It feels like I’ve been playing catch up with my life on the blog lately. Case in point, these photos were taken over a month ago. You see, on 23 May, one of my dearest friends got married…in Rawamangun. If you’re not familiar with Jakarta’s geography, Rawamangun is an area located in East Jakarta, which is very far from where I live. Needless to say, I’ve never been to this part of the city. Yep, that’s how gigantic Jakarta is.
Since it’s an area I rarely frequent—if ever—I thought I would hang out there a little longer and asked people on the internet for recommendations on where to spend my time while I was there. That’s when the name Batu Compound came into my life. I’ve actually been aware of this place and had wanted to go there for the longest time, so I decided on this place after all.
My initial objective was to have some coffee, maybe grab a little lunch and check out Bethania Brigitta‘s gorgeous wall decor. But what happened was far better.
It feels like I’ve been playing catch up with my life on the blog lately. Case in point, these photos were taken over a month ago. You see, on 23 May, one of my dearest friends got married…in Rawamangun. If you’re not familiar with Jakarta’s geography, Rawamangun is an area located in East Jakarta, which is very far from where I live. Needless to say, I’ve never been to this part of the city. Yep, that’s how gigantic Jakarta is.
Since it’s an area I rarely frequent—if ever—I thought I would hang out there a little longer and asked people on the internet for recommendations on where to spend my time while I was there. That’s when the name Batu Compound came into my life. I’ve actually been aware of this place and had wanted to go there for the longest time, so I decided on this place after all.
My initial objective was to have some coffee, maybe grab a little lunch and check out Bethania Brigitta‘s gorgeous wall decor. But what happened was far better.
📷 DJI Osmo Pocket 3
Unknown Part of Town
Batu Compound
The coffee shop is apparently located smack dab in the middle of a housing settlement area in Pulomas, hiding in plain sight among all its surrounding houses—right in front of Masjid Nurul Huda, so you can’t miss it. The place actually feels more quaint and smaller than in the photos. When I walked in and approached the counter, I could feel the warmth from the baristas straight away—Hi, Diaz and Dewi 👋🏻 They complimented my outfit and walked me through the menu in such a friendly way. I quickly realised the owner was having a meeting at the time, and I overheard him tell the story of the coffee shop. Apparently, its concept is to make people feel like they’re in someone’s living room—very comfortable, very warm, not at all pretentious. And I could absolutely feel that.
Aside from the wall decor designed by Bethania, the interior is dominated by cute paraphernalia. There were tons of polaroid photos, books and plants strewn about. It makes you want to stay here for as long as possible—which I practically did, leaving only around 5 hours later. The selection of books is also pretty impressive—there were a lot of titles I’ve read and/or wanted to read. Later on, I realise, these are books the baristas enjoy themselves as well. That’s a homey quality, right there.
Hand-me-down shirt | tailor-made dress | old socks | thrifted shoes
Batu Compound
The coffee shop is apparently located smack dab in the middle of a housing settlement area in Pulomas, hiding in plain sight among all its surrounding houses—right in front of Masjid Nurul Huda, so you can’t miss it. The place actually feels more quaint and smaller than in the photos. When I walked in and approached the counter, I could feel the warmth from the baristas straight away—Hi, Diaz and Dewi 👋🏻 They complimented my outfit and walked me through the menu in such a friendly way. I quickly realised the owner was having a meeting at the time, and I overheard him tell the story of the coffee shop. Apparently, its concept is to make people feel like they’re in someone’s living room—very comfortable, very warm, not at all pretentious. And I could absolutely feel that.
Aside from the wall decor designed by Bethania, the interior is dominated by cute paraphernalia. There were tons of polaroid photos, books and plants strewn about. It makes you want to stay here for as long as possible—which I practically did, leaving only around 5 hours later. The selection of books is also pretty impressive—there were a lot of titles I’ve read and/or wanted to read. Later on, I realise, these are books the baristas enjoy themselves as well. That’s a homey quality, right there.
Hand-me-down shirt | tailor-made dress | old socks | thrifted shoes
A Welcome Adoption
At first, I was just sitting at this random table minding my own business, taking photos and videos as much as I could without bothering anyone. Then my first encounter with the locals’ friendliness happened. The woman sitting at the next table—later on I found out is Carissa, one of the owners’ friends—asked me about my DJI camera. Then everyone chimed in too and it was a real whirlwind, as they were about to leave. We exchanged social media and everyone said bye to me on their way out. It’s like I was at a big family gathering.
Left in my lonesome, the regulars (Hi, Dini and Dika 👋🏻), who were still there, asked me to join their table. I was more than happy to oblige. We ended up ordering lunch together with the baristas while chatting and bantering for hours. Dewi, the sweet little barista, shared with me her love for the paranormal. Dini shared her experience working at a small agency. Dika asked for dating advice, while Diaz talked about his new girlfriend. I felt like I was picked up off the street and welcomed into their home. It was a truly, truly unreal yet warm experience for me.
At first, I was just sitting at this random table minding my own business, taking photos and videos as much as I could without bothering anyone. Then my first encounter with the locals’ friendliness happened. The woman sitting at the next table—later on I found out is Carissa, one of the owners’ friends—asked me about my DJI camera. Then everyone chimed in too and it was a real whirlwind, as they were about to leave. We exchanged social media and everyone said bye to me on their way out. It’s like I was at a big family gathering.
Left in my lonesome, the regulars (Hi, Dini and Dika 👋🏻), who were still there, asked me to join their table. I was more than happy to oblige. We ended up ordering lunch together with the baristas while chatting and bantering for hours. Dewi, the sweet little barista, shared with me her love for the paranormal. Dini shared her experience working at a small agency. Dika asked for dating advice, while Diaz talked about his new girlfriend. I felt like I was picked up off the street and welcomed into their home. It was a truly, truly unreal yet warm experience for me.
Batu Bata (Coffee), Cheese Sourdough & Carrot Cake
Right next to the coffee shop, there’s also Batu Space, which is workout studio and training space. This is usually where most of the crowd for the coffee shop comes from—people who just finished a workout. There are also tennis courts and a hyrox training gym nearby, I heard, so mostly it’s those people who would stop by this coffee shop. That’s why, when they saw me walk in all dressed up like this, they were pretty stunned as it was unusual. They could tell straight away that I wasn’t a local 😂 what a way to stick out like a sore thumb. But I’m glad I stopped by here, ’cause now I’ve made some (hopefully) long-term friends 🥹🫶🏻 Later that day, I left a brief review of this place on Threads and everyone showed their support by liking and reposting the post. It’s so lovely to be able to connect with everyone’s socials too! Hope to go back there sometime…but when?
Any other heartwarming coffee shops I could visit?
Batu Bata (Coffee), Cheese Sourdough & Carrot Cake
Right next to the coffee shop, there’s also Batu Space, which is workout studio and training space. This is usually where most of the crowd for the coffee shop comes from—people who just finished a workout. There are also tennis courts and a hyrox training gym nearby, I heard, so mostly it’s those people who would stop by this coffee shop. That’s why, when they saw me walk in all dressed up like this, they were pretty stunned as it was unusual. They could tell straight away that I wasn’t a local 😂 what a way to stick out like a sore thumb. But I’m glad I stopped by here, ’cause now I’ve made some (hopefully) long-term friends 🥹🫶🏻 Later that day, I left a brief review of this place on Threads and everyone showed their support by liking and reposting the post. It’s so lovely to be able to connect with everyone’s socials too! Hope to go back there sometime…but when?
Any other heartwarming coffee shops I could visit?