First Indonesian restaurant in years opens in Bay Area
Warung Siska opened in Redwood City on Wednesday, bringing the Bay Area a home for Indonesian dishes like Balinese grilled pork, jackfruit yellow curry and fish sate with lemongrass relish. It’s the first fullblown Indonesian restaurant to open in the Bay Area in years.
Two women are leading the charge: Siska Silitonga, who gained a following through her Indonesian popup ChiliCali, and Anne Le Ziblatt, the restaurateur who opened Vietnamese spots Tamarine and Bong Su. Warung Siska is taking over Le Ziblatt’s recently shuttered
Nam Vietnamese Brasserie space at 917 Main St. They’re joined by managing partner Ervan Lim, formerly of M.Y. China.
All three owners have ties to Indonesia and are excited to open a restaurant dedicated to the underrepresented cuisine. While the Bay Area’s underground Indonesian food scene has seen a significant boost in energy during the pandemic, few sitdown restaurant options remain.
While the aforementioned dishes promise to be staples at Warung Siska, the casual restaurant will also feature rotating seasonal options like kalio iga, short rib braised in coconut milk and spices, and mi aceh, curried egg noodles fried with seafood. Entrees will cost around $14$23.
“It’ll be Siska’s food: Indonesian food but my take on the food,” Silitonga told The Chronicle in May. “I want to do something slightly different, just to showcase Indonesian food beyond fried rice and braised beef.”
Beer and wine will be served on tap alongside some fun nonalcoholic beverages, like soda gembira, an Indonesian bubbly drink enriched with condensed milk, strawberry syrup and whipped cream.
The restaurant is starting out slowly with just dinner and indoor dining, but lunch and takeout are in the works, too.
Warung Siska. 59 p.m. WednesdaySunday. 917 Main St., Redwood City. 6503935515 or www.warungsiska.com