Eat & Drink

Solo is famous for its food and for the fact that you can enjoy it 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. There is a broad range of Indonesian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Western food. McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut are found around town and also every mall has, besides restaurants, a food court. Not to mention the 1000's of warungs (small, simple restaurants) and small stalls along the sides of the streets; favourite places for locals and backpackers to grab a quick and cheap meal.

Tap water is not drinkable in Indonesia. Water or ice served to you in restaurants may have been purified and boiled, but do ask. Bottled water, usually known as Aqua after the best-known brand, is cheap and available everywhere, but check that the seal is intact. Most hotels do provide free bottled water. Also, beware of ice which may not have been prepared with potable water or kept in hygienic conditions. If you have a weak stomach, it is better not to order beverages with ice cubes.

Dawet or called 'cendol' in the West Java/Jakarta tastes good and cools you down during the hot days in Solo. This drink made with coconut milk and brown-Javanese sugar and sort-of gelatine. Thus, it is sweet and usually served with ice-cubes. Gempol plered made from coconut milk with rice balls, and a looks like some 'pangsit'. Sometimes it is served with rock ice. The taste is the mix between sweet and little bit salty.

Javanese food 

• Rasa Mirasa on Jalan Slamet Riyadi at Pabelan (on the western road in from Yogyakarta)
• Resto Ramayana on Jalan Imam Bonjol 49 (near Hotel Sahid Kusuma) or Pecel Solo on Jalan Supomo.

Padang food 

• Sederhana on Jalan Slamet Riyadi has excellent Padang (West Sumatran) food.
• Minang Baru across from the Novotel Hotel entrance. A proper restaurant with good, always fresh Padang food (although a bit more pricey than most warungs).

Chinese food 

• Hai Lai along Jalan Adi Sucipto on the way to the airport.  Expensive but beautiful food and with an amazing ceiling in the restaurant.
• Diamond, the restaurant of the Diamond Hotel on Jalan Slamet Riyadi. Open 24 hours; medium priced.
• Rado on Jalan Raya Solo Baru is a small place but allegedly has the best dim sum in Solo.
• Emperor Palace along Jalan Yuanda has very authentic and tasty Chinese food.  Not cheap but worth every penny.
• Tio Ciu is just around the corner from the Novotel on Slamet Riyadi and has excellent food at very reasonable prices and cheap beer.
• Social Kitchen

Indian Food 

• Manir’s Family Kitchen, on Jalan Kantil 4 (not far from Solo Paragon but a little hard to find as it located inside a kampong) has Indian food, cold beer, a computer hot spot and sports TV. Tel: 0271-710287

Japanese Food 

• Niagara Restaurant, 2nd floor of Solo Square.  Quite right, not too expensive.
• There is also a Sushi Restaurant at Solo Paragon.

Italian food 

• O Solo Mio on Jalan Slamet Riyadi right opposite Novotel. Look for the yellow gates, the yellow flags and the yellow becaks. It has a full bar license & real wood oven pizzas.  Food quality not quite on par with the high prices, though.
• Oh la Vita on Jalan Tirtosari 11 is specialized on all ranges of pasta, cheaper priced than Solo Mio, good food.
• Papa Ron’s Pizzeria on Jalan Gatot Subroto 222, said to be the better alternative to Pizza Hut, with special offers every Tuesday night, buy one large Pizza, get one free.

Seafood 

• Bale Padi, a little tricky to find, is stuck way out in the rice fields in Baki, about 15 minutes south of Solo. Pick your fish, shrimp, squid or whatever, and the staff will grill, fry or barbeque to your taste.
• Ikan Bakar across Stadium Sriwedari on Jalan Slamet Riyadi has fresh grilled sea fish with a sweet sambal.
• Ikan Cianjur, across from the Kasih Ibu Hospital on Jalan Slamet Riyadi. Grilled or fried fish with excellent sambal in a clean and relaxing atmosphere.

Western food 

• Parfour Restaurant & Grill on Jalan Kebangkitan Nasional 31 (behind the Sriwedari Park area right next door to Sports Station). Popular are their (pork) grilled ribs, imported meat dishes and kinds of pasta.
• The restaurant at Novotel has excellent western food. Their smorgasbord is good value.
• Heavens Kitchen at Jalan Kapten Mulyadi 87, located on the ground floor of a 3-store building down the road from the historical Benteng Vastenburg. Its menu spans all corners of the culinary globe; Indonesian dishes, Spanish tapas, Provincial French food, Italian Pasta and its flame grill delivers succulent steaks, chicken and seafood. Homemade desserts compliment a perfect evening out. Open seven days a week from 10 am till late for lunch and dinner.

Dutch and Javanese Food & Grill 

• 1863 Restaurant & Lounge, opened its doors in November 2013. Fresh salads, grill with local and imported meats & fish, Javanese and Dutch favourites like bitterballen, Grandma's apple pie and real Dutch pancakes.  All dishes are home-made with fresh ingredients. Located near Balapan Train Station (across the Brimob) in an old colonial building it has a pleasant and garden terrace in the backyard. Beautiful venue both for during the day and in the evening. Free parking & WiFi.  Enormous TV for sports and the cheapest cold beer in town. Jalan Monginsidi 79.