The Localist Coffee and Bistro Surabaya (Review)

An ‘exposed’ themed cafe is now pretty popular in Surabaya, and this particular one is called The Localist Coffee & Bistro. In my opinion, the key to having this theme is just to install the widest window you could’ve ever imagined in your cafe so that the natural light can strike in easily. There are pros and cons to this type of design, and here, it is kind of a little bit too exposed.

THE LOCALIST

I came to The Localist the same day as I visited Communal but I decided to hold this post a little bit longer, because I have so many pending posts that I’m holding in, and I need to arrange their uploading time one by one. Anyway, I came there around 2 PM, and the first time I stepped in, it was kind of warm inside and the sunlight was striking like crazy, even the waiters were hiding from it, lol.

Before I forget, I haven’t told you about its location. It’s on Arief Rachman Hakim street. If you are coming from Klampis, just go straight until you found a traffic light, turn left, and then look for a U-turn on your right, The Localist will be on your left. It’s pretty eye-catching since the building is big, and the cafe is on the second floor, you’ll notice the board name from afar.

I actually took the chance and challenged myself to sit right beside the window, haha. Although the waiters suggested (or I might say insisted) that I sit inside where the sun didn’t really strike. So on second thought, I agreed with him and sat inside where it was a little less warm. If you’re wondering about how big the capacity, The Localist can accommodate around seventy to eighty people, you can either sit beside the window, upstairs or further inside. 

MENU

For the menu, The Localist serves quite a random type of food, they sell American food, Italian food, Indonesian food, and also Chinese food. For the drinks, they got coffee, frappe, soft drinks, juices, tea, and also mocktails with such unique names which make you want to try them all. Price-wise, it’s pretty affordable compared to the others, around 15k to 55k for both foods and beverages.

Special Fried Rice Rp. 35.000,-

So this is what I tried, and unfortunately, it wasn’t the type of fried rice that I expected and I desired. I prefer my fried rice to be dry and savory, while this fried rice was the total opposite. So, yeah, too bad it wasn’t very pleasing.

Overall thoughts

I think this place is pretty cozy, but you have to pay attention to your visiting time. Avoid the hours when the sun is striking straight into the window (around 1 PM to 3.30 PM). The ambiance was okay, though they played Indonesian songs, which to me is kind of a turn-off, but who knows it’s a plus to the others. The waiter and waitresses were kind and helpful. The taste was below my expectation, but the price is considered cheap. Didn’t visit the toilet because it was kinda far, and lastly, the parking lot is not spacious, but the road is big enough to give you a parking spot, so hopefully it won’t be a problem.

SUMMARY

• The Localist Coffee and Bistro Surabaya
• Jl. Arief Rahman Hakim no 40
• 11.00 AM – Night
• RSVP : +6231 5937373
• Bring 70k-100k+/person
• Wifi & EDC Machine Available