Warung

A village warung in Garut, West Java, Indonesia.

A warung (old spelling: waroeng or warong) is a type of small family-owned business — small retail, eatery, or café — in Indonesia.[1] A warung is an essential part of daily life in Indonesia. Over time, the term warung has shifted somewhat — especially among foreign visitors, expatriates, and people abroad — to refer more specifically to a modest Indonesian eatery or a place that sells Indonesian retail items (mostly groceries or foodstuff).[2] But for the majority of Indonesians, it still refers to a small, neighborhood convenience shop, often a front room or booth in a family's home.

There are tourist-serving establishments on the island of Bali and elsewhere that attach the term warung to their business to indicate their Indonesian nature.[3] Traditionally, warung is indeed a family-owned business, run by the family members, mostly by women.[4]

Traditional warungs are made from wood, bamboo, or woven thatch. More permanent warungs are stalls made from bricks and concrete, which are often family-owned businesses attached to their homes. Some smaller portable warungs are made from tin, zinc, or molded fiberglass in some modern versions. Warung tenda is a portable tent-based warung, covered with canvas, fabric, tarp, or plastic sheet tent for roofing.

  1. ^ "Warung and Streetfood". Bali.com. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  2. ^ Suharmoko, Aditya (17 February 2013). "London-based Indonesian 'warung' feels like home". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Warung Bumbu Mertua, Offers Delicious Javanese Cuisine to Tourists". Bali Times. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  4. ^ Paule, Willow (26 August 2014). "In Yogyakarta 3 women run 3 very different 'warung'". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 11 February 2015.