Sakura Anpan: Where Time (and Flavor) Stands Still

When I was looking for breakfast recommendations on TikTok a couple of weeks ago, an old bakery in Sabang, Central Jakarta, came up on my screen, instantly piquing my interest. Opened in 1978, Sakura Anpan is now a cake shop many people consider ‘iconic and legendary’, offering a wide variety of bread and traditional market snacks.

After planning to try it for quite some time, my boyfriend and I finally visited the legendary cake shop this morning. I was a little surprised by how small the building looked from the outside, but as I stepped in, the room seemed fairly spacious, with a striking touch of a modern ‘90s feel. Everything looked old—but not too old—and inviting.

However, the bread and traditional market snacks weren’t very varied when we were there. We learned from the kind shopkeepers that they didn’t sell many varieties on the weekend. We decided to buy one mayonnaise rissole, one rogurt rissole (a rissole with a creamy savory filling), one tahu bakso (stuffed tofu with meatball filling), one mini chocolate bread, and a random mini chocolate cake.

Everything cost us IDR 34,000—how affordable and delicious! Both of us loved everything. The food there tasted authentic and comforting.

Except for the random mini chocolate cake—we weren’t big fans.

Our verdict, though? We’ll definitely be going back—but next time on a weekday for more variety.