Toko Oen — Restaurant in Semarang

The very terrible experience in Semarang so far for me!!! This restaurant has very terrible staff and impolite manager!!! We arrive at Semarang from Yogyakarta 8.15pm and all of my family member are very hungry. I recommended my family to go to Toko Oen because of its one of the well known Restaurant in Semarang. But, actually it was a very very wrong decision. We came with grab car and It was a very heavy rain on that time and we are 9 people came with 2’pregnant women and 1 baby. The condition was very impossible for us to moved because the rain was very heavy!! I begged the cashier amd explained about our condition and I thought they will have emphathy to let us order some food. But the cashier just quite and ignored till I shout to her and then she asked the manager. The manager said the same thing but I begged him for his emphaty with hope he let us ordered. Then finally he let us ordered but only for Indonesia food and Italian food. Then we ordered food for 9 people with some appetizer. After few minutes the waitress sent 3 cold teribble Fried rices, then we confused where are the rest? Then the waitress said they are unavailable and sold out. Without any apology ... OMG i was so amazed with they terrible attitude. We were 9 peoples and the served us 3 fried rices without any plate for share and without any cutleries. They were very rude!! They not even apology with proper manner!! We will never come back to this TOKO OEN!!!! Terrible restaurants!!! Especially the manager he was very very...

Walking into Toko Oen is like stepping into an old photograph. It’s a certified tourist magnet, and yeah, on weekends it’s packed. If you’re chasing culinary innovation, keep moving - this place is about nostalgia.

I went in with mid expectation, and that’s probably the only reason I left mildly satisfied. The poffertjes? Decent. Buttery, sweet, comes with three scoops of ice cream, though I hoped for more burnt edges to contrast all that creamy softness. Bitterballen were crispy, seasoned right, and filled generously, though what looked like honey mustard dip tasted more like sweetened mayo. The star of the show, Bistik Lidah, delivered: tender, and dripping with that weirdly sweet comforting Javanese-Dutch sauce fusion. It’s like beef tongue dressed in a tuxedo but wearing blangkon.

But then, the smoke show. Literally.

An old stinky guy started smoking right next to us despite the no smoking signs from every wall. I had my little daughter with me, so we asked the staff to intervene. They actually looked uncomfortable & afraid to confront the dude. We tried ourselves (politely) & got scolded for our trouble. Second waiter? Same story. Their grand solution? We should move to other table. Not the guy breaking the rules. Us.

Here’s the thing: we were actually spending more money than the frog looking gremlin who just ordered a drink. From any business angle, that math doesn’t check out. So we walked. And next time we’re in Semarang, we’ll let this antique stay exactly where it belongs:...

I came here on weekdays, so it's not crowded. The place wasn't hard to find, Toko Oen is located on the main road, no narrow street. It was easy to find parking spot for car/ motorcycle. I think this shop carries an old style concept, it was really a nice place to have a long conversation. I took a lot of photos here because it was only me, my mom, the waiters, and one other customer lol. These are what we ordered: Rum raisin ice cream (it has alcohol on it, you can see the book menu's note, and it was really delicious. I think the more I eat it, the sweeter it gets). Bistek babi (aka pork bistek and it was delicious, the veggies are fresh! - Yes, this shop has a non-halal menu. But they sure have other halal menu like chicken/ beef, you should ask the waiter to make sure). Risoles. Hot cappuccino. Hot tea (to neutralize. But they actually gave me free 2 cups of mineral water).

If you visit Semarang, Central Java, please make sure to visit this shop. The dishes was super good, ask the waiter about what's the most popular/ ordered dishes - their service was great! They also sell cookies and breads (I think sometimes they give promo) to go, but I didn't buy it because I'm not really a sweet tooth. At first I was just want to have a snacks here, but I ended up ordering the main dish lol. I really recommend this place, please make time to...