Pontianak: Where Coffee Comes First

These lines from the West Kalimantan folk song Aek Kapuas (aek means ‘water’ in the local Malay dialect) softly played in the writer’s mind upon setting foot in Pontianak — a city offering more than just the beautiful panorama of the Kapuas River, the longest river in Indonesia.

In this city that sits right on the Equator, every step is accompanied by the aroma of coffee — rich, hot, and invigorating — even when the afternoon sun is blazing and cold drinks should be the obvious choice. It is no surprise that Pontianak is known as the ‘City of a Thousand Coffee Shops,’ with its people living and breathing the culture of ngopi.

During a five-day, four-night stay in this region with 14 media practitioners from Sarawak — an initiative of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching with low-cost carrier AirAsia — the writer explored the ‘coffee first, then you’ lifestyle embraced by locals, most of whom are Malay, Dayak, and Chinese.

The casual expression ‘kopi dulu baru kamu,’ commonly used among young people in Indonesia and Malaysia, reflects the idea that one should savour a cup of coffee before starting any daily affairs.

 

Here, a cup of coffee is not just a drink — it is an identity, a culture, and an open social space.

Since the early 2000s, Pontianak has been synonymous with rows of coffee shops (warkop), especially along Jalan Gajahmada. By 2018, modern cafes and kopitiams began sprouting like mushrooms after rain, adding new colours to the city’s ngopi culture.

Today, with 1,035 coffee shops across a city of 682,000 people (Source: Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency, 2024), anyone strolling through the city centre will encounter at least two coffee shops every 500 metres.

For locals, warkop are places to meet, discuss issues, relax, or even work. Others simply enjoy the lively nightlife, as many warkop stay open until the early hours — some even operate 24 hours, much like Malaysia’s iconic mamak restaurants.

Popular Indonesian influencer Richard Erfany — known as Evan (@hobbymakan.id) to his 3 million TikTok followers and 1.2 million Instagram fans — affirmed the strength of the coffee culture.

According to the Pontianak-born personality, the habit of nongkrong (hanging out) at coffee shops is instilled from childhood.

“From young to old, everyone drinks coffee. Here, warkop strengthen social bonds. Everyone can sit together. At the warkop, we’re all the same,” he said.

Locals, he added, prefer a session of ngopi over an expensive meal when socialising.

“They drink coffee until late into the night. While coffee shops in other cities close at 10pm, in Pontianak they can go on for 24 hours,” he shared.

Evan attributed this vibrant culture partly to the affordability of coffee.

“In Pontianak, you can find every type of coffee. Because demand is high, almost all coffee varieties from across Indonesia — from West Java, Aceh, and Bali — are brought here,” he explained, adding that many of Indonesia’s professional baristas working in major cities hail from Pontianak.

 

Pontianak’s coffee culture goes beyond a simple cup of village-style coffee brewed using methods passed down through generations. It evolves with changing tastes and generations. Traditional warkop still form the backbone of ngopi culture with their iconic black coffee and sweet condensed milk variants, while the rise of modern cafes since the late 2010s has introduced international coffee staples like espresso-based drinks, cold brew, and latte art.

Among thousands of warkop, we were taken to Warung Kopi Asiang — the city’s most iconic coffee shop.

Founded in 1958 by Asiang’s father, the shop began as a humble stall under a tree along Jalan Agus Salim, before moving to a small shoplot on Jalan Merapi, about 100 metres from its original spot.

Asiang — real name Yohanes Fendi, 69 — began helping his father at 17, serving coffee while slowly learning the craft. Today, he is regarded as a coffee legend whose brew is highly sought after.

The shop is a must-visit for lovers of traditional coffee, famed not only for its strong, consistent flavour but also for Asiang himself — known for serving shirtless, a common practice among the local Chinese community due to Pontianak’s hot weather.

According to loyal customer Ryan Arianda, 35, queues begin as early as 3am, even though business starts at 4am.

“During Ramadan, they open for sahur too, so people come as early as 1am. Asiang’s warmth and the way he greets customers is part of the charm.

“It’s not just coffee here — there are kuih, soft-boiled eggs, and butter-kaya toast,” said the Pontianak resident who has been a customer for 11 years.

The writer observed that the shop remained crowded with locals and tourists even close to noon. A cup of coffee starts from as low as Rp9,000 (RM2.30).

 

Besides Asiang, two other legendary coffee shops frequently visited are:

• Aming Coffee – known for its milk coffee and lively morning atmosphere.

• Weng Coffee – a modern warkop that still preserves Pontianak’s traditional touch.

These three coffee shops form the ‘golden triangle’ for coffee lovers seeking to experience the roots of Pontianak’s coffee culture — from traditional flavours to timeless, classic ambience.

But the city’s coffee scene doesn’t end with traditional shops. Pontianak is witnessing a surge in modern, hipster cafes, especially among the youth.

One standout is El Luna Cafe & Sport, a five-storey, 24-hour cafe with a minimalist urban concept, dedicated community spaces including a gym and snooker centre, and Instagram-worthy corners — making it a favourite for coffee lovers and social media content creators.

The emergence of such cafes reflects how Pontianak’s coffee culture continues to evolve without abandoning its traditional roots.

Unlike Malaysia, where the coffee culture tends to be simpler, Pontianak offers a deeper, more immersive experience — as though time itself moves to the rhythm of the barista’s hands and the sip of fresh coffee.

For Sarawak media members on this trip, Pontianak proved to be more than just a stopover — it was an encounter with the culture, flavours, and soul of its people.

With AirAsia’s direct flight from Kuching taking just 45 minutes, Pontianak is now even closer to Malaysians, especially those in the Land of the Hornbills.