Ever wondered why the concepts of Chinese restaurants significantly different between the ones in West or North Jakarta and South Jakarta?
Chinese restaurants in West and North Jakarta tend to be more traditional, cheaper, and ethnically Chinese-Indonesian. Some do not even serve Halal foods. The restaurants also represent regional cuisines in Indonesia where Jakarta’s Chinese-Indonesians came from. For example, Krendang Sub-District in West Jakarta has many West Kalimantan-style Chinese-Indonesian restaurants. North Jakarta has Chinese-Indonesian eateries from Sumatra Area such as Medan City, Bagansiapiapi Town, Bangka Island, or Belitung Island like the photo below.
Source: obserf.id
Chinese restaurants in South Jakarta tend to be fancier, Halal, and have foreign taste inspired from Mainland China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
Source: Freepik
This is because West and North Jakarta have been historically Chinese-Indonesian settlements from colonialism. Dutch colonialism divided Jakarta’s neighbourhoods based on race. Many of the Chinese in West and North Jakarta are working-class families coming from different areas of Indonesia. Therefore, they established eateries to cater with their Chinese-Indonesian culture and regional origin, whether it is Medan, Bagansiapiapi, Bangka, Belitung, Singkawang, Pontianak, Semarang, or others. Keep in mind that Chinese-Indonesian culture is significantly different from Mainland Chinese culture.
South Jakarta, on the other hand, has been predominantly native Muslims. Additionally, significant number of South Jakarta population are upper-middle-class. Chinese-Indonesian cuisines are usually seen as “non-Halal” and not-so-fancy in comparison to international foods. To accommodate the economically-elite and cosmopolitan Muslims, South Jakarta’s Chinese restaurants tend to be Halal-certified Mainland Chinese or Hong Kong-themed restaurants with a touch of contemporary Western design.
Source: Freepik
