Have you ever had a plate of food sitting on the table before you that doesn’t look very pretty?

But then you take your first bite, and you’re blown away by how delicious it is?

That’s exactly what happened to me when I tried Sate Padang for the for first time. And now I’m completely obsessed with it.

In this blog post I’ll share all the details you need to eat at Sate Padang Ajo Ramon, considered one of the best places to eat this type of special sate in Jakarta.

Sate Padang Ajo Ramon
What is Sate Padang?

What is Sate Padang?

Sate (or satay, but it’s typically spelled sate in Indonesia) is one of the most common and famous Indonesian foods.

But there are many different types of sate.

Sate Padang, as the name would suggest, is originally from the culinary paradise of Padang, located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra.

The main characteristics of Sate Padang include little pieces of meat and organs that are marinated in a strong mixture of spices and grilled over hot charcoal.

Sate Padang
Sate Padang sauce, one of the key ingredients

After the sate are finished grilling, this is where things start to change from other types of Indonesian sate. The skewers are plated, often combined with pieces of ketupat rice cake, and a generous scoop of starchy gravy is poured all over the plate.

The pastel yellow or brown colored lumpy gravy is on the same level of pretty as Hainanese curry rice, but again, as soon as you take your first bite of Sate Padang, your taste buds will rejoice.

For it’s bold spice flavor, Sate Padang is a favorite type of sate for those who really like spices and strong flavors.

Sate Padang Ajo Ramon
The famous Sate Padang Ajo Ramon

Sate Padang Ajo Ramon

One of the most famous places, and often one of the most beloved places to eat Sate Padang in South Jakarta is Sate Padang Ajo Ramon.

As soon as I arrived, I already liked the atmosphere of the place. It sets up in the parking lot of what I think is a market, but it’s shaded by nice big trees, and off the main road so you have a chance to relax a little bit.

Jakarta street food
It’s located in a nice quiet neighborhood of Jakarta

It almost feels like you’re in a park, even though you’re right in South Jakarta.

As soon as you stroll up to Sate Padang Ajo Ramon, the aroma of spices, the turmeric and cumin, will penetrate your nose.

best sate padang in Jakarta
Tongue, intestines, and I’m not sure what else, but it’s all good!

I’m not fully sure of all the options of different types of cow you can order, but I mostly noticed meat, tongue, and intestines.

I ordered a plate that included half skewers of beef meat, and half the skewers of ox tongue (which is very popular for Sate Padang).

Sate Padang in Jakarta
Just look at all those spices!!

Taking a peak at the grill, you can see how many spices were caked onto each piece of meat.

The rich mixture included lemongrass, ginger, shallots, garlic, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and more. Here’s a great looking recipe if you’re interested in trying it out.

best Indonesian street food
Strands of ketupat rice cakes

Before putting the freshly grilled sate on my plate, a couple of ketupat rice cakes were opened and sliced up onto the bottom of my plate. This is the component that makes Sate Padang a complete meal.

Next, on went the skewer, followed by a good smothering of the sauce, which was made from a combination of rice flour and a few light spices.

Finally, a handful of fragrant crispy shallots were sprinkled all over the top.

Indonesian food
Here it is: Sate Padang

So here we are.

This plate was sitting before me.

A reflective plate of near plastic looking gravy, with skewers sticking out the side.

I chose one of the skewers of Sate Padang, rolled it in the sauce, and took my first bite.

The overwhelming explosion of spices swept me away (literally, you can watch the video below), and I immediately fell in love and became obsessed with this brilliant type of Indonesian sate from Padang.

Indonesian sate Padang
The combination of the meat and gravy was incredible

What really amazed me is that the sauce was actually kind of plain, but most of the spice flavor came from the grilled skewers of meat. And somehow the gravy didn’t mask the spices, but added a lovely complementary coating to sort of hold in all the flavor and spices.

Just like many other Indonesian dishes, to bump up the flavor profile, the handful of crispy fried shallots gave the plate of sate an extra caramelized onion taste.

best Indonesian satay
The tongue sate blew everything else away

The sate of beef meat was incredible, but undoubtedly the skewers of tender ox tongue were the winners.

The tongue was so tender, and tasted like it was filled with spices all the way through the meat.

I’m actually drooling just writing this and thinking about it right now.

Indonesian street food
You’ll need something to scoop up all that sauce

As you continue eating your plate of Sate Padang, you’ll inevitably end up with a plate that looks similar to this (above): a bunch of gravy and no spoon.

Don’t worry, there’s a solution…

Jakarta street food
The answer: crispy cow skin chips

Deep fried cow skin cracklings.

On every table at Sate Padang Ajo Ramon there’s a snack basket where you can grab what you like.

I didn’t have the other packet, but I followed everyone else who was eating here, and grabbed a packet of the deep fried cow cracklings and used them to scoop up my extra sauce. It worked extremely well, not only to clean my plate, but the combination of that mild soothing gravy and the crispy skin, was delicious.

