TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ramadan often marks a return to the communal dining table. During the fasting month, restaurants, cafes, and even hotels are almost always packed with iftar gatherings, whether with family, friends, or colleagues. A number of restaurants and hotels also often offer unique dining experiences. In Jakarta, several culinary and hospitality businesses offer a variety of iftar concepts inspired by diverse cultural backgrounds, from Chinese and Egyptian cuisines to Mediterranean and Italian cuisines.
Among these options, TWELVE Chinese Dining offers an iftar concept inspired by the tradition of communal dining. With its Ramadan Set Menu "Wok This Way for Iftar," the restaurant creates a series of dishes to be enjoyed around one table. Located in the Menteng area, TWELVE Chinese Dining offers two package options: the Berkah Package for approximately four people and the Rahmah Package for approximately six people. Both offer a family-style serving approach.
"At Twelve, we celebrate Ramadan as a time of togetherness. Our Ramadan Set Menu is designed with the concept of sharing through warm and comforting Chinese comfort food, served family-style to be enjoyed slowly and together after breaking the fast," said Nadia Sofiandi, Director of OKUZONO Hospitality Group.
The course begins with minced chicken wonton clear soup, a clear soup containing minced chicken wontons with a light flavor that opens the meal. After that, the main courses arrive in sequence. TWELVE Chinese Dining serves tofu bomb, fried tofu filled with shrimp with a crispy outside and soft inside, one of the restaurant's signature dishes. The menu continues with the famous crispy roasted duck, roasted duck with crispy skin and moist meat. Next, sautéed prawns with lemon xo sauce feature sautéed prawns with a touch of xo sauce and the aroma of lemon, followed by steamed garoupa fish Hong Kong style, steamed grouper with simple spices that highlight the fish's natural flavor.
Steamed garoupa fish Hong Kong style, a steamed grouper fish menu with simple spices, one of the breaking-of-the-fast menus at TWELVE Chinese Dining
TWELVE Chinese Dining concludes its main course with pan-fried vermicelli with chicken sausage, a filling dish.
For breaking the fast, the restaurant complements its offerings with a selection of takjil (snacks). Rice flour jelly with coconut milk offers a light taste of rice flour jelly with coconut milk. Sweet potato and sago in coconut milk with palm sugar combine sweet potato and sago in coconut milk and palm sugar, while chilled mixed fruit cocktail with longan serves as a chilled fruit cocktail with longan. This selection of takjil completes the iftar experience during Ramadan 2026.
Through its Iftar and Eid Buffet program, PA.SO.LA Restaurant presents Egyptian cuisine under the theme "A Night in Cairo." This cross-cultural collaboration, involving The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place, The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo, and the Egyptian Embassy in Indonesia, creates an atmosphere inspired by Egyptian iftar traditions. During Ramadan, two guest chefs from The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo, Chef Walid and Chef Mohsen, will be present to present a variety of dishes rooted in the culinary traditions of the Nile River region.
They will introduce dishes such as slow-cooked meat tagine, fattah, a dish synonymous with major celebrations, moussaka, and fattoush. All are served buffet-style, alongside international and local menu options.
The Iftar Feast program runs daily during Ramadan, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM WIB (Western Indonesian Time), while Eid Brunch will be held on March 19 and 20, 2026.
Meanwhile, The Dharmawangsa Jakarta has chosen to offer a varied iftar experience by utilizing several different spaces within its property. At Nusantara Garden, the garden area is decorated as a Middle Eastern-themed majlis. In this open-air space, the iftar buffet, featuring Middle Eastern, Indonesian, and international dishes, will run from February 19 to March 12, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM WIB.
The Iftar experience is available at Jakarta Restaurant & The Courtyard, a semi-outdoor area surrounded by greenery. An interactive buffet concept with food stalls and live cooking stations is the main approach, with a menu that combines Middle Eastern and Indonesian dishes. This program runs from February 23 to March 13, 2026.
Different from the buffet atmosphere, Alto offers a more intimate approach. For the first time, the restaurant is presenting a Ramadan program called Tavola di Iftar. Instead of queues and long buffet tables, dishes are served gradually directly to guests' tables. The course opens with homemade bread, focaccia, burrata, and a variety of Mediterranean mezze, before moving on to the main course. This program runs from February 20 to March 18, 2026, starting at 6:00 PM WIB, with a menu prepared by the culinary team under the leadership of Chef Riccardo Pellino.
Amidst these diverse options, Ramadan remains a crucial moment for the culinary and hospitality industries, providing a space for gatherings for many. The variety of concepts, menus, and presentation approaches offered throughout Ramadan demonstrates the evolving tradition of breaking the fast, as local and international cultural influences converge, as well as the dynamics of urban dining styles.
Read: Mixology at Home: How to Spend Your Ramadan with Creative Culinary Trend
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