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Borobudur Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Indonesian Indonesian [Edit]
700 Post St(between Jones St & Leavenworth St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
(415) 775-1512
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 11 pm
Sun 1 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
478 reviews for Borobudur Restaurant
Review Highlights
"I am addicted to the Mie Tek Tek here."
(in 35 reviews)
"Roti Prata = Audrey's new favorite food."
(in 90 reviews)
"ayam panggang bumbu rujak (bbq chicken."
(in 17 reviews)
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478 reviews in English
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Review from Camille R.
Somerville, MA
2/8/2012
Fried tofu appetizer is like none I've ever had. The softest tofu with just a very light batter.
And the entrees are just as good. So good... -
Review from Jenn C.
2/8/2012
This was the first Indonesian restaurant I ever visited - and I thought it was pretty good but my Indonesian stepmother kept criticizing the staff for being Chinese (instead of Indonesian). Some good vegan options here, just make sure that they are clear that you don't want fish sauce or fish/chicken stock in any of your dishes.
Indonesian food is like Malaysian food - sort of a combination of Chinese & Indian. Lots of noodles and good fried appetizers. -
Review from M C.
San Francisco, CA
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here a couple times my Indonesian friends whom wanted try some of their origins. The food was decent, just not cheap. The Indonesians said that the flavors are close just not authentic.
This is more of an Indonesian fusion, when I hate any fusion foods. Paying more for people trying to cook the original food. -
Review from Garett N.
Berkeley, CA
1/16/2012
Great food. The people were very accommodating for our very large group (we had reservations in advance). The prices were pretty good and you get the right amount of food. Recommended.
Note: parking is a bit of a pain in the area. -
Review from Tran N.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/12/2012
So finally I got a chance to eat Mie Tek Tek Kuah in both versions. I'd prefer the soup one though. So delicious with a coconut vibe in it. Fried dry version was like a mix between Chowmein in Chinese food and somewhat Pad See Ew in Thai food.
Also I tried Empek Empek Palembang and it was ridiculously delicious. Like I used to say, or I'm gonna say now, Indonesian food is like a whole new world to me and if you try EEP out, you will understand immediately what I mean.
My Indonesian friends love this restaurant, my Vietnamese friends love it, too and so do I. What else do you want to hear?1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/12/2011
Once my lovely Indonesian friend took me here so yep, I'm pretty sure that it's authentic!… Read more »
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Review from Grant L.
Santa Clara, CA
12/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great joint always friendly service and good food. I can't tell you what I ate but everything was great. To me the portions are like Thai food, a bit smaller than what you see a Chinese place but it fills you up so you don't miss quantity over quality.
Definately place to go to if you're in SF -
Review from Jenny K.
11/4/2011 8 photos
"Have you ever had Indonesian food before, Jen?"
Finally, I get to try a cuisine with someone of that culture! Now I can go wild with the menu, be open minded and not stick to the ingredients that I'm familiar and comfortable with.
God knows I'm willing to eat almost anything once. And as I imagined, the menu was completely foreign to me. I told my friend to take charge of the order and even told him not to be considerate of my palate. Just like I would not order spring rolls, orange chicken, lemon chicken, or any "chinese food modified to the American's taste" at a Chinese restaurant, I expected him to order the dishes that an average Indonesian would order at their native restaurant.
I'm so grateful that he listened because I was able to enjoy a wonderful meal with some of the most common Indonesian dishes.
"It's our comfort food, Jen. It's delicious."
Amen.
The orders:
-Otak Otak Panggang: B.B.Q fish cake wrapped in banana leaf
-Siomay Bandung: Steamed chicken dumpling, fishcake, tofu potato, cabbage & egg in spicy peanut dressing
-Roti Prata: Pan fried layered bread served with curry dipping sauce
-Sate Ayam: Grilled chicken on skewers served with peanut sauce
-Rendang: Beef stew cooked with spices in coconut milk sauce
-Tumis Kangkung Bawang Putih: Sauteed spinach with garlic
-Ayam Bakar Cabe: B.B.Q. spicy chicken in special chili sauce
-Nasi Uduk: Rice cooked with coconut milk & lemon grass
My favorite dishes are: Roti Prata, Rendang, sauteed spinach with garlic, the B.B.Q. chicken and the coconut & lemon grass rice. If you like nann and the curry dip then you will enjoy roti prata. If you love beef stew, then the rendang would complete your craving.
