Last time when I was around Panglima Polim area, before I spotted the newly-opened Woodpecker Coffee, I actually just finished my lunch in Mangia, which is located just opposite to the coffee shop. In case you think you’ve heard about the name somewhere, yes, it’s the same Mangia with the one in Grand Indonesia, only this one is *actually* their first outlet.

The place is considered small, just a tiny two-storey house turned into a restaurant, with maximally-used space so it is a little packed inside. I visited the place during odd hours on a weekday, so there were not many people dining in, so we could choose where to sit and took the best place for taking photos. XD Despite its size, the restaurant offers valet parking service, yay! I think it is a good service because I can imagine during peak hours, it can be painful looking for parking space considering the location.

Mangia has this unique concept that screams vintage all over its place. From the street, you can easily notice the white theme, including the old-style chairs (some reminded me of the old rubber chairs during my childhood days in family villa in Puncak, what a treasure!), and some are colored in random colors creating even bolder, stronger feel of vintage touch.

The first floor’s indoor is mainly occupied by the counter where they make the drinks and manage the cash machine etc, and it doesn’t look too nice and I definitely didn’t want to be seated there, unless I have no choice. The staff kindly assisted us to go upstairs, where the same size room was available, and this one doesn’t get cut out by any counter, LOL. If you get the touch of vintage by looking the the outdoor dining area downstairs, now you can feel it more upstairs. With the decorations (wall paintings, old radio, table mats) that look like they are coming from your grandmother’s attic, this restaurant successfully managed to make me feel amazed. If you choose to sit outside, you can feel the nice ambiance as if you are not in Jakarta anymore, thanks to the green scenery of surrounding neighborhood of South Jakarta. In short, I really love the place somehow.

First floor’s indoor area

The hallway to the upstairs

Have you climbed any stairs today? Burn the calories!

Upstairs, more private and intimate.

Let’s move talking about food, shall we? Mangia serves many variety of food and drinks that are quite tempting just by reading the descriptions. They are famous for the Nasi Tuktuk, Nasi Jeruk Sambal Dory, Swedish House Meatballs, but this time, beside all the best-selling menu, we also tried some others. Check them out! 😉

Broccoli Potato Gratin IDR 29K
This is actually a baked mashed potato, broccoli, cooked with bechamel sauce and cheese. I ordered this for appetizer but it came quite late after the second main course, but I think it was quite good as main course too. The way it was presented was very unique and eye-catching, but how about the taste? It turned out to be quite delicious with solid mashed potato and real chunks of broccoli all over. I especially loved the taste of the whole bowl, not salty but tasty enough to enjoy without additional sauce or condiments. Kids love this too!

Tuna Salad IDR 38K
This tuna salad really went well with its name as the tuna chunks were given very generously on top the veggies, then topped with homemade honey lemon dressing. Normally I like lemon-based dressing, but this one was a bit too sweet for my liking. The tuna was fresh and yummy, though. Will consider ordering this again in the next visit!

Nasi Jeruk Sambal Dory IDR 42K
As one of Mangia‘s signature dishes, I didn’t expect the dish to be disappointing, and it wasn’t. This rice dish is cooked with various rich-flavored herbs and spices, especially daun jeruk (kaffir lime leaves) and some hot orange chili was also spotted. The dory fish was soft inside and had its crunchy layer outside, making it a nice addition to the rice. I fell in love immediately from the first spoon, and this is just a perfect, perfect dish to enjoy anytime. Bravo!

Spaghetti Cream Basil IDR 49K
This pasta dish had nice texture but the sauce was too runny, thus making it less tasty.

Swedish House Meatballs IDR 58K
Another recommended menu from Mangia, probably not a truly feast to the eyes, but the taste was great. There were only 5 meatballs, no more no less, served with a scoop of mashed potato, sauce and strawberry jam to add some special taste into it. The meatballs were clearly homemade, not too solid and break easily, obviously all meat, and surprisingly soft and smooth for beef balls. The mashed potato was nice, not special but alright. Sauce was runny yet tasty, and the strawberry jam added unique sweet taste, which I personally didn’t really like, but for some people, they order this only for the sake of the jam. Again, it’s just a matter of personal preferences!

Kit Kat Matcha IDR 38K
This drink was made from cold-brewed coffee, crushed Kit Kat (you can choose the variant you want), and whipped cream. Although it didn’t use real matcha powder and only relied on matcha-based product (Kit Kat Matcha), surprisingly the matcha taste was quite strong and prominent. It was even stronger than some Iced Green Tea Latte that I had in some places, so this one is definitely not-to-miss if you claim yourself a green tea/matcha fans! 😉

Almond Ginger Iced Tea IDR 22K
This was my order for drink because I simply love almond and ginger, and couldn’t wait to try the combination of these two. The iced tea looked just like a simple iced tea, but once I sipped it, wow, the mixture of both strong flavors hit my taste buds on the mark! Love this drink! As expected, the soothing taste of almond blended so well with warm ginger taste, making it a yin-yang kind of drink. In the bottom, I found almond cuts too, which made the tea even nicer. Gotta try it!

Cafe Nutella IDR 40K
This drink is espresso-based drink, combined with Nutella and fresh milk. Was expecting something with stronger taste of Nutella, but I could just taste hint of it, not little, but also not too much. Not that I complained though, because this also tasted terrific and we loved it!

Sweet Lava IDR 38K
Baked cinnamon bread, caramelized banana, topped with coffee cream ice cream. Didn’t read the description so I had to ask twice when it was served, because I was expecting something safer, like molten lava cake. XD It turned out to be completely different dish, but it was delicious! The baked cinnamon bread had really nice consistency, crispy outside but still maintained its softness in the middle part, while the cinnamon aroma and taste was overwhelmingly nice. The caramelized banana was kind of overdone, making the texture a bit too hard and harsh, taste-wise, it was sweet but alright. The coffee cream ice cream was simply fabulous! It suited everything on the plate very well, and gave an extra fragrance and tasty touch without being too painfully sweet. Last but not least, whoever who created this dish, he/she is simply genius! <3333

Mangia probably is not a new name and many people have claimed it as one of their favorite restaurants in South Jakarta, so it never hurts to give it a try whenever you are nearby. I have heard so many people, friends or just strangers, who say that the food are kinda different from this outlet and the Grand Indonesia’s branch. What people (and I) like from this Panglima Polim’s outlet is that everything is cooked in certain extreme seasonings, resulting in a very strong, bold, and kicking taste for all the food (and drinks) that somehow become its trademark. And this, we can’t experience from the GI’s outlet. So even if you already tried the other one, perhaps sometimes you can try the original one, here in Panglima Polim 😉

All prices are subject to 5% service charge & 10% government tax
* The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.


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Mangia
Jl. Panglima Polim V No. 38
Jakarta Selatan 12160
Ph. +62 21 727 99674
Opening Hours: 
Mon-Sun  09.30 – 23.30


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