Java Indonesian Rijsttafel

I haven't had a meal this bad in quite a while. I had the beef satay and it was the worst quality of meat I have ever had in sit-down restaurant. It tasted like it had been marinated in some sort of industrial-strength cleaning product. My date's chicken was reported to be sub-par, despite being the largest single piece of chicken ever to appear on a plate. This means that if you are a 300lb visitor from the Midwest, you will probably like this place...The only way this place is getting good reviews is from the tourists (the only other people in there when we went were tourists and they were lovin it!) Either that or the recent spike in food costs has driven down the quality. The service was friendly, like in a greasy spoon, but the food was pretty bad.

If you want a chill night out, for a date, with yummy food and a warm atmosphere, this is the place. The Rijstafel is delicious - and you get to try so many different dishes - with tastes that you don't get with just Thai or Chinese food. And for a total $41 (with tax!) the 2 of us ate like kings - soup, salad, tons of food for the main dish, dessert and coffee. Definitely a place not to miss in the south slope.

We recently moved into the area and tried this place with a friend. We loved the food, the ambience, the service, everything. Yes, we did order the rijsttafel and I definitely recommend it. You get a little bit of everything and trust me, it is a lot of food. The lovely lady (who I think is the wife/proprietor) is a sweetheart. Some of the dishes came freshly cooked/fried so there was a little bit of wait but it's worth it (you know it wasn't just sitting there all day). On the flip side, the curries and sauces are slow-cooked and tasty. I will definitely be going back many times.

So very impressed. On a cozy corner in Park Slope, the ambience can best be described as stepping into a country kitchen w/ the windows open to hear birds and a jungle. We had the namesake Rijsttafel, which is essentially 12-15 smaller versions of menu items, laid out buffet-style on a table-size stove. First, they give you soup (excellent bean curd w/ noodles). Then, you get two salads, one of a health-salad variety, the other a sweet, peanuty mix. Then, the main buffet comes out, with everything from beef, lamb, chicken, codfish, and shrimp, some on skewers, some in sauce. Everything was cooked perfectly, and was extremely flavorful. The Rijsttafel comes with a choice of dessert for each person, and I had the corn pudding, which had a flan-like taste and texture. We also shared a Jakarta Green Light drink, which was a mix of juices and indonesian panjam syrup - very tropical taste. I highly recommend this restaurant, if you are from the area, not from the area, whatever. The service was impressive, very attentative, and everything was perfect. We will return.

I have eaten at Java a number of times and even though I was priced out of Park Slope (housing) I still like to come back and eat at JAVA! The best fried rice, and the rijsttafel is a great starter for those that are new to this food.

start with the rijsttafel (rice table, like Indonesian tapas) at Java. It's a huge amount of food (made for 2 or more) and will give you the range of Indonesian flavors. Another favorite is the corn/shrimp fritter. If you like Thai and Indian, you'll love Indonesian.

My parents took me here often when I was a kid. I do not come in anymore now that I have my own kids, but their delivery service is great. I love the homemade eggrolls they make and also the shrimp fritter appetizer. They make great Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and I love the char broiled chicken with the curry sauce.