It was a feast with plenty of left over to take home for a second feast. It reminded me of a mix of Thai food and Burmese food. The spices used to cook food in all three cultures are very much alike. So if you enjoy Thai food or Burmese food, I can promise that you will like Borobudur.
What a wonderful experience! I will definitely go back to share the experience with friends who are new the the cuisine. -
Review from Richard A.
San Bruno, CA
12/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a solid Indonesian restaurant with a unique taste.
1. Shu mai Bandung - Indonesian version with tofu and peanuts with a spicy garlic sauce. Very good!
2. Rendang - Every rendang is different, this one is missing the Indonesian Bay leaf and has a little more coconut milk flavor. Not overly spicy either.
3. Nasi goreng - Big plate-o-rice here. It was good and flavorful but was missing that wow effect.
4. Otak otak - this fish cake wrapped with a banana leaf was a new adventure. It was not overly powerful and I quite enjoyed the delicate flavor the leaf infused into it.
Will be back when I'm in the area and try some other goodies. -
Review from Jessica C.
Mill Valley, CA
12/3/2011
I recently spent my honeymoon in Indonesia, when I got home I was craving some mei goreng like nobodies business and this place served it up as good as at comes! I've eaten here several times and have never been disappointed. They're food runs on the spicier side for spicy dishes, which is a plus for me. If you don't like things too spicy, be sure to tell the waitress when ordering.
The staff is very knowledgable of the menu, and eager to help you find the right dish for yourself if your a first time costumer. The restaurant is always very clean! -
Review from Tammy C.
Updated - 11/2/2011 5 photos
(See pics)
Came back for lunch a couple times. Food was consistently good.
On a note, the Roti Prata Manis (dessert) is an interesting dessert that was with roti sandwiched with with condensed milk, cheese, chopped peanuts and rice chocolate. Fairly sweet with a hint of savory taste.
Service could be a bit slow especially sometimes they have tour groups eating there as well.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/27/2008
Came here in an early Saturday evening and it started getting filled up around 7pm.
The service was… Read more »
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Review from Joanne G.
10/8/2011
I think I know Indonesian food decently well-- I have visited Malaysia more times than I can count, once lived in Singapore for a bit, and made my third trip to Bali this past summer. I really love this food-- and with Bali fresh in my mind, was craving some good Indonesian eats.
Unfortunately for me, Indonesian restaurants (and Malaysian, for that matter) are few and far between in San Francisco and in the Bay Area in general. Borobudur's been around forever and not too far off from my apartment, so thought we'd give it a try.
Out of the dishes we ordered, beef rendang was easily the best. It was actually really authentic- way cooked down beef that falls apart on the fork, in a dry curry with the perfect proportion of spices. This with a bowl of rice is total comfort food.
Other items were not so great. The recommended veggies (spinach and tofu) had so much belachan that it overwhelmed the entire dish. The grilled fish marinated in dried spices with "Indonesian salsa" was disappointing too. The marinade tasted more like bottled sweet and sour sauce, and the salsa wasn't very interesting either. At this point I was really missing all of the delicious sambals that come with every meal in Indonesia. (I asked about sambal and the waiter said they were out.)
So...the worst for last...dessert. Why we ordered this, I don't know: grilled banana with cheese and chocolate. An adventurous thought, maybe? What arrived was actually half a plantain absolutely smothered in shredded, unmelted cheddar, drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with waxy chocolate sprinkles. It tasted about as appetizing as it sounds. Do not get this!
A little over $60 for two people made for a mildly overpriced experiment. I'd like to come back for more rendang and maybe to try some appetizers like the fried tempe or otak otak, but really....probably won't be rushing back anytime soon. -
Review from Bodhi D.
San Francisco, CA
11/11/2011
If I were to rate Borobudur compared to other exotic Asian restaurants in SF like Burma Superstar, I would rate this place as a solid 3 stars for food, service and ambience.
However, I've had authentic Indonesian food at 2 restaurants in LA during past trips (Ramayani in Westwood and Simpang Asia in Palms/West LA) and in comparison, I'd say that Borobudur earns 4 stars in my book.
