Indonesian in Miami

Bali Café is a veritable downtown Miami gem, serving up the kind of Indonesian food you won't find anywhere else in the Magic City. The "Nasi Goreng Special" is the move, fried rice with opor ayam and rendang (chicken and beef cooked in coconut milk), steamed vegetables, pickled carrot and cucumber, and garlic crackers all tucked into a bento box — it looks almost too good to eat. (We said almost.) Regulars swear by Bali's sushi offerings, as well, like the "Downtown Roll" (eel, avocado, and cream cheese) washed down with a soda gembira (a popular Indonesian beverage of club soda with cocopandan syrup and condensed milk), while first-timers quickly learn that the coconut-sauced rendang sapi is life-changing. Factor in the friendly service, prices that don't make your wallet cry, and the barong masks (sacred, lionlike wooden masks that symbolize good fortune and health) on the walls, it's no wonder New Times crowned Bali Café Best Restaurant (Downtown) in 2024.

This quaint little downtown eatery features some dozen-plus lunch specials (most $5.99 and each accompanied by a mound of white rice), all freshly cooked and invigoratingly seasoned. Indonesian staples served include grilled skewers of chicken or pork saté with peanut sauce; chili-and-coconut-seeped beef rendang; and rice noodles stir-fried with kecap manis (sweet soy), peas, scallions, carrots, and choice of chicken or pork (bak mie goreng). The priciest item, nasi rames ($9.99), brings steamed rice surrounded by beef rendang, curried chicken wings, sambal-slathered fish, sautéed kale, and a crisp shrimp cracker. Folks attracted to vibrantly hued victuals should try the trippy es cendol, a Javanese beverage/dessert of shaved ice, palm sugar, coconut milk, jackfruit, glutinous yuca, and bright green spätzle-like squiggles of tapioca starch. When Matahari Café gets packed with cruise workers, it is no less colorful.