Feels like it’s been such a long time since the last time I visited a historical landmark. The last time I was in a museum was last December—and even that’s for a modern art exhibition, so there’s not much history there. Perhaps the last time I was actually at a historical landmark was the end of 2019—wow that was practically forever ago! After that, as we all know, the pandemic came in like a lion and hit us with full force—bringing several waves of itself globally. Museums were going to open a few times, but got closed down again due to the condition getting back worse every time. So that’s how I’ve been missing museums and exploring historical places. Today, however, I will not be going to a museum, but a remarkably quaint street of old.
A Street Preserved
Feels like it’s been such a long time since the last time I visited a historical landmark. The last time I was in a museum was last December—and even that’s for a modern art exhibition, so there’s not much history there. Perhaps the last time I was actually at a historical landmark was the end of 2019—wow that was practically forever ago! After that, as we all know, the pandemic came in like a lion and hit us with full force—bringing several waves of itself globally. Museums were going to open a few times, but got closed down again due to the condition getting back worse every time. So that’s how I’ve been missing museums and exploring historical places. Today, however, I will not be going to a museum, but a remarkably quaint street of old.
A Street Preserved
The beauty of Cikini Raya is twofold: One, the colonial buildings lining the street are preserved beautifully and still functions to this day as thriving businesses that cater to the modern market. They also come with complementary art-deco aesthetics in the shape of the park benches adorning the pavements—honestly, the best-looking benches in Jakarta! This scenery really works well as a gorgeous backdrop, as you can see.
Two, the street doesn’t actually contain any tourist-trap landmark that people would often flock towards, allowing us to peacefully stroll through it and enjoy the view. The restaurants are humming with conversation, but not overflowing with crowds, which is absolutely lovely.
Cikini Raya is one of the oldest streets of Jakarta, housing some of the longest-standing businesses and restaurants that still stand to this day. The street starts out from the post office all the way to Taman Ismail Marzuki, the most well-known stage theatre in the city—that has been recently revamped. The street itself is lined with cute and quaint eateries, such as Bakoel Koffie—which has been around since 1878— Dua Nyonya Restaurant and Kedai Tjikini.
Much like the theatre complex, the pedestrian area along the Cikini Raya Street has also been revitalised, allowing better access and comfort for everyone walking along this historical street.
The beauty of Cikini Raya is twofold: One, the colonial buildings lining the street are preserved beautifully and still functions to this day as thriving businesses that cater to the modern market. They also come with complementary art-deco aesthetics in the shape of the park benches adorning the pavements—honestly, the best-looking benches in Jakarta! This scenery really works well as a gorgeous backdrop, as you can see.
Two, the street doesn’t actually contain any tourist-trap landmark that people would often flock towards, allowing us to peacefully stroll through it and enjoy the view. The restaurants are humming with conversation, but not overflowing with crowds, which is absolutely lovely.
Cikini Raya is one of the oldest streets of Jakarta, housing some of the longest-standing businesses and restaurants that still stand to this day. The street starts out from the post office all the way to Taman Ismail Marzuki, the most well-known stage theatre in the city—that has been recently revamped. The street itself is lined with cute and quaint eateries, such as Bakoel Koffie—which has been around since 1878— Dua Nyonya Restaurant and Kedai Tjikini.
Much like the theatre complex, the pedestrian area along the Cikini Raya Street has also been revitalised, allowing better access and comfort for everyone walking along this historical street.
Truth be told, Cikini Raya is quite far from both my and Agung‘s houses, so we always hesitated about going there in the past. However, it turns out for me, Cikini Raya is a lot more accessible now thanks to the MRT—in case you didn’t know, it was only recently installed in 2019. For Agung, the place is actually a lot closer and easier to reach, but he used to be worried it would be difficult for me. Well, no more! Now that I know how easily and quickly it took me to get here, I’m determined to visit more often. Granted, there isn’t much to see—except maybe to grab a bite to eat and a cuppa or two. We could perhaps even see a musical or something, if the mood strikes us. We’ll see.
We saw that we weren’t the only ones quite enamoured by the place. There were a few people strolling through the area as well. A couple of bicyclists took a rest on a park bench there, while taking turns to snap some photos of each other. Some kids had a little bike race right there on the pavement—I think they were locals, though. Several expats walked past the area, presumably just running errands and grabbing some delicacies. There were even some families going in and out of the restaurants, having a nice weekend meal together. Ah, how lovely it truly was!