I did my homework on YELP beforehand and ordered some items suggested by numerous YELPers like the corn fritters and the black rice pudding. For me, these were either hit or miss.
The corn fritters known as Bakwan Jagung $5.50 were dense, and more like corn cakes. They came with a creamy, spicy sauce which seemed to have relish in it. When I had these at places in LA, they were more like fritters. Maybe it's just more authentic here -- I don't know. Whatever the case, not my fave.
Although 1 YELPer advised against it, I ordered the Nasi Goreng Borobudur $9.95 - fried jasmine rice with chicken, jalapenos, dried fish, tomato, cucumber on side. It seemed to be missing something acidic to round out the flavor- it would have been better with ketchap manis or sambal condiment on side. Be sure to order the ketchap manis or sambal if you want a little acidity or kick to any of your dishes. My guess is that they don't automatically offer these condiments b/c of wasting by the patrons.
The quantity of the Nasi Goreng Borobudur rice dish was very plentiful and really a meal for 2. I took my leftovers home and they passed the reheating test the following day. Nice!
To finish my meal, I had the Bubur Ketan Hitam $4.95 -- creamy, sweet and slightly salty black rice pudding with a dash of coconut milk. This was also mentioned in quite a few reviews and was definitely a hit with me, especially since it was dairy and wheat-free.
Parking can be challenging in this 'hood since it's on the edge of the T-loin and the theatre district, but I came on a weekday around 2pm and bypassed the lunch crowd. I lucked out with street parking and the restaurant wasn't too busy for a late lunch so it was pretty quiet and relaxing.
If I'm in the 'hood again, I might give it a try for some a la carte dishes recommended by YELPers. -
Review from Ryan D.
Fernandina Beach, FL
11/12/2011
Since there are no Indonesian restaurants near where I live in Florida, whenever I visit a city where I know there are high concentrated of Indonesians I always have a look out for an Indonesian restaurant.
My friend who live in SF told me about this place. I've been back here several times since the first time I visited. They have a decent menu.
Food here tasted great, of course it wont taste the same as the ones you get in Indonesia but it was good for it being in a foreign country.
I recommend the beef rendang, and of course the corn-fritters. -
Review from Joe M.
I scored free access to a LMFAO concert and my little group needed a quick bite before the concert started at Ruby Skye. My friend suggested we try the Indonesian place at the corner nearby so we walked over to try it out.
I ordered the rice plate called Nasi Uduk Lengkap which featured the aromatic rice, fried chicken, honey beef, spicy tofu, scrambled egg, and shrimp chips with peanut sauce. The whole plate was delicious and I especially liked their basics in the rice and peanut sauce. For about $11, there was just enough food to make for a comfy meal and the flavors reminded me a lot of Thai food. I would definitely go back and I'm actually going to try to make their aromatic rice at home with some coconut milk and lemongrass.
Service was pretty good though the food took some time to come out because of the multiple components. However, it was worth the wait and we even made the show just on time. The prix fixe meal is a bit on the expensive side, but definitely something I want to try next time too!
Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 7/10 -
Review from Katrina M.
Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA
11/14/2011
We came in on an early evening. We were the only people in the restaurant at first. It was set up nicely, well lit, and had a nice atmosphere. I liked the wood carvings on the wall.
This was my first indonesian restaurant. I have a trip planned for Bali, so I was looking for a place to get some idea of what kind of flavors I might experience there.
We got to sit wherever we wanted in the place, since we were their first guests. We picked a booth. It's a small restaurant, but not too small.
We ordered a bottle of wine to have during dinner, and then began to randomly order whatever we thought sounded good.
We had: Roti Prata - it was lots of bread, and I suggest it be eated with more than 2 people. It's really filling. It's also really airy and the sauce is really flavorful.
Then we had Empek Empek Palembang - Which was a fried fish stick. It was pretty good.
For entrees we shared : Seafood Pedas Selera - It was really delicious, I wish there was more squid and less white fish though..
And the other entree we shared was: Rendang - A wonderful beef stew. I love these! So delicious, nice wonderful flavors!!
And lastly for dessert I had: Black sweet rice with coconut milk. It was delicious, full, milky, and pretty..
