Foods and Drinks You Can Try in Yogyakarta
Written by Farhan, 5th October 2021
Besides being known as the city of tourism, culture, arts, and education, Yogyakarta is also known for its unique and rich culinary experience. There are plenty of foods and drinks that come at an affordable price.
Here we made a list of foods and drinks that you can probably try while stepping up in the city.
Local Flavor
Photo: Instagram @masakjajan_
Gudeg is one of the signature dishes of Yogyakarta. It is a dish made with unripe jackfruit cooked with coconut milk, palm sugar, and various spices. The cooking process usually takes more than one hour, so it can make the unripe jackfruit become soft and tender. There are two types of gudeg: gudeg kering (dry gudeg) and gudeg basah (wet gudeg). Although both types of gudeg have similar ingredients, there are still some differences. Gudeg kering uses less coconut milk while gudeg basah uses more coconut milk and is cooked longer so the sauce is much thicker. It is served with rice and optional side dishes, such as chicken, krecek (cooked inner skin of cow), hard-boiled chicken or duck egg, tempeh, and tofu.
- Price range: Rp. 10.000 - Rp. 20.000.
- Place recommendations: Gudeg Batas Kota, Gudeg Mbak Wiek Ambarukmo, Gudeg Campursari, Gudeg Yu Djum.
- Tips: For some people, this dish might be too sweet, but some places sell the spicy or less-sweet version of gudeg.
Photo: Instagram @wongsugih
Yogyakarta is the birthplace of ayam geprek, one of the most popular dishes in Indonesia. The term “geprek” means crushed in the Javanese language, thus ayam geprek literally means ‘crushed chicken’. Same as the meaning, it is a crispy Javanese-style fried chicken crushed with chill paste that adds spiciness. It is usually served with rice, sliced cucumbers, and chopped cabbages. You can find this dish almost everywhere, from street vendors to local fast-food outlets to restaurants.
- Price range: Rp. 10.000 - Rp. 20.000.
- Place recommendations: Ayam Geprek Bu Made, Preksu, Chicken Crush, Rocket Chicken, and Olive’s Geprek.
- Tip: Do not forget to adjust the spiciness of your Geprek by asking the seller how much chili/chilies should they put on your chicken.
Photo: Instagram @omdoyanjajan
Almost every region in Indonesia has its own soto. Although it varies in each region, it has something in common: meat broth. Soto in Yogyakarta is made with chicken or beef broth cooked with numerous herbs and spices and served with rice. It also comes with various toppings, such as shredded chicken or beef, rice noodle, bean sprouts, chopped cabbage, sliced tomato, minced celery, and fried onions. The seller provides soy sauce, chili paste, and sliced lime if you want to add the flavor. This dish can be found everywhere and every time as it is considered as comfort food for most Indonesians.
- Price range: Rp. 5.000 - Rp. 15.000
- Place recommendations: Soto Ayam Pak Genit, Soto Ayam Pak Marno, Soto Kudus Gajah Mada, Soto Bathok Sambisari.
Photo: Instagram @syamsuhadi_kurniawan
Yogyakarta also has its own salad, which is lotek. Lotek is made with slight-boiled spinach, cabbages, bean sprouts, long beans, and tomatoes with lontong (Indonesian rice cake). Then, it is mixed with a sauce made with peanut, palm sugar, soy sauce, chili, and other spices. Prawn crackers and fried onion are also added to the dish. Same with the previous dishes in the list, lotek also can easily be found in Yogyakarta, usually in local or street vendors.
- Price range: Rp. 5.000 - Rp. 10.000
- Place recommendations: Lotek Gg. Sawit, Lotek 707, Lotek Bu Mus, Lotek Colombo, Lotek Bu Ning.
International Cuisine
Photo: Instagram @kokokulineran
As Indonesian cuisine had a strong influence from the Chinese, it is not hard to find Chinese food here. Here are a few Chinese dishes you can try in Yogyakarta: kwetiau, capcay, fried noodles, fried rice, stir-fry chicken or prawn, dumplings, and many more.
- Price range: Rp. 10.000 - Rp. 50.000
- Place recommendations: Seafood 99, Tio Ciu Chinese Food, Blengerr Chinese Food
- Tips: Unlisted Chinese restaurants might use non-halal products, so it is better to ask about the ingredients before buying the food.
Photo: Instagram @banjarmasinkulineran
Although there are not so many middle eastern foods that can be found in Yogyakarta, there are some restaurants that provide delicious middle eastern food. Check the place recommendations below.
- Price range: Rp. 10.000 - Rp. 50.000
- Place recommendations: Rumkul Ateeya, Emado’s Shawarma, Kampung Arab Resto, Umar Restaurant
- Tip: Some dishes might contain gluten and nuts, please be careful if you had an allergy to those ingredients.
Photo: Instagram @mcdonaldsid
In the last few decades, the fast-food industry has been increasing rapidly in Indonesia. It can be proved by fast-food chains that can be found almost everywhere. Other than internationally-famous fast-food chains like McD, KFC, and Dominos, there are also plenty of local fast-food chains available in Yogyakarta.
- Price range: Rp. 7.000 - Rp. 50.000
- Place recommendations: Olive, Popeye, Rocket Chicken, Mister Burger, A&W, KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King.
Beverages
Photo: Instagram @dokterjajan
This cold and delicious dessert is suitable for hot weather in Yogyakarta. Made with shaved ice, syrup, condensed milk, various sliced fruits, grass jelly, and coconut milk, you can try this refreshing dessert at affordable prices.
- Price range: Rp 5000 - Rp. 15.000
- Place recommendations: Es Teler 77, Es Teler Balai Yasa, Es Cepot
Photo: coconuts.com
Bubble tea, also known as boba, has become a trending beverage in recent years. The trend is still going on up until today. Boba is a tea-based beverage accompanied with chewy tapioca balls that comes with various flavors and toppings. There are plenty of street vendors or even department stores’ stands that provide this beverage.
- Price range: Rp. 10.000 - Rp. 25.000
- Place recommendations: Bobatime, Chatime, DUM Thai Tea.
Photo: Instagram @mochtret
Yogyakarta is the home of thousands of cafes. You can easily find cafes everywhere here. From the cafe with a cozy chair and a stable internet connection to an artsy cafe with unique decorations, or even a crowded cafe with a fun ambiance, you can find it all here. The cafe usually not only provides coffee as a beverage, but also other beverages such as tea, milk, juice, or even soda. Most cafes also provide a wide selection of dishes and snacks.