It seems like whenever Medan is mentioned, the first few things that comes up to mind is how amazing the food there is.
Although my dad grew up there, I've only been to Medan once my whole life, and that was 11 years ago - I could barely remember anything I've eaten! So when we heard that we were going back during the Qing Ming Festival, it's only right for us to add a "culinary itinerary" to the trip!
One of the most enjoyable food hunt I've had where we got to relive all the childhood goodness! ! Not to mention the 2 kgs I've gained in less than four days. 13 Must Try Places To Eat in Medan! Enjoy!
1) Kwetiau Ateng
Address :
- Jl S. Parman No 52A, Sumatera Utara, Medan (Main)
- Jl. Sumatera No.3, Medan
Kwetiau Goreng
Nasi Goreng
This one is undeniably one of the best Kwetiau in Medan and a must try - everyone knows about it and my dad grew up eating it! The kwetiau was fragrant, chewy and full of texture (from the bean sprouts, meat, noodle, etc.). We loved the nasi goreng from Kwetiau Ateng as well!
And guess what, we actually went to great lengths and tried both stalls for comparison!
Verdict? The kwetiau in Jl. Sumatera - branch, is actually better!! It is also a little cheaper than the one from the main stall, but of course, the stall at Jl. Sumatera isn't air conditioned.
Kwetiau Goreng / Nasi Goreng:
Rp. 32,000 (Jl. Sumatera No. 3)
Rp. 38,000 (Jl. S Parman No. 52A)
2) Macehat Coffee
Address: Jl. Karo No. 20
Tel : 061 - 4529944
Home-styled coffee shop
Avocado Coffee Float
The Avocado Coffee Float is the must try here. Hands down the most amazing drink created! Chocolate Ice cream, chocolate sauce, avocado puree and a shot of espresso. Not too sweet, not too bitter and with a good hint of avocado deliciousness! Psstt. They roast their own coffee!! So good!
Fried Cassava, Long Black Coffee with condensed milk
Their Fried Cassava is good too! A little on the salty side but just nice when combined with the sweet drinks.
Mocha Lava Jelly
Avocado Coffee Float : Rp. 35,000
Mocha Lava Jelly : Rp. 32,000
Fried Cassava : Rp. 24,000
3) Rumah Makan Bintang
Address : Jl. Taruma No. 15B (Jl. Airlangga)
Tel : 061 4517712
You know food is good when I finish a whole plate of rice! Although Rumah Makan Bintang mainly serves Padang food, they are actually better known for their Steamed Ikan Bawal! We ordered three 2 ounces fish for four people and ordered some other side dishes. The sambal tempe and tahu goreng are our favourite Padang dishes!
Sambal Tempe is so good!
Really good Tahu Goreng. A little on the spicy side.
Price:
Steamed Ikan Bawal : Rp. 85,000 per fish
4) Bakmi Hock Seng
Address:
-JL Gwangju, No. 17
-Jl. Bangka No. 82/88 Gang Buntu Medan Timur
We've tried the Hock Seng in Jakarta, so it was time to try the one from it's place of origin, Medan.
My favourite combination has always been the Kwetiau Bihun, so we ordered them here as well.
Bihun Kwetiau
I actually liked the one from Jakarta better - noodles were more flavourful than the one in Medan, which was to be honest a little disappointing. My dad's friends whom we met at the restaurant agreed with us as well. We had high expectations!
However, one thing you get to only try in Medan is the luxurious spread of seafood on the noodles - you won't see as much ingredients on the noodles in Jakarta. The ingredients are delectable! Fish eggs, Crab claw, Fish slices, etc. Though the noodles taste a little blander, the ingredients actually brings back a good balance!
Definitely don't miss out this restaurant if you are in Medan!
Traditional coffee
Soft served eggs
The soft served eggs in Bakmi Hock Seng is really adorable! Served in tiny cups that fit only two eggs maximum! nomnomnom :3
Price :
Special : Rp. 58,000 / bowl(the one we tried)
Normal : Rp. 46,000 / bowl
5) Rumah Makan Ondo
Address : Jl. Pabrik Tenun No. 45
Closes at 5 p.m.
I'd have to tell you that we really tried so hard just to eat at this place. It was closed the first time we went (we didn't know that it closes at 5pm), so we tried again the next day. This one is seriously the best place to eat Batak Grill!
We ordered a ridiculous amount of food and my cousin ate 3 plates of rice here! 4 thumbs up!
Babi Panggang. MUST ORDER!
Kalbi Panggang. A little spice to heat up the taste buds.
Saksang Babi. Too salty for me..
Kerupuk! A little pricey in my opinion (Rp. 14,000 for a small packet)
The restaurant has a very good ambience and the bosses were really friendly! The female boss is from Medan and the male boss is from Korea - we were given Korean tea and chewing gums after our meal.
It was a crazy feast we had that day. Ordered 7 plates of Babi Panggang, 3 plates of Kalbi Panggang, 3 Saksang Babi, and many many other more - Babi Goreng, Soup Babi, Sayur On Do, Daun Singkong, Jengkol, etc. for eight people.
Reminder! One plate of Babi Panggang is never enough!
Price :
Babi Panggang : Rp. 30,000 / plate
Kalbi Panggang : Rp. 55,000 / plate
Babi Goreng : Rp. 30,000 / plate
Saksang Babi : Rp. 25,000 / plate
non halal
6) Bihun Bebek Kumango (ASIE)
Address : Jl. Kumango No. 15
Opens 6:30 a.m - 11:00 a.m (or earlier if finished)
We waited 1 hour for our food but everyone was willing to wait.
