Are you looking for local street food to eat in Yogyakarta? You have come to the right place. We have been to the Beringharjo market in Malioboro street and around to experience authentic local street food. The prices are very cheap, the taste is as local as it can be and the atmosphere is an adventure not to forget.
Beringharjo market
The market is open from 8:30 am to 9 pm daily. This market is especially famous for shopping for the batiks (fabrics), clothes and ingredients for cooking. We went outside of the Beringharjo market to the right of the entrance of this picture is where most of the local food stalls are located.
We sat down at “Ibu Wasti” and started to pick the food we want. All of the food is ready to eat, it will not be refried, recooked. Just a warning if you have a sensitive stomach.
Street food from Yogyakarta
Most of the stalls offer the same street food. So after walking around for a few minutes, we have decided to sit down at the place where fewer people were sitting. The street food is open to see and grab to put on your plate. The number of choices is plenty. You will see many locals having their food here. We did not hesitate to take some familiar foods and some strange foods on our plate.
In this picture from left to right: Chicken intestines on a stick. The intestines do not taste like chicken meat. The texture is soft and tender. The taste was new and getting used to. But before I knew it, I finished the chicken intestines. Next to the chicken intestines, there is fried shrimp. This was prepared by dipping it in to some flour and spices. The shrimp was a little bit spicy but delicious. Next to it is Pecel, shortly boiled vegetables. At the Market they have easy access to fresh vegetables. Pecel is spicy and refreshing at the same time here.
Also read about Tongsen, a typical food from Yogyakarta
Tempe Gembus
Tempe Gembus is a vegetarian-friendly snack. It is made from leftovers of tempe. The leftovers are squeezed together and fried. This snack is rich in protein. I took some and it does not taste like tempe at all. Tempe gembus is softer and the taste was wood-like to me.
Dawet
For drinking, next to the street food, was Dawet. This is a local drink based on Coconut milk with brown sugar and rice jelly. The taste is sweet. The rice jelly reminds of the bubble tea.
“Musicians”
Around the food stalls of Beringharjo market there are plenty of “musicians”. They play “music” on an instrument, most of the times a guitar. When you pay them in the beginning they go away and do not finish their song. They come and go they are non stop and if it is too much just ignore it.
More street food in Yogyakarta
Going around the Beringharjo market we found more adventurous street food. This person had no stall, just a plastic crate with grilled birds. This is the next level of adventure I thought. We bought a few grilled birds with eggs (yellow balls in the picture), but we took this home. Here we would refry it, killing any bacteria that might cause discomfort to our food trip in Yogyakarta. The bird has many tiny bones, and actually, surprisingly not a lot of meat. When you would look at the picture you might think, thats a lot. But in this case it was a “looks can be deceiving” type of street food.
Sate Gajeh
This sate is pure fat. And can be found outsite of Pasar Beringharjo. I had to try when we walked passed by this. I do not recommend this particular street food when you are having cholesterol problems. The Sate Gajeh, when ready was dripping from its fats to the ground. The fat was tender and melted in my mouth immediately. It tasted like sweet and fat, just exactly what the brain likes. After eating one bite, I thought it was already enough but Since I bought it, I had to finish it. It was easy to eat since it was so delicious. My thought was at having to drink some oil, would that be the same? Luckily I only ate one. I felt guilty for my heart. But it was so delicious. This was once in a year? After the sate Gajeh we went inside of the market
Local Street Food Inside Beringharjo Market
Inside the Beringharjo market, there is so much to see, buy and taste. With satisfied tummy’s we just went for groceries for the food adventure, we could prepare indoors. We saw kitchens directly in the hallways of the market, a stall full of dried fish, and fruits almost everywhere. There are so many fresh ingredients to get from here for the kitchen.
A food trip to Yogyakarta starts at Beringharjo Market
This trip was easily a half-day worth of food adventure. It was so cultural enriching to see and experience the street food of Yogyakarta. Later that day we went to the real authentic gudeg place of Yogyakarta and the angkringan. This will be another post on the site. I hope you have enjoyed reading this and will also try some food adventure in Yogyakarta. What is your favorite street food?
Use this map to find the street food of Yogyakarta. It’s all around Pasar Beringharjo. Take your time and enjoy.
Address of Beringharjo market: Jl. Margo Mulyo No.16, Ngupasan, Kec. Gondomanan, Kota Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55122
Hi I am Dwi. I am a blogger, travel agent and a mom of a lovely daughter and wife to a supportive husband. I customize and plan tours in Bali and islands nearby for a living and have been doing this for more than 14 years. Get in touch via contact [at] taletravels.com