3 Best Restaurants in Indonesia

Simple, uncomplicated, top quality: that's the winning formula at this welcoming café bakery where everything is homebaked with care. Centrally located near the Labuan Bajo post office, it is popular for breakfast and lunch (though it's open until 7 pm). You can eat in or take out a variety of breads, cookies, cakes, fresh fruit and granola, inventive sandwiches, or a yummy hot quiche. Good fresh-brewed coffee is a big plus.

The lively atmosphere, scenic views of the harbor, and reliably good Italian fare assure a steady stream of diners at this popular restaurant on Labuan Bajo's main drag, which is open all day. Dishes run the gamut from hearty pastas, like pumpkin ravioli and spaghetti carbonara, to more delicate dishes like fried fish and carpacio. The upstairs café's casual atmosphere, comfy beanbag chairs, and Wi-Fi access make it a great place to catch up on email while sipping a coffee or indulging in a sinfully good chocolate cake or creamy tiramisu, and the outdoor terrace is a popular place for drinks at sunset.

A stalwart survivor since the colonial days (some of the waiters still speak Dutch), this atmospheric restaurant is a big local draw not only for its status as the oldest restaurant in Semarang (open since 1936, well before independence) but because the food really is good. A self-described "restaurant, ice cream palace, and patisserie," the menu is a fascinating mash-up of European, Indonesian, and Chinese cuisines, featuring dishes like chicken satay and peanut sauce, fried tofu and veggies with fermented shrimp paste, and wienerschnitzel. Homemade cookies are kept in large jars on the restaurant counters and can be bought to go, but it's the ice cream, freshly made on the premises, that keeps everyone coming back.