The Acre — Restaurant in Jakarta

Food is great, I get why people have to queue before getting a table. We came during lunch time, understandably the place was full. I was told that the only tables available were in outdoor area, and I explained that I was expecting more of my friends and we'd prefer to be seated indoor. But since it was a peak hour, I was given a choice to be on the wait list or if I wanted to sit and order straightaway, I had no option but to get outdoor table so I did that since I needed to work anyway. One hour later when the restaurant had got SIGNIFICANTLY less busy, I reached out to one of the servers and kindly asked whether we could be seated inside because so many customers were checking out and NOT MANY checking in. I had to follow up 2x and the lady server only told me "ya kak, sedang dibantu ya dicarikan meja di dalam". 5 minutes after, the same guy who seated me prior reached to me and explained that basically we CANNOT move tables since they have to prioritize new customers. Even if eventually we can get seated inside, we have to CLOSE BILL first. How ridiculous. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE EXPERIENCED A RESTAURANT who asks to close bill just because you want to move to a better table. And we get that new customers have a priority but so you DO NOT prioritize existing customers?! Since I didn't want to close bill, we remained sitting in outdoor area. Just when another friend of ours came in, she tried to talk to other server who was so much nicer (too bad I didn't ask her name), and she helped us to move to a table in indoor area. No drama. I kindly explained that we didn't want to close bill, and she responded that we didn't have to close bill. Overall, only food is great. Service is not so much especially with guy servers. They obviously like to chat and joke around with each other when the restaurant got less busy. I asked for napkins 3x to the same server, we were NOT getting the napkins. My friend who came latest and order the latest meal also did not get his until 40 minutes, apparently the server who took his order didn't put in the order somehow. Very disappointing service for a restaurant at this...

It doesn't look like a restaurant from the outside, but by the time you enter, an intimate, cozy, and spacious dining area will welcome you. Woody interior, green color coming from lots of plants, and calming lights were definitely the vibe you're looking for a break like having a chit chat with your friends or have lunch/dinner with family. They have indoor and outdoor areas.

The option of meals are vary starting from pastries, cakes, light snacks until heavy meals with mixed between Nusantara and western. Many selection for beverages as well, coffee, tea, juice, etc. The price is above average though, well since it was in strategic location and Menteng on top of that. But the portion was amazing, the taste also great!

I had Caramel cold brew coffee (65k) and I love it! Nice brew and proportional taste between the bitter and sweet, just love it. My other favourite was Crepes honey butter cinnamon (85k), the crepes was smooth combined with cinnamon powder and vanilla ice cream, oh my, tasted really nice! Other snacks that I've tried was Cheeseburger quesadillas (110k), which also flavourfull with lots of meat and cheese.

Note: when you order make sure the staff write the ones you want because the music is kinda loud so it could be missheard.

I would like to come again if I happen coming to the area and will try their...

I had lunch at The Acre today and left with mixed feelings. The staff were friendly and attentive overall, but there’s definitely room for improvement. I brought my own drink, and while the waiter offered to keep it in their chiller, it was placed under the welcome desk instead. Unfortunately, this meant it didn’t chill properly and was exposed to dust. It would have been better if I’d been allowed to keep it at my table, even though I wouldn’t have been able to drink it.

For my drink, I ordered an iced lemongrass tea, but wasn’t informed that it came with lychee as a topping. The lychee made the drink much too sweet, likely from the canned syrup. I asked for extra lemongrass, but they added lemongrass syrup, which didn’t work well when used in excess.

I also ordered the grilled chicken with sambal matah, but wasn’t expecting an additional sambal on top, which was a bit overwhelming.

Overall, The Acre is a decent spot for lunch, but I’d recommend double-checking the menu and adjusting expectations. I also hope they can improve the speed of service, especially during busy...