Lil’ Java Philly

Love this place — highly recommend the pork noodles — the nasi gorang is much lighter and not as greasy as Chinese fried rice. Food is different from sky café — it’s based on the cuisine from Java — the island where the owner is from — not as spicy as other places — if you want spicy — ask for the home made hot sauces — no msg so no headaches with my dinner– the burgers are the best around and breakfast is served all day. We eat here 2 – 3 times a week

A bit disappointed with this place based on the 4 rating in Unilocal.
The foods are bland and sweet, there’s nothing kicking as an Indonesian food witch rich with flavors.
I ordered the noodle with pork minced, what a bummer as the noodle way too soft (overcooked), taste bland.
If you are looking for an authentic Indonesian food, maybe this is not the right place in Philly.
Will I go back? Definitely No

Nice little Indonesian café in south Philly. Great tasting, inexpensive dinner on a cold winter’s evening. Started with Murtambak Beef, then had the ayam jamur with a side of wonton soup. Friendly service, good atmosphere — would definitely come back.

Delicious, fresh food and friendly staff! I want to go back and try everything. I had the pork noodles and they were perfectly seasoned, not too salty!

Amazing flavors. So fresh! I eat out a lot and at some of the best. I think this may be the best meals that I’ve ever had. And it was $ 8. I’m in awe. I don’t even know what to do about this feeling. Should I eat here everyday or keep it special?

Wow small place but so cozy and super clean. The owner super nice the food is the best I got Batagor and gado gado and Roti bakar and breakfast white egg vegetables omelettes my husband love it so glad we try little Java.

I think this is brings something special to the neighborhood. I’ve been here a few times since it has opened and really enjoy the batagor appetizer and the turmeric soup. The pork in sweet gravy is great too. If you are ready for adventure, try the shaved ice desert with condensed milk, chocolate syrup, jackfruit, avocado, and durian. The durian has a crazy intense stinky cheese flavor that you don’t expect in a fruit. It awakens all of your senses and makes you feel alive. I highly recommend it.

The standard breakfast with bacon eggs and hash browns was great but for the love of God please make some updates to the building. Your business is likely to fail due to the appearance alone!

Now I see why this place got five stars. This man’s wife knows how to cook ! Everything seems to be prepared totally fresh and from scratch. Very great cooking and everything is super tasty and affordable ! Love that this place is so small and quiet too so you can enjoy a nice lunch with friends. Everything is fantastic. won tons were out of this world and the beef fried rice was so good too ! This place rocks and everyone should come here and check them out including the pope !

There can never be too many little South Philly Indonesian corner restaurants. Lil Java is one of the latest, with burgers and some American breakfast items to lure less adventurous eaters in.
Batagor ($ 5) is a psychotic appetizer– dumplings, fried tofu, and eggs strewn around with a peanut sauce frenzy. Most of the taste comes from the peanut sauce. The tofu and cut up dumplings had very pleasant, chewy textures.
Beef Randang here is small but mighty. With a fragrant rice and shrimp crackers doing most of the belly filling and the aromatic beef served as a wee portion.
Fried shrimp was a little heavy and reminiscent of Americanized Chinese food, but it wasn’t bad.
Despite its clarity, the broth that makes up the Bakwan Campur ($ 7) is the world’s most chickeny chicken soup Besides that broth, the stuffed tofu and fried meatballs were outstanding, while we could have done without the regular meatballs and wontons. Those fried meatballs though, I don’t even want to know whats in them, but I could them in all my soups from now on.
For dessert we were presented with a complimentary shaved ice– sweetened with condensed milk and containing a surprise avocado.
We ended up passing on the roti bakar, which was described as toast with American cheese and chocolate sauce.

What a great family Indonesian restaurant.
The Murtambak is so good. It taste similar to the ones from Penang, Malaysia.
The mie goreng and fried rice was so good.

Lil Java is the newest Indonesian restaurant in town and after eating here, I can say it is now my favorite Indonesian restaurant in Philadelphia. I chose this for my first meal out in being back in Phillytown … and I was not at all disappointed. This is Javanese food at its tastiest. And best of all, everything is cooked to order — no cafeteria-​style Indonesian food here. The Batagor served as a starter is practically a meal in itself. The preparation and presentation were perfect. And the main dish of Pecel Dan Ayam Goreng is a total treat. The dark meat fried chicken was so tender and the vegetable component with peanut sauce resembled Gado Gado but with lemon grass. A homemade Indonesian sambal added a real nice kick and the additional habenero sambal provided extra wallop! Adding in the well-​known Indonesian sauce — kecap manis — then cooled things off a little.
Ferry — the friendly co-​owner — works the front of the house. His wife does the cooking. I can def recommend seeking out this establishment in the Girard Estate neighborhood of South Philly. I know I’ll be back!

