Cafeography
Yogyakarta · Kotabaru & Cik Di Tiro

Cafés in Kotabaru & Cik Di Tiro

The Dutch-era garden city around Kridosono stadium, and the café row on Jalan Cik Di Tiro.

Photo: Baarast Project, Pexels License

Kotabaru was built as Nieuwe Wijk, a European residential district east of the Code River. Work began in 1917 under a sultanate land regulation, Rijksblad No. 12, and ran until about 1922, on a plan by the Dutch architect Herman Thomas Karsten.1 It was laid out as a garden city with attention to public health, with boulevards, schools, a hospital and the Kridosono sports ground.21

Dutch officials lived in its villas, and the heritage houses, the colonial-style Gereja Kotabaru and Stadion Kridosono still set the tone.3 Kotabaru's cafés split between the garden-city streets and Jalan Cik Di Tiro to the north, a street that appears in colonial photographs as Jalan Dr. Yap.1

Local tip: For coffee before 08:00, Couvee Reside opens at 07:00; Bincang Kopi on Jalan Cik Di Tiro does not open until 17:30, so save it for the evening.

At a glance

40Cafés listed
7With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Couvee Reside, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–00:00).
  • Closes latest: Awor Gallery & Coffee, until 00:00 (Daily 09:00–00:00).
  • Most common features: open late (15%), takeaway (13%), wi-fi (8%).

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Coffee chains in Kotabaru & Cik Di Tiro

October 1945 and the Syuhada mosque

Under the Japanese occupation Kotabaru became a military center; the Catholic church served as a gunpowder store and the Protestant church as a prison for Dutch women.1 On 7 October 1945, after the Japanese refused to hand over their weapons, Yogyakarta youths joined by fighters from Magelang and Ambarawa attacked the base, and 21 Indonesians and 27 Japanese soldiers were killed.1

Several streets now carry the names of the Indonesian dead, and Masjid Syuhada, the martyrs' mosque, was built in 1952 to honor them.1 Bentara Budaya, an arts institution, is at Jalan Suroto No. 2.3

The café row on Cik Di Tiro

Jalan Cik Di Tiro has the tightest cluster of cafés in the area: Bincang Kopi at No. 36 opens 17:30–23:30, and Lekker Je and Coklat Cafe are a few doors apart on the same street. West of it, Awor Gallery & Coffee on Jalan Cornelis Simanjuntak runs 09:00–00:00.

Couvee Reside opens at 07:00, the earliest start in Kotabaru, and closes at midnight, and Coolhands does takeaway from 09:00 to 00:00. Domore Cafe is at 2A Jalan Kartini and Jeyahara on Jalan Dewi Sartika. Kafe Le Solé keeps office hours, 08:00–21:00 on weekdays and 10:00–20:00 on Saturdays.

Palm-sugar coffee and old buildings

TUKU - Kotabaru, at 15 Jalan Sajiono, is a branch of Toko Kopi Tuku, which opened in Cipete, South Jakarta, on 1 June 2015 and counts as one of the pioneers of kopi susu gula aren, coffee with milk and palm sugar.6 Tuku raised the price of its Kopi Susu Tetangga to Rp25,000 a cup on 24 April 2026.7 The Kotabaru branch opens 08:00–22:00, has air-conditioning and outdoor tables, and takes cards.

Newer cafés use the old houses. Simetri Coffee Roaster, at Jalan Sabirin No. 20, is a specialty café in a preserved building, and Jeeva Yogyakarta, at Jalan Suhartono No. 2, pairs specialty coffee with modern Indonesian cooking.5

Why the street coffee carts went

Kotabaru's quiet streets drew street coffee, vendors selling from carts and stalls on the road and sidewalk at night. In February 2025 the city's public-order agency, Satpol PP, cleared them from the stretch between Masjid Syuhada and Gereja Kotabaru, citing a 2024 public-order bylaw and complaints from churches, a mosque, a museum and residents about blocked roads.4 The transport agency joined the operation to deal with cars parked in the traffic lanes.4

Sources

  1. Kotabaru, Gondokusuman, Yogyakarta, Wikipedia (Indonesian), accessed October 2026
  2. Public Health Aspects in Planning and Development of Kotabaru, Yogyakarta (Berkala Arkeologi 43(2), 2024), BRIN (Vivi Sandra Sari), accessed October 2026
  3. Yogyakarta, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  4. Satpol PP Jogja Tertibkan Street Coffee di Kotabaru (19 February 2025), detikJogja, accessed October 2026
  5. Best cafés and dining spots in Kotabaru (2 September 2026), What's New Indonesia, accessed October 2026
  6. Toko Kopi Tuku, Pelopor Manisnya Kopi Susu Gula Aren, UKM Indonesia, accessed October 2026
  7. Toko Kopi Tuku Sesuaikan Harga per Hari Ini, KST Naik Jadi Rp25 Ribu (24 April 2026), IDN Times, accessed October 2026
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In Kotabaru & Cik Di Tiro, also browse: Wi-Fi Open late Outdoor seating

FAQ

Kotabaru & Cik Di Tiro cafés: questions

What is the history of Kotabaru in Yogyakarta?

Kotabaru was built from 1917 to about 1922 as Nieuwe Wijk, a garden-city district for European residents east of the Code River, planned by the Dutch architect Herman Thomas Karsten. On 7 October 1945 local fighters attacked the Japanese base there, and Masjid Syuhada was built in 1952 to honor the Indonesians killed.

Which cafés are on Jalan Cik Di Tiro in Kotabaru, Yogyakarta?

Bincang Kopi at No. 36 opens in the evening, 17:30–23:30, and Lekker Je and Coklat Cafe are on the same street. Awor Gallery & Coffee on nearby Jalan Cornelis Simanjuntak stays open until midnight, and Couvee Reside, the earliest opener in Kotabaru, starts at 07:00.

How much is Tuku's palm-sugar coffee at Kotabaru in Yogyakarta?

Toko Kopi Tuku raised the price of its Kopi Susu Tetangga, made with milk and palm sugar, to Rp25,000 a cup on 24 April 2026. The Kotabaru branch at 15 Jalan Sajiono opens daily from 08:00 to 22:00, has air-conditioning and outdoor seating, and takes cards.

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