Restaurants in Bandung: Local Favorites and Must-Try Foods

Wondering where to eat in Bandung? From traditional Sundanese dishes and Chinese food to steaks, pastries, and restaurants with city views, restaurants in Bandung offer plenty of ways to explore the city through its food. This guide takes you from the historic restaurants of Braga Street to the hillside eateries of Punclut, along with local favorites for cakes, snacks, and other specialties.

With so many restaurants, cafes, and eateries scattered throughout Bandung, I’ve compiled a list of recommended restaurants and must-try foods:

• Sundanese food and restaurants
• Restaurants in Braga Street, Bandung
• Restaurants in Punclut
• Chinese restaurants in Bandung
• Steakhouses in Bandung
• Batagor and Baso Tahu Bandung
• Famous snack shops and bakeries in Bandung

Sundanese food and restaurants in Bandung

A variety of Sundanese dishes you’ll usually find at a Sundanese restaurant.

If you want to get a real taste of Bandung, don’t miss the chance to try authentic Sundanese food at a traditional Sundanese restaurant :) It’s a delicious way to experience one of the city’s most distinctive culinary traditions.

Menus in Sundanese restaurants usually comprise:

• Main courses of rice and your choice of meat (fish, beef, or chicken), along with side dishes. Click here for more information on the numerous rice and Sundanese dishes you can find in Sundanese restaurants.
• One famous Sundanese dish is a mixed vegetable dish called Karedok. It looks like a salad, but with different vegetables and dressing. Karedok is not the only mixed vegetable dish you can order in Sundanese restaurants; check out other Sundanese salads here.

It is easy to spot Sundanese restaurants in Bandung—from small eateries to large restaurants, they are all over the city and its outskirts. However, not all of them will give you a good experience. Hence, here is a list of recommended Sundanese restaurants in Bandung, along with their famous specialty dishes :)

Restaurants in Braga street, Bandung

Braga Street is one of the oldest streets in Bandung. Its historical charm attracts many people who come here to hang out. As a result, you’ll find several restaurants and hotels in the area. Two of the oldest restaurants in Bandung—Braga Permai and Sumber Hidangan—are still here today :)

Click here for more information on restaurants in Braga Street, Bandung.

Restaurants in Punclut Bandung

Punclut has always been a favorite place to enjoy views of the whole city of Bandung. As a result, small restaurants gradually started popping up here, all offering clear views of Bandung.

But Punclut has more to offer than just restaurants with a view. A newer addition to the area’s food scene and creative hangout spots is Kawasan Wisata Punclut. While other restaurants mainly offer food and views of the city, Kawasan Wisata Punclut consists of six restaurants, each offering different menus and unique spots for taking selfies. Some even have children’s playgrounds.

Find out what Kawasan Wisata Punclut has to offer.

Chinese restaurants in Bandung

Chinese food is known for its pork dishes, but many Chinese dishes in Indonesia are halal. Most Chinese restaurants in shopping malls put signs saying “no pork” and “no lard” on their menus. Anyway, as a precaution, if you want halal food, it’s better to ask beforehand. Even if a restaurant serves pork, they usually have beef or chicken versions of the same dish.

For years, Queen International Restaurant Bandung has been famous for its Chinese food. It specializes in Cantonese dishes. I really like its crab and corn soup, as well as its sweet and sour gourami fish. The address is at Dalem Kaum Street No. 79, which is pretty close to Alun-Alun (downtown) Bandung.

Various Chinese dishes in Bandung. From left to right: crab and corn soup from Queen Restaurant, beef and water spinach hotplate from Mandarin Restaurant, Char Siu from Hokie Kelenteng, ham-wrapped prawn rolls from Queen Restaurant, and Ambokueh from Jalan Kelenteng.

Another well-known Chinese restaurant is Mandarin Restaurant. It has two locations: on Kebon Kawung Street near Bandung train station and in the center of Lembang. Its water spinach hotplate is to die for! The water spinach is fresh, the beef chunks are tender, and the dish comes with several quail eggs in a slightly sweet sauce. You can’t take this particular dish to go because it must be served on a sizzling hotplate.

One particular Chinese dish you can easily find at Jalan Kelenteng Bandung is pork Char Siu (chasu, chashao, or char siew). Here in Indonesia, we call it Babi Panggang (pork roast), shortened as BaPang. You might also want to try Ambokueh, a Chinese dish sold from a food cart at the temple gate.

