EMILIA BAR ITALIANO SCBD — Restaurant in Jakarta

Absolutely Horrible – Avoid at All Costs

I rarely write scathing reviews, but this restaurant deserves a serious warning label.

The food? Overpriced, and not authentic Italian —certainly not worth the Rp 250,000+ price tag. But the real disaster was the service.

The wait staff got our order completely wrong and then flat-out refused to correct it. Instead of taking responsibility, they gaslit us, insisting we were the ones who ordered incorrectly—despite it being a very clear and simple order. Rather than resolving the issue, they doubled down and started blaming us, turning what should’ve been an enjoyable dinner into a frustrating argument.

Worse still, the staff then pressured us to pay the full bill, including food that hasn't arrived and food we didn’t order. There was zero accountability, zero professionalism, and frankly, the staff’s attitude bordered on thuggish - with 7-8 staff surrounding us at one time. I’ve dined all over the world, and this was one of the most hostile, manipulative service experiences I’ve ever encountered.

Be warned: Triple-check your order and record it if you have to, because if there’s even the slightest mistake, you’ll be blamed and berated. The staff here will treat you like a nuisance, not a guest. Avoid this place...

Food was not so good, pappardelle was fine, but the vongole is bad. The flavour of the calm is not there, probably better to use batik clam instead. You dont taste the clam flavour at all. And adding cheese to vongole is a mistake. Im actually a chef with 10 years of experience and this is the first time i ever see vongole with cheese, which is not right. Service was okay until the service team offered us tabasco and chilli flakes and we said yes, but tabasco and chilli flakes never arrive to our table. Ambience was great, however there’s a hiccup on the layout. Table setup in front of the bar really blocking the way which is bad and inconvenient, especially last night that table is occupied by 6 person sitting there. I meant no harm, but maybe this review can help emilia improve the...

I had a wonderful experience at Emilia Bar Italiano SCBD. The service was excellent, especially from one of the staff members who kindly helped take my photos, the results were amazing, and I really appreciated that. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, though unfortunately I didn’t catch his name.

For the food, overall it was very good. The Pappardelle con Bistecca has already become my favorite (I’ve also tried it before at Emilia Alam Sutera). As for the pizza and other pasta dishes, I personally found them to be more on the average side, but the great service truly made up for it.

Thank you for making my birthday dinner such a special moment. I’ll definitely be coming back...