2024 World Barista Champion Mikael Jasin is closely associated with the coffee scene of Jakarta, Indonesia. A three-time Indonesia national champion, Jasin wears many hats: he is the Chief of Coffee Innovation at Fore Coffee, and involved with local companies including Omakafé, So So Good Coffee Company, and CATUR Coffee Co. We’ve featured MJ’s work extensively here on Sprudge, including in-depth reporting on his 2024 win in Busan, and a long form interview on the future of Indonesian coffee published via Sprudge Special Projects.
Now with the 2025 World of Coffee Asia event coming to Jakarta, Sprudge reporter Tung Nguyen sat down with Mikael Jasin to get his advice on where to drink coffee, eat delicious food, and experience the culture of Jakarta.
Coffee
The WOC Asia 2025 event will be a major coffee bonanza, with nearly every specialty roaster in Jakarta (and indeed, across much of Asia) represented in some fashion. We’ll have focused reporting from the epic Roasters Village in the coming days on Sprudge, but suffice it to say, if you’re reading this guide before heading to the event, you’re going to find incredible coffee there.
Close to the show
Just 500m away from the show, Mikael Jasin recommends The Wolf Espresso, a cafe that boasts epic skyscraper views of Jakarta. The Wolf have special events planned all week long throughout WOC 2025, and they’re also a coffee roaster.
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A little further away there are multiple locations of Common Grounds Coffee. To celebrate WOC Jakarta, they have different coffee to highlight, and you got a little gift from them if you manage to drink all the highlighted coffees. From Ijen Lestari in Java, Indonesia to Elida Estate in Panama, to Finca Soledad in Ecuador, you’ll discover many of the best coffees in the world this week at Common Grounds.
Other Recommended Coffee Bars In Jakarta
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Bars
“Close to the venue, there is this area called Senopati, just outside the Central Business District, and it is where most of the bars are. The highest rated bar in Indonesia is there, it’s called The Cocktail Club. This bar placed #12 on the most recent World’s 50 Best Bars list, and it features very seriously beautiful cocktails alongside interesting snacks like wagyu beef croquettes and Serrano ham pizzas. Be aware that in Indonesia, people are allowed to smoke indoors.
Another excellent bar in the city is called Modernhaus, which has more of a mid-century modern vibe. It’s owned by the same ownership group as The Cocktail Club, and the bar’s interior has a stunning view of the city.”
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“There is a speakeasy bar run by a Japanese guy called KODA, which is pretty cool, and feels more like the kind of serious, minimalist cocktail experience you might find in Tokyo. There’s also nice food here, and the glassware is lovely.
The bar at the St. Regis is also very well regarded, and was included in the World’s 50 Best as one of the top 100 bars in Asia. Some nights the bars features live music, and there’s often visiting bartenders from other top bars around the world.”
Restaurants
“We have street food in Jakarta,” Jasin says, “but the country is not really known for street food, so I am recommending restaurants instead.”
“The highest ranked restaurant in Jakarta August Restaurant. They are run by really great team. I have been there a few times, they serve set courses but not too formal.
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And there is Pizza 4P’s. It is a Vietnamese branch chain of pizza, but pretty cool in that their concept is everything is produced local. Very good, I’ve been going there a lot lately.
For Indonesian-fusion food I recommend Kaum. If you’re interested in something. bit more spicy, try Daun Muda. I also recommend Pagi Sore, which is a popular Indonesian food chain.”
Pastries
“The best pastries in Jakarta are at Chicory. It’s a café during the day, restaurant during the night, run by an Australian chef who has been trained in French technique. Chicory is quite a traditional pastry shop, but everything they make is outstanding.
And if you fancy some cheesecake or other outstanding desserts, drop by Animale—it’s a restaurant, but their cheesecakes are super good.”
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Tung Nguyen is the founder of Citric Meets Malic and a Sprudge contributor based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Read more Tung Nguyen for Sprudge.