Want to explore more Chinese food and local specialties around Jalan Kelenteng? Find out what to eat and where to find it here.

Steakhouses in Bandung

Craving steak and pasta? Don't worry! Bandung has several well-known steakhouses, including Tizi, Suis Butcher Steak House, Justus, Steak 21, and Glosis. Some of them also have outlets in malls, making them convenient options when you're looking for a steak dinner.

If pork ribs are what you're craving, Ribs and Dips is worth checking out. Located at Jalan Taman Mekar Agung No. 23A, Mekarwangi, it serves tender pork ribs with a variety of sauces and your choice of French fries or mashed potatoes. I really like its Honey Garlic Ribs with mushroom sauce.

Pork ribs with their side dishes from The Ribs and Dips Bandung.

Among Bandung's long-established steakhouses, Tizi stands out. Opened in 1974, it specializes in German food served in a homey setting. Find out more about Tizi Restaurant here.

Batagor and Baso Tahu Bandung

Batagor (Baso Tahu Goreng), a specialty food from Bandung.

Batagor and Baso Tahu are two of Bandung’s specialty foods, with roots in the influence of Chinese immigrants long ago.

Baso means meatball, while tahu means tofu. Baso Tahu is a square piece of tofu cut diagonally, slightly sliced, and then filled with minced meat. Usually, they use either minced chicken or Spanish mackerel. Sometimes they use minced beef. People refer to the steamed version as Baso Tahu and the fried version as Batagor (Baso Tahu Goreng).

Usually, we order Batagor with fried siomay, which has the same minced-meat filling but is wrapped in wonton skin, so it’s more like a dumpling. On the other hand, when we order Baso Tahu (the steamed version), we can choose to have it with siomay, potato, pare (bitter melon / bitter gourd), or cabbage. All of these are steamed in a large, tiered bamboo steamer called a kalakat.

For Batagor, two well-known places to try are Kingsley at Jalan Veteran No. 25 and Batagor Riri at Jalan Burangrang No. 41. For the steamed version, try Baso Tahu Tulen Situ Indah. It has several branches, including locations at Jalan Pasirkaliki No. 56 and Jalan Dr. Setiabudi No. 107.

Although many people prefer to eat Batagor and Baso Tahu with peanut sauce, others like them served as a soup.

Famous snack shops and bakeries in Bandung

One thing you might notice in Bandung is how many restaurants also have their own bakeries. Tizi, Braga Permai, Sumber Hidangan, PT. Rasa Bakery & Cafe, Hummingbird, and Bawean are some examples. Their breads and cakes are just as well known as their restaurants. It’s common to spend an afternoon here chatting with friends over a piece of cake—or two.

Bawean has two locations: at Jalan Bawean No. 4 and Jalan L.L.R.E. Martadinata (Riau Street) No. 140. Bawean (formerly Sweetheart) Bakery is famous for its rum cakes, especially the mocca and nougat cakes.

Hummingbird Eatery & Space at Jalan Progo No. 16 serves a variety of Western, Asian, and Indonesian dishes. But my favorite is the row of small cakes displayed at the front of the restaurant. Some of them are laced with cherry liqueur and rum.

Bright, high-ceilinged interior decorated with paper hummingbirds at Hummingbird Eatery & Space, a lovely spot to enjoy a cake or two with friends.

For decades, PT. Rasa Bakery & Cafe has been a well-known restaurant and bakery. Located at Jalan Tamblong No. 15, it maintains its classic atmosphere with glass display cases framed with teakwood, old-pattern tiles on the floor, and wire-frame chairs. It feels like visiting your grandma’s home and being offered lots of cakes and savory treats. Besides the old-time ice creams, my favorites here are the mocca cake—a small cubical cake decorated with mocca icing and chocolate sprinkles—and saucijzenbroodje, a Dutch savory pastry made with spiced ground meat wrapped in flaky, buttery puff pastry.

In addition to these restaurant-bakeries, Bandung is also known for its delicious Pisang Bolen (banana puff pastry in English), brownies (both baked and steamed brownies), and Bagelen (warmbollen in the Dutch language). Want to know where to find Bandung’s famous breads, pastries, and cakes? Check out these local favorites here!

Now that you know where to eat in Bandung, continue planning your trip with these practical guides:

1. Information on Bandung’s location, weather, and what to wear
2. Things to do in Bandung
3. How to get to Bandung
4. Getting around Bandung
5. Where to stay in Bandung