I love myself a good burger, it is one of my (many) sins, and Three Buns delivers on that front. They specialize in burgers of many different kinds as well as cocktails. Read up to know whether it’s worth your while (spoiler: it is!).
Contents:
What is Three Buns?
Three Buns is a restaurant specializing in burgers and good drinks in an open space, multi level venue.
Where is Three Buns?
In the Senopati area, just South of SCBD in what has become one of the trendiest foody strips in Jakarta.
Food and Drink: 5/5
Excellent. They’ve nailed the perfect balance with their burgers. It can be summed up in a few bullet points:
- Reasonable variety: Selection is decent but there are no ridiculous combinations. Just putting anything between buns doesn’t make it a burger.
- Manageable burger size: The burgers are not huge. They are easy to hold, not stuffed to the rims and don’t fall apart. Each bite of a proper burger must let you sample all that the burger has to offer. What’s the point if it’s falling apart and you end up eating each part separately?
- High quality ingredients: The buns are soft inside yet do not fall apart, the cheese is high quality, and the meat is juicy. Also, the sauces are unique and complement the burgers.
- Highlight ingredients: Each burger features carefully chosen ingredients that make it unique. Whether it’s the sauce, the cheese, the amount of meat or a decadent extra like melt-in-your-mouth twice-cooked pork belly (by far my favorite), there is no ingredient overload. Each burger lets you appreciate the full flavor combination rather than drowning out any component.
Note: all burgers are available “naked,” meaning buns are replaced with lettuce. Ideal for Paleo low carbers (just don’t order the fries!).
They also have seasonal specials to spice things up, which is great if you are a regular and have already tried everything on the menu. For example, the Ludacrismas special burger for the festive season uses a blend of five cheeses!
I will also add that on the several occasions where I’ve eaten at Three Buns over the years, the quality has been consistent. Whether at lunch time, dinner time, week day or week-end, my go-to burger (Piggie Smalls) has always been just as good.
Beverages
This is another highlight for me. They have a great selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Their homemade sodas are delicious and they have a decent selection of beer, including some imported brews from Canada! I have not tried any of their cocktails yet.
Service: 4/5
Overall, I would say that the service is good. The staff is attentive, polite and efficient.
The food comes out quickly too.
I took one star out because one of our orders was forgotten when we went for seconds. (Yes, seconds; don’t judge me please).
Atmosphere: 4/5
The restaurant is in one huge multi-level room with high ceilings. The overall layout may or may not work for you, but it is definitely targeting a younger crowd.
Climbing up and down to access some tables can be tiring for elderly people and a downright hazard for children.
Additionally, the seating is not very comfortable for extended periods.
Aside from these quirks, the atmosphere is nice. On busier nights, the place is buzzing but not overwhelming. Furthermore, the music is not too loud, so conversations are a breeze.
Cleanliness: 4.5/5
The dining area is quite clean with nothing notable.
The toilets are okay, but could use some more maintenance on busy nights. Still, they’re pretty clean.
The kitchen is open and visible, so you can see your food being cooked if you so fancy. It is good that they have nothing to hide.
The food is served in baskets covered with wax paper which is presumably hygienic since they don’t re-use the paper.
Value: 4/5
By Western standards, the price is reasonable, especially when considering the quality. By local standards, it is on the upper end.
Burgers range from Rp 90,000 to Rp 115,000 before tax and don’t include french fries (it’s an additional Rp 20,000 for a small side of fries).
While it’s not exactly cheap, I consider the overall menu very interesting. It is varied enough and of high enough quality that it justifies the price.
Note that the parking is extremely limited with no nearby public parking area. Because of that, you will almost always need to hire the valet at the front. There is no fixed price and you can pay what you want for the service. I usually pay Rp 30,000.
Conclusion and overall score: 21.5/25
Once again, I may be biased because I love this place. So this review has been more of an exercise into being objective and seeing if I can find some negative points.
Still, whenever I go to this area of Jakarta, Three Buns is one of the dinner options that comes up first in my mind. In fact, I will find just about any excuse to dine there. In a way, I am lucky to live far or I would have serious health problems from eating burgers all the time.
If the sitting arrangement suits you (can easily climb stairs and have no small kids), then I can highly recommend Three Buns. The burgers are varied and well balanced for flavors and ease of eating (or gobbling up). The drinks are plenty and unique too.
A small anecdote: I took an American member of the Expat Indo Forum, along with dafluff, to dine at Three Buns a while ago. They both have extensive experience from the “Land of Burgers” (aka USA) and both concluded that Three Buns would not be out of place in the US and would certainly do very well.
While I’ve found that Three Buns offers the best burgers in Jakarta so far, I admit that I haven’t tried everything (obviously). I welcome any recommendation for a good burger, so please do not hesitate to send me a private message on Expat Indo Forum for any suggestions!
Tips
- Call ahead to check if there is any event going on. I got burned once when I traveled all the way to Senopati, only to be told that there was an event and the restaurant was closed to public.
- The burgers are fairly small so if you’re hungry, you could easily eat two and sample two different kinds that way. Just skip the additional french fries.
- Three Buns also has an outlet in Singapore!
Contact
Three Buns Jakarta
Jl. Senopati Raya No. 90
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12190
Indonesia
+62 21 2930 7780
Official website
Questions/Corrections/Discussion?
Visit our forum and let us know!
Note: Neither Expat Indo nor the author of this article is affiliated or associated with Three Buns in any way. However, PTT Family (owner of Three Buns) gave us permission to use their official burger pictures.