I will be coming back to this restaurant again to try more things. -
Review from Mike W.
Spokane, WA
12/31/2011
Food was nothing special but acceptable. Prices were in line for what you got. The big let down was the service. We got our chicken then 15 minutes later our appetizer and then another 15 minutes to get our rice. And then the bill was incorrect. We lived in Indonesia so know what the food is suppose to be like and yes it is authentic Indonesian food. Again, can't really complain about the quality of the food but it was some of the worst service I have had in a restaurant in a long time.
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Review from Rob C.
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
tried:
roti prata -- flaky, slightly too crisp on the outside, thin sauce but tasty.
nasi goreng -- shrimp fried rice, made me thirsty
ayam bakar cabe -- B.B.Q. marinated spicy chicken in sweet chili sauce, could be warmer, but was soft meat
glad it was authentic but not high on my return list -
Review from Ryan G.
San Francisco, CA
12/28/2011
Wow! Absolutely delicious and great service!
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Review from Vedra G.
Washington, DC
9/3/2011
Two words:
ROTI.
PRATA.
ohmygosh, Gooooood!
I think next time I'm just going to make a meal out of 10 orders of roti prata. :D
I've been working my way through the menu and I've been pleased with almost everything. My favorites are:
- roti prata
- soto ayam
- sayur asem
- sate ayam
- udang bakar cabe
- nasi uduk lengkap
- ayam panggang bumbu rujak
Their black rice is good, but my aunt makes this all the time (and it's so easy to make at home!) that I feel kind of silly paying for a small little bowl of it. Their rendang is fine - certainly not the best I've ever tasted but still pretty good. Skip the dishes listed under "Vegetables" though. If you don't eat meat, no biggie - just order 10 roti prata and you'll be the happiest vegetarian ever. ;) -
Review from clara g.
San Jose, CA
8/18/2011 Seated via OpenTable
After the longing and excitement of wanting to try this place I finally got to have a go at it for a friend's birthday.
The restaurant opens at 1... but when we got there the sign was off and no one could be seen inside. Great, I'm hungry and they're not even open... what the heck is going on??? Very unprofessional, but I guess that's what you call running on Indonesian time... If you're Indonesian you'll understand... we were almost about to walk away and go to Jayakarta in Berkeley but finally the employees arrived fifteen minutes late. That was really unacceptable in my book...
I was like man, I really wanted to go to Jayakarta but they're here now oh well...
Meh, service was cool...Food was expensive portions were small... So now I know...Bay Leaf in Sunnyvale or Jayakarta in Berkely if you want a better Indonesian cuisine experience... Sorry Borobudur, I wasn't really impressed... :( -
Review from melanie s.
Clayton, CA
8/16/2011
Here are the goods:
- They have nice presentation on their food - when you order a rice dish, they shape your rice like the Step Pyramid.
- The ambiance is nice - within walking distance from SF shopping area
- Their spicy chili sauce is good.
Here are the not so good:
- Taste of the food is not authentic (i know this cos i lived in Indonesia for 18 years)
- Expensive. There's this chicken dish they sell for $12 for 2 piece of chicken.
- Service is slow. -
Review from Paula G.
Concord, CA
8/2/2011
The capital "B" in Borobudur stands for "BOMBDIGGITY"...just letting you know.
I've known about this gem for years, I first got a taste of this place back in 2004 when I was still a wee kid in high school. Came here recently with family and the bf and was happy to see that they still employed that same gracious service and that the dishes were just as appetizing as ever!
I have a list of dishes that I've tried over my many visits to Boro-bombdiggity-budur that I have deemed as my favorites and that I always HAVE to get whenever I get the chance to eat here:
1. ROTI PRATA: Oh lordy lordy, their roti is so light and buttery, yet still retains a crunch to it...and it MELTS in your mouth. It also comes with a curry dipping sauce, but I like to dip it in peanut sauce instead!
2. SATAY KOMBINASI: A combination of chicken and beef satay. Both kinds are incredibly tender and flavorful. Again, I drench mine in peanut sauce.
