ABOUT US

Jayakarta is an amazing restaurant - the first to serve Indonesian cuisine in the East Bay. Situated at the foot of the Berkeley hills, Jayakarta serves at the pleasure of both Berkeley college students and Kensington locals alike with unanimous fanfare. Opening in August of 2006, Jayakarta opened to rave reviews from numerous newspapers including the East Bay Express to the San Francisco Chronicle. Soon, a gem was born overnight.
Although the restaurant is relatively new, the range of taste at Jayakarta is significant, thanks in part to the wondrous travels of its owner and head chef - Irianti Wibowo Jin. Mrs. Jin’s multicultural experience during her years living in Jakarta gave her unmatched advantage over other practitioners of Indonesian cuisine, developing the fine tastes much of which she later brought out in her later years.
Her first successful business venture was in the cookie’s market in the early 1980s in her hometown of North Jakarta. Specializing in variety of cookies such as Gemblong, Risoles, Keroket, etc; she successfully created a loyal following, conquering the market for herself, stamping her name as synonymous with good food among a population of 2 million. Later, believing she could do much better, she travelled to America and brought those wonderful recipes with her.
From 1993 onward, she cooked at Indonesia Restaurant in the San Francisco’s exclusive Nob Hill district, honing her abilities with America’s taste buds. Locals loved it and tourists came to her place of business in droves. After 13 years of cooking in American, she finally wanted to open her own restaurant. And Jayakarta was born.
Today, Jayakarta continues to bring you a unique selections of Indonesia specialties only found at our restaurant such as Pepes Ikan, Ayam Kalasan, Kangkung Terasi, Babat Goreng Kecap, and Nasi Bungkus. With a proven reputation, incredible flavours and unmatched quality of service, you are bound to come back again and again. We promise.

"San Francisco's loss is Berkeley's gain. Of the few Indonesian restaurants in San Francisco, this one has always been the best by far, and now it has moved to University Avenue and opened to rave reviews (from all the diners crowded in for the festive grand opening). It's only a matter of time until it becomes a favorite East Bay destination. Eat there once and you'll be hooked.
The chef never fails to achieve a perfect balance of flavors, colors, and textures. This is one of the few restaurants in our experience where the food is always top-notch. We are vegetarians, so I can't comment on the beautifully-presented meat dishes we've seen at neighboring tables, except to say that our fellow-diners seem to enjoy what they've ordered as much as we enjoy our food. Vegetables are cooked to perfection - not the either raw or mushy version you get in some places. Try the Gado Gado; perfectly prepared veggies with a fantastic peanut sauce. The coconut curry (Kari Sayuran) is the best we've ever tasted. We've loved it in many places over many years, but the Jayakarta version is THE BEST! There is an impressive and varied menu, so you are sure to find something wonderful. If you still have room, there is quite a selection of delightful and interesting desserts, too.
Great food may be the most important reason to go to a restaurant, but there's another intangible thing that will also keep us going back. It feels nice to be there. The moment you walk in you feel relaxed and comfortable. Everyone who works there is friendly and helpful.
Right now (AUG 06) they are just getting started in Berkeley, so I expect there will be some changes in the decor over time. I hope they keep the gamelan background music, which adds a lot to the festive, relaxed atmosphere. But any changes they make will simply make a good thing better. Go there. Take your friends. You'll be glad you did!"

Concentrated and meaty is how you’d describe Betawi cooking, Jakarta’s original food. Owner and chef Irianti Jin grew up in Indonesia’s capital, and her beautifully layered Betawi dishes eat like love letters home. Candlenut sauce on Jin’s lamb sate skewers is as rich as a pat of butter melting onto a steak, while tripe-studded soto babat, a galangal-flavored soup, practically glows. The dining room is bare, bland, and pink, but it only makes Jin’s food shine all the brighter

JOHN BIRDSALL