Watch the full video below:

(Or you can watch it on YouTube here)

Sate Padang Ajo Ramon
Here’s the place you’re looking for!

Conclusion

Sate Padang is a special type of Indonesian sate (satay) that originates from Padang, Sumatra.

The small skewers of meat and organs (specifically ox tongue) are loaded with spices before being grilled over hot charcoal. Along with the spice mixture, one of the unique aspects of Sate Padang is the yellow brown sauce that is smothered all over it.

In Jakarta, Sate Padang Ajo Ramon is one of the ultimate places to eat Sate Padang, and as soon as you take your first bite you can expect your taste buds to scream with happiness.

Read my full Jakarta travel guide here.

Sate Padang Ajo Ramon

Address: Jalan Cikajang Raya No. 72, Senopati, Jakarta
Open hours: 5 pm – 10 pm daily
Total price: 34,000 IDR ($2.55) with a bag of crispy cow skin and bottole of water, I think the actual plate of just sate was 25,000 IDR

20 comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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  • vishal kaushik

    3 years ago

    Hi Mark. Just wanna say that you are doing the great job.

  • wallytreeservice.com

    3 years ago

    I love those gravy scattered around the plate! Keep on posting!

  • VapeSpring

    3 years ago

    Cool article, I really love it…

  • https://swipe2fix.com/

    3 years ago

    I am new to your blog and I got hooked on foods and yes, I’m sneaking right now in the kitchen, nice one!

  • Achmad

    7 years ago

    Thank you for promoting our local food. Indonesian food is extremely the best food, but not yet widely known globally. For instance, when I was in tokyo it was very hard to find indonesian food, but in Jakarta , singapore or even paris you can easily find Japanese restaurant..

  • Ram

    7 years ago

    Hi Mark, your videos are great, I want to know how u maintain your fitness after having many food preparations available out there.

  • AFhuk

    7 years ago

    Wow … It turned out that there was also discussion of Indonesian food, a useful site for the culinary connoisseur worldwide.

    Thanks for sharing.

    My Indonesian bloggers.

  • Jean B

    8 years ago

    Do not be mean to me, I have very hungry.

  • Art Travel Eat Repeat

    8 years ago

    I love sate, and that looks amazing. My mouth is literally watering right now.

  • Nugi

    8 years ago

    Great review on Sate Padang, Mark! Anyway, from what I know, there are actually several styles of Sate Padang, the two most renowned are Pariaman style, which has a slight red tint on the gravy (this is the one in Ajo Ramon, I believe), and Padangpanjang style, which has a more yellowish gravy.

    Like many Indonesians that commented on your website, I definitely have to encourage you to come to other places in Indonesia for a wide range of palatable delights.

  • Arif

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark! I’m a big fan of your videos!
    I’m a college student in Bandung, Indonesia, but my hometown is in Padang.
    And after watching your videos of Nasi Padang and Sate Padang, I was suddenly feeling homesick :’)
    Looking forward for your next videos Mark,
    You’re inspirational

  • Indri

    8 years ago

    “I’m actually drooling just writing this and thinking about it right now.”

    You’re in love, Mark.. you’re in love..

  • Irham

    8 years ago

    hai mark, i very excited watch your videos, and i always waiting your video 😀 but you must go to bandung, because in bandung many food recommend and you must eat “sambal dadakan or sambal terasi” and Seblak, Surabi and other food in bandung..

    sorry my english very bad hahaha :p

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Irham, thank you very much for watching. I’m really hoping to go to Bandung on my next trip to Indonesia!

  • Das

    8 years ago

    The last item of the crispy cow skin, similarly looks like “sabudana papad” in India.

    Sabudana : Tapioca Sago (Sabudana)

    Is the sauce make of rice water+peanut paste/sauce ???

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Das, thank you for sharing. I don’t think there were peanuts in the sauce, but mostly rice flour, and some light seasoning with turmeric and cumin.

  • Nawmy

    8 years ago

    Hi Mark, really loving your videos. I live in England now and really missing Indonesian food. You inspired me to cook some of the Indonesian food. Can I recommend you a seafood restaurant in Jakarta, it’s called Pangkep 33 in Pluit. Not sure about the address but it’s not far from Emporium Pluit. Not sure if you are still in Jakarta. For seafood lover like me, it’s a must to try Pangkep restaurant. Keep exploring! Looking FWD to watching more food videos! ????

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hi Nawmy, thank you very much for watching, and glad you were inspired to cook some Indonesian food. I’m not in Jakarta anymore, but I will remember your recommendation for next time I visit, sounds delicious. Thanks!

    • lani

      8 years ago

      Yes.. mark if you love spicy food …specially on seafood…next time you could stop by there..named : pangkep 33 in pluit north jakarta area…the food are delicious …must try the crab chillie pepper and sambal super pedas…