Do you fancy to taste some good Javanese cuisines? How about Warung Apung Rahmawati? We went to this cozy restaurant, initially, because it contains the word “apung” (“floating”). Warung Apung Rahmawati itself means “Floating Food Stall of Rahmawati (a person’s name)”. Continue Reading →

Quite often, I passed the street where Angkringan Mak Joss is located. Angkringan is kind of traditional food stall, which is very popular in Yogyakarta and Central Java. The word means a place to sit down for casual chatting about anything with close friends or relatives. Usually it’s done while eating some snacks.

When come to food stall context, an angkringan (or in Solo and some regions in Central Java Province we call wedangan) is characterized by its two-wheeled cart with simple, cheap food and beverages on.

Although Surabaya and Yogyakarta or Central Java are separated at least three hundred kilometers away, but there have been some restaurants or food stalls with angkringan style in Surabaya. Yet, I had never tasted any of them.

So that day, we decided to visit Angkringan Mak Joss.

Entered this cafe, I suddenly felt a nuance of traditional Yogyakarta. What a wide, cozy place! I think it can hold about 100 guests. But unfortunately, it was hot and dim.

Like any traditional resto or food stall, there are to types of table here. First, normal tables, the ones with chairs. Second, the ones with short-legged tables and without chair, so you can sit cross-legged, kneel, or whatever you want. We chose the second type, or local people simply call it lesehan.

Then, a waiter came greeting me. He gave us menu list.

Don’t get fooled by its traditional appearance. The food prices here were averagely same with most of restaurants’ in Surabaya. All ranged between 4,000 to 30,000 IDR.

It’s not cheap. But I think, it’s worth.

Angkringan Mak Joss Menu

Before, I thought angkringan only served sego kucing, a very small portion of rice with a little anchovy chili in a wrap of banana leaf. But the fact is, Angkringan Mak Joss has much more dishes to offer. For examples:

• Fried rices with all its variant.
• Tengkleng: a soup with goat’s meat, entrails, or bones as main dishes.
• Tongseng: a goat meat, mutton or beef stew dish in curry-like soup with vegetables and sweet soy sauce.
• Wedang uwuh: beverage with raw ingredients that form like garbage. “Uwuh” in Javanese means garbage. Those ingredients are ginger, sappanwood, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemongrass, cardamom, and sugar cubes. It tastes sweet and spicy, with fragrant aroma.
• And other common food and beverages in Indonesia.
• Oh my God, there was shisha too!

We ordered tongseng, bakmi godhog (traditional noodle with broth), skewers of quail eggs, and two glasses of avocado juice.

Besides the food, Angkringan Mak Joss sells souvenirs such as traditional toys for kids, krises, spears for decoration, batik, and so on.

If you look for restaurant with different ambiance in Surabaya, or specifically Jogja traditional nuance, I would happily recommend Angkringan Mak Joss. The food was also good. However, the wi-fi or Internet signal was bad.

Angkringan Mak Joss Surabaya

Jl. Bendul Merisi No. 38, Wonocolo
Surabaya Selatan
Telephone +62 31 8475728
Open 09.00-24.00

– Photos by Brahmanto