Batam’s top eats: Cafes, the best kueh lapis and a kelong worth travelling to

BATAM – There are many regional destinations where one can watch movies, get a massage and tuck into a seafood feast on the cheap, but perhaps none more accessible than Batam, an hour-long ferry ride away.

If you have not made plans for the school holidays and are put off by flight prices during peak travel season, consider instead a trip to the Indonesian island, where new eateries and hotels sprout regularly.

Oakwood Hotel and Apartments Grand Batam, for instance, opened in July 2024 and is connected to Grand Batam Mall, which houses familiar brands such as Haidilao Hot Pot, Uniqlo and an offshoot of Australian cafe Toby’s Estate.

The hotel is a five- to 10-minute walk from a cluster of eateries, cafes and massage joints, all catering to regional and domestic tourists. I pay $144 a night in October for a studio executive room, which comes with a king-size bed, a living area and a well-stocked kitchen – ideal for ordering takeaway.

It is on the steep side for Batam, but spares no comfort for my multi-generational holiday. In comparison, nearby boutique property Artotel Batam has good reviews and costs around $100 a night for a weekend stay in December, less during off-peak season.

If you are looking to do the same, here are some highlights for an indulgent weekend.

Sweet treats

Tea-based cheese tarts such as Hokkaido Milk Tea and Matcha Red Bean (43,000 to 49,000 rupiah, or S$3.40 to S$3.80) are the highlight at industrial-chic cafe Itsumo Tart, which opened in mid-2025. I sample all six tart flavours and conclude that the best-selling London Fog is the best one by far, thanks to its floral Earl Grey notes. But its shortbread crust could be less chunky.

Alternatively, order the soft serve ice cream (43,000 to 48,000 rupiah). The TWG Earl Grey soft serve is just as creamy and fragrant as the tart version.

And the White Rice Miso soft serve – which uses homemade miso supplied by a Japanese living in Bali – is both light and complex. Two soft serve flavours are available from Mondays to Thursdays, and four from Fridays to Sundays. Go to @itsumotart on Instagram.

A minute or two away on foot is Mr Cream Puff, where the kurakka choux pastries (18,000 rupiah each) are generously filled with cream in flavours such as durian, green tea and sweet taro. The server suggests cappuccino and tiramisu when I ask for less-sweet recommendations, and both deliver.

This is a straightforward, crowd-pleasing dessert that will travel well if you are looking to buy a box home. Go to @mrcreampuff.id on Instagram.

Seafood feast

Batam is synonymous with fresh, good-value seafood and I have this at Kopak Jaya 007 Kelong Seafood Batam, which is worth the 30- to 45-minute drive from the city.

Two medium-sized fish – red snapper and sea bass – are the highlight of our meal, their flesh tender and sweet, having been caught from a pen and cooked just minutes before.

Some menu items are middling, such as the chewy salt-and-pepper squid, but stick to the live seafood and you will not go wrong.

Five dishes, including drinks, cost around $70. Due to the remote location, it is best to pre-arrange transport back to the city.

Other options closer to the city include Wey Wey Seafood and Love Seafood Batam Centre, which both come well recommended.

Alternatively, two unassuming coffee shops located next to each other serve expertly fried fish and prawns.

The more well-known Eatern Food Court has longer queues and more brusque staff. Head instead to

Sup Ikan 96,

where the food is comparable and the vibe is friendlier.

Snapper fillets at the latter are shatteringly crunchy and batang slices served in soup are fresh and bouncy. We also order six medium-sized prawns, which are meaty and tender even after being deep-fried with shells on, as well as bittergourd egg. The meal for four costs $32.

Traditional Indonesian flavours

Grilled rice with baby squid at Noe Noesantara (@noe.santara.id on Instagram), wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a bamboo tube, does not look like much – but my family agrees it is the most memorable item on the table. The rice is laced with kemangi, or lemon basil leaves, which add a touch of zest, and studded with chilli and bits of chewy squid. We hoover this up despite saying we would try not to eat too much carbs.

Portions at the Indonesian restaurant, which opened in August 2024, are hearty – such as chicken satay laced with sweet sauce.

One portion of ayam bakar, or grilled chicken, is half a bird and accompanied by urap – a salad topped with spiced grated coconut. Ikan goreng is a whole sea bass fried and cubed, served with sweet chilli sauce. All of it is delicious. Mains cost between 42,000 and 180,000 rupiah.

And you do not need to travel to Bali for a meal of babi guling, for Warung Guling Pak Made (@warunggulingpakmade.batam on Instagram) serves a respectable version of the roast pork dish. Service here is irrepressibly chirpy – the young staff welcome each customer with a chorus of greetings, not unlike hotpot chain Haidilao.

Order the nasi samcan guling komplit (58,000 rupiah) for an assortment of the eatery’s best – rice served with chicken satay, daun ubi (cassava leaves), pork crackling and roast meat, topped with a single precious square of roast pig skin, perfectly crisp.

The dish is accompanied by an array of sambal, all of them punchy and not for the faint of heart. The sambal matah or raw chilli salsa, pepped up by lime leaves and lemongrass, is my favourite. There is also a noodle version of this dish with similar toppings, for the same price.

Best kueh lapis

Kueh lapis is ubiquitous in Batam, but given its high calorie count, I want to savour only the best rendition of the rich layered cake.

Internet reviews whittle it down to three options: Lamoist (@lamoist.batam), Little Box Premium (@littleboxpremium) and Lapis No. 1 (@lapisno1), all with shops around the island and at ferry terminals.

Lamoist’s version is the most buttery, while the other two are dryer and less sweet – in a good way, if you are watching your health or waistline. Samples at all three are generous, with multiple flavours available, but staff say the original flavour is the most popular.

I also enjoy the natural-tasting pandan flavour from Little Box Premium and the rempah (spice mix) flavour from Lapis No. 1, which has cinnamon notes and tastes like a more complex version of the original.

Prices start at around 320,000 rupiah for 1kg of kueh lapis, and vary depending on weight and flavour.

Travel tips

I pay $76 a person for round-trip tickets from Singapore’s HarbourFront Passenger Terminal to Batam Harbour Bay with Horizon Ferry. If you are on a budget, it is worthwhile comparing prices among operators such as Sindo Ferry and Batamfast. Discounts may be available for selected off-peak dates and timings.

Cashless payments are accepted at most cafes and restaurants, but take along cash for more casual eateries, as well as for tipping.

Private-hire vehicles on Grab and Gojek are affordable and readily available. Short rides of 10 minutes or less generally cost from $2 to $4.