I visited Bebek Perdikan with my family. Bebek is the Indonesian word for duck. So yeah, this is a restaurant that sells duck. This place went viral a while back because it has such a strong Yogyakarta village vibe, despite being located right in central Jakarta.
I took the TransJakarta bus and got off at Halte Denpasar, then walked about 5 minutes through the neighborhood to reach the restaurant. It sits in a narrow alleyway in the Karet Semanggi area. The contrast hit immediately. Outside, glass-and-steel skyscrapers line Jalan Gatot Subroto, one of Jakarta’s busiest business corridors. Inside this alley, you step into something completely different.
The building is designed like a Joglo, a traditional Javanese house style that originated in Central Java, around Yogyakarta and Solo, about 500 kilometers southeast of Jakarta. These structures have distinctive high peaked roofs supported by wooden pillars, with no walls on the sides, meant for rural villages where people gather in open air.
Finding a full Joglo complex here, tucked between modern office buildings in central Jakarta, feels surreal. Like someone lifted a piece of Central Java countryside and dropped it in the middle of the city.
Lots of plants filled the space. Ferns, tropical leaves, potted greens, bamboo. It felt like a village courtyard. The air was cooler, quieter. I almost forgot about the traffic outside.
We ordered Bebek Goreng Perdikan (fried duck), Puyuh Goreng (fried quail), and Karedok. Everything came with rice. Of course. This is Indonesia. We even eat noodles with rice. No rice, no eat.
The duck was crispy outside but juicy inside. The spices went deep into the meat, even near the bones. Really well-seasoned. The quail was small but tender, cooked the same way as the duck. Both had good flavor all the way through.
The Karedok is a Sundanese raw vegetable salad. Cabbage, long beans, cucumber, and bean sprouts tossed in thick peanut sauce. The sauce had an earthy, slightly sweet taste without being heavy. The vegetables stayed crunchy and fresh, giving a good contrast to all the fried items on our table.
They served sambal bawang on the side. Sambal is Indonesia’s essential chili condiment, a paste made from ground chilies and other ingredients. Every region, even every household, has their own version. This one mixed shallots with chilies. Flavorful but not too spicy, so even I could eat it. Yeah, I’m a failure to my Southeast Asian community. I can’t handle spicy food. The shallots gave it a natural sweetness that worked perfectly with the duck and quail. We kept reaching for more throughout the meal.
Portions were generous for the price. The duck cost around 50,000 rupiah (about $3 USD), with affordable sides. The atmosphere felt homey with a mix of office workers and families eating there. We went on Saturday around 1pm and many tables were already reserved. Good idea to book ahead if you’re planning weekend lunch.
One thing to note: the alley is really narrow. If you’re driving, better to park on the main road and walk in. TransJakarta worked well for us.
Overall, this was a solid Javanese-style duck experience. We cleaned our plates.