Makassar restaurants by Makassar hotels

Much like the place itself, Makassar food and cuisine is a blend of different cultures and ethnic groups and the many ingredients come together to produce some memorable fare. The popular saying is that any trip to Makassar is incomplete without sampling at least a few of the many culinary delights on offer, particularly traditional dishes and sea food. Excellent Chinese food is also available in lots of Makassar restaurants, and Chinatown has many restaurants serving all kinds sumptuous dishes.

When eating out in Makassar you can be spoilt for choice with street vendors and small road side cafes which have be known to be in rows up to a kilometre long.

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To make sure your stay is complete do try the delicious foods we've tried to describe in our Makassar food and cuisine guide below. If you are looking for more delightful treats check out the Indonesia restaurant guide. As well as local dishes Makassar also boasts some fine traditional arts and crafts which you might to see in our Makassar shopping guide.

Food & Cuisine in Makassar

Sea food

Makassar is famed for its fresh and delicious sea food. It is different from what is available anywhere else even in Indonesia and is usually hot and spicy. Ikan Baker which is essentially barbequed or fried fish is a hot favourite. A regional specialty is the baronang fish which is regarded as a great delicacy and is typically accompanied by another specialty, a chilli sauce called 'sambal'. Sambal is much loved throughout south Sulawesi and is served with most sea food.

Local dishes

Two of the most famous traditional dishes are the coto makassar and the pisang epe. Coto makassar is a delicious stew made from cow guts (horse coto is also available) and pisangepe is a sweet aromatic dish of roasted and pressed bananas covered with sauce made from brown sugar and durian.

Other dishes from the local food and cuisine in Makassar worth trying out include nasi goreng which is a fried rice preparation; bakmi goreng which is fried noodles; chicken pa'piong - a traditional Toraja dish steam-cooked inside bamboo; sate or grilled meat; ayamtaliwang - a chicken and herb preparation; babi gulin or roasted pork; krengsengan - a mutton dish with soy sauce; and the various soups like sop saudara (a beef soup), and sop konro (a soup made from bull ribs usually served with steamed rice). Another original item is a vegetable salad with peanut sauce called gado-gado.

Even street vendors and small road side cafes sell food in Makassar and not long ago Losari Beach was known as the "longest restaurant in the world" as it sported a kilometre long row of Warungs or food stalls selling a variety of sea food and other dishes. The stalls have now been moved to another place nearby.

Snacks and sweets

As for snacks and sweets, there are a number of Makassar specialties. Wrapped in banana leaf and steam cooked, lemper is a rice and meat preparation which has a lot of takers. Also in great demand are jalangkote, lumpia, geplak, nagasari, asinan betawi and kue bandung. Kue Pia is a sweet made from wheat flour. It has a variety of fillings and is eaten any time of day. Es pallubutung and es pisang Ijo are desserts authentic to Makassar and big hits with tourists and locals alike.

Drinks

An assortment of tropical fruits and vegetables are available year round and choice selections of sweet and refreshing drinks are concocted from them in Makassar. Es palu butung and es markisa are ideally suited for those hot sapping days. Biji teratai made from lotus seeds is another unique refreshing drink. The locally grown coffee and tea are highly reputed and the drinks come in a wide range of tastes and blends. Local beer is also available in Makassar.

Restaurants List

Istana Laut Restaurant

For those who love seafood, you can try in Istana Laut Seafood Restaurant. Its menu offers you all kinds of seafood from lobster, fish, shellfish, to squid and crabs.

Type : Seafood

Address : Datumuseng Street no. 1 Makassar

Phone : 62 411 852083

Fax : 62 411 856011

Dinar Restaurant

Locally known as Udang Kipas Saus Padang, this restaurant offers one of the best seafood menus in town. Be sure to try the propeller shrimp with chilli sauce.

Type : Fried Chicken & Seafood

Address : Jl. Latimojong No. 138A Makassar

Fax : 62 411 322743

Gogohe Restaurant

Gogohe restaurant offers traditional archipelago food, equipped with facilities for family entertainment. Gogohe comes from the Nias language which means "Can Holds" because the food is served without a spoon or fork which means you eat with your hands. (Of course utensils are available upon request.) Guests are entertained by live music. There is also a VIP room provided, offering multimedia and support facilities.

Type : Makassar Food

Address : Jl. Topaz Raya no. 1 Makassar

Phone : 62 411 447444

Yeny Cake

"Pisang Ijo" or green bananas as it is known, is one of Makassars traditional food outlets, famous around Indonesia especially Makassar itself. Almost all restaurants provide this kind of cake. However, there's one specific place where you can find Pisang Ijo with the flavor of real Pandan--"Yeni Cake"-- because here the green color comes from Pandan and not from artificial dyes. Not only pisang Ijo, you also can find water tofu which is good for your health especially for your lungs and digestion.

Type : Types of Cakes

Address : Jl. Veteran Utara 295B

Phone : 62 411 452626

Coto Makassar Tinggimae

The fact that it is never devoid of visitors plus the delicious soups and rich spices are two things that can describe the Coto Makassar. For Makassar's own territory, Coto Makassar which is run by H. Abd Rashid Dg. Bella, had been present for 20 years with "tongue" Coto Makassar lovers. The restaurant it is usually fully booked, so we suggest you visit before 1 pm, or call first to make a booking.

Type : Coto only (traditional local food)

Address : Jl. Gunung Tinggimae No 34 Makassar

Jalangkote Salahutu

For delicious snacks, Jalangkote Salahutu is worth a try. Its tasty flavour, crunchy texture, and tasty sauce is just right. With a very affordable price, in addition to Jalangkote, this place also sells a variety of other delicious snacks such as spring rolls, croquettes, bikang doang, water tofu and others. Visit soon and experience delicacies that will not leave you disappointed.

Type : traditional cakes

Address : Jl.Gunung Salahutu No. 24 & 25

Phone : 62 411 325963-5754511

Shogun Restaurant

With the real style of Japanese Dining, Shogun restaurant provides the best quality produce.

Type : Japanese Food

Address : Jl. Penghibur No. 2 Makassar

Phone : (62-411)324102, 331334

Fax : (62-411)319842

Email : contact_shogun@jpupella.com

Opening hours : 11:00 to to 23:00

Sederhana Restaurant

This restaurant is a kind of a fast food restaurant because the food is already cooked and placed in the glass windows. The origin of food comes from Padang, West Sumatara and widely spread all around Indonesia. The food will is served all at once. For those who love to try this food without going to Padang, come to Sederhana Restaurant which offers some of the best quality and flavour.

Type : Padang food

Address : Jl. Dr. Ratulangi no. 1

Phone : 62 411 873123

Restaurant Surya

This restaurant is located behind Makassar Trade Centre. If you come to this restaurant, do not forget to try crab seafood. Sweet and sour crab seafood was a concoction of ancestors Lie Tjeng Goat. All the customers who have visited here highly recomended trying it.

Type : Seafood

Address : Nusakambangan Street no. 16

Phone : 62 411 317066

Restaurants in Makassar