Surprisingly, Makassar has a wide range of traditional dishes that you can try. It also has a variety of beef soups, which is the icon of this city. Visiting Makassar soon? Well, make sure you visit these places that have become locals’ favourites and try their halal foods!
Coto Nusantara
Coto is a stew dish originally from Makassar (“co” is pronounced like cho in chocolate). It is also known as “Coto Makassar“. Beef is the main ingredients of this dish and it can be mixed with intestine, liver, lungs, heart, and other cow’s internal organs. You have the options of mixing all of them or only take the beef coto.
The people of Makassar usually eat a small bowl of coto for breakfast. It is usually served with buras, which is a rice cake/dumpling cooked with coconut milk packed inside a banana leaf. Buras is considered a staple food for the people here, thus you can find it available on each table of the eateries or restaurants in Makassar.
When it comes to the best coto in town, look for Coto Nusantara, which is located at Jalan Nusantara, just opposite of the port of Makassar. There are other branches across the city, but I would recommend going to the original restaurant instead! This place is always packed with locals so make sure you are prepared to wait for an empty seat. The coto is very delicious and the broth is rich with flavours! Squeeze some lime juices into the bowl for those who want extra sour flavour. The price is very reasonable for a small bowl, which is less than Rp 15,000 per bowl.
If you are in Makassar, do NOT miss this place!!
Location: Jalan Nusantara No. 32, Makassar (Google Maps)
Opening Hours: 6.30 AM – 6.00 PM daily
Es Pisang Ijo at Warung Bravo
I never knew the existence of this delicious dessert until my aunt made it from scratch for me. Es pisang ijo is a delicacy of South Sulawesi and it is literally green banana ice. The dessert consists of a piece of banana wrapped in a green flour dough, red/pink syrup, and smooth shaved ice. The pisang ijo in Warung Bravo is definitely the best one you can find in Makassar. It tastes surprisingly like how my aunt made it. It’s a must try!
Location: Jalan Andalas, No. 254, Makassar (Google Maps)
Opening Hours: 8 AM to 9 PM daily
Sop Konro Karebosi
Sop konro is a famous traditional rib soup of Makassar. The soup is served with rice or buras. Another variation of konro is konro bakar (grilled konro), which is grilled ribs marinated in spices used for konro soup. Being a Buginese, this was my dad’s most favourite soup and being his daughter, I got to eat this delicious soup every time I visited Jakarta.
Sop Konro Karebosi is the first restaurant that we visited when we touched down Makassar. We picked this place due to its popularity in TripAdvisor and Indonesian blogospheres. However, the soup did not meet my expectation and I was very disappointed by its cold soup and tasteless ribs. Did we visit this restaurant at the wrong time? (it was right after Friday’s prayers) We didn’t know for sure. Do visit this place and let me know what you think! Perhaps we were unlucky!
Location: Jalan Gunung Lompobattang No. 41-43, Makassar (Google Maps)
Opening Hours: 10 AM to 10 PM daily
Sop Konro Bawakaraeng
Our attempt to find the best sop konro did not stop there. We eventually find this place after googling. We ordered mixed konro soup with tendon and it was not bad! There were not much meat as compared to Sop Konro Karebosi though. If only there were more meat then I would be quite satisfied.
Location: Jalan G. Bawakaraeng No.146, Makassar (Google Maps)
Opening Hours: 9 AM to 12 AM daily (except public holidays)
Rumah Makan Seafood Apong
We wanted to eat seafood on our last night in Makassar, so we were recommended to go here. The restaurant is located in the Chinese district of Makassar and it is also owned by a Chinese. So the food served here has Chinese influence. It may not be the cheapest place to eat seafood, though! Nevertheless, it is very delicious and we both love it!
Location: Jalan Pangeran Diponegoro No.95, Makassar (Google Maps)
Opening Hours: ?
Other Foods to Try
Due to limited time, we did not get to try these foods. Do give them a try when you are in town!
Sop Saudara Irian
Sop saudara is a dish originating from Pangkep, South Sulawesi, located 60 kilometres away from the city of Makassar. The soup is mixed with beef, rice vermicelli, and potato perkedel. The Sop Saudara stall in Jalan Irian is the favourite among the locals here. You can read here for more information (sorry, it’s in Indonesian! But at least you can see some pictures).
Location: Jl. Dokter Wahidin Sudirohusodo No. 40, Makassar (Google Maps)
Opening Hours: 24 hours daily
Pallu Basa Serigala
Pallu basa is yet another soup dish originating from Makassar. According to locals, Pallu Basa Serigala serves the best pallu basa in town!
Location: Jalan Serigala, Makassar (Google Maps)
Opening Hours: 9 AM to 8 PM daily (except public holidays)