Only the boss is cooking the noodles (maybe to prevent their secret technique from spilling out), hence the slow serving rate!
The chicken broth is the best thing ever that it tasted like the high quality condensed broth from Imperial Treasure in ION Orchard! The noodles actually tasted pretty good but one drawback about it: There were just too much duck on it that it became a little ... too much. Even my dad couldn't finish the duck meat on his bowl.
Good for sharing or big portion eaters!
Price :
Rp. 60,000 / bowl
7) Chasio Asan
Address : JL Sun Yat Sen, No. 123
Opens till 3 p.m
4 portions in a plate
My dad went frequently since he was young that the lady bosses still recognizes him when we went!
Honey glazed Chasio is the bomb. I'm out of words to describe how good this place is. Mad love for the pig tongue as well (good not gross!).
Price :
Rp. 40.000 / portion
non halal
8) Buah di Pinggir Jalan
Address : Jl. Kalimantan
No exact address or stall name because it's just a vendor by the street! A local hidden gem that my dad ate growing up.
Nangka, Pineapple, Buah Sawo, Jambu, Papaya
We went back twice because they literally sold the best fruits ever!
The nangka was so sweet, juicy and delicious that we missed it so much when we reached Jakarta.
Second time we went back
Price :
Approximately Rp. 77,000 for the two plates in the first picture
9) Hung Hung
Address : Jl. Kalimantan
Okay. Confession. We only came here because it started to rain when we were eating fruits - the fruits were sold beside the road, and there was no shelter. Since Hung Hung is located just across the fruit vendor, we ran there with out fruits to seek shelter - and food there turned out to be pretty good!
Chee Cheong Fan
Two pieces of Cay Tau Kuay
The Chee Cheong Fan actually tasted nice! Taste of medan :') *remember dad buying this for us when we were younger*
Price :
Chee Cheong Fan : Rp. 10,000
Cay Tau Kway : Rp. 3,000 / piece
10) Rasa Seafood
Address : Kompleks Jl. Cemara Asri
Jl. Cemara Asri is well known for their wide range of good seafood restaurants and Rasa Seafood was the one recommended to us by my friend. Warning. Be extra careful, this place is so so hard to find! Took us 20 minutes in the Kompleks and we still ended up in the wrong restaurant (Rasa Resto, not seafood). There were so many restaurants by the name of "Rasa"!
But luckily, the boss for Rasa Resto (the one we went, no grilled stuff, very little customers) and Rasa Seafood (recommended one, crowded) was the same and we were allowed to order off the menu from Rasa Seafood.
Ikan kambing", ordered off from Rasa Seafood
The fish was good! Interesting texture - somewhat like sting ray!
Cumi Goreng Telor Asin
Salted egg squid was the winner that night! It was literally finger licking good! The Ayam Goreng Cabe Hijau was one of my favourite there too!
Crab
Crab was not fresh and we did not like it. We heard the one from Rasa Seafood was better.
Price :
Reasonable (Seafood according to market price)
11) Juntak Durian
Address :Jl. H. Adam Malik Glugur
Okay okay hear me out before you decide to shoot me to death.
We all know that Ucok Durian is the best durian in Medan.
But we really weren't fated to eat there during our stay. We tried our best kay! Went there twice, first to survey and the second was when we were turned away because they ran out of good durians. :( boohoo. But of course, if you come to Medan, go try Ucok Durian for me, seriously, and tell me how good they are while I cry by the corner of my room. And also, Ucok Durian lets you change durians until you are satisfied with the durian you are eating!!
Okay. First option is out of our equation. Second best option? Juntak Durian! I actually ate here for two consecutive nights *supper and cholesterol ftw*. For the first night, there was only four of us and we ordered about 6 durians?? For the second night, there were 14 of us and we ate so much durian we lost count - I suspect at least 25. *gulp* After all, we still have that durian eating genes in us..
Omnomnomnom
Price :
Rp. 30,000 for small Durian
Rp. 50,000 for big Durian
12) Taipan Restaurant
Address : Jalan Putri Hijau No. 1A, Capital Building Lantai 1
Taipan is not exactly the best place you'd go for local Medan food. However, if you are searching for good chinese food, this place actually provides pretty decent ones! There is a Taipan Restaurant in Jakarta but the last time I ate there was like 5 years ago and I'm not sure if they closed down. So when we came here for a big dinner (with my dad's friends), it was actually like a walk down memory lane.
Must Order
Sup Burung Dara or Pigeon Soup is the must have here. I remember always ordering this when I was younger.
Average Chinese Food. Steamed Fish is so good!
Salted egg prawns and their Tofu (covered in seaweed) are also the recommended dishes to get here!
13) Bolu Meranti
Address : Jl. Kruing no. 2K
Before you leave from Medan, don't forget to get the Bolu Meranti! I grew up eating this because my dad would always bring them back to Jakarta every time he went back to Medan.
Mocca and Cheese are our personal favourites!
Price :
Rp. 55,000 / roll for basic flavours
Rp. 75,000 / roll (covered with cheese)
Due to time constraint and the well being of my stomach (we were literally restaurant hopping! Our driver must have thought that we were crazy from the extensive amount of food places we went to lol), I didn't get to try all the recommended places by people. And there were some places that we tried that really wasn't good and I didn't feel like putting it on the list.
So there you go, 13 must try places to eat in Medan! Any other must try places in Medan that you recommend I try the next time I visit?
(Instagram Courtesy : @myfunfoodiary)
(Instagram Courtesy : @alviansilver)