3. RENDANG BEEF: Probably my favorite Indonesian dish to date (My number one Borobudur dish as well). I love the way Borobudur makes it, it's coconut-y and spicy at the same time! They manage to give their rendang beef this incredible mixture of sweet, savory and spicy at the same time. Not to mention that the beef feels like velvet in your mouth and practically melts on your tongue. I've never once had gristly beef with this dish.
4. GULAI KAMBING: Lamb curry in coconut milk sauce...need I say more?
5. VEGGIE RICE PLATE: You gotta get your veggies and your starches in somehow!
6. AYAM GORENG KALASAN: Fried honey chicken. So amazing. It's like heavenly chicken.
7. AYAM PANGGANG BUMBU RUJAK: Curry chicken, so delectable and so tender!
I could list more and more, but hey, don't just try my favorites, go be adventurous and pick some random dishes for yourself! (But do get the roti and the rendang beef!!!) -
Review from Anthony S.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Oh what a great restaurant .. The closest Indonesian meal I have had since Bali ... My other N I split the Roti .. a veggie dish ..Ayam Bakar Cabe ...Lumpia Semarang .. with sweet black rice and a ginger tea ... oh I loved every bite of it .. Service was very attentive, fast, and pleasant. I will definitely be back .. and soon
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Review from Liza T.
San Francisco, CA
8/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Downhill :-(
I used to love Borkbudur but after last night visit....probably not!
We came there on a Sunday around 6:30pm. So lucky that there was one last table left for us.
The service was pretty slow and not attentive that day. It seemed like we have waited forever for the food. We waited 30 minutes for the appetizer, another 30 minutes for the noodles and another 15 minutes for another dish.....During the whole hour of waiting time, the waiters never checked on us.....
What we have ordered:
Roti Prata (Pan fried layered bread served with curry dipping sauce) - I used to love this dish but it was not that good that night. The bread was little bit overcooked. The curry was so watery....no curry flavor at all.
Stir fried rice stick noodle with egg & vegetables with Chicken - It was ok. Little bit salty and the meat was kinda dry.
Tumis Kangkung Terasi Pedas (Sauteed water spinach with shrimp paste chili) - Very tasty and it was my favorite dish of the night. The water spinach was fresh with the perfect amount of shrimp paste. GOOD!
I'm probably not going back there in a short time. -
Review from Angela N.
11/6/2011
Maybe it was all the hype. Maybe it's that I'm a vegetarian. I was underwhelmed by my dinner here. There were about 10 of us, all with varying degrees of fondness for Indonesian food. The service was fine, the food was just alright. I don't think I'd really go out of my way to eat here again.
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Review from Jennifer N.
San Francisco, CA
11/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Searched for mie tek tek in the city on yelp and was led here. The stir fried mie tek tek was decent, but very moist. I think I prefer it drier and with a whole fried egg on top. The fried rice Borobudur special was GREAT though. Really liked the flavor (anchovies mmm!) AND there were TWO fried eggs on top! Also ordered the water spinach with shrimp paste. Very fishy, so if you're not used to eating fish sauce and other seafood pastes you may wanna pass on this because the entire table will smell like foot. I liked it though. Pretty satisfying. And the servers are pleasant enough.
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Review from Natalia H.
San Jose, CA
10/28/2011
This place was GOOD!! Came here with a group of non- Indonesian friends a few weeks ago...I should have written the review sooner because now I forgot what we ordered! Surprisingly my non-Indonesian friend ordered (I don't usually go to Indonesian restaurants since my mom cooks Indonesian food and she is a GREAT cook!) and everything he ordered was pretty good! Sorry, I know this is not a very helpful review haha...oooh the siomay bandung was REALLY good!
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Review from Aaron S.
San Francisco, CA
8/26/2011
Went there on a Thursday night around 7:30pm. Luckily, when we arrived, there was an open table, however, very shortly afterwords, there was at least a 30 minute wait.
We ordered the #1 appetizer (fried bread) which was very, very good. Additionally, the Combination Satay was very good, although the peanut dipping sauce seemed a bit burnt. Then our experience went downhill.
We ordered the tiger prawns in honey sauce, however we were served tiger prawns in a spicy sauce. For $15.00, we received 5 prawns. Aside from the fact that they were not what we ordered, they were too spicy to eat.
The other entree was a coconut chicken dish. It was okay, but not that good.
