Jakarta like many other big city, has a great number of Chinese people who have lived for centuries since the Dutch colonies, nevertheless the Chinese culture had given many great contributions to Jakarta daily life, the trace of Chinese history could be found at the old city area, especially in Petak Sembilan, Glodok, at Central Jakarta.

Have you ever notice that in every Chinatown there are coffee shops nearby? Chinese coffee shops or so-called “Kopi Tiam” are the place for Chinese people to hang out and chatting, or just having some delicious refreshment in the morning before going to work places, Kopitiam is a traditional coffee shop found in many South East Asia Countries, the word Kopi is for coffee and Tiam is the Hokkien word for Shop.

Just like any other Chinatown, here in Jakarta there is a famous original Kopi Tiam located at Petak Sembilan, Glodok ; Kopi Tiam “Tak Kie”. For coffee lovers, Kopi Tiam Tak Kei should be on your top list to visit. Since 1927, this old fashion Kopi Tiam also has many variant of coffee that coffee lovers will not be found in any other coffee shop. Unlike famous Kopitiams at malls, here you can enjoy the atmosphere of traditional Chinese coffee shop, although in this coffee shop they just serve coffee and other beverages, but you can buy some “peranakan” cuisine at small stalls nearby.

No wonder, if this Kopi Tiam is also often used as a movie making locations with background from the old Batavia era. The late Liem Sioe Liong, one of the richest people in Indonesia, already had visited this shop too

The coffee in this Kopitiam has a unique aroma and fresh flavor, the owner who is the third generation of this coffee shop has been using secret ingredient for their coffee, so in here you can order their famous refreshing ice coffee or “cafe latte” milk coffee with very affordable price, and enjoy it with some delicious chinese cuisines such as chicken porridge, chicken noodles, or hainanese chicken rice.

The ice coffee is served with tall glass, the coffee’s taste is quite strong, and it’s not too sweet, so if you prefer a coffee with sweeter taste then you should order their tasty milk coffee. If you want to buy their rich and aromatic coffee, they also sell their freshly ground coffee powder for take away.

So if you happen to visit Chinatown in Jakarta, Petak Sembilan, don’t forget to spend time to enjoy aromatic traditional coffee with Chinese heritage atmosphere at Kopitiam Tak Kie. Kopitiam Tak Kie is located at Jl. Pintu Besar Selatan III no. 4-6 , Glodok. Opening hour: 06.30 – 14.00. Although this kopi tiam is situated in a small alley, it is quite easy to find this Kop Tiam Tak Kie, all you can do is ask to the street vendor.

Price: Ice Coffee Rp. 10.000,- , Milk Coffee Rp. 11.000,- , Ground coffee powder Rp. 136.000,-

How to get here (see the route map):

From Juanda / Gondangdia / Cikini go to platform 1 and take the Red Line or Blue Line to Jakarta Kota Station. From here go to the North Exit then take a 6 minute walk to the south

From Tanah Abang go to platform 3 and take the Yellow Line heading to Depok/Nambo/Bogor and stop at Manggarai. Go to platform 3/5 and take the Red Line or Blue Line to Jakarta Kota. From here go to the North Exit then take a 6 minute walk to the south

From Sudirman go to platform 2 and take the Yellow Line heading to Depok/Nambo/Bogor and stop at Manggarai. Go to platform 3/5 and take the Red Line or Blue Line to Jakarta Kota. From here go to the North Exit then take a 6 minute walk to the south

See the link map or the map below