Layar Seafood & Ikan Bakar Pesanggrahan — Restaurant in Jakarta

Located in Pesanggrahan, West Jakarta, Layar Seafood and Ikan Bakar Pesanggrahan is a spacious and bustling restaurant known for serving incredibly fresh seafood. One glance at the row of aquariums on the right side of the entrance confirms this, as you can choose your meal straight from the tanks—a unique experience for seafood lovers.

We visited as a group of nine, and our total bill was around 3 million rupiah. Overall, the food quality was excellent, but the service timing was somewhat inconsistent: some dishes arrived quickly while others—particularly the crab and fish—took noticeably longer to reach our table.

Be prepared for a lively crowd—especially on weekend evenings—so arriving early or making a reservation is recommended. Among the many dishes we tried, the Kepiting Saos Bawang (crab in garlic sauce) stood out for its rich, garlicky flavor, while the Udang Rebus (boiled prawns) were incredibly fresh and sweet. The Udang Api Goreng Kering was another highlight, featuring crispy prawns with just the right seasoning, and the Cumi Telor Asin (squid in salted egg sauce) was satisfying. The Grouper HK Style offered beautifully tender fish that emphasized its freshness.

Vegetable dishes—Tumis Pucuk Labu, Kangkung, and Pocai—were decent but took a back seat to the standout seafood. Parking space is limited, though there is a valet service if you arrive during peak hours.

Lastly, remember that last orders are taken at 21:30 daily, so plan accordingly. If you’re looking for a place with top-notch seafood and don’t mind some variation in service speed, Layar Seafood and Ikan Bakar Pesanggrahan is a...

Very comfortable place to eat seafood because it's indoor area with air-condition. But the noise can be a bit noisy for some people. And the air-condition was not strong enough, because there were too many people inside.

Ambarella juice - Jus kedondong

Boiled red clams - Kerang dara rebus Fresh & there's no fishy smell.

Big pancet prawn grilled with honey - Udang pancet besar bakar saus madu

Deep fried squid - Cumi goreng tepung Crisy batter, tender squid, not chewy at all.

Grilled Bali clams with Jimbaran sauce - Kerang bali bakar jimbaran Rich in flavor, you'll definitely add more rice to eat it with the sauce.

Capiz clams with butter sauce - Kerang simping saus mentega

Salted egg soft shell crab - Kepiting soka telur asin The soft shell crab was fried until crispy, the salted egg sauce was flavorful, eggy & creamy.

Dewa grouper steam with garlic - Kerapu dewa steam bawang putih Old time favorite, super soft grouper meat, topped with umami soya sauce.

Deep fried Box fish ala Thai - Kudu kudu goreng ala Thai (saus pisah) Crispy fish dipped into sweet chili sauce.

Grilled Leather jacket fish ala green chili - Sukang bakar sambal hijau Indonesian style grilled fish.

Kepiting jumbo jantan - Crab with butter sauce

Frond Layar Hot Steamy - Pakis asap layar It was literally hot & steamy. Served on a hot plate, sambal was poured over the veggies.

There's a free refill sambal counter on the end corner of the room.

Our family favourite...

Recently visited a seafood restaurant in Jakarta Barat with high hopes, but was utterly disappointed by the service. The wait time for a simple glass of tea stretched to an excruciating 30 minutes. The staff's attitude added to the frustration; they lacked basic courtesy and were inflexible. An instance that stood out was their handling of our order change. We requested to cancel one out of five rice orders, to which they initially agreed. However, at the time of billing, they not only charged us for it but also handed us the extra rice in a takeaway box. This seemed like a clear money-grubbing tactic, totally undermining the dining experience.

On the positive side, their private room is nice, and the quality of the food was acceptable. A standout dish was the Ikan Kudu Kudu, well-prepared, fried not oily, and crispy, complemented nicely by the sour and spicy mango sambal. However, the food quality didn't justify the high prices, especially when compared to Sentosa Seafood Restaurant. While the seafood is decent, the poor service and unreasonable policies marred the experience. I would recommend this place only if you have no other options for seafood in the area and Sentosa is fully booked. Do try the Ikan Kudu Kudu if you visit, and get the kangkung veggie to balance the flavor. Just be prepared for potential service issues and...