Service was very poor. Once our food was delivered, we did not get checked on again. We were out of water and never had an opportunity to let them know of the incorrect order. Finally, 45 minutes later, we were able to flag down our waiter so that we could ask for our check.
Whereas the appetizers were good, they were not worth the poor, slow service. We will not be back. -
Review from McCracken C.
San Francisco, CA
7/28/2011
Superb service!! It was my first time with this cuisine and the waiter was very patient. I absolutely LOVE the savory flavors and even enjoyed the vegetarian dishes. They make it spicy as u want. I'm definitely coming back. I used to think great food & great service was an oxymoron.
Great for out-of-town guests, groups, romantic date, and even kids. -
Review from July H.
San Francisco, CA
4/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
The best Indonesian restaurant in the Bay Area!
Well, technically there are only two really, Borobudur and Jayakarta. There are others that are half-Indonesian and half-Thai or something, Lime Tree SE and Bay Leaf for example, but since they are not fully Indonesian, they can't even be considered in running for this title.
If you come here on a weekday afternoon, you will probably meet Marie (check spelling). She is the friendly waitress during those times. I usually see her on Wednesdays' lunch. She is the only one there (other than kitchen staff), so yes, service can be rather slow, so just make sure you want to have a leisurely time when you have a meal here.
I read many reviews that were disappointed with the food. To prevent that, order only the food I recommend. :) Oh, btw, everything served in this restaurant is Halal.
My recommendations (in order of my preference):
Vegetarian:
1. Lumpia Semarang - Special Fried Spring Roll - it has bamboo shoots in it. Semarang is the city where this dish is famous for.
2. Gado-gado - cooked salad with peanut sauce.
Remember it is cooked. So if you like you salad raw and crunchy, dont order this.
3. Corn fritters - fried corn with green onions and chillies.
4. Tempe - Oseng2 or Fried - this soy bean cake has a very distinct flavor. You either love it or hate it. I used to hate it when I was a kid.
Non-vegetarians:
1. Mie Tek2 Goreng - Fried Noodles.
2. Mie Tek2 Kuah - The same noodles as above but with soup.
3. Empek2 Palembang - Fish cake with egg in the middle served with tangy sauce.
4.Siomay Bandung - almost like Gado2, but it has less veggies and instead it has fish cakes and chicken dumplings.
5. Ayam Bakar Cabe - Grilled Chicken
6. Ayam Panggang Bumbu Rujak - Grilled Chicken with Coconut Chili Sauce
7. Rendang - Beef Stew
8. Soto Ayam/Soto Betawi - Chcken/Beef Soup
9. Kangkung Sambal Terasi - Water Spinach with Shrimp Paste
10. Nasi Goreng Terasi Pedas with Salted Fish - Only for the brave!
Don't order the Nasi Rames/Uduk/Padang. Don't order Rijstafel.
Dessert:
1. Es Campur - Shaved Ice with tropical fruits - much better than Es Teler.
2. Es Kelapa Muda - Young Coconut
3. Roti Prata Manis - not exactly Indonesian, but it's good
4. Bubur Ketan Hitam - black glutinous rice with coconut sauce.
They usually open a vendor booth on Indonesia Day (at least they did on 2010) and they usually sell more variety than what they have in their regular menu on that day. Indonesia Day 2011 is July 23, 2011 in Union Square. -
Review from Meghan L.
San Francisco, CA
7/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
I decided to be really adventurous and attend a Grub With Us event, this was the restaurant I chose. Aside from meeting some really great people I had a chance to partake in some seriously good food (and let's face it, this is really why I showed up!)
Our meal was served family style, which was perfect in breaking the ice and getting to know one another.
Our menu:
Soto Ayam Soup (Lemon Grass, Bean Sprout, Egg, Chicken, Rice Noodle)
It was fantastic, very smooth, bursting with flavor, I LOVED IT.
Tahu Goregn (Fried Tofu with Hot Garlic Peanut Sauce)
I wasn't super impressed with this dish, the tofu was cooked well, but the breading was lacking in flavor, the sauce was decent, I don't love peanuts or peanut sauces so I may be bias.
Rendang (Sumatra beef stew cooked with Spices in Coconut Milk Sauce)
YUM. The beef was pull apart tender, the spices were flavourful, not spicy and the coconut sause added a nice texture.
