Nasi Kuning Riburane is one of the most successful nasi kuning eateries in town. Founded in 1980, it used to be located within the vicinity of the RRI Makassar office area, whose employees used to form the bulk of the restaurant’s customer base. Its delicious dishes saw the place gain more followers and news of its nasi kuning spread like wildfire to the point where even visitors from out of town started to stop by and sample its signature dish.

With an increasing number of customers, the owner of Nasi Kuning Riburane opted to relocate to a more spacious venue. However, rather than opening a new place, the owner decided to work together with another shop and now occupies the foremost part of this shop. Although it always opens at 5 a.m., closing time varies depending on the amount of rice that is left. Normally, it runs out of nasi kuning by 12 p.m.

Long queues are common in the early morning. Composition-wise, the nasi kuning here has a lot going for it. It includes empal (fried beef), rendang sapi (spicy beef simmered in coconut milk), paru goreng (fried lungs), telur (egg) and sayur labu siam (chayote).

Read also: Deliciously authentic Indonesian cuisine at Waroeng Indo

The hefty price you have to pay is understandable, considering the smorgasbord of side dishes accompanying the nasi kuning.

Both the empal and rendang sapi are very tender in texture; the former offers a hint of sweetness in its taste, akin to the empal you can find in Jakarta.

The nasi kuning is impeccably cooked, giving it a velvety touch that caresses one’s palate when devoured. And then the sambal is simultaneously tasty and very spicy – the perfect appetite booster to help you finish off your nasi kuning.

Explore more Indonesian cuisines here. (kes)

Jl. Riburane No. 11, Makassar

Open daily from 5 a.m. - 12 p.m. (will close earlier when out of supplies)

Rp 35,000 (US$2.65) for a small portion

Rp 40,000 (US$3) for a large portion