Black Canyon Coffee - Cipete, Jakarta

Sawadee Khrap! Welcome to Jakarta's first Black Canyon Coffee, Cipete's current hottest hangout! Celebrities, high-and-hung-over partyboys, Harley chopper gangs, chain-smoking screenwriters, or even noisy schoolgirls still in uniform at 10pm hang out here.

Until roughly 6 months ago, most Jakartans have never even heard of black canyon coffee. The coffee shop chain is actually very popular in Thailand, where it comes from. In fact, some people are surprised to hear waiters greeted them with a "sawasdee" as they show them to their tables. They're even more surprised that this particular Black Canyon outlet is not the first outlet in Indonesia. They opened several outlets in Bandung, Makassar, Surabaya, and Bali years ago. As a Jakartan, this hurt my pride just a smidge, because everyone knows that everything that enters Indonesia MUST go through Jakarta first. That was the cardinal rule.

I first encountered Black Canyon Coffee in Bangkok a couple of years ago. In Thailand, their outlets are mostly smaller ones - unlike this particular outlet in Cipete street. Dubbed their Indonesian flagship outlet, the reasonably-priced cafe is truly a comfy place to hang out. They've got wi-fi, too (which recently became a must-have facility to attract customers. No wi-fi, no customer. That's how it goes these days in Jakarta). Black Canyon coffee also opened its doors in Singapore's Katong area a few years ago (something I wasn't aware of).


This is indeed a huge place for a cafe that mainly serve snack and drinks. The interior is dominated with comfy leather seats, homey rattan couches, and the restaurant has generous outdoor spaces. They've got this balcony which I just adore. The location is also perfect - Cipete street has so many good eateries nowadays, it's like little Kemang. Sooner or later, expats would fill this place considering that the Cipete area has a considerable French community. Kudos to Thailand for creating such a good concept!

Iced Lemon Tea Frost

Black Canyon Iced Coffee

-> Their must-try signature drink.

Pad Thai Kung

-> One of the better ones I've tasted in Jakarta. It's also the most expensive ala carte menu (surprisingly).

American Fried Rice

-> Quite delightful. This is very much a quintessential Thai hawker / small restaurant fare. This is what those Sukhumvit office workers in Bangkok would have for their lunch break.

Deep-fried Chicken

-> Served with Mae Ploy / Mae Pranom sauce, of course.