steaks and salads available too. Those opting for the burger can pick everything from the bun (including whole-wheat and gluten-free) to the patty (mushroom-, bean-, or chickpea-based) to the finishing sauce. Instead of the usual French fries, you can pick a healthy side of sweet-potato chips or mashed “pota-cauli” to go with those burgers. And if that wasn’t enough for you health nuts, all of Burgreens’ original recipes use only locally sourced ingredients, meaning you are getting the freshest foods and helping out national farmers. But just because its vegan, doesn’t mean Burgreens skips out on the creamy sweets. You’ll have to try it to believe it, but their raw ice cream, which is nondairy, gluten-free and totally vegan-friendly, is delicious. Not up for the road trip to Rempoa? Burgreens also has a home-delivery service.
Burgreens, Jl. Flamboyan No. 19, Rempoa, South Jakarta, p: 62-878/8200-5070. Hours: Tue-Fri 10:30am-10:30pm, Sat-Sun 9:30am-10:30pm.
SNCTRY
We’ve been obsessed with SNCTRY’s delicious superfood bowls since we’ve discovered this little nook. This health conscious cafe serves everything good for you from pressed juices and almond milk to refreshing smoothies and granola. Their pocket-friendly salad selection includes prettily-plated specialties like their colourful Japanese salad of leafy greens, grilled eggplant, tempeh, spring onions and carrots.
SNCTRY, Pelapas Building, Jl. Darmawangsa Raya No. 4. Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-8pm, Sat-Sun 8am-7pm.
Hause Rooftop
Hause Rooftop may not be strictly meat-free, but the trendy new rooftop eater has plenty of clearly marked vegetarian options on the menu. It doesn’t hurt that the purveyors of vegan burgers Burgreens supplies their signature organic burgers here. We recommend trying out Hause Rooftop’s vegetarian organic fried rice with mushrooms and spicy tofu.
Hause Rooftop, MD Place Building, 6th Floor, Jl. Setiabudi Selatan No. 7, Kuningan, Central Jakarta, p. +62 21 29529852. Hours: Mon-Thur & Sun 9am-12am, Fri-Sat 9am-2am.
Shamelessalad
Dubbing themselves “the most legit and kick-ass handcrafted salads in Jakarta” Shamelesalad is the latest health-food vendor to park themselves at Ruci’s Joint. Mean salads aren’t their only specialty, get your hands (and tastebuds) on Meditarranean goodies like falafels with tzatziki, and their drool inducing Roti Lapis Nusantara – a vegan tempeh sandwich made out of coconut rendang and stir-fried veggies. Mmm.
Shameless Salads, Ruci’s Joint, Jl. Suryo 49, p. 62-81385762411. Hours: 10am-10pm.
VMAD Vegetarian Madness
Formerly Komala’s, VMAD Vegetarian Madness covers the whole Indian subcontinent and has specialties rarely found in Jakarta’s other Indian restaurants like masala pappad (spicy fried Indian crackers topped with tomato, onion, and chili powder), pav bhaji (a Mumbai specialty of thick potato curry served with bread) and the Chinese-Indian fusion gobi Manchurian (deep-fried cauliflower cooked in a sauce that is equal parts Chinese and Indian in flavour).
VMAD Vegetarian Madness, Sarinah Building, level 5, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 11, CBD, Central Jakarta, p: 62-21/390-3533. Hours: 11:30am-9pm.
Loving Hut
With five locations in Jakarta and many more throughout the rest of Indonesia, Loving Hut is the country’s largest group of vegan restaurants. In fact, Loving Hut is part of an international chain of restaurants with more than 200 locations throughout the world. Each Loving Hut offers an extensive list of vegan dishes including meat-free versions of local favorites, and the outlets in Indonesia are no exception. Vegan versions of traditional rice plates such as nasi lemak and nasi Bali are sure to please local palates, but we especially love the Jakarta Golden Soup, Loving Huts take on soto Betawi that manages to replicate all of the creamy, spicy flavors of the original without any of the offal.
Loving Hut, Plaza Semanggi, Ciputra World, Jatinegara, Palmerah, and Kalideres. Check the website for more information.
Dharma Kitchen
Previously known as Citarasa, which first opened more than 20 years ago, Dharma Kitchen is Jakarta’s oldest chain of vegetarian restaurants. They have four locations throughout the city, including a recently opened outlet in Grand Indonesia. Although they offer quite a few western dishes, they excel at Asian cuisine, specifically Indonesian and Chinese dishes. Cooking everything from Peking duck to ayam goreng mentega, it’s likely you can find a meat-free version of your favorite dish here. We enthusiastically recommend the suikiau, pan-fried Chinese dumplings that come with tasty fillings like diced mushrooms and faux chicken. The large Pluit venue also has its own bakery, while the Dharma Kitchen in Senayan City’s food court has a more streamlined menu.
Dharma Kitchen, Grand Indonesia Mall, Pluit, Central Park, and Senayan City. Check the website for more information.
HOPeTOWN Kitchen & Tea Room
With floor-to-ceiling windows and chandeliers, HOPeTOWN Kitchen & Tea Room is definitely the most elegant vegetarian restaurant in the city. HOPeTOWN’s menu is also a little more upscale and pricey than its fellow vegetarian restaurants, but almost all of the dishes come in large portions that should more than satisfy even the hungriest veggie lover. The Tex-Mex pizza, featuring vegetarian chili, guacamole and plenty of cheese, is definitely a winner and large enough for two to easily share. And for those looking for a healthy start to their day, HOPeTOWN is open for breakfast every day.
HOPeTOWN Kitchen & Tea Room, Permata Kuningan Building, Jl. Mulia Kuningan No. 9C, Kuningan, South Jakarta, p: 62-21/290-6977. Hours: Sun-Sat 7am-10pm.