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Modern ‘warteg’ find favor with urbanites
Warteg are known for being cheap and filling because owners are known to dish big porsi kuli (portions for laborers). But some businesses are taking warteg to the next level.
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A typical view of food bought at warteg (Indonesian food stall), consisting of rice with various side dishes and crackers. (Shutterstock/ismed_photography_SS)
W
arteg (food stands from Warung Tegal a northern coastal town in Central Java) are commonly located in crowded areas and notorious for being cramped and unhygienic. But they do have their loyal customers — from blue and white collar workers to students.
A conventional warteg, which is usually 4 meters length, is simply furnished with wooden benches for customers.
Warteg are known for being cheap and filling because owners are known to dish big porsi kuli (portions for laborers). But some businesses are taking warteg to the next level. (sau)
Unlike conventional ones, some modern warteg are situated in shopping malls, providing clean and spacious areas with extra features like aircon and Wi-Fi, as well as offering comfortable seats while still serving affordable yet filling meals.
One of them is Warteg Hitz, which was established by businessman Andri Yuda Permadi.
Situated on Jl. Karang Tengah Raya in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, Warteg Hitz looks more like a café. The interior is dominated by monochrome colors like black, white and brown.
Andri reminisced about the days when he still worked for a private company in the early 2000s and often had lunch at a warteg close to his office. He said he loved the concept because it served a variety of dishes that never bored him.
“I’m a warteg enthusiast,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. “I’ve been to most of the popular warteg all over the city. A few years ago, I had a dream to create a better warteg.”
In 2016, he and some of his partners opened Warteg Hitz. As of today, the stall employs 12 people and it has 40 menu items.
“We have almost everything that regular warteg has, such as sautéed vegetables, chicken, beef and eggs, as well as plant-based protein like fried tempeh and tofu,” Andri explained.
A meal — complete with rice, vegetables, protein and a beverage — at Warteg Hitz costs around Rp 20,000 (US$1.33) to Rp 30,000.
Andri said the eatery was initially aimed at inspiring conventional warteg to upgrade their facilities while maintaining their special characteristic: cheap homemade food.
“At first, I wanted to introduce this concept to those who have been eating regularly at warteg [including low income people]. But as time goes by, we receive more well-off workers who want to eat cheaply but comfortably,” he said.
Andri also wished someday he could work with conventional warteg and help them improve their services.
Warteg Hitz and other modern warteg also keep the traditional “touch screen” method, where customers can choose whatever dishes they like by simply pointing at the displayed food behind the glass shelf while the vendors scoop the dish onto their plates.
According to an article titled “History of Jakarta Warteg Cooperative” published in Tempo magazine in December 2012, glass shelf dates back to 1948 when warteg Pak Warno near the old airport in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, first used them.
Another modern warteg located in Kemang, South Jakarta, is Warung Pedes, which specializes in spicy food. By charging customers only around Rp 35,000 per meal, Warung Pedes operational manager Ade Nugroho claims the eatery has no competitor in the area.
“We’re open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The place is crowded during lunch hours, after work and on weekends,” he told the Post. “We have three specialty sambals namely sambal gledek (extremely spicy sambal), sambal goreng (fried sambal) and sambal matah (raw sambal).”
Anita Rahmi, who works in South Jakarta, said she sometimes visited Warung Pedes to have lunch or just hang out with her colleagues after work. “I love the place because it’s clean and comfortable. I can have a variety of dishes for the same price I would spend on the cheapest item at other restaurants around here.”
Warteg meals have been upgraded by Dade Akbar and he has shared photos of his version of simple dishes turned into a five-star presentations on his Instagram account @warteggourmet, which has about 45,000 followers.
Amid the growing modern warteg, Warteg Warmo is still popular as many prominent figures have visited the place. It was established by a pedicab driver from Tegal and his brother in the 1970s.