Tahu & Terong Balado (Egplant & Tofu cooked in Spicy Chili)
Boy was it SPICY, this dish had more then spice though, it had good, hot flavour. Sadly, the eggplant was a little overcooked in my opinion, the tofu was great.
Ayam Panggang Bumbu Rujak (BBQ chicken w/ spicy coconut sauce)
This was probably my favorite dish of the meal. The chicken was on the bone, booked perfectly, was super juicy and had a great, flavor and spice that was cut by the sweetness of the Coconut Milk Sauce.. WINNER.
Kari Udang (Shrimp & Veggies in Coconut Curry Sauce)
Here we had a very simple dish, I wish I had taken a photo because it was beautiful, colourful, bright, light, it was just so pretty! And it tasted wonderful as well. It was soft in flavor, the shrimp were not over or under cooked, the veggies where crisp yet soft and that coconut curry sauce was to die for.
Bubur Ketan Hitam (Black sweet rice w/ fresh coconut milk)
Wow... Wow... Wow... I could have eaten 5 servings of this. I loved that I was given a small bowl with the rice on the bottom and coconut milk on top and was expected to mix it myself, this allowed us to watch the transformation, the rice was hot and heated up the milk, once mixed it looked like chunky slightly melted chocolate and it was HEAVEN in my mouth. The Texture this dish had was really great, slightly chew, milky, pudding like as it started to cool down and the flavor was sweet, the perfect ending to a flavor filled meal!
Parking was easy on a Monday around 6:30PM, I nabbed a spot just a few blocks away.
Yep, I would totally go here again. -
Review from Victoria G.
San Francisco, CA
7/12/2011
I went here a few weeks back and was fairly pleased with the food. My family is Chinese-Indonesian, so I wanted to invite my boyfriend and two friends to try a new cuisine. I was recommended to go to Borobudur by my mom, so we knew we had to try it.
We ordered the following: gado-gado, martabak sapi, lumpia semarang, sate kombinasi, rendang, bakmi goreng with shrimp, and nasi uduk. All were very good and authentic. I was disappointed they didn't have nasi kuning (yellow rice), but I'll live. I also forgot to order the ayam goreng (fried chicken) which is the best thing ever, but we all had enough to eat.
For dessert, we ordered, pisang goreng with ice cream and and es campur. Both, again, were authentic and very good. I did want to have pisang bakar keju, but the idea of grilled banana and cheese didn't seem to sit well with my party. But I promise you, it's good!
A great place for Indonesian food. Although service is slow, you have to take it for what it is--that's the culture, so you can't really blame them. No SF health tax (a plus!). Total with 4 people and tip is about $100. GREAT DEAL! -
Review from Joice K.
San Francisco, CA
6/15/2011 3 Check-ins Here
So Far Borobudur is the authentic Indonesian food in San Francisco Bay area and become of our favorite Indonesian Restaurant.
Last weekend, I was craving for their Mie Yamin Pedas (Steamed egg noodle with spicy sweet soy sauce, chicken and vegetable). Then I went there with my friends.
We had 2 portions of Mie Yamin Pedas and my other friend ordered the Mie Ayam (Chicken Noodle).
We also ordered the Veggie Sampler Platter (Fried corn fritter, soy bean cake, & tofu) and they served it with the peanut sauce. So yummy!
My husband always had Siomay Bandung (Steamed chicken dumpling, fishcake, tofu potato, cabbage & egg in spicy peanut dressing) and Otak-Otak (B.B.Q fish cake wrapped in banana leaf) whenever he come to this restaurant.
We also had Empek-Empek Palembang (Fried fish cake filled with egg in spicy vinegar), Mie Tek Tek (Spicy Java stir fried noodle with egg & vegetables), Ayam Kalasan (Fried honey chicken), Sate Ayam (Grilled marinated chicken on skewers served with peanut sauce), Bakwan Malang (Tropical noodle soup with tofu, vegetable, beef, chicken dumpling, meat ball, & fried wonton)
Parking is quite difficult in this area, but Borobudur will give you Free 1 hour parking validation with a minimum purchase of $35.00 at ACE Parking: 644 Geary St.
Not too bad! -
Review from Velan T.
Vienna, VA
8/27/2011
Awesome , spicy food - great shrimp in spicy sauce
Only two guys working but they managed to keep everything together:) -
Review from WENDY C.
San Francisco, CA
9/27/2011
Okay I love this place!!! You must order no. 1 and no. 48 (spicy noodle), I think it's number 48. It's soooooooooooooooooo good. the food is delicious! Great price. They are big food servings....
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Review from Bryan S.
San Francisco, CA
8/14/2011
After leaving my hometown Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 8, 2010, from living there all my life (14 years, now I am... a teenager) I have tried to find an Indonesian restaurant as good as Indonesia itself. The first one was a fake place where it was a Chinese man who served Chinese food, not Indonesian. Then I came across this one where I actually felt like I was home.
I spoke to the people there in Indonesian and really enjoyed the food; we chatted and I enjoyed my time. The rendang meat was tender like it was when I lived there, the Nasi Goreng was not oily and was just perfect like home, and the black rice desert was comfort.
To me, having a small part of home in San Francisco means a lot and this is just pure comfort food. -
Review from Laura C.
San Francisco, CA
4/17/2011 1 photo
I live very close to this place and have been wanting to try it forever. Last night my boyfriend and I came here because he wanted Thai food and I was just sick of Thai food.
There have been several comments here regarding the service, but our waitress was excellent, kind, and got my order right! Woohoo! The only downside was that we came in kind of late, and after she left, we were lucky if anyone bothered to look our way, as they were trying to close up shop (before 11 with patrons still in there). I had to knock a star off for that. We felt like we were rushed.
Now for the food, it was so flavorful and delicious. My boyfriend and I split the Empek Empek appetizer, which was excellent. He wanted to take the vinegar broth home with him! I got the Mie Tek Tek soup version with vegetables (no bell peppers), and he got some glass noodle dish with beef and veggies. For me, the spice level was perfect, not overwhelming but there was a definite kick. The portion sizes were large; we both were unable to finish our meals, which says something because we're eaters! The menu is huge so there's bound to be something for everyone. I will definitely return to Borobudur; I only regret I didn't get here sooner! -
Review from spoo k.
Emeryville, CA
7/14/2011
Oh how I love, love, love this place!
I used to live in Indonesia & these guys are the real deal! I could eat here everyday! The food is just delicious! I've tried almost everything. It's all good!
My only wish was that they made otak otak. If they did, that was the only thing I didn't like.
The black rice dessert is our all time fave & we always order at least 4 to go for our stash at home:) -
Review from Jennifer F.
San Francisco, CA
11/6/2011
I'm part Indonesian, and this restaurants tastes just like my mom's food. I even took her here and she was amazed at how good it was :) Any time I want mom's cooking, I just need to come here. The Rendang is phenomenal, yellow curry, spicy nasi goreng, the loempia, I could go on forever. And we can never leave without chendol! yuuuuuuuummmmmmmm.
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Review from Maria S.
5/20/2011
SERVICE IS SLOW...so don't expect to come here getting quick service. A friend and I dined here with 2 kids on a Thursday night and dang was it busy. It too about an hour to be seated. Not fun
Once seated we placed our order right away ( a note for all of you to follow if waiting for a table.)
It seemed like forever since we were hungry but our food was ready in about 20min...decent time...if the food was ready within 5-10 minutes I'd question it.
Our order:
**SATE AYAM- It was ok to me but the kids in my party liked it. I had better.
**AYAM PANGGANG BUMBU RUJAK- Also ok to me but my friend and her bf (she brought home the left overs) enjoyed this dish alot better than the Rendang.
**RENDANG- my all time favorite. Probably because it reminds me of a filipino dish that I can't remember the name right now.
**NASI GORENG- Everyone at the table was in agreement that this was the dish we enjoyed the most. Well actually it's a type of fried rice we had with shrimp and it was definitely yummy.
For dessert I'd recommend the LAPIS LEGIT. It's a small portion the layars are very thin and actually really pretty to look at but definitely better to enjoy after a meal.
Parking can be a pain around this area ( street parking) however, they do offer 1 hour Validation with a minimum purchase of $35.00 at Ace parking on 644 Geary St.
