A2 Food Court: The Most Popular Open-Air Food Court in Batam, Indonesia (Is It Overrated?)

One of the top food destinations in Batam (Indonesia) is A2 Food Court. As of the time of this writing, it has 4.4 stars and more than 5.8 thousand reviews in Google Maps. Almost all food vloggers and food guides include it in their must-visit lists.

We had high expectations because of the high ratings and the festive looks. But is it worth visiting?

A2 Food Court is very festive and crowded, which I really don’t mind. But there are so many trash on the floor. I can’t help but compare it to the hawker centers of Batam’s neighbor, Singapore. 

It’s also full of cigarette smoke. I don’t think there’s a non-smoking area so you can’t escape it.

Because of the unpleasant environment, we decided to just do takeaway. Here are the stalls that we tried:

Goreng Bak

As its name suggests, this stall specializes in Babi (or bak in Chinese) Goreng or fried pork.

The pork is crispy. But if you’re not into fermented flavors, then this one is not for you.

Mie Kueh

While this stall sells Mie Hun Kueh, a dish made of hand-torn egg noodles, we tried the Nasi Goreng Kampung or “village” fried rice.

This one has fried ikan bilis or anchovies, which give an umami to the dish.

MM Sio Bak

This stall sells roast meats such as Cha Shio or Char Siu (barbecue pork) and Siobak (crispy pork belly). 

For IDR50,000, the portion is small:

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I’ll say it straight: A2 Food Court is overrated. The place is overcrowded, dirty, and filled with smoke, while the food is underwhelming and pricey. So don’t waste your time and stomach space here. And if I haven’t communicated enough, let me say this: Skip this one!

P.S. Because I don’t recommend this place, I won’t even put the food court’s address and operating hours here. LOL.