I’ve been to this restaurant for several times & found out that the dishes are met my standard & my wife’s. Despite that this is a «rookie Resto» compare to other Indonesian Resto, which have been opened earlier; Lil Java of Philly is catching up really fast. What a nice dine in experience with a relaxing atmosphere. Combined with attentive owner, Ferry who listens to your personalized preference. I could always ask for something with a very spicy or just a mild ones. There’s always something new dishes to“explore” everytime I swing by. Plus, there’s always available parking spot on my visits… tried the mixed vegetables, salty fish fried rice & fried tofu meatballs (Batagor) with yummy peanut sauce dressing. Defitinely will explore other dishes on my next visit.,

This place is worth to try. They have good foods with affordable prices. I love their Indonesian style toast bread and pork noodle. I will definitely come back again!

My hubby and I came here and the atmosphere hit us from the door. Its so peaceful and clean. Our host was not only froendly, kind and funny but he also helped us pick something to please out taste pallets as well as calm our hunger. This is a must stop and sit place to go! We ate and let me tell you the food hit every one of the senses… well seasoned and portioned just right. Not too spicy. you are given many options to choosr from. Also the prices are to not be frowned on… this day and age i was surprised to get a meal with that much quality and the prices they were asking for… Complements again to the Chef and to our host and server… We will definitely be coming on a regular here!

Another fantastic Indonesian offering here in Philadelphia. I’ve frequented Hardena, tried Seulanga and Fans, and ordered Sky Café more times than anyone should. This location beats them all out as far as I’m concerned. Rather than the cafeteria style casual presentation common to Indonesian food in the area, this restaurant is sit down (though I’m sure you could also pick up if you so desired.) The dish I ordered had rice topped with fried shallots and was flanked by a mixture of fresh haricot verts with bean sprouts and perhaps other vegetables in a slightly-​spicy peanut sauce. The dish also came with some fried marinated chicken (I think there’s a marinade going on here of something like turmeric /​galangal and shallot?) It also came with rempeyek kacang — anchovy-​peanut fritters which I took bites of with dabs of the house sambal. I should make a note of the sambal because it had a very different flavor from all of the sambals I tried: Slightly funky almost like Korean kochujang. I can safely say it’s my favorite condiment I’ve had in a while, but there were other pickled chiles and sauces at the table. All of these came out to about eight bucks. I’ll definitely be back to try other options on the menu!

Just had breakfast here (served all day) not more than 15 minutes ago. I’ve been working very odd hours and woke up craving a nice breakfast but not wanting to cook. Lil’ Java opened a couple months ago and I’ve driven and walked past several times. It fit the bill perfectly. Great food in nice portions. Everything is clearly homemade. The home fries were some of the best I’ve ever had; very uniquely spiced. The scrapple was good which kind of surprised me because its very hit or miss at many restaurants. I asked for my eggs scrambled with cheese and they came out with the cheese mixed in. This may sound trivial, but it has become the exception to the rule; most places now lay a piece of cheese on top presumably to make cleaning the pan easier. I’ve found mixing in the cheese to be a solid benchmark of how good the breakfast will be and it held true here. Also came with toast. Everything came out very quickly. All for $ 5! I got pancakes too for $ 4 extra and I assumed I would be bringing a portion of everything home for later. No such luck, I ate every speck there and then and I was stuffed to the gills.
The waiter/​owner Ferry was extremely nice and attentive and my coffee and water was never empty for more than a few seconds. I took note that he bee-​lined to the back for the coffee/​water as soon as he heard the sounds of a spoon in an empty mug and ice in an empty glass, which is a dying skill in food service.
The restaurant is clean, subdued and unassuming, bordering on divey which I mean in the best way possible.
It looks also like a great spot for families. The tables seat 4+ with plenty of room and are topped with a table cloth and clear plastic; perfect for spills. The menu is varied enough that you could order a burger for your kid and maybe ease them into the more exotic stuff. They also appear to have a nice variety of milkshakes at the counter for hot summer nights.
I frequently find myself trying a restaurant wanting very much to like it but leaving disappointed in one way or another. I am over the moon that this was not the case here especially since it’s so close to my house. I will absolutely be back for breakfast and definitely want to try the Indonesian food.

This place is VERY good.
New Indonensian spot in the area. The area is a very clean area too for South Philly so you won’t get shot here! Opened up just a few months ago and I can guarantee that this spot will seal a guaranteed top Indonesian restaurant in Philly easily.
The service is quite lovely. These guys made sure we were catered and they took the time to get to know us.
The food is delicious. I love the savory flavors and how rich the food is in terms of overall textures and spices. The food just explodes in flavor. Amazing.
This spot is one of the best for Indonesian food like I said by far. Check it out.

Great new Indonesian food in a neighborhood with a lot of Indonesian food. Prices similar to Hardena’s. Good portions and cheap prices. BYO.

My wife and I stopped in for breakfast. We thought the Java meant coffee — Not the island, but it was a nice surprise.
I ordered two eggs, scrapple, home fries, toast, and some coffee. It was delicious and the portions were more than generous. The home fries were especially tasty. It put me right back into bed upon returning home.
The wife ordered the french toast and a glass of OJ. She was all about it.
Despite the portions being enough to feed three to four people our bill came to $ 9.00! The owner was very sweet and accommodating.
We’ll definitely be back for breakfast, and I’m excited to try their dinner service. Also, it’s BYO.