Thrifted top // Ask by Asky dress (old) // hand-me-down purse // old ascot tie + socks // Nappa Milano loafers // photos by Agung
Afternoon Tea at Tjikini
Tjikini
Truth be told, Cikini Raya is quite far from both my and Agung‘s houses, so we always hesitated about going there in the past. However, it turns out for me, Cikini Raya is a lot more accessible now thanks to the MRT—in case you didn’t know, it was only recently installed in 2019. For Agung, the place is actually a lot closer and easier to reach, but he used to be worried it would be difficult for me. Well, no more! Now that I know how easily and quickly it took me to get here, I’m determined to visit more often. Granted, there isn’t much to see—except maybe to grab a bite to eat and a cuppa or two. We could perhaps even see a musical or something, if the mood strikes us. We’ll see.
We saw that we weren’t the only ones quite enamoured by the place. There were a few people strolling through the area as well. A couple of bicyclists took a rest on a park bench there, while taking turns to snap some photos of each other. Some kids had a little bike race right there on the pavement—I think they were locals, though. Several expats walked past the area, presumably just running errands and grabbing some delicacies. There were even some families going in and out of the restaurants, having a nice weekend meal together. Ah, how lovely it truly was!
Thrifted top // Ask by Asky dress (old) // hand-me-down purse // old ascot tie + socks // Nappa Milano loafers // photos by Agung
Afternoon Tea at Tjikini
Tjikini
What inspired Agung and I to visit was actually driving past this very street a few weeks prior. We saw this little café called Tjikini that, to me, looked rather quaint and I just had to go there. It has a cute, belle-epoque shop window with wooden frames, where you can take a peek into the 1940s interior. After looking at their menu online, I also discovered that they’ve got a selection of Indonesian food and beverages with a pretty reasonable price—I thought they would be pricier in this part of town.
Agung and I actually grabbed lunch prior to setting foot in this café, so we just wanted to grab some snacks. Agung ordered Cendol, while I opted for some Teh Tarik—both of which were delicious, by the way. For the finger food, we chose Pisang Goreng—they were rather small, but tastes pretty good to us. The Cendol really takes the cake, though. The ambience, too, was really cozy—we stayed there for hours!
What inspired Agung and I to visit was actually driving past this very street a few weeks prior. We saw this little café called Tjikini that, to me, looked rather quaint and I just had to go there. It has a cute, belle-epoque shop window with wooden frames, where you can take a peek into the 1940s interior. After looking at their menu online, I also discovered that they’ve got a selection of Indonesian food and beverages with a pretty reasonable price—I thought they would be pricier in this part of town.
Agung and I actually grabbed lunch prior to setting foot in this café, so we just wanted to grab some snacks. Agung ordered Cendol, while I opted for some Teh Tarik—both of which were delicious, by the way. For the finger food, we chose Pisang Goreng—they were rather small, but tastes pretty good to us. The Cendol really takes the cake, though. The ambience, too, was really cozy—we stayed there for hours!
Despite having been born in Jakarta and lived here for most of my life, there is still a great part of this city that I have yet to venture into. Cikini Raya was one such place, due to its distance from where I live—it decidedly took me an hour or so to reach, and that’s without traffic. Yes, that is how big Jakarta is. But this trip gave me back my fire to explore the rest of the city. Now I see that it is entirely possible for me to reach these seemingly far away places with convenience. The city has gone far since the last time I embarked on solo journeys across its map. Now I am ready to dust off my exploring shoes again to stroll through a different area. And—mark my words!—this is only the beginning.
Where do you think I should venture next?
Despite having been born in Jakarta and lived here for most of my life, there is still a great part of this city that I have yet to venture into. Cikini Raya was one such place, due to its distance from where I live—it decidedly took me an hour or so to reach, and that’s without traffic. Yes, that is how big Jakarta is. But this trip gave me back my fire to explore the rest of the city. Now I see that it is entirely possible for me to reach these seemingly far away places with convenience. The city has gone far since the last time I embarked on solo journeys across its map. Now I am ready to dust off my exploring shoes again to stroll through a different area. And—mark my words!—this is only the beginning.
Where do you think I should venture next?