Dapur Indonesia - Cancún

So I found out about this super hidden place from the my cruise line's crew. Apparently, the owner is an Indonesian who married a local Mexican. Their lovely daughter served us on that day and I have never found anyone who was half Indonesian half Mexican. Incidentally, I was born in Indonesia (though I'm Chinese), hence my fascination.The place looks a bit dodgy from the outside tbh, but interestingly that's kind of what many super simple Indonesian restaurants look like in Indonesia itself. The clientele is almost always 100% Indonesian ship crew, so the food is definitely authentic.The best value is to get the "buffet". A humble selection of 7-8 dishes, which you can mix with white rice and eat as many as you want, and you also get drinks with it. Also, don't forget to add their es kacang or es buah, a lovely shaved ice concoction that is fantastic for dessert.Being a bit skeptical at first, I was reassured by the daughter that they only use filtered water in their ice and ice cubes, which was good to know. And the food there is quite delicious. Now, it's not 100% up to par to what Indonesian food is like in the country itself, but that's merely because Mexico doesn't have all the ingredients you would need to exactly recreate the Indonesian cuisine I've come to know and love.Given the limitations, it's still a very good experience. And what a privilege to be dining in such an unknown place. It feels adventurous, and a tad bit exciting. The a la carte dish for $13 is not a very good value for your money, so stick to the buffet :)Remember kids, it's located the OPPOSITE way of downtown, when you exit the cruise terminal. In other words, turn RIGHT, not left. And go past the I-95 building. It'll be there soon enough, you'll see :)

Ketika saya berkunjung ke Cozumel lsland , Mexico, saya surprise ternyata ada restoran yang menyajikan khusus hidangan lndonesia. Tempatnya sangat strategis di depan Port of Puerta Maya yang selalu sibuk dengan kegiatan cruise ship passenger.Dapur lndonesia menyajikan berbagai macam hidangan lndonesia seperti babi kecap, rendang ayam, sambel balado, oseng oseng teri, telor rendang, untuk minumnya tersedia aneka juice seperti jus avokado, es buah, aneka soft drink.Kalau anda penggemar spicy food, Dapur lndonesia bisa anda coba. Enjoy !!

My husband actually likes it better than me, but I do enjoy sitting outside looking across highway to water. I am a people watcher and it's a good spot for that, food is good but a little overpriced.

I was on vacation in Cozumel and was surprised to hear about an Indonesian restaurant not too far from the center of town. This place is located along Avenido Rafael E. Melgar, about 300 meters south of the international cruise ship terminals on the opposite side of the street. Being a long time fan of Indonesian food I had to check it out. The restaurant is definitely for the adventurous eater; it's located in an orange building right by the road and is surrounded by scrub brush in a totally undeveloped area of town. The run-down, third world look of this place reminds me of small roadside eateries in Nigeria. Their neighbor next door is a bar named "Men's Club" to give you an idea of the neighborhood.I think the owner, who is Indonesian, tries to recreate Indonesian flavors but it's not quite the real deal. Certain spices and flavors are missing, but the food here is delicious nonetheless. Indonesian food is very spicy and this place did not fail on that. Your mouth should be burning by the end of the meal--unless you're a big fan of el picante.Because this place caters to the Indonesian crew on cruise ships, the hours are variable. If a cruise ship arrives at 7 am they'll be open by that time and close when the ship leaves (usually 4 - 6 pm). This place is very casual and the meals are buffet style. When you go inside let someone know you want lunch, head to the kitchen to your right, grab a plate and utensils, scoop yourself some rice from the rice cooker, get some sambal sauce from the smaller pot, and choose from assorted meats and veggies from the buffet. Be aware the food may be a little cold, but if you get there exactly at noon I imagine they'll have everything piping hot.I picked the chicken, stir-fried anchovies (trust me, it's delicious if you can get past the heads still attached), and vegetables. All were tasty with rich flavors (umami). The highlight of the meal is the sambal sauce. They use habanero or scotch bonnet peppers to flavor the sauce so it doesn't taste Indonesian but it is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I'd come back to Cozumel for this sauce alone! If you like Bahamian hot sauce you'll be over the moon with their sambal sauce.All in all this place really is a gem if you don't care too much about decor, have a sense of adventure, and like Southeast Asian food.

My husband actually likes it better than me, but I do enjoy sitting outside looking across highway to water. I am a people watcher and it's a good spot for that, food is good but a little overpriced.