Eating at a local warung is the best way to experience authentic Indonesian culture and cuisine.

A warung is a small, family-owned restaurant or food stall found on almost every street in Indonesia.

Getting your food at these local spots requires knowing a few specific Indonesian phrases.

English is rarely spoken at a traditional warung.

You need to know how to get the seller’s attention, place your order, and pay for your meal.

Learning how to navigate real-life daily interactions like this is exactly what we teach at Talk In Indonesian.

Here’s exactly what you need to say to order your food with confidence.

Getting attention and asking for the menu

In Indonesia, it’s completely normal to call out to the restaurant staff to get their attention.

You should always use polite cultural titles when addressing the staff rather than just shouting for service.

Use Mas for a younger man and Mbak for a younger woman.

If the staff member is visibly older than you, use Pak for a man and Bu for a woman.

Once you have their attention, you can ask for the menu.

Keep in mind that many traditional food stalls display their food in a glass window instead of using a printed menu.

If you see the food displayed, you simply point to what you want.

If you can’t see the food and need a menu, you can easily ask for one.

How to order your food and drinks

Placing your order at a warung is very straightforward and casual.

You don’t need to use complex or formal grammar to be understood.

The easiest way to order is by using the phrase saya mau pesan, which translates to “I want to order”.

You can also simply say minta, which means “please give me”.

It’s helpful to include the quantity you want by using words like satu porsi (one portion) or satu gelas (one glass).

Customizing your order (spiciness and takeout)

Indonesian food is famous for being incredibly spicy.

If you can’t handle spicy food, you must tell the seller immediately when you order.

You can say tidak pedas (not spicy) or jangan pedas (don’t make it spicy).

The staff will also usually ask you if you want to eat at the warung or take your food home.

The Indonesian phrase for eating in is makan di sini.

The word for taking food to go is dibungkus, which literally translates to “wrapped”.

Paying the bill

When you’re ready to leave, you don’t need to wait for the bill to be brought to your table.

You simply walk up to the counter or the person in charge to pay.

To ask for your total, you use the phrase berapa semuanya?, which means “how much for everything?”.

You can also list out what you ate if they didn’t write your order down.

Most local spots only accept cash, so you should always bring small